Delaying Retirement

Cameron “Cam” Kruse was the first full-time engineer hired by Jack Braun, founder of Braun Intertec, back in 1968. Kruse was instrumental in helping the Bloomington-based engineering firm become an industry leader, especially in the transportation market. At one point, he served as a division president.

After 30 years in management, Kruse was starting to approach the traditional retirement age, but didn’t feel ready to disengage from the company. Instead, he worked with Braun Intertec’s leaders to recast his role in the firm.

“I got to the point where I was interested in getting back to doing engineering,” he recalls. “It was a good point in what was going on in the company, in terms of leadership changes, so that we were able to work that out. I was able to step back from management and go back to doing project management and client development and those kinds of things, as opposed to HR decisions and finance decisions. Basically, I was allowed the flexibility to do the things that I wanted to do, and kind of shed the things that I really didn’t like doing.”

It’s not a one-sided deal; the company benefits, too. Kruse, with his long-standing client relationships, continues to actively bring in new contracts. He hands off some of the projects to other engineers and their teams, but personally works on the ones he finds most interesting. And he has started mentoring some of the younger engineers on the staff. Many of them look at the role Kruse has carved out for himself and say that one day, they’d like to do something similar.

“The only issue for me, actually, is at home,” Kruse says. “My wife is anxious for me to be at home more, so I’m starting to cut back to accommodate her wishes. Otherwise, I’m still having fun and still liking the work.”

Thomas Fee, principal and managing partner at Vector Wealth Management in Minneapolis, says arrangements like Kruse’s, in which 60-somethings take on new roles instead of leaving the work world, are increasingly common. “Some people flat-out make career changes,” he says. “Some go into the consulting business. Some go back to teach at colleges or universities. If they leave their careers, they may not be content with volunteering on Sunday mornings at the pancake breakfast. Instead, they might step into a more active role within a nonprofit.”

But many, he says, aren’t leaving their companies in the first place, because what used to make sense when people turned 65 doesn’t make sense anymore.