Sandy Friedenfels

Born and raised in Door County, Sandy is a graduate of Gibraltar High School. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Clare and graduated with a Bachelors in Art degree. Shortly after graduation she moved to La Crosse and married Bernie in 1992. Sandy worked as an Art Director for 10 years at a small advertising agency that catered to national clientele. Bernie worked in cutting-edge software sales. 

They schemed and dreamed with every visit home, trying to figure out how they could move back to Door County. Sandy turned in her sketch pad for toys and Bernie his suit & tie for tools as they both pivoted careers and moved to Door County fall of 2002 to raise their family. They brought their then three-year-old daughter Sophie. Two years later their son, Will, was born.

Sandy joined the family retail business, Spielman’s Kid Works, for the next 15 years. When Kid Works was retired, she entered the world of finance with Nicolet National Bank, where she currently works at the Egg Harbor branch as a teller and a banker. You may also see her training new staff at other branches around the county. Bernie started as a plumber’s apprentice and went on to seek his master’s license and eventually start his own business.

When the Friedenfels family landed back in Door County in 2002, finding quality child care was number one on their list of priorities. Sandy realized how important it was to have reliable child care in a safe, modern facility with highly-qualified teachers. She quickly understood that this was important for the entire community. Sandy was grateful to find what she was looking for at Northern Door Children’s Center (NDCC). It became her passion to be involved as a member of the Board of Directors and help maintain this hard-working, dedicated organization.

Today, both Sophie and Will are graduates of NDCC and Gibraltar Area Schools.. Sophie has earned her photography certificate from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. She resides in Sister Bay, working for Door County Rock & Gem and photographing the beauty of Door County. Will is currently enrolled at St Norbert College studying business. Sandy has served on the NDCC Board of Directors since 2005 and she is excited to continue to serve, especially during this exciting time of growth and expansion.