On February 2, 2007 Joseph Menzah Grand Sword Bearer and personal representative of the Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of TOGO, West Africa proudly presented Pepper Aasgaard a diploma giving him the title of Assistant Grand Master of Honor
In February 4, 2004 Pepper was honored as the Top Recruiter in Nebraska was the pinnacle of his recruiting efforts, later in February 2, 2007 session of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska
. . . Pepper received the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Top Recruiter award, he was also honored in 2008!
At that same Grand lodge meeting Pepper was also given the Secretary’s Scarf of the Grand Secretary's Council of Grand Lodges of Africa by Right Worshipful Tété A. BENISSAN-MESSAN Grand Chaplin of the Grand Jurisdiction of TOGO, West Africa
Pepper has also served our fraternal community in several other organizations.
These Masonic affiliations include Tangier Shrine; Road Runners, Scottish Rite, and a past secretary of his York Rite body. He is also a past 3-term president of Master's and Wardens Club of Greater Omaha. In 2003 "the one and only" James B. Parks, Sr., Past-Potentate, appointed Pepper as a co-webmaster of the Tangier Shine website. This project was a coordinated effort to build an effective website for our beloved Shrine Members and their Units and Clubs. The website is now in the hands of Brother Aric Aasgaard, Pepper's son. Brother Pepper built a virtual-tour of the Scottish Rite building and serves as webmaster and serves on the membership committee.
Aasgaard is a founding partner and Vice President of the eServices Corporation and is a principle partner in the ASAR Group Incorporated. Pepper Aasgaard is an innovative product developer who has been awarded several United States Patents. He won the Minnesota's Inventor's Congress prestigious Gold Medal Award for the most innovative invention of the year in 2001 and the "Most Improvement to an existing Invention" award in 2002.
In June of 2004 Pepper was honored with the convention's Grand Award, along with two Gold medals, and the Otto Schmitt Award! "The most awards ever presented to an individual inventor in our 48 year history!" . . Robert Starr
According to several news articles referring to the moment: "It was the first time anyone had ever seen Pepper totally speechless"
Pepper has served his community in several organizations and on various committees. In December 2004, Governor Mike Johanns of Nebraska re-appointed Pepper Aasgaard to serve an additional three year term on the Nebraska's Workforce Investment Board. Pepper was most recently appointed Vice-Chairman of the State's Compliance Committee on February 15th 2005.
As a strong advocate for mental health reform, Pepper lobbied for LB 1083, the Mental Health Reform bill to secure insurance parity for those individuals who have severe challenges, He was recruited to help in this lobbing effort by his close friend and fellow Past-Master John Holzhey who then severed as president of the State Board of NAMI.
Pepper has a long history of helping less fortunate individuals, at age 17 he was instrumental in founding of the Youth for Biafra in 1968. He severed as the first president for the organization coordinating food drives with the American Red Cross to help the needless starvation of civil unrest.
Pepper has been an active baseball coach, usually coaching two to three teams a year for the past 10 years. Over the years, he has also been active in church activities and in several youth organizations including the Boy Scouts of America.
Hobbies include golf, checking weather for golf, woodworking and of course fishing!
Pepper, his wife Kimberly, and his four children live in Omaha.
If you would like to contact Pepper, here is his email address:
The Emergency Light Blanket was on of the top five inventions of 2004.