Neighbors

Progress Neighbors

ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

FEBRUARY 24, 2018

REBUILDING CLARKS GROVE AFTER THE

TORNADO A Thompson Sanitation property was damaged in Clarks Grove following a tornado in March. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

Businesses invest thousands into repairing building damage

By Sam Wilmes

sam.wilmes@albertleatribune.com

LARKS GROVE — The north and south sides of the roof at the Thompson Sanitation main C garage are different colors, symbolizing the damage the March 6, 2017, tornado had on the building.

Despite nearly $100,000 in damage to the building and approximately $30,000 in damage to Thompson Sanitation trucks, the south side of the building was rebuilt, symbolizing the strength the community has shown in the time since the storm hit.

After the tornado, Thompson Sanitation invested between $70,000 and $100,000 for new office space on the west side of the facility and extra room for tires and vehicles on its east side.

See TORNADO, Page 2

What’s inside?

A life-changer Woman nominated for award. Page 5

Dedicated to youth Coach leads youth program. Page 8

A longtime business Conger Meat Market expands. Page 9

Continuing a tradition Son follows in father’s footsteps. Page 10

PAGE 2 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2018 | NEIGHBORS | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

TORNADO Continued from Front Page

New overhead doors on the south side of the building emit natural light into the facility, which helps aesthetically and as employees work on trucks.

Thompson Sanitation owner Frank Thompson now has his own personal space, and a new break room hosts company meetings.

Thompson recalled being at his home east of Clarks Grove when the facility’s maintenance manager, Steven Thisius, called Thompson to inform him of the damage to the facility.

“He’s the one that called me and said, ‘I think you better get here,’” Thompson said. “‘A tornado hit Clarks Grove, and you guys got hit bad.’”

He said when he first witnessed the damage to his building, he knew cleanup would take a full year. A temporary wall was put up to protect the north side of the building.

Despite the overwhelming situation, Thompson said he knew he wanted to rebuild.

“As far as rebuilding, that was never a question,” he said.

A former Clarks Grove firefighter, Thompson said the tornado took a narrow path and did not strike the facility where collection trucks were stored, near the main office.

Thisius, Clarks Grove fire chief, was at the city’s fire station and City Hall when the tornado struck the city.

He remembered standing outside the facility watching the storm arrive before moving inside the building when he noticed the wind increase.

“I looked over here, and this place was a mess,” Thisius said of the Thompson Sanitation building. “I really didn’t leave the fire hall until probably 3 a.m.”

Thisius noted the effort the Clarks Grove community made in the cleanup process.

“Everyone lended a hand, everyone came out and helped clean,” he said.

“They were coming down asking what we needed. It was a small-town community — everyone jumped in, came together.”

Classified as an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the tornado reached wind speeds of 100 to 110 mph and was on the ground for 12.3 miles, the National Weather Service reported after the incident.

It began southwest of Clarks Grove at 5:38 p.m.

March 6 and traveled through the western part of the city before moving

northeast through portions of Geneva and through northern Freeborn County.

It lifted in Steele County at 5:51 p.m.

At its max, the tornado was 300 yards wide, the Weather Service reported.

The storm caused damage to businesses and residences in Clarks Grove — mainly in the central and western part of the town — as well as heavy rain and hail in neighboring communities.

Following the tornado, the

“Everyone lended a hand, everyone came out and helped clean.

They were coming down asking what we needed. It was a smalltown community — everyone jumped in, came together.”

— Clarks Grove Fire Chief Steven Thisius Clarks Grove City Council and Freeborn County Board of Commissioners declared the county to be in a state of emergency.

Major damage was reported at Hardware Hank, the Central Farm Service facility, the fire station and storage sheds, among other locations.

‘We’re not leaving the town’

Todd Ludwig, CFS president and CEO, said the facility sustained approximately $5 million in damage.

Its dry fertilizer plant, which holds about 37,000 tons of dry product, was damaged, as well as its facility’s rail protection system, grain bin that holds wet corn for drying, other buildings from flying debris and employee and company buildings.

Despite extensive damage to the facility, Ludwig said the business has largely rebuilt.

He thanked employees for their effort in the process.

“At the end of the day, (we) got through it and were able to accommodate our customers,” he said. “We’re very thankful that no employees were injured. Thankful to all of the help from employees, the support of the town and the Fire Department and all the personnel who helped us

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Thompson Sanitation owner Frank Thompson points out areas of the Clarks Grove facility that have been rebuilt after a tornado damaged it almost one year ago. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

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The Pour House and BP gas station co-owner Bruce Nielsen said the Clarks Grove community is successfully rebuildA number of power lines were brought down by tree limbs ing from the March 2017 tornadoes that caused extensive during the March 6 storm. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE damage. SAM WILMES/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE get through the storm.”

The timing of the early-season tornado was not ideal for CFS due to the coming planting season, resulting in product needing to be taken to other facilities. The business received help from another cooperative to store product, and employees helped the business repair damage.

To Ludwig, the company’s work in rebuilding shows it is committed to the Clarks Grove community.

“We initially chose to do the project here, and spending $5 million to reconstruct and repair certainly should send the message we’re not leaving the town and we’re committed to be here for a long time,” he said.

co-owner Bruce Nielsen was at home watching television and became aware the storm was causing rain and pea-sized hail.

Soon after, Nielsen received the call that a tornado had struck Clarks Grove.

Upon arriving in the city, Nielsen recalled a scene he said could have been from the 1990s movie “Twister” — dodging debris and other obstacles caused by the storm.

Two businesses Nielsen and his wife own in Clarks Grove — the BP gas station and The Pour House — were in the path of the tornado.

The roof of the gas station was torn off from the storm.

“Thankfully, it’s a precast building, so it was a tough building, but the roof just ‘It was a mess rolled off and landed out in the backyard,” Nielsen said. but we did it’ On the night the tornado Skid loaders and tractors struck, Hartland firefighter helped clean up the damage, and Clarks Grove business and after the incident, it

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community,” he said.

The Pour House also received damage from the storm, but did not have to close.

A contractor secured the facility’s roof the night the tornado struck.

Hardware Hank is also rebuilding after the storm and plans to re-open this summer.

To Nielsen, news the city’s hardware store would work to re-open this summer showed the community was back after the devastating event.

“I’m happy to hear that they will be the final puzzle piece that will be put together again,” he said. “It was a mess, but we did it. We got ’er back going.”

By the numbers 7,500

Totes and buckets placed upstairs at BP gas station to prevent water from entering the lower floor while the facility remained open.

$5 million Approximate damage sustained at the Clarks Grove CFS plant from last March’s tornado

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was decided a pitched roof would be built.

“More worried about the patrons and making sure everybody’s OK,” Nielsen said.

“The structure — didn’t care … I just assumed seeing everybody OK. And the Clarks Grove Fire Department handled it very well.”

Nielsen estimated it took one month to fix the roof, which cost close to $50,000.

During the time the roof was being replaced, Nielsen estimated 7,500 totes and buckets were placed upstairs to prevent water from entering the lower floor while the gas station remained open.

Nielsen spoke highly of the approach the Clarks Grove community took in cleaning up from the storm.

“The community of Clarks Grove, tremendous local support for both our businesses here in town,” he said. “I could not see closing ’er down or walking away from it and not doing what we had to do to get ’er up and running again.

“I can’t say anything better about the community, from the Fire Department to the City Council or the mayor, they all work together.”

Nielsen recalled seeing local residents help clean up with chainsaws and tools after the tornado struck.

“It’s a good, heartfelt

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018 | NEIGHBORS | PROGRESS 2018 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PAGE 3

LAKE MILLS NATIVE OPENS NEW WINE BAR By the numbers

By Kelly Wassenberg

kelly.wassenberg@albertleatribune.com

LAKE MILLS — No matter where people may go in life, there always seems to be a yearning to return home. So is the case for former Lake Mills resident Kyle Sprecher of Houston, Texas.

A graduate of Lake Mills High School, Sprecher went to attend the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Houston, where he received his doctorate in chiropractic and began his relationship with the National Aeronautics Space Administration. In the 30 years since, he has traveled the world, yet he still frequently returns to his hometown of Lake Mills, where he recently opened Sprecher Mill House.

Sprecher, 55, originally purchased the Sprecher Mill House building so he would have a space to provide chiropractic services to family members who he regularly comes home to visit. After five years of renovation projects, the Mike and Rosalie Helgeson and Anita Schrieber enjoy a glass of wine at Sprecher Mill House. KELLY WASSENBERG/ALBERT building has rental units on LEA TRIBUNE the upper floor and houses a chiropractic area, family His travels inspired him “I wanted to create an room and wine bar. to have monthly themes at environment where anyone Sprecher said a wine bar the Mill House. Each month can come and feel comfortseemed to be a good fit for highlights three red and able,” Sprecher said. “And three white wines from a I didn’t want someone to be the space. Not only was it something the town didn’t particular country, as well able to go somewhere else to already have, but wine tastas a variety of appetiz- get the same environment.” ers and gourmet desserts ing is a hobby of his and he Plans for expanding felt members of the comfrom that country. This also Mill House’s offerings and munity could benefit from means the Mill House menu hours are a possibility in the being exposed to the culture is constantly changing. coming months. that surrounds wines from Customers can enjoy a Sprecher said the other countries. glass of wine in the wine middle room of the Mill room or head to the back House, which houses a “I’ve been around the world and I’ve had the op- Kyle Sprecher originally purchased the building in which room, where there is a full- room for him to stay in portunity to go to a lot of Sprecher Mill House is to be able to meet the chiropractic size kitchen and family when he visits, could be really unique wineries,” needs of family in the area. The room is decorated with room with games for all converted into a coffee limemorabilia from years of working with NASA. Sprecher said. ages. brary, and hours could be

30

Years Sprecher has worked on research with NASA

1,076 Miles from Houston, Texas, to Lake Mills

6 Wines available at each wine tasting at the Mill House

expanded to accommodate mornings guests. The Mill House is only open from 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, but the addition of gourmet coffees being added to the menu could have the business opening in the mornings and perhaps even serving a light breakfast.

Sprecher said he’s just waiting to see what direction God takes him.

“I have a lot of business opportunities in my career right now that may enable me to be anywhere and still take care of my clients.”

He said he’s weighing his options while continuing to work at his private practice and continuing to research how to best address severe neck pain in military and shuttle pilots.

Despite the distance, Sprecher said he’ll always find his way back home to Lake Mills. “ Being home with family — there’s nothing like family.”

Austin man turning former Emmons school into storage units, warehouse

By Tyler Julson

tyler.julson@albertleatribune.com

EMMONS — An Austin businessman recently purchased the Emmons school building that has spent the past many years empty.

Arges Nelson, a man involved in a number of businesses, has bought the old school building in Emmons and plans to renovate it and open it as rentable storage units.

After purchasing the building at a tax forfeiture auction in September, Nelson has been busy working to convert the classrooms into useable storage units. Nelson said one side of the building has 15-footby-27-foot units, while the other side is 11-foot-by-27 foot. There is also a cafeteria and gym, which Nelson plans to rent out as warehouse space.

Nelson talked about why he decided to purchase the former elementary school.

“The elementary school is all ground level, and it’s very easy to convert into storage units,” he said.

“Storage units are a very hot commodity right now, it seems like everybody is always full. It will be kind of handy for the people in the area that want to stick their boat somewhere over the winter.”

Nelson said there are people waiting to get into the units, but he is still in the middle of some major construction and is waiting to get most of his equipment removed before anyone could move their things in.

So far, the renovations have included putting walls up to divide the classrooms into two separate rooms and replacing the windows with garage doors. Nelson said he has pulled his workers from the building this winter on account of the extreme cold, but when all is said and done, he hopes to have about 24 units available for rent.

Nelson said he thinks the gymnasium will create the biggest business opportunity. He has already reached out to the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency looking to strike a

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Why did Nelson buy the old Emmons school?

He was looking for an additional business opportunity and thought the elementary school looked like a good investment after turning it into storage units. deal with a new small business to rent out the space.

On top of renting out the storage units, Nelson owns a machine shop in Austin, sells used cars and owns other rental properties, among other small businesses.

Ten of the units are ready to be moved into immediately, while the rest are being finished. Many of the units have already been spoken for, but there are still some available to those who are interested.

Anyone interested in renting a unit should contact Nelson at 507-438-6373 for further details.

Arges Nelson purchased the old school building in Emmons with plans to convert the space into rentable storage units. TYLER JULSON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

By the numbers 7

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Units Nelson hopes to have available once all the construction is finished

Units of warehouse space Nelson is going to rent out

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PAGE 4 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2018 | NEIGHBORS | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

Cristina Gonzalez and Ignacio Gutierrez own and operate La Tuna Mexican restaurant in Wells. Pictured in the middle is their son, Damian. SAM WILMES/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

Couple brings native culture to Wells through new restaurant

By Sam Wilmes

sam.wilmes@albertleatribune.com

WELLS — La Tuna Mexican restaurant co-owners Ignacio Gutierrez and Cristina Gonzalez are at their business on a weekday December afternoon in-between split shifts.

They wait for the evening shift at the restaurant with their son, Damian, with the hope they will create a long-term footprint on the community.

La Tuna opened Oct. 23 and serves burritos, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, chimichangas and tamales, as well as a full bar.

The staff consists of the couple and three other workers.

Gonzalez said they have received “a lot of support from the community.”

The couple moved to Wells at about the same time they opened the restaurant.

Prior to moving to the community, Gonzalez lived in Fairmont for 17 years

and her husband lived in Fairmont for nearly a decade. They are both from Mexico.

Gonzalez said by serving Mexican food, the couple can share their native culture, and they hope to one day operate their restaurant in their own building.

“That makes me so happy.”

— La Tuna co-owner Cristina Gonzalez about the positive reviews the restaurant receives on Facebook “We’re planning on it, yeah, but we’ll see,” she said of the possibility the couple will operate the restaurant on a long-term basis.

Gonzalez notices positive reviews La Tuna receives on Facebook.

“That makes me so happy,” she said.

A couple from Albert Lea reportedly told her the

restaurant had superior service compared to another local Mexican establishments, and Gonzalez said people who used to attend the restaurant where the couple worked in Fairmont visited their new restaurant and plan to return.

Gonzalez encouraged prospective customers to attend the restaurant to see if they like the food.

“He (Gutierrez) cooks very good, and the service is good, I think,” she said.

Her husband said he enjoys being his own boss and likes the aspects of his job.

“I like the cooking,” he said.

The restaurant is open from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Mondays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and La Tuna Mexican restaurant features a full bar.

4:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Daily specials and carryout are available.

Children of Ignacio GutiDays a week La Tuna is The schedule could errez and Cristina Gonzalez open in Wells change in April.

By the numbers

2

6

23 Day in October that La Tuna restaurant opened

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018 | NEIGHBORS | PROGRESS 2018 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PAGE 5

Krohn sees an average of 15 to 20 students on a daily basis and helps them with whatever they may need. She works two days with elementary students and three days with high school students. TYLER JULSON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

School social worker recognized for good in community, nominated for LifeChanger award

By Tyler Julson

tyler.julson@albertleatribune.com

Steve and Jodie Dittrich have owned George’s of Geneva for 10 1/2 years. SARAH STULTZ/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

‘THIS IS THE NICHE WE CHOSE’ RESTAURANT OWNERS SAY THEY ARE BLESSED TO HAVE THEIR BUSINESS

By Sarah Stultz

sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com

GENEVA — Despite challenges that come along with running a small business, Steve and Jodie Dittrich said they are committed to their restaurant, George’s of Geneva.

The Dittrichs have owned the restaurant for 10 1/2 years.

Jodie Dittrich said she had worked there for five years previously as a waitress and bartender before the chance arose to take it over.

The couple, who live in rural Hope, were looking for a new opportunity and decided to take it on.

They said since they have owned the restaurant, they have changed it from being more like a sports bar and grill to now being more of a supper club. They call it that because they are open mostly for the supper meal, except for on Saturdays when they serve both lunch and the evening meal.

Steve Dittrich said the restaurant serves more “heavy meat,” including dishes such as prime rib, shrimp, tilapia and pork chops, to name a few.

They said their most

“We’ve met so many neat people and made a lot of new friends.”

— George’s of Geneva co-owner Jodie Dittrich popular item on the menu is ribeye steak.

“This is the niche we chose,” he said.

The food is fresh, and all of the meat served comes from nearby Geneva Meats.

In addition to serving food at the restaurant, they also cater for events such as weddings and graduations.

“We’ve met so many neat people and made a lot of new friends,” Jodie Dittrich said of their time with the business.

“We’re blessed that we’re still here after 10 1/2 years,” Steve Dittrich added.

Though they struggle

10 1/2

Jodie Dittrich enjoys decorating the restaurant for various holidays. SARAH STULTZ/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE competing with larger chain restaurants, they try to market their business to new customers, including on social media and on their website.

George’s of Geneva has

25 part-time employees and is open from 3:30 to 10 p.m.

Tuesdays through Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturdays.

The restaurant is at 116 Central Ave. N.

By the numbers

Years Steve and Jodie Dittrich have owned George’s of Geneva

25

Part-time employees at George’s of Geneva

5 Days the restaurant is open each week

NEIGHBORS BY THE NUMBERS Hayward

2010 census: 250 Median age: 44.5 Households: 114 Housing units: 123 Square miles: 0.6 City hall address: 107 County Road 26 City hall phone: 373-1222 Railroads: Dakota,

Minnesota & Eastern (Canadian Pacific) Highways: Interstate 90

Hollandale

2010 census: 303 Median age: 38.3 Households: 128 Housing units: 146 Square miles: 0.4

City hall address: 110 Park Ave. W. City hall phone: 889-4001 Railroads: none Highways: Minnesota Highway 251

Ellendale

2010 census: 691 Median age: 39.6

Households: 296 Housing units: 317 Square miles: 0.9 City Hall address: 505 Second St. City Hall phone: 684-2681 Railroads: Union Pacific Highways: Interstate 35, Minnesota Highway 30 Schools: NRHEG Elementary

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two children, and when she is not working, she said she enjoys traveling and going to their family cabin. She also enjoys doing home improvement projects and being outside in the summer working on the lawn and her flowers.

The grand-prize winner of the LifeChanger Award will be announced at a ceremony in Bermuda. The finalists will be notified via a surprise award ceremony held at their schools. The grand-prize winner will receive $10,000 to be shared with their district; other finalists will receive $5,000 to be shared with the district.

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ELLENDALE — Brooke Krohn, a 13-year school social worker for the NRHEG school district, has been nominated for a LifeChanger of the Year award by the school’s principal, Doug Anderson.

Krohn said receiving the nomination was an emotional moment for her, but she was quick to give the spotlight back to the community.

“It’s very humbling for me,” she said. “I think it’s a reflection of these four communities and all of the good things they do. They help me be able to do all of the things that I do.”

The LifeChanger Award is sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation. It recognizes and rewards the best kindergarten through 12th-grade educators and school district employees across the country.

As the school social worker, Krohn spends two days a week at Ellendale Elementary School and the rest of her days at the high school in New Richland.

She has a lot of responsibilities that come with her duties as the social worker. She said a lot of her job is visiting with children individually who might need help dealing with their feelings or emotions or helping them get through difficult events in their lives.

She helps coordinate the backpack program alongside the New Richland Area Food Shelf. The program helps to provide supplemental meals to over 90 children within the district.

Krohn also works closely with the other staff with problem solving and is a member on many different committees involved with the school.

“I get to build tons of relationships with kids and their families,” Krohn said. “I’m involved in the extreme highs and extreme lows of a lot of children’s lives. When a family or student lets me in to help out, it’s the most fulfilling thing ever. It truly is an honor when they allow

me to help them.”

Krohn was born and raised in Geneva and graduated from NRHEG High School. She received her degree at Minnesota State University-Mankato. She has spent 13 years with the district and is raising a family of her own.

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Page 6 | AlbertLeaTribune.com | Progress 2018 | NEIGHBORS | Saturday, February 24, 2018

New Richland shop a thoroughfare for items

By Sarah Kocher

sarah.kocher@albertleatribune.com

TB3s is at 402 Park St. in Freeborn. Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune

Bar and grill in Freeborn is ‘a family adventure’

By Colleen Harrison

colleen.harrison@albertleatribune.com

FREEBORN — One local business has weathered the changing of ownership over the years, and is now a staple of its community.

Donna and James Beckmann are in their 11th year of owning TB3s, a bar and grill in Freeborn.

The couple own the business with their sons Theo and Eli and their daughter, Afton Thofson. Theo Beckmann’s wife, Dawn, is also active in the business.

The Beckmanns bought the business 10 years ago.

It was named Power House Bar and Grill at the time, which it had been for at least 20 years, James Beckmann said. Thofson had gone to culinary school, Dawn Beckmann had previously worked in restaurants, and James Beckmann and the couple’s sons had experience in bartending before buying the business and naming it TB3s.

“It was a family adventure,” Donna Beckmann said.

Even though the ownership and name changed, the bar and grill never closed. In fact, James Beckmann said

they purchased the business on a November morning, and they opened that same day for the noon hour crowd.

“It took a while to get people to know us, and what we’re about,” he said. “We have good food and good values.”

The name of the restaurant is meant to represent the family — a T for Thofson, one B for James and Donna Beckmann, and the other two Bs for each of the couple’s sons.

The bar and grill has come with its challenges, like any other business.

Donna Beckmann said it has sometimes been hard to find good help outside of their own family, especially when they’ve had catering jobs or larger parties in the restaurant’s back room.

Donna and James Beckmann live in Wells, while their two sons live in Freeborn and their daughter lives in Minnesota Lake.

TB3s is at 402 Park St. in Freeborn, and is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day of the week.

For each of the family members, the best part of running the business has been the community support.

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2010 census: 57 Median age: 36.8 Households: 26 Housing units: 30 Square miles: 0.1 City hall address: 70830 255th St.

City hall phone: 826-3483 Railroads: Union Pacific Highways: Minnesota Highway 13 Schools: none; is in Albert Lea school district

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NEW RICHLAND — For three weeks each in February and August, New Richland’s resident consignment shop is closed. The owner, Linda Wagner, is not on vacation. She’s not at home sorting through her own closet or perched on a beach chair in Florida with an umbrella drink. Wagner is doing neither of those things. Instead, for those three weeks, twice a year, The Lady Bug Consignment is less like a ladybug and more like an anthill: calm on the surface, but full of activity, preparation and most of all, growing stockpiles of seasonal stuff.

In December, there were two life-size sturdy squirrel statues that look like they could be lawn ornaments or decorations for a front porch. The pair was perched on the glass top of a circular clothes rack right next to a purple plaid newsies hat. There was a cupid suspended from the rafters and a 1970s picnic basket wrapped in brown and orange plaid resting on a high shelf, dreaming of summer meadows.

“They find that item that they haven’t been able to find anywhere, you know,” Wagner said of the store’s variety. “You wait long enough, it will come in here.”

And there was Wagner, manning the counter. She has been doing that for five years, since she purchased the business from a previous owner. They close for three weeks twice a year to manage all the product they receive from its current owners. Wagner said over the 45 years since The Lady Bug started with its original owner, they have had over 3,300 separate consigners come through their doors with product for Wagner’s shelves. This is how Wagner wound up with a pair of squirrel statues. It is how she wound up with a cupid perched in her rafters, bow drawn, ready to snipe.

During the two-week time frame The Lady Bug accepts items to consign, Wagner said she is armed with a roll of tag tickets, which she buys in bulk — 10,000 tickets to a roll. And she uses them.

“I can go through 10,000 tags in a season,” Wagner said.

Before The Lady Bug, Wagner ran her own consignment shop — The Consignment Shop — on Minnesota Highway 13. It was smaller, and she ran it by herself for 12 years before giving it up. At the time, Wagner

The Lady Bug Consignment thrift shop owner Linda Wagner checks through some clothing items for sale in her shop. Wagner has owned and run Lady Bug in New Richland for five years. Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune said, she had been working another full-time job, and she couldn’t do both.

Then the owner, Carol Schultz, put The Lady Bug up for sale.

“So one day I think in ...

January or so I walked in here and Carol was working and when I walked out, I’d bought the Lady Bug,” Wagner said. “And I came home, and I told my husband, ‘I bought The Lady Bug and you’re going to be my maintenance man.’”

She called the experience “a God thing.”

“Yeah,” she said, “it was meant to be.”

Joyce Routh, who works at The Lady Bug, said the store is a good option for people in town who are working with a budget or have limited mobility.

“It’s a big part of the community,” Routh said. “A lot of older people can’t drive much, a lot of lower income can’t drive as much — can’t afford to drive as much.”

In this way, The Lady Bug is a service to the community, Wagner said.

“I think that’s the important part of it,” she said.

“You’re not going to get rich doing this.”

When Wagner took over, she expanded. She cleaned out the basement and added collectibles, antiques and men’s clothing.

“I run it pretty much the same way (Schultz) did,” Wagner said. “Because it worked. She laid a pretty good foundation.”

Routh said Wagner manages the shop well.

“She doesn’t get all flustered or excited about anything,” Routh said. “If things happen, like something is broke or it isn’t done

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right … it isn’t the end of the world. We’ll get through it.

It’s easy to work that way.”

But Wagner said running the store has been a bit more work than she expected, simply because of the sheer amount of stuff she plays middleman for.

“The volume is probably the biggest challenge,” Wagner said. “It doesn’t go out as fast as it comes in.”

And when the basement is filled up with textured green glassware and antique lamps and the upstairs bookshelf has tomes trickling out of its shelves, it can be a challenge to keep the store efficient or organized.

“By the time we get done with our season of taking in, it’s a challenge to make it feel nice and neat and inviting when you’re so overcrowded,” Wagner said.

Nevertheless, the stuff doesn’t hang around. Save for a household item that might make it two seasons, Wagner said the inventory is turning over all the time. In mid-December, The Lady Bug put everything at 25 percent off.

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In January, it was 50 percent off storewide. The first week of February there was a bag sale: Stuff almost any item into the provided paper sack, and you could have the lot for $10.

There’s not much left after that, Wagner said. For 17 years, she has donated the leftover clothes to Our Father’s House in Albert Lea. “It’s a good way for her to donate items and she knows that they’re going to people that really need them,” said Brenda Christ, who is in charge of the clothing giveaway at Our Father’s House.

“It’s an outreach for her, too.”

For three, the Baptist church in Clarks Grove has taken the household items.

Both churches sell the items to raise money.

With The Lady Bug Consignment, Wagner stays busy. She likes it that way.

“I find a lot of women my age are bored,” she said.

She’s not. She loves this, she said. She loves retail.

She loves working with the public. She loves “the hunt for something different.”

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018 | NEIGHBORS | PROGRESS 2018 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PAGE 7

Angela Wright is the director of Worth County Community of Promise and spends around 40 hours a week volunteering for the commnity center. TYLER JULSON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

Helping the community — 1 child at a time

By Tyler Julson

tyler.julson@albertleatribune.com

NORTHWOOD — As a way to give back to the community that funds it, the Northwood Community Center hosts many events looking to help those in need.

For many people, especially children, the community center is a place where they can go to have a fun and safe time with their friends after school. On top of that, however, the center hosts many events that aim to help many individuals and families in the area.

Ran by Worth County Community of Promise, the community center hosts a monthly mobile food pantry, puts on exercise classes and craft programs, hosts senior socials and teaches a class aimed to teach children basic skills in the kitchen.

Angela Wright, director of Worth County Community of Promise, said the number of children usually in the community center varies greatly and can be anywhere from five to 15 children. She said when she started in May, the community center was lucky if it had two children in at the same time.

By the numbers 10

Months Wright has been the director of Worth County Community of Promise

26 Foster children Wright and her husband have raised

150 Families impacted by the Northwood Community Center every month Putting in around 40 hours of volunteer work per week, Wright said she does it because she likes the challenge.

“When I was asked to join in May, what they really needed was programs,” she said. “They needed to get the kids coming back, and they needed help finding a way to do it. I think the reason I keep doing it is because I enjoy the challenge.”

She said the children are a big motivator for her to keep going. Over the years, Wright and her husband

“When I was asked to join in May, what they really needed was programs. They needed to get the kids coming back, and they needed help finding a way to do it. I think the reason I keep doing it is because I enjoy the challenge.”

— Worth County Community of Promise Director Angela Wright

The Northwood Community Center is complete with two pool tables, an air hockey table, a ping-pong table, two TVs, gaming consoles, computers and much more. have raised 26 foster children. She said she has spent a lot of her life doing social work, and she enjoys being a part of their lives.

The community center is open from 3 to 6 p.m.

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Wright said the only volunteers the community center has are the board members of Worth County

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PAGE 8 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2018 | NEIGHBORS | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

L&D Ag Service employee Alvin Morstad works in January at the company’s main Hartland location. SARAH STULTZ/ ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

Faron Bremseth listens to a player during a 2017 game. Bremseth has been coaching third- through sixth-graders for 20 years now. PROVIDED

Coach takes football program from kickoff through 19 years

By Sarah Kocher

sarah.kocher@albertleatribune.com

ALDEN — If each child he has coached counted as a yard line, the Black Thunder football program’s coach would have crossed football fields by now.

Instead, after starting the program, Faron Bremseth has spent that time on the sidelines, coaching first his son — and then other people’s sons and daughters — through almost 20 years worth of tackles, blocks, runs and kicks.

“Faron obviously, you know, cares a lot about the kids,” former participant Mitchell Kleinschrodt said.

“You can tell, you know, it’s a really good program, and what he’s been able to turn it into, you know, was pretty amazing. It started with an idea and just kind of snowballed into what it is now.”

Including some of the other sports he has worked with, Bremseth said he has been coaching since 1981.

He started the Black Thunder football program when he saw a need for it in his own household.

“I had a son at that time in that age group,” Bremseth said. Albert Lea had a program, but it was only for fifth- and sixth-graders.

That first year, he already had between 40 and 50 participants turning up to join the third- through sixthgrade teams. According to Bremseth, the numbers have stayed consistent. The largest group he has worked with has been 82 children.

In the fall, he spends approximately 10 hours a week coaching all the grades as part of Black Thunder in Alden. They do warm-ups and calisthenics; then they break up into position groups.

“That’s something I really stress, though, among the kids,” Bremseth said. “I don’t

care if you’re a good back.

You should learn how to do these other positions, too, so you learn what these other kids gotta do to help you out.”

Bremseth has had program participants come from several surrounding areas, including Albert Lea, Kiester, Glenville, Bricelyn and Wells.

“I don’t turn any kids away,” Bremseth said. “If you want to drive down, come on down.”

This is one of the reasons the football program hasn’t taken the Alden-Conger Knights mascot: so that children from different areas feel like they can own the program, too.

From the pool of participants, Bremseth said he has seen about half go on to play high school football. One such participant was Kleinschrodt, now an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Upper Iowa.

“I think to light that passion early, the youth football program was a bridge for me to kind of carry that passion from second grade to junior high,” Kleinschrodt said. He could have gotten into basketball or baseball or hockey. He could have picked up a different hobby entirely.

But he didn’t. Instead, he joined the Black Thunder in 1998 for the program’s first year.

“I think it was a really great introduction for young students who grew up going to high school football and growing up watching it on TV … to implement it for themselves,” Kleinschrodt said.

In the past, Kleinschrodt has returned to Alden to help Bremseth with football camps.

“I always like to come back and give back as much as I can, but I’m doing it because I know Faron had a really big influence in

Faron Bremseth said one of his favorite things to see in his young football players is the lightbulb moment: that instance in which a play or a tactic suddenly clicks. SARAH KOCHER/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

helping me get where I am,” he said.

Bremseth said one of the biggest unexpected things about the program is how long he has stuck with it.

The children keep him young at heart, he said.

Plus, he gets to see the moment it all comes together for the children he works with.

“Just watching the kids when that light goes on … you work and work with them and then they get it,” Bremseth said. “That’s the biggest thing … is watching them just get it.”

With the Black Thunder football program, they’re having a chance at those lightbulb moments earlier than some other children, as well, because they’re getting a chance at football earlier, too, Neel said.

But on top of all of that, it’s another opportunity to have some fun. Neel’s favorite memory from his time coaching was watching the participants get a chance to play at the Minneapolis Metrodome.

“I don’t know who had

By the numbers 82

The largest group of children playing for Black Thunder

1998 The first year Faron Bremseth and other volunteers began a league for third- through sixth-graders in Alden

10 Hours a week coach Faron Bremseth puts into working with players at practices

Hartland company growing; serving local, national and international clients By the numbers

By Sarah Stultz

sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com

HARTLAND — Started out of humble beginnings in 1981, L&D Ag Service has grown in the years since to have customers in more than 30 states and six countries.

Founded by Larry Nelson and David Ausen in January 1981, the business first opened out of a rented building in Freeborn in February of that year.

The company started off welding in a small shop and grew based on demand, said Shane Drenth, who works in sales at the company.

The first year of business, employees included Nelson — who bought out Ausen later that year — one mechanic and one bookkeeper. Now, about 37 years later, there are 20 full-time employees.

Nelson still owns the company, but it is run mostly by general manager Travis Routh and purchasing manager Matt Mathun.

L&D Ag Service specializes in the design, manufacturing, sale and installation of fertilizer and chemical application equipment in the agriculture field.

Drenth said the company began designing its own liquid fertilizer kits in 1985 and moved to Hartland in 1990. It now owns several buildings in Hartland, including one for a warehouse and another for a fabrication shop. It sells both in person and online.

Despite its growth, Drenth said the company has stayed down-to-earth.

“We’re not your average suit-and-tie company,” Drenth said. “We’re farmers ourselves.”

The company was recently featured on the front of a magazine for Fastline

1981

Year L&D Ag Service was founded

6 Countries around the world that L&D sells its products

1985

Year L&D Ag Service created its own liquid fertilizer kits

that appeared in the Illinois market.

He said in addition, Fastline shared the cover on its Facebook page, which has given the business good exposure.

Right now, the company has done work with businesses in a half dozen countries, including Mexico, Canada, Ukraine, Bulgaria and France. It sells either to individual growers and other dealers who order its systems. For many years, the business grew simply through word of mouth.

In Minnesota, L&D conducts work not only for farmers and dealers, but also organizations such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Looking to the future, Drenth said L&D is always trying to improve and look for better ideas, all while keeping track of the new chemicals and fertilizers coming out.

“At the end of the day, we’re just farmers,” he said.

The company prides itself in being a one-stop shop for customers.

more fun — the coaches or the kids,” Neel said.

And when there’s a loss on the field, sometimes coaches and parents can take a lesson from the team, Bremseth said. They keep perspective.

“The kids are back out playing football after the game,” Bremseth said.

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018 | NEIGHBORS | PROGRESS 2018 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PAGE 9

Darcy and Jeremy Johnson have owned Conger Meat Market for about 14 years. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

INVESTING IN A LONGTIME CONGER BUSINESS

By Colleen Harrison

colleen.harrison@albertleatribune.com

CONGER — A local couple has majorly invested in the Conger community by expanding their business.

Conger Meat Market, a local staple since 1935 when it was started by the Bohoneks, was in the same Conger location for 83 years until recently.

Ten years ago, Darcy and Jeremy Johnson bought the former Conger creamery with plans to move the meat market there with an expanded facility. That plan came to fruition in October 2017, when Conger Meat Market started operating out of the newly renovated location at 100 William Ave. Owners of Conger Meat Market for 14 years, the Johnsons are now operating out of a facility that is at least twice the size of the previous Conger location.

The new space allows the business to be USDA-certified, which Darcy Johnson said makes it easier for them to support the farm to table aspect of meat. They can buy from and sell to local farmers, something that has always been important to the couple.

“I think people like to know where their food comes from,” Darcy Johnson said.

The Conger facility is a live slaughterhouse, meaning animals are butchered onsite. It’s also where sausages and other Conger

By the numbers 4

Months Conger Meat Market has been in its new Conger location

14 Years the Johnsons have owned Conger Meat Market

16 Employees at the Conger location

3 Employees at the Albert Lea satellite location Meat Market products are made, and where people can drop off their own meat, like venison, to be processed.

The Conger facility has 16 employees, and the new facility actually has room for them all, Darcy Johnson jokingly said.

The business has a satellite store in Albert Lea that sells all of its products, which has moved to 146 W. William St. When the Johnsons purchased the business 14 years ago, they said the family they bought it from had almost a cult-like following, with customers coming from all over the place to buy their products. Darcy Johnson said while they’ve

Conger Meat Market moved into a new, revamped facility in Conger in October, and has a satellite location in Albert Lea. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE added new products since taking over, they haven’t changed a thing about the recipes for products that were already being offered.

“It was just a chance to buy a well-established business,” Darcy Johnson said.

“We’ve just tried to maintain it.”

Both from the Alden and Conger areas, Jeremy and Darcy Johnson said

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they’ve gotten a lot of feedback since expanding their Conger operation. Darcy Johnson said there seems to be a trend of businesses closing or leaving small towns, so a lot of locals were surprised to see that Conger Meat Market wasn’t leaving, but instead was expanding and investing in the local community. She said they plan to stay based in

Conger, as that’s where their business has its reputation. They also had some help through a Minnesota Department of Agriculture grant that took them three years of applying to get.

“They were surprised we had invested so much in a small business,” Darcy Johnson said. “It wouldn’t be Conger Meat Market anywhere else.”

Why did the Johnsons invest in keeping the business in Conger?

“It wouldn’t be Conger Meat Market anywhere else,” Darcy Johnson said.

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PAGE 10 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2018 | NEIGHBORS | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2018

Continuing with a family firefighter tradition

By Colleen Harrison

colleen.harrison@albertleatribune.com

GLENVILLE — The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as the saying goes.

That saying applies to Matt Webb.

Webb grew up watching his dad, Wes Webb, work for the Glenville Fire Department. He said his dad has worked with the department since before Matt Webb was even born, and is still active with the department today.

In fact, Matt and Wes Webb are typically the leading and second-leading in most calls responded to among the Fire Department members.

Matt Webb, 32, has been with the Fire Department since 2003, and was assistant chief for six years before becoming fire chief in May 2017.

The Fire Department, which is made up entirely of volunteers, is fully staffed with 27 members. There are currently three people on the waiting list to work with the department.

Webb said the department covers about 45 square miles on a regular basis, not including the areas it responds to on mutual aid calls when assisting other departments in Freeborn County. He said the Freeborn County Fire Association has the longest continuous running mutual aid arrangement in the state of Minnesota. According to Webb, the association was formed 65 years ago and meets once a month.

On average, Webb said the department responds

to anywhere from 85 to 110 calls a year, with about five or six of those being mutual aid calls. He said fire departments in the area are working on implementing automatic aid, which would automatically notify the fire departments closest to the department possibly needing assistance. As it stands now, fire departments needing extra assistance have to call out over the radio themselves to other departments in the area.

The Glenville Fire Department is also made up of Glenville’s first responders. Webb said 18 of the 27 department members are currently emergency medical responders, with others working through their training.

While each department has its own guidelines with how early new members respond to calls, Webb said Glenville gets its newer members working fairly quickly. The department gives its members two years to accomplish all of their fire and EMR training and certifications. Members are required to have 144 hours in fire education training, as well as 40 hours in EMR training to become certified.

EMR certification is renewed every two years, and a minimum of 24 hours of updated fire training is also required every two years, which Webb said Glenville always meets and usually exceeds.

“We’re always trying to improve ourselves,” Webb said.

He said about 65 to 75 percent of Glenville’s calls are usually medically related.

By the numbers 45

Square miles the Glenville Fire Department covers, not including when it assists neighboring areas and departments

27 Members of the Glenville Fire Department

3 People on the waiting list to be a member of the department

Matt Webb is the fire chief with the Glenville Fire Department. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

While the job will always have an element of unpredictability, Webb said he has noticed certain trends depending on the time of year. Car accidents usually increase in the winter months, especially with the department covering six or seven miles of interstate. There also tends to be more house fires in the colder months, with space heaters, fireplace usage, Christmas trees, an increase in oven and stove usage and other elements creating more fire hazards.

In the spring and autumn months there are typically more grass or brush fires, as people are working to either clear areas or more machinery is being used out

The Glenville Fire Department is fully staffed with 27 members, and also has three people on a waiting list to serve with the department. in fields that may be dryer.

With the fire department “We’ve about seen it all,” being on a volunteer basis, Webb said. most of its members have

other full- or part-time jobs outside of the firehouse. Even with that being the case, though, Webb said the mentality is to always be ready to go out on a call whenever possible. While he said the department is staffed well around the clock, it’s a bit thinner during the day as some of its members work outside of Glenville. He said many of the members’ in-town employers are understanding and supportive of them leaving work to respond to calls, which is always appreciated. Even with its members having other jobs, Webb said the department averages 12 members responding on each call.

Webb said the job is rewarding, and while his crew members make it fun, they’re all dedicated to keeping people safe.

“We’re pretty serious about it,” he said.

Hayward Cooperative one of last of its kind in southern Minnesota

By Sam Wilmes

sam.wilmes@albertleatribune.com

HAYWARD — Farming has changed dramatically since the 1980s economic farming crisis.

Many family farms have merged into larger operations, and today, small cooperatives are rare.

Hayward Cooperative has weathered the storm and continues to operate, more than 105 years after it started.

The agronomy division of the business sells fertilizer, inputs and chemicals.

Custom spraying and the custom application of anhydrous are offered. The cooperative’s grain elevator offers a place for customers to sell soybeans and corn.

Any profit the cooperative makes is handed back to farmers.

“It’s a co-op,” General Manager Robert Wittmer said. “It’s a true co-op.

We’re really one of the last small, independent co-ops in southern Minnesota.”

“The money that’s in the company is the farmers’ money. In a nutshell, that’s what a co-op is.”

The original Hayward elevator facility was built in 1903 by S.Y. Hyde Grain Co. The elevator was sold to La Crosse Grain Co., which in turn sold it to Farmers Elevator in 1911 for $4,750. Farmers Elevator Co. merged with Community Co-op Oil Co. in 1979 and changed the name to

“It’s just part of the landscape in Hayward, I guess.

Been here a long time — like to keep it going.”

— Hayward Cooperative General Manager Robert Wittmer Hayward Cooperative.

The business has a sevenman board that sets the organization’s direction that Wittmer answers to.

This is Wittmer’s 13th

year as manager, and his 37th year with Hayward Cooperative.

The cooperative has grown in size, and Wittmer hopes to expand Hayward Cooperative even more before he retires.

“When you put this much time invested in someplace, you like to see it work and keep working,” he said.

“So that’s kind of my goal, is if at some point when I do retire, I want this place running well and being somewhat progressive.”

In his nearly four decades at Hayward Cooperative, Wittmer has helped three generations of farming families.

“As I get to be older, you Hayward Cooperative General Manager Robert Wittmer has see the shift,” he said. “And spent nearly four decades helping farmers in the Hayward granted there are less, less area. SAM WILMES/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

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farmers coming back, replacing — as the farms get bigger, there are less farmers — but you still get to see, I’ve gotten to see three generations of farmers here.”

Despite having lived north of Conger for 30 years, Wittmer formed a connection with the Hayward community because of his role with the cooperative.

Hayward Cooperative has about 900,000 bushels of grain space and serves

a 10-mile circle around Hayward. There are about seven full- and part-time employees, and three or four employees join the organization during the busiest parts of the year.

Wittmer hopes the business continues to have a footprint in the community.

“It’s just part of the landscape in Hayward, I guess,” he said. “Been here a long time — like to keep it going, I guess.”

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