Ann Anderson finds her manufacturing ‘groove’

By Abigail Blonigen

Since opening the Tongue and Groove store in 2009, the company has grown every year, hiring its first employee three years in, and is now up to 23.

Anderson recalls the first five years as being the toughest — not hanging out with friends due to working 16-hour days, learning how the machines function and working the floor in addition to administrative responsibilities — but eventually, they crested the hill.

“My advice looking back would be to stick with it,” she said. “Once you have that grit, you’re able to overcome different obstacles, and things do get easier. It does pay itself back.”

Being a small, family-run business also involved Anderson bringing her kids, now 4 and 6, along to work, forgoing maternity leave.

“We bounced her in the bouncer and hoped she didn’t cry when the phone rang,” she said of her younger daughter.

As co-owner, Anderson is the face of the company, greeting customers and managing relationships, though she is also in charge of sales, bookkeeping and payroll.

Because manufacturing tends to be a male-dominated industry, Anderson finds it funny when customers come in and automatically direct their questions to their other salesman on staff.

“If I’m at my desk … they’ll always go right to him and sidestep me, and he’ll defer the questions to me because he doesn’t have as much experience.”

Anderson also takes pride in the fact that the Tongue and Groove Store’s lead machine operator is a woman.

“There’s really not a lot of women in the industry, but I do see it changing,” she said.

The Tongue and Groove Store’s manufacturing process begins with processing rough-cut, kiln-dried lumber. Material is rough sized into blanks using a ripsaw. It then goes through a six-head moulder that shapes the top, bottom and sides in a single pass. The shaped parts are then machine sanded and pre-finished, and then shipped out to the jobsite ready to install.

Although the core of the Tongue and Groove Store’s market is local, it ships nationwide, with customers as far as Alaska and the Cayman Islands.

One of Anderson’s favorite projects was the millwork for the Minnesota Vikings’ training facility in Eagan. It is now contracted for the luxury Omni Viking Lake Hotel across from the training camp.

Tongue and Groove is also able to replicate mouldings in old homes.

“The options are limitless when you start adding stains and different shapes. It’s fun,” she said.

While about half of the Tongue and Groove’s Store’s clientele is commercial, it also works directly with homeowners as well, which is Anderson’s favorite part of the job.

“It’s really cool to be a part of somebody’s home. Your home is kind of your escape, your sanctuary … It’s a cool feeling to be invited into their space for a while, as you help them pick out different types of wood and finish and

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With the popularity of do-it-yourself shows such as HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” some homeowners tend to underestimate the true time and cost of building or remodeling a home.

“People watch Chip and Joanna make something over the weekend, but it really doesn’t work that way,” Anderson said. “Behind the scenes, they have people working around the clock.”

She’s often able to pick out mistakes in those shows that the camera glosses over.

“You’re seeing the big picture instead of all of the small details, which, when you get into somebody’s home, those are the things that make a difference,” she said.

As for the future of the Tongue and Groove Store, the Andersons will be adding another building with more manufacturing capabilities in the spring, which will involve hiring a handful of new employees. It will soon start selling Marvin windows as well.

Ann Anderson and Jessi Inseho, moulder operator, feed wood into a high-speed moulder at the Tongue and Groove Store. The vast selection of knives (left) ensures accuracy; all measurements are made three points past the decimal, so if a client were to come back years later to request more of the same product, it would still fit together perfectly.

The Andersons are also active in the Arrowhead Builders Association, advocating for legislation around streamlining the building process.

To learn more about the Tongue and Groove Store and view some of its latest projects, check out thetongueandgroovestore.com. D