Oak Street Station

The Midwest Livestock Service crew.

driving truck for the company making deliveries. Darin also spent time working at the company’s feed mill in Lakefield, Minn. Howard and Wanita are in the process of selling the feed mill, but continue to have a retail presence in Lakefield as well as in Clear Lake, S.D.

After starting out in Rock Rapids, the Koedam’s first retail store was in the east side bay of the former North Star Gas Station, which was located where the Larchwood Cenex is now. While Howard was on the road selling to farmers out of a high cube van, Wanita minded the shop and also kept on an eye on their children in playpens in the back. Later, “Brian and Darin took on responsibility pretty early. When they were kids and I was on the road selling, they did a lot of the farm chores,” Howard said.

In the mid-1980s, MLS purchased the old Larchwood Standard Station. That building still serves as headquarters many decades later, albeit with several warehouse additions.

“Over all the years, service has been the driving force in our business,” Wanita said. While the Koedam’s appreciate the value of good outside and inside sales people, it takes good people in all parts of the business to provide the best customer service. “The delivery people/truck drivers in our business are huge. And so are our office help – because they’ve got to make sure the orders get placed and everybody gets on the list for delivery. And Kelly and I have to make sure the books get done and the bills get out. It takes the whole system. I can't say that any one section of our business is more important than the other. It's a cooperative effort.” Howard agreed: “Sometimes the salesmen think they're the only people in the company that make any money or do a damn thing. You got to keep it in the salesman's head that you need everybody. Sometimes the person you miss the quickest is the janitor. You can have the CEO of the company be gone for a week and nobody misses him. But if you run out of toilet paper, everybody’s asking ‘Where’s the janitor?’”

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COMMUNITY AND FAMILY

In addition to building Midwest Livestock Service, over the years they’ve also enjoyed being on the Larchwood Fire & Rescue Unit; supporting the development of the local rodeo grounds; and spending several years as foster parents. In addition to Brian and Darin, their youngest son, Jason, works as a CPA for Ken Murphy in Sheldon. Daughter Deanna is a registered nurse working at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Howard also has a son, Scott Dibbet, from before they were married. He's a pastor in Ontario, Canada. Howard said, “We’re kind of fortunate – we’ve got all ends covered. In the family, we’ve got a preacher, we’ve got a daughter in the health field, two boys to take over the business, and an accountant to take care of the money.” Wanita concluded, “One of the most rewarding things in our life has been watching our kids grow up and having them all be good, productive people. Our business has been rewarding, but our kids are still at the top of the list.”