SVM-MAG

Sauk Valley

Business Journal • Worldwide recognition for Ludwig Dairy – Page 12 • Barber takes Short Cut to satisfying career – Page 16 • How does your garden grow?

K&R happy to help – Page 18

Vol. 19, No. 2

Sauk Valley Media

Summer 2016

THEY ‘LIFT’ HORSES, DON’T THEY? ‘E’ AWARD FOR SHANK’S

~ Pages 5-7

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Sauk Valley Business Journal

Summer 2016

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Sauk Valley Business Journal

Summer 2016

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Welcome ... to the Summer 2016 issue of Sauk Valley Business Journal Index of Stories Shank’s Veterinary Equipment......................... 5 Shank’s wins President’s “E” Award................. 7 P&C Lawn Service............................................... 8 Midwestern BioAg............................................ 10 Ludwig Dairy..................................................... 12 Shooters............................................................ 14 On the cover

Jennifer and Mark Dettman pose with a large animal surgical table made by their company. Story, Pages 5-7.

– Philip Marruffo, Sauk Valley Business Journal

BD Cycles.......................................................... 15 Short Cut........................................................... 16 Only the Best Resale & Consignment Shoppe................................... 17 K&R Greenhouse.............................................. 18 Rustic Roots Home and Décor........................ 19

The staff of Sauk Valley Business Journal Publisher: Sam R Fisher Advertising Director: Jennifer Heintzelman

Advertising Sales: Jill Reyna Business Journal Editor: Jim Dunn

Want to stay informed?

Email Heather Tarbill at htarbill@saukvalley.com to start receiving your FREE subscription to Sauk Valley Business Journal.

Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media of Dixon and Sterling-Rock Falls.

No portion of Sauk Valley Business Journal may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher.

Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this publication.

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Sauk Valley Business Journal

Summer 2016

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BUSINESS PROFILE

‘Lifting large animals since 1957’ is Shank’s Veterinary Equipment motto Surgery tables made here, sent around the world

BY SHELBY KUEPKER For Sauk Valley Business Journal

MILLEDGEVILLE – They’re a very big fish in a very small, and very specific, pond.

Shank’s Veterinary Equipment Inc., based in Milledgeville, is a worldwide leader in the manufacture and sale of large animal surgery tables.

Goats and horses, zebras and gorillas, dolphins and manatees – if it weighs more than 500 pounds, Shank’s makes an operating table to accommodate it.

It’s a company many in the area might not know of.

Mark Dettman, 55, of Milledgeville, and his father, the late Alvin Dettman, bought the company in 1989.

Alvin was welder for Eldon Shank, who started Shank’s Machine Co. Inc. in Sterling and started making animal surgery tables in 1957. Alvin knew the manufacturing end of the business and Mark had his own welding business in Milledgeville.

It seemed a perfect fit. The father and son decided to combine their knowledge, bought Shank’s and moved it to Milledgeville.

His dad retired in 1996, and now Mark, a quiet guy who doesn’t like to toot his own horn, has been running Shank’s for 27 years. His wife, Jennifer Dettman, 50, is his office manager, and they have four full-time and two-part time workers.

Their company tag line: “Lifting large animals since 1957.”

Shank’s makes “any type of lift table, whether it’s a surgical table, MRI table, necropsy

Philip Marruffo/Sauk Valley Business Journal

Husband and wife Mark and Jennifer Dettman are the team behind the tables at Shank’s Veterinary Equipment in Milledgeville.

‘‘

It’s not an easy business to get into. You need a lot of knowledge and understanding of the processes of large animal surgery.

’’

Jennifer Dettman

table, or transfer cart,” Jennifer said.

The tables are made for animals that weigh more than 500 pounds and are sold to zoos, veterinary clinics, research facilities, and universities worldwide. There are Shank’s tables in more than 30 countries and more than 145 U.S. and international

universities and zoological facilities.

You can find tables with the Shank’s stamp at Seaworld, the Georgia Aquarium, and other marine mammal facilities.

Everything is done at the Milledgeville shop, and everything is made by hand.

All of the “actual structural frames, the assembling, the finishing, it’s all performed here,” Jennifer said.

Shank’s is at the top of its food chain, with no major competition in the United States.

Its major competitors are manufacturers in the Netherlands and Finland, but even with that competition, international sales this past year accounted for 30 percent of Shank’s income.

What makes Shank’s stand

National award for Shank’s Milledgeville company wins the President’s “E” Award for Excellence, Page 7 ••• A brief history of Shank’s, Page 6 out? “They’ve been around so long and have strong reputation for producing high-quality products,” Jennifer said.

“It’s not an easy business to get into. You need a lot of knowledge and understanding of the processes of large animal surgery.”

Overall, she said, the Dettmans are “pretty proud of how far we’ve taken it and the fact that we are worldrenowned, ... [and of] the fact that we can do all that from a little town of 900 people.”

Sauk Valley Business Journal

Page 6

Summer 2016

A brief history of Shank’s Veterinary Equipment Shank’s Veterinary Equipment, Inc., originally Shank’s Machine Co., Inc., began manufacturing large animal surgery tables in 1957.

At first, the company made only one type of table, the Shank’s Douglas Tiltmaster, that allowed vets to take a partially sedated, standing animal and lay it on its side. It quickly became the industry standard.

In 1978, Shank’s introduced a second type of table, the Shank’s Floor Model Surgery Table. Smaller and more versatile than the tilt table, it lifted animals using a scissorslike action and could be set inside a recessed pit, which means the veterinarian could use the same room for induction, surgery and recovery.

The company made two models, one of which was portable, for vets who had separate induction, surgery and recovery rooms.

A variety of optional extrem-

Submitted

In 1978, Shank’s introduced the Shank’s Floor Model Surgery Table, which lifts animals using a scissors-like action, allowing surgeons easier access to their patients. ity supports also were introduced, which allowed the vet to position the animal on its back or its side.

In 1988, yet another Shank’s invention was created, a table that incorporated a “wing style,” multisection surface.

Father-and-son team Alvin

and Mark Dettman bought the company in 1989, and eventually moved it to 505 E. Old Mill St. in Milledgeville.

Alvin retired in 1996.

Over the past 15 years, Shank’s has expanded into other areas of the large animal market, adding custom-

ized surgery tables, necropsy tables, stocks, and transfer carts to its product line.

In 2004, for example, the company created the Shank’s Large Animal MRI Table, a nonmagnetic MRI table that uses a pneumatic lift and can be used within the magnetic field of the MRI machine, “an accomplishment unique to Shank’s.”

Today, in addition to its line of 15 tables, Shank’s also makes and markets heavy duty recovery stall doors, induction/crowding gates, deadbolt door locks and restraint rings. It also offers a line of other surgery-related items, such as padded recovery hoods, lifting hobbles and foam positioning pads.

And, because all of its items are handmade, “Shank’s has the unique ability to easily customize products during production, which sets it apart from its competitors.”

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Sauk Valley Business Journal

Summer 2016

Page 7

Milledgeville company wins award for exports Shank’s honored in nation’s capital

BY PAM EGGEMEIER Sauk Valley Business Journal

MILLEDGEVILLE – Shank’s Veterinary Equipment Inc. was one of 123 companies nationwide recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce for its success in exporting goods and services.

The Milledgeville company received the President’s “E” Award for Exports at a ceremony May 16 in the nation’s capital. It is the most prestigious award a business can win for its contributions to the expansion of U.S. exports.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honor the nation’s exporters.

Founded in 1957, Shank’s is a global leader in mak-

‘‘

Shank’s Veterinary Equipment has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion, and its achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.

’’

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker

ing and selling large animal surgery tables. The company also produces related equipment for transporting, examining, and performing surgeries and autopsies on large animals.

The late Alvin Dettman and son, Mark, bought the company in 1989. Alvin retired in 1996, and Mark had a new manufacturing facility built in 2004. The company is at 505 E. Old Mill St. Sixteen years ago, the company decided to make a big

push to grow globally, and it has paid big dividends.

“In 2000, when we began aggressive efforts to grow exports, they accounted for 7 percent of our annual sales, and our most recent fiscalyear exports were 29 percent, enabling us to sustain jobs,” Jennifer Dettman said. She is secretary and treasurer of Shank’s.

In a congratulatory letter to Shank’s, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker noted that the awards committee was

Online Go to export.gov for more information about U.S. exports, and the President’s “E” Award for Exports.

Go to shanksvet.com to learn more about Shank’s Veterinary Equipment Inc. particularly impressed with Shank’s innovative product design and marketing.

“Shank’s Veterinary Equipment has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion, and its achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs,” Pritzker wrote.

Companies are nominated for the awards through the Commerce Department’s U.S. Commercial Service offices.

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Summer 2016

BUSINESS PROFILE

Brothers make mowing a career Mowers and manicured lawns run in the family

BY AVALYNDA CASEY For Sauk Valley Business Journal

DIXON – Most kids take up lawn mowing so they can have a little walking around money.

The Clark brothers turned their childhood business into the main source of income for their family of six, and now have clients all over Lee County and elsewhere in the region.

Patrick, 26, started P&C Lawn Service in 2006, when he was a Dixon High School sophomore. The C stands for Conner, the brother who joined him in the venture. He

AvaLynda Casey/For Sauk Valley Business Journal

The Clark brothers, Connor (left) and Patrick, sort customers by date on their magnetic calendar. was a fifth-grader at the time.

“It was cash in my pocket, and kept me out of trouble,” said Connor, a 2013 Dixon

High grad.

Their dad helped keep them mowing on the straight and narrow.

“I saw how much time school sports took from homework, so the boys didn’t do that,” said their dad, Stephen Clark.

“And I didn’t want them sitting around doing nothing, so I gave them on-the-job training.”

The boys learned the difference between flowers and weeds from the Internet.

They learned about trimming, seeding and fertilizing.

And they learned dependability, responsibility, and the value of an honest day’s work.

In 2009, they added snow removal to P&C’s roster of services.

Mom Margaret Clark chauffeured the boys to their customers’ homes, taught them the basics of mowing and lawn care, and took care of customer relations.

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Summer 2016

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Signature orange uniforms stand out amid grass MOWING

To get in touch

CONTINUED FROM 8

P&C Lawn Service serves Dixon and other Sauk Valley towns, with customers in Sterling, Rock Falls, Amboy, Mendota, and Polo.

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t

“I was the designated driver at first, and I took care of client authorizations,” she said.

When she lost her job in 2010, she joined the business full-time, and “the mowing business became a way to keep a roof over our heads,” she said.

Now, Margaret takes care of the billing and keeps the books.

Stephen’s overall experience as a handyman and his mechanical skills helped keep the equipment, and the boys, in business.

“I spent a lot of time at Ace Hardware, and Rich and his team gave us yard and garden advice,” Stephen said.

Once Patrick was old enough to drive, the brothers upped their efforts, contracting with more yards.

“We make sure our services

Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Business Journal

Patrick Clark of P&C Law Care runs a mower at Credit Auto Sales in Dixon. Patrick is taking care of the lawn here with brothers Connor and Christian. are mutually beneficial to our customers,” he said. “When it’s dry and the grass doesn’t grow much, we don’t take advantage of our customers.

We can skip a week.”

The business has grown through word-of-mouth, grocery store billboards, homemade fliers, and door-to-door

sales. They’ve done so well that, in addition to covering basic family expenses, they’ve paid off the mortgage.

P&C will mow and trim, spray weeds, clean gutters, mulch, and do basic landscaping. Over the summer, it hires extra help in the form of two high-schoolers. The brothers have four

grandstand mowers, and can do a 40-inch to a 60-inch cut.

They use ethanol-free blowers, weed-whackers, hedge trimmers, sprayers, and a rototiller.

Their signature uniforms – orange shirts and sweatshirts with a tree frog for the logo – stand out in yards and fields of green.

Older brother, Christian, and younger brother, Aaron, 16, also work for the family business.

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Sauk Valley Business Journal

Summer 2016

BUSINESS PROFILE

Better farming through better soil Midwestern BioAg ready to analyze, customize, deliver

BY JERMAINE PIGEE Sauk Valley Business Journal

MILLEDGEVILLE – It’s all about the dirt: Make it better, make it healthier, make it work for you, and do it with the least amount of chemicals possible.

Midwestern BioAg’s mantra is “better farming through better soil.”

In a nutshell: Healthy, balanced soils are the basis for healthy crops, healthy livestock, and healthy, successful farms.

Its newest fertilizer blending and distribution facility is up Philip Marruffo/Sauk Valley Business Journal and running.

Ben Adolph, Midwestern BioAg sales consultant and crop adviser, looks over the conveyor BIO-AG continued on 114 belt at the company’s new 17,000-square-foot plant that opened in February in Milledgeville.

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Page 11

Company serves customers up to 3 hours away BIO-AG

Midwestern BioAg

CONTINUED FROM 10 t

The 17,000-square-foot plant at the intersection of state Route 40 and Shannon Road stores and distributes four liquid and 16 dry fertilizers, and can help apply those products with its floater trucks and other equipment.

Soil analysis is crucial to the business, which provides a wide range of products for biological and organic farmers and backyard gardeners alike.

Jason Wynkoop is the plant’s operations manager.

“We are a company that focuses on the biology of the soil and letting that biology work for the grower to limit the pesticides and limit the herbicides they have to put on,” Wynkoop said. “The biology is doing that, and we are one of the companies doing that.”

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Philip Marruffo/Sauk Valley Business Journal

Midwestern BioAg recently opened a 17,000-square-foot fertilizer facility in Milledgeville. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, the company, founded in 1983, has eight locations in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan and Minnesota.

Customizing the right application begins with soil sampling, he said.

“We take the soil samples and send them to the [onsite] lab,” he said. “Once the results come back, it will go to our consultants, who will analyze those results and put together a recipe for our blended fertilizer. We will blend the fertilizers together, put them on a truck and ship them to the grower.”

Although the facility targets its efforts to northwestern Illinois, it serves anyone in about a 3-hour radius.

“We have customers all the way down in Springfield,” said Ben Adolph, a sales consultant and crop adviser. “We’d like to focus on this area, but we won’t turn down a customer that is 3 hours away.”

The product isn’t for only farmers. Gardeners also can buy products on site.

Midwestern BioAg, 1 Zimmer Way in Milledgeville, provides biological products and services to improve soil fertility, which increases yield with less input.

The plant is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Find it on Facebook, go to midwesternbioag.com or call 815855-3054.

“We have garden fertilizer here in the shop,” Wynkoop said. “People can walk in and purchase what they want.”

Midwestern BioAg broke ground in July 2015, and opened in late February.

It bought all 30.3 acres in the village’s business park, but is using only 10 acres. It has pledged to help develop the rest, including putting in infrastructure for the other lots.

Sauk Valley Business Journal

Page 12

Summer 2016

BUSINESS PROFILE

Worldwide fame for Ludwig Dairy Its smoothie and yogurt win recognition

BY RACHEL RODGERS Sauk Valley Business Journal

DIXON – Competing against more than 23 countries, Ludwig Dairy Inc. has earned its standing among international dairy manufacturers.

The family-owned business, which has a plant in Dixon, entered the World Championship Cheese Contest for the first time this year.

After the judging was completed, Ludwig walked away with first and second place in two of 110 contest categories.

Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Business Journal

Sebastian Gebka, general manager of Ludwig Dairy of Dixon, is shown with some of the dairy’s products. The family-owned business entered the World Championship Cheese Contest and LUDWIG continued on 134 won first place for its Kefir smoothie and second place for its strawberry and grains yogurt.

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Page 13

Company moved dairy plant to Dixon in 2001 LUDWIG

CONTINUED FROM 12 t

Ludwig Dairy won first place in the drinkable cultured products category, open to all flavors and all milks, for its Kefir smoothie. The drink scored a 99.8 out of 100.

Kefir refers to a fermented mix of milk and kefir grains, which contain probiotic bacteria.

It won second place for flavored low-fat yogurt, open to cow’s milk products, for its strawberry and grains yogurt, scoring 99 out of 100.

The Elk Grove-based company has been in business for about 25 years and moved its dairy manufacturing plant to Dixon in 2001.

“It’s an honor not only to be noticed but to score so high among world-renowned corporations and businesses that have been around for hundreds of years,” manager

Maggie Zydek said.

Each month, the Dixon plant receives about 50,000 gallons of raw milk that it pasteurizes and uses to create yogurts, Kefir, fresh white cheese, sour cream, butter, cottage cheese, and quark, which is a soft spreadable cheese.

Ludwig makes most dairy products except for fluid milk, plant general manager Sebastian Gebka said, and it has about 15 employees.

“We use quality ingredients, and we want to put out quality products, that’s our goal,” Gebka said.

Once the products are made and packaged, they are distributed mostly to stores in and around Chicago, but its market spans across northern and central Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana.

There are no products available in Dixon stores, but it’s something the company might consider, Gebka said.

The company also hopes to expand operations at the plant within the next few years.

“We thought this would be a great place where we could expand, and it’s not far from our headquarters in Elk Grove,” he said.

“Dixon has that small-town feeling, and the government is very small-business-friendly.”

The location, 1309 W. Seventh St., was a dairy manufacturing plant for Dominick’s Finer Food Inc., a chain that had several stores in the Chicago area until a rash of closures in 2013.

Ludwig’s entered the contest in late February, the competition took place in early March, and it was to receive its awards Thursday in Milwaukee.

Entries from 23 countries and 31 states were evaluated during the 3-day competition in Madison, Wisconsin.

Alex T. Paschal/ Sauk Valley Business Journal

The award-winning Kefir smoothie and strawberry and grains yogurt. Ludwig’s products are distributed mostly to stores in the Chicago area, but its market spans across parts of three states.

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Page 14

Summer 2016

BUSINESS PROFILE

‘A cool little place to hang out’ New bar opens in Sterling’s West End neighborhood

BY JERMAINE PIGEE Sauk Valley Business Journal

STERLING – Here’s one way to wash the dull out of your laundromat experience: Ditch the spin cycle, walk next door, have a cold one and watch TV. Sterling natives Rich and Josie Nolan opened Shooters at 2404 W. Fourth St. in May. It’s sandwiched between Silver City Laundry and Graphic Signs print shop, both of which they also own.

“We want this place to be a cross between a biker bar and Coyote Ugly,” said Rich, 45.

Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Business Journal

Sterling natives Rich and Josie Nolan opened Shooters in May. Josie (above) and her husband also own the laundromat and sign shop next door.

“There is nothing else on the west end other than the big bars like Latin American Social

Club and the Wagon Wheel.”

During the week, “this is a nice, quiet place on the west

end on town. We catch people on the way in town and on the way out of town. People leave the big bars downtown and come here for a last-call drink.”

The bar is named after its signature drink.

“We have six different shooters that no one else is doing in town,” said Josie, 35. “We put some odd liquors in shooter glasses and they are mixed.

We also have a line of 10 shooters that look like a rainbow.”

Shooters also will offer online dart tournaments, and, by the end of June, video gambling. Food is coming soon, and the bar is available to rent for community events, birthday parties and other social gatherings, Rich said.

“This is just a cool little place to hang out.”

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Summer 2016

Page 15

BUSINESS PROFILE

Motorcycle work ‘a love and a joy’ Mechanic of 50 years opens shop in Mount Morris

BD Cycles BD Cycles is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at 4279 W. state Route 64 in Mount Morris.

Call 779-545-0181 to learn more.

​BY CHRIS JOHNSON Sauk Valley Business Journal

MOUNT MORRIS – Whether you were born to be wild, or just enjoy a casual ride on the open road, with the wind in your hair and the sun in your face, Gary DeSmedt will keep your motor running as you head out on the highway.

DeSmedt has been fixing motorcycles for 50 years, ever since he first swung a leg over the bike he rode to school in the eighth grade.

“I started working on my bike, and experience is the best teacher,” DeSmedt said.

Chris Johnson/Sauk Valley Business Journal

Gary DeSmedt, co-owner of BD Cycles in Mount Morris, works on the clutch of a Harley Davidson.

“I started working on neighborhood bikes. I never thought it would be a business.”

DeSmedt thought wrong.

Today, the 63-year-old owns BD Cycles. He’s seen a steady flow of customers in just his first month in business, said

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DeSmedt, who moved to the village last year and saw a need for a repair shop.

“People have bikes, but they may not run them because they needed service,” he said.

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BD Cycles services all brands.

During a recent visit to his shop, bikes by Harley Davidson, Honda, Suzuki, and Triumph all were being worked.

“Some bikes sit for years in the garage, and I am happy to see them running again,” he said. “I want to make sure all bikes are on the road so the owners can enjoy the passion of riding.

“This is a love and joy of fixing motorcycles.”

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Page 16

Summer 2016

BUSINESS PROFILE

Time to cut this barber some Slack She took a Short Cut to a career, and couldn’t be happier about it

BY VINDE WELLS Sauk Valley Business Journal

OREGON – Thirty years ago, Cherie Slack, now 61, embarked on a career she still dearly loves.

Newly divorced and in need of a job, Slack decided to go to barber college.

Slack, a 1972 Rochelle High School graduate, started her career in Leaf River. Then she moved to Mount Morris, where she trimmed hair for 23 years until moving Short Cut to 115 N. Fourth St. in November 2012.

One of the things Slack

Vinde Wells/ Sauk Valley Business Journal

Cherie Slack takes a break in the antique barber chair that once belonged to the late Earl Avey, a Mount Morris barber. enjoys the most about her profession is that she has gotten to know her customers well.

“I’ve made so many friends

over the years,” she said. “I love my guys. It’s like having a bunch of dads.”

She specializes in cutting men’s and boys’ hair. “I’ve never cut a woman’s hair,” she said.

Over the years, Slack has cut fathers’ hair and then their sons’. “I have one fourthgeneration family and a lot of third generation,” she said.

“I’ve done tons of first haircuts,” she said, laughing. “That can be a challenge!”

Slack also collects the tools or her trade. She has a chair that the late barber, Earl Avey of Mount Morris, bought in 1929.

Also on display in her shop is Avey’s cash register and a cabinet full of shaving mugs and brushes.

The cash register goes up to $1, and a receipt she found in the drawer shows Avey

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Many customers come to her from the restaurant across the street, and many times during the summer, people passing through town come in for a trim.

Looking back on her career, Slack can’t help buy smile.

“I wanted to cut hair but didn’t want to do hair, so I went to barber college instead of beauty school, and I’m so glad I did,” she said.

Summer 2016

Sauk Valley Business Journal

Page 17

BUSINESS PROFILE

Consignment store plans to move Only the Best shop heading to stately home

More information Only The Best, 21 E. Third in Sterling, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Saturday.

Call 815-625-6827 or find Only the Best Resale & Consignment Shoppe on Facebook for more information.

BY JERMAINE PIGEE Sauk Valley Business Journal

STERLING – When it came time to find a new spot for Only the Best Resale & Consignment Shoppe, owner Dawn Torres got picky.

The building had to be bigger than her current location. It had to be on a busy street, and it had to have a parking lot and a dressing room.

Her soon-to-be new location has all that, and more.

In July, Torres will move her shop from 21 E. Third St. downtown to its new location, just down the road, to

Michael Krabbenhoeft/Sauk Valley Business Journal

Dawn Torres, owner of Only the Best Resale & Consignment Shoppe in Sterling, will be moving her business to a new location in the summer, at 705 W. Third St. the two-story red brick home at 705 W. Third St., at the foot of the Avenue G Bridge.

The former Sauk Valley Clinic building has a park-

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ing lot and a handicapped ramp. It will nearly triple her floor space, from about 1,200 square feet to more than 3,000.

And it will get plenty of exposure: About 4,600 cars pass that building every day, Torres said.

“There will be glass chandeliers and a fireplace and original hardwood,” she said.

“It’s a beautiful place, and I’m really excited.”

The family-owned Only the Best has been in business for about 15 years, and has seen about 1,600 consigners, some of whom have been with her from the beginning.

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Sauk Valley Business Journal

Page 18

Summer 2016

BUSINESS PROFILE

K&R happy to help gardens grow Greenhouse has plants, décor and more – including helpful advice

BY KAYLA HEIMERMAN For Sauk Valley Business Journal

MORRISON – For Roger Meiers, part of being a gardener is sharing advice to ensure others have success.

It’s at the heart of being a small, local business owner, too.

Meiers owns K&R Greenhouse. He and a friend – the “K” – bought the business, an established greenhouse, more than 20 years ago.

Meiers, 64, had wanted to own and operate a greenhouse since he was a teenager.

“My neighbor lady had a beautiful garden: Her rows were always nice and straight,” he recalls. “I got into 4-H ... and I had a vegetable garden that turned into a 5-acre project. I sold produce for 20 years in front of our house and at farmers markets – and I always worked in a greenhouse.”

K&R Greenhouse is open year-round. It’s known for his hanging baskets in the spring and its poinsettias and greenery in the winter. The greenhouse also offers a good selection of zone-appropriate vegetable plants and fruit trees, as well as a variety of annuals and perennials. It also has a gift shop.

K&R also supplies about 15 area churches with lilies, tulips, and daffodils for Easter and poinsettias for Christmas.

Michael Krabbenhoeft/Sauk Valley Business Journal

K&R Greenhouse in Morrison features a wide variety of flowers, plants and decorations for the garden, as well as potted arrangements.

Meiers considers himself a vegetable gardener and prides himself on his knowledge and experience – which he is eager to pass on to novice gardeners.

“I love the new varieties, whether it be super-duper green peppers, or some of the new kinds of tomatoes,” he says. “How many people get excited about a new type of broccoli?

“All the gardeners who come in here – that’s what makes it fun. And right now, they’re all just really eager and waiting for the weather to change.”

Meiers says he learned from the “old-timers” and experienced gardeners around him, and he urges novice gardeners to do the same.

“Your neighbors, anyone

K&R Greenhouse K&R Greenhouse, 15543 Bishop Road in Morrison, is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call 815-772-4595 or find it on Facebook for more information.

with a nice garden, they would love to tell you how to do it,” he says. “So many people are new at it [gardening], and they all need a little help to have some success.

“When I was just starting out, I would have loved for someone to give me some information about soil and fertilizer and bugs,” he adds.

Meiers reminds gardeners that growing plants, whether vegetables or flowers, is

weather-related, of course, and thus somewhat uncontrollable, but also depends on good soil, fertilization, and pest and disease management.

“The only way I can stay in business … is honesty and really caring about the customer having success,” he says. “If they buy a certain plant, … I want to make sure they know how to care for it the right way.”

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Sauk Valley Business Journal

Summer 2016

Page 19

BUSINESS PROFILE

Business owner putting down roots Dixon store offers handmade décor and more

BY JERMAINE PIGEE Sauk Valley Business Journal

DIXON – Dixon resident Amy Nicklaus loves handmade homemade.

“I love to be creative and do things with my hands,” she said.

The 28-year-old has spent the past year and a half making signs, wreaths, tables, benches, vases and other décor, and in May opened Rustic Roots Home and Décor at 734 N. Galena Ave., across from Kentucky Fried Chicken.

“I used to make things for my friends, and it has grown into a business. I hand-paint

Amy Nicklaus turned her hobby of making homemade décor into a business named Rustic Roots Home and Décor.

sica Bonnell Design, created Rustic Roots’ cute windmillinspired logo, and also helps design some of the signs and other décor.

For now, Nicklaus plans to open Rustic Roots on Thursday through Saturday the first and third weeks of the month through August.

“At some point, I have to make my décor,” she said.

“If I was open all the time, I would not have the time to make everything. Because I make my own stuff, I need the weekdays to make everything so I can actually sell it.”

Submitted Nicklaus also holds workshops in which she teachand hand-make all my signs es people how to create and products. I can do any- such items, using Mason thing with home décor.” jars and old pallets, among Fellow Dixonite Jessica Bon- other things. They’ve been nell, 22, a graphic designer at Ginkgo Tree in Dixon and with her own business, Jes- Livengood’s Barn in Chad-

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“I can bring in women and I show them how to make something,” she said. “It depends on what people want to do each week.”

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