D1 generations
OF BUSINESS West Central Tribue | Willmar, Minn. | Saturday, April 27, 2019
Thein families share history in their separate businesses
The story picks up when John’s son Eugene Thein moved to Clara City around 1890. Called a “Jack-of-all-trades” by his great-great-grandsons, hen John P. Thein left Luxembourg in 1854 and Eugene Thein used “self ingenuity” to work as a blacksmith, run moved to Minnesota to start a new life in a new a threshing crew, erect windmills, drill wells and move buildings. If there was a problem to solve, Eugene usually found a way to country as a blacksmith, it’s a fair guess he had no idea his skills would be passed onto future generations and lay fix it, according to his great-great-grandsons. Two of Eugene’s sons, John and George, took over the buildthe foundation to sustain his families’ businesses 165 years later. According to family history, John P. Thein learned blacksmith- ing-moving enterprise in a business called Thein Moving Company ing in France and set up his first shop in St. Paul and later made – still based in Clara City – that currently has fourth-generation Theins running it, with hopes that a fifth generation will step in. wheels for the Union Army during the Civil War.
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By Carolyn Lange clange@wctrib.com
Another of Eugene’s sons, Eugene Jr., erected windmills and eventually started a plumbing business and his other son, Peter, dug wells in a business called Thein Well Company – based in Spicer – that has fourth-generation Theins running it with a fifth generation already working in the business. “We’re fortunate,” Bob Thein, president of Thein Well Company, said of the extended Thein family’s multi-generational businesses. That fortune was matched with a solid dose of hard work and willingness to keep changing with the times that has kept Thein Moving Company and Thein Well Company strong today and growing from the family roots they share.
Moving mountains of buildings Thein Moving Company has been moving buildings since 1892
was purchased and rubber tire dollies were introduced. Because World War II put rubber in short supply, used airplane tires were used By Carolyn Lange clange@wctrib.com on the dollies. “It was a lot of manual labor. Screw jacks. tarted by Eugene Thein in 1892, using No hydraulics. No skid loader. It was block and horses, screw jacks, wooden wheel tackle and winches,” said Tim Thein. dollies and hard manual labor, Thein In 1966 they purchased a unified hydraulic Moving Company now has an office in down- jacking system to lift buildings up, and the town Clara City – and a sprawling warehouse large wooden timbers typically used to move a site west of town that houses large, modern building were replaced with steel beams. equipment and neatly organized steel beams. Today’s equipment includes skid loadMatt Thein and ers – which Tim and Tim Thein are the Matt said drastically fourth-generation reduced their labor owners and operators input – and self-proof Thein Moving Compelled dollies with a pany. remote-controlled The two cousins system and hydraulic took over the busipower steering. ness in 1992 from their “It’s a much smoothfathers, brothers Tom er process,” said Tim Thein and Jim Thein, Thein, adding that who began managing the new technology the business in 1966 requires about half the alongside their father, number of people to John Thein. John Thein, move a building now along with his brother compared to the preSubmitted photo / This historic George, took over the vious generation. house was built in the 1800s in Chaska. business in 1924 from They currently work It was moved by Thein Moving to their father, Eugene in a five-state area, accommodate the curling arena in Thein, who started the with most jobs taking downtown Chaska. business in the late place in a 100-mile 1800s. radius of Clara City. They’ve had some memIn 1943, John Thein took over the moving orable jobs, including moving 11 hangars from business full time and his brother George start- the old Willmar airport to the new location ed a John Deere dealership in Clara City. west of town, and moving the Frank Lake CovThat long history of family members work- enant Church of rural Murdock to a new locaing together to grow an evolving business tion south of Benson where they were greeted continues today for Matt and Tim. by an audience, band and lunch. “There are very few family businesses, obviWhile the new equipment makes it easier ously, that go the duration that this one has,” to move buildings than in the past, the job still said Matt Thein. requires hard labor. Sometimes there can be siblings and cous“It really takes a special person to do this ins that can’t work together, said Tim Thein. kind of work,” said Tim Thein. “You do it all. That wasn’t the case with their dads. You’re in the mud, you’re in the slop, you’re in “Jim and Tom complemented each other the heat, you’re in the cold.” very, very well, as Tim and I have,” said Matt The job also includes nights and weekends Thein. “Tim and I have the same mindset. away from the family. Honesty and openness are keys to building a “It definitely takes two people to do it, that’s partnership and maintaining one.” for sure. And a good crew,” said Tim Thein. Back in the 1890s, it was tough work to Matt and Tim said they learned a lot about move a building with equipment powered with the business from the family members that steam, live horses or just plain human labor. came before them. “It was all hand work with bars and sledge “They gave us the right fundamentals,” said hammers, things of that sort,” said Matt Thein. Matt Thein. “They helped lay some of the In the 1920s the company advanced to MOVING COMPANY: PAGE D8 steel wheel dollies, and in the 1940s a truck
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Erica Dischino / Tribune Andy, from left, Bob, Mike, Tony and Zack Thein pose for a family photo in front of a truck used to drill wells at Thein Well Company in Spicer. The company has been in business for more than 125 years.
Working with water
Thein Well Company begins 126th year in operation same way, and he missed school and activities as a youth when he was needed on the job digging wells. By Carolyn Lange clange@wctrib.com Advancements in well-drilling machines were made from 1930 to 1965 when equipment hein Well Company marks its start changed from a wood rig to a cable-tool rig. In in 1893 when Eugene Thein started the 1960s, rotary drilling machines were introdigging wells by hand – along with duced and they used high-pressure, air-hamworking as a blacksmith, thresher and house mer drilling. In the 1970s, they began using mover – to supplement income he needed to televised monitoring wells to detect and solve support his growing family in Clara City. problems, and in the 1980s, a modern “top New farms and new towns were popping up head” rotary drive system was introduced and on the prairie and he was kept busy digging they patented a procedure to address sand wells. pumping problems. Around 1910, Large equipment, Eugene’s son, Peter like the versa-drill, Thein Sr., took over allows the compathe well-drilling ny to dig residential, enterprise at the farm, commercial age of 18 when he and municipal wells, purchased a rig. This and expand to new self-propelled woodareas of digging geoen drill rig could be thermal wells and “walked” from one water conditioning Early well drilling equipment from job site to the next in services. Thein Well Company. a process that took In the last 10 years, as long as it did to they have dug about dig the well. two-thirds of the city The early well-drillwells in Minnesota, ing tools and techsaid Bob Thein. niques of “percusThe deepest well sion drilling” were they’ve dug so far is primitive, slow and 1,400 feet. labor-intensive. “As time went on, But that early start we got more efficient set the tone for the with what we do,” he business, which has said. a solid history of Gains in efficiency keeping it all in the and advancements family. in technology over As Peter Thein Sr. the last 126 years drilled wells for farmhave helped keep the ers and small towns, well-drilling business including municipal growing in a six-state wells in Kandiyohi, area with offices in Atwater, Murdock five locations, includand Clara City, he put ing Spicer, Clara City his five sons to work and Rochester, said in the business. Submitted photos / Thein Well Company Bob Thein. It was like growing A growing part of up on a farm, said Bob Thein, who along with the business is digging monitoring wells to his brother Mike are the fourth- generation detect groundwater contamination, as part of owners. remediation projects. The environmental side If there was work to do, the sons worked of the business is based in Monticello. alongside their father to get the job done. “It’s Because of the growth of rural water how you learned the business,” said Bob Thein. Bob said he and his brothers learned the WELL COMPANY: PAGE D7
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Erica Dischino / Tribune Cousins Matt Thein, left, and Tim Thein of Thein Moving Company stand among the beams they use to move houses. The two took over the family business in 1992.