AN ECHO JOURNAL & BRAINERD DISPATCH PUBLICATION
BUSINESS TRADITIONS ROLL OF HONOR 2017
FEATURED BUSINESSES: IDEAL BOARDING KENNELS • GANLEY’S RESTAURANT REED’S MARKET • GSS RIVERSIDE VILLAS JIM’S ELECTRIC • KATHY’S CUSTOM SEWING
Economic outlook for 2017 By Renee Richardson Brainerd Dispatch Managing Editor Momentum from 2016 is carrying into the new year with multiple projects in the lakes area promising to bring in additional jobs, create new shopping and eating destinations and build on a wave of economic development flowing into the new year. Among proposed projects is a 4,000-squarefoot, sit-down restaurant, which could be constructed on wooded land just south of Frandsen Bank and Trust near the intersection with Highway 371 and Excelsior Road in Baxter. This land, called the Fruth property, is the last undeveloped land on the highly coveted Highway 371 and Highway 210 corner. Panera is what has come up as an unconfirmed but anticipated name behind the new restaurant. The sit-down restaurant
was described to Baxter officials as a high-turnover eatery. A 3,000-squarefoot retail store is proposed next door, potentially a Sleep Number store. Wayzata-based HJ Development recently confirmed the entire list of stores planned for its retail center to be constructed on 8.87 acres between Costco and J.C. Penney Co. in Baxter. Dick’s Sporting Goods will be joined by previously announced tenants - T.J. Maxx, ULTA Beauty and PetSmart. All have signed leases for the 90,000-square-foot project and expect construction to be completed by the fall of 2017. Tenants T.J. Maxx, ULTA Beauty and PetSmart plan to open in the fall with Dick’s Sporting Goods expected to open in the spring of 2018. In addition, HJ Development confirmed plans to build a 7,000-square-foot
retail strip center nearby on the southwest corner of Highway 371 and Glory Road - by Wal-Mart and across the street from Olive Garden. Construction of that building is also expected to start in the spring of 2017. This past summer, Oppidan - owner of the retail space that is home to Gander Mountain in Baxter - released a new proposal to construct two new buildings in the parking lot facing Highway 371 in front of Gander Mountain. The proposal called for a coffee shop, dental office and retail and restaurant space. A couple of names were dropped regarding tenants, including Aspen Dental and Caribou Coffee. Names of the possible restaurants were not disclosed. The plan is for two retail centers, one with 9,000 square feet and one with 6,000 square feet. One building would
include three tenants of two restaurants bordering a single retail store. The southerly most building would house Aspen Dental and the Caribou coffee shop with a drive-through window on the south end. In addition, Oppidan stated there are plans to redevelop the Gander Mountain site as well in the near future. Expectations were for construction in 2017. Brewery options expanded throughout the lakes area with redevelopments such as Roundhouse Brewery at the Northern Pacific Center in Brainerd and the current construction of the Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter, along with the construction of the Dennis Drummond Wine Company south of Brainerd. Ground was broken for the wine company and work on the site to include a bistro and event center began in the summer of 2016.
The Wells Fargo Bank building by Menards in Baxter was torn down to make room for two planned retail sites as part of the Northwoods Crossing development. Plans call for two restaurants without drive-thrus (with 40 seats each), a 25-seat restaurant with a drivethru and a 20-seat coffee shop with a drive-thru. There were remodels such as Cub Foods in Baxter and redevelopment of existing sites like the new Royal Tire in Brainerd. The landmark Bonanza was torn down and a new Riverwood Bank is now in its place in Baxter. Mattress Firm built and opened in Baxter in 2016, and the Tim Hortons eatery opened in Brainerd in its push to expand its footprint in Minnesota. A number of restaurants either opened in 2016 or moved closer to doing so from The Local 218 on Mill Avenue in Brainerd
to 612 Station Bar & Grill in downtown Brainerd to work currently on Burritos California Mexican Grill, which is remodeling the former Daylight Donuts shop on Washington Street in Brainerd. Lakes area entrepreneur Cathy Hughes, who has had stores in Baxter, Brainerd, Nisswa and Pequot Lakes, recently opened the specialty store Bette Mae’s in the Westgate Mall in Brainerd/Baxter. Hughes said this opening has been her strongest in 15 years. Hughes expanded to open Sweet Beans Coffee next to Bette Mae’s. Construction wasn’t limited to the Brainerd and Baxter area with projects like Dollar General in Pillager. Renee Richardson, managing editor, may be reached at 218-855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch. com. Follow on Twitter at www. twitter.com/DispatchBizBuzz.
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BUSINESS TRADITIONS
Thursday, January 12, 2017 • Friday, January 13, 2017
pineandlakes.com | Echo Journal • brainerddispatch.com | Brainerd Dispatch
Theresa Bourke/Echo Journal
Elaine Bilben opened Ideal Boarding Kennels in 1968 and has housed several different kinds of pets in her nearly 50 years of operation.
Ideal Boarding Kennels nears 50 years in business
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to the kennel.” One reason Bilben believes she’s able to build strong relationships with her clients is her extremely small staff. She has two friends who help out when needed. “I think the dogs actually
IDEAL: Page S10
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many have stayed multiple times and built a strong bond with the business owner. “It’s a lot of repeat business,” Bilben said. “The customers, I think, are very comfortable with leaving their pets here because they drive in, and the dog is dragging them
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quently as dogs. But those still aren’t the only animals Bilben has housed. “When we first started, we boarded a couple little turtles for somebody in the house, and a parrot,” she said. “There’s been a couple rabbits (too).” Dogs remain Bilben’s most frequent visitors, and
IDEAL KENNELS
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Theresa Bourke/Echo Journal
Elaine Bilben, owner of Ideal Boarding Kennels in Ideal Corners, gives one of her canine guests a treat.
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kind of a boost.” The kennel business wasn’t the only activity taking up Bilben’s time though. She also raised miniature schnauzers on the property for roughly 30 years. “I like the breed, their personality,” she said. “They’re small enough for a good house pet and just a good, sturdy little dog. And you try to pick out breeding stock that is going to put out nice friendly, family personalities.” Growing up with parents who raised Labradors contributed to Bilben’s interest in working with dogs, but canines aren’t her only clients. Cats also stay at the kennel from time to time, though not as fre-
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There are dog people, and there are cat people. Then there’s those who are both. Elaine Bilben falls into the latter category. Her fondness for animals led to Ideal Boarding Kennels, a business she has run for close to 50 years in Ideal Corners. Bilben and her thenhusband started the kennel business in the spring of 1968, and it has grown immensely. “Kind of the reason it was started is my motherin-law raised dogs, and also my sister-in-law,” Bilben said. “And there wasn’t any other boarding
kennels around.” Though the demand for kennels wasn’t very high at the time, Bilben began building her business by offering additional services. “The people that own C & C Boat Works in Crosslake, she stopped by one day and … says, ‘Do you do grooming?’” Bilben said. That question sparked an idea and led Bilben to offer both boarding and grooming services for the animals. But as her client base grew, her free time began to diminish, so after a few years, the business went back to simply being a kennel. “The resorts - a lot of them didn’t allow pets,” Bilben said. “So that was
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BUSINESS TRADITIONS
Thursday, January 12, 2017 • Friday, January 13, 2017
S3
Pete Mohs/Echo Journal
Ganley’s Restaurant is located in downtown Nisswa.
Third generation now working at Ganley’s Pat Ganley bought restaurant in 1984 By Nancy Vogt Echo Journal Editor Pat Ganley made his mark in the restaurant business long before he bought what is now Ganley’s Restaurant in downtown Nisswa. Ganley and his late wife, Sharon, owned Loydy’s Diner in north Minneapolis for 16 years, until the restaurant had to be torn down to make way for Interstate 94. But many people who venture north from the Twin Cities today still remember Loydy’s. People will come into Ganley’s and say, “Oh, are you Pat’s son? We used to go to Loydy’s,” said Luke Ganley, who is, indeed, Pat and Sharon’s son and who now owns Ganley’s Restaurant with his wife, Chrissy. “There are people still talking about Loydy’s and asking about my dad.” Eventually, the elder Ganleys decided to move to Nisswa, where they’d owned a cabin on Middle Cullen Lake since 1967. In 1984, they bought what was then known as the Nisswa Inn, though it was never a hotel, and they called the restaurant Ganley’s Nisswa Inn so former
Loydy’s customers who ventured to Nisswa would stop there. A while later, Pat said, Nisswa dentist Paul Perpich told him to drop the “Nisswa Inn” part of the name. “So it’s been Ganley’s ever since,” Pat said, noting he worked every day of the week for four to five years “trying to get it flush again.” “I was so far out on a limb, I just had to work hard to make it work. Pure dedication. I ran the place pretty tight. I didn’t want to waste anything. I just wanted to make everything work out good,” he said. “I’m outgoing so I made friends out in front. I have a lot of people still looking for me.” All five of Pat and Sharon Ganley’s children worked at the restaurant at one time or another. At one time daughters Andrea and Gabrielle had a challenge of who made the most tips in a day waitressing, Pat said. Luke started working at the Nisswa cafe around age 14 when his parents bought it, including as a cook. His sister, Andrea Neva, still helps at Ganley’s on weekends.
And now Luke and Chrissy Ganley’s children are following in their father’s footsteps, with their four older daughters and oldest son working for their parents. “They have to start out busing because they’re not tall enough to reach the dishes,” Luke said. “They all do a good job. They’re all really good workers.” Neva’s two sons also work at Ganley’s, busing tables and washing dishes. Her daughter is younger but is asking when she can start working there as well. Luke and Chrissy’s two younger children also beg to work there. Neva was in her upper teens when her parents bought Ganley’s, and she’s worked there every summer since then. “I enjoy waitressing,” she said, and seeing the same people she’s waited on for years. She’s watched children who come in with their parents every year grow up. Luke said during the restaurant’s first 10-15 years it was busy all summer but slower in the winter, and the whole Ganley family worked around the clock seven days a week. In
102 Years 101 Years
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Pete Mohs/Echo Journal
Ganley family members who have worked at the family restaurant include Pat (left), Luke’s father who originally bought the restaurant; and current owners Luke and Chrissy with four of their children - Clare, Mirjana, Rita and Catherine. the past 10 years, it’s been busier year-round. Ganley’s location is the best of both worlds, being both on Main Street and part of Nisswa Square. Ganley’s is open for breakfast and lunch. People have always been the best part of the job. Pat said he didn’t realize the restaurant would have
a reputation, and he credits everyone who worked there. “We had good staff,” he said. “I was there 27 or 28 years. Not many people stay in that business that long. I enjoyed the work. I was good at it.” Luke also praised customers and staff, including longtime waitress Polly
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Young, who has worked at Ganley’s for more than 16 years. “It’s definitely the people – seeing the same people every day,” he said. “It’s fun to see the seasons, to see the snowbirds coming back. I’ve watched families – as they watched
GANLEYS: Page S10
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S4
Thursday, January 12, 2017 • Friday, January 13, 2017
BUSINESS TRADITIONS
pineandlakes.com | Echo Journal • brainerddispatch.com | Brainerd Dispatch
Theresa Bourke/Echo Journal
Reed’s Market, now located on County Road 3 in Crosslake, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in October.
Crosslake family builds up grocery store for half century Reed’s Market to turn 50 in 2017 years ago, the Reeds’ sons, Jamie and Marty, officially took over. “The kids actually started running the store 16 years ago,” Bill said. “We had … kind of a 10-year program that we were going to teach them what we could.” But passing the store down to their sons was not originally Bill and Sharon’s plan. “We actually told them not to come into the business,” Bill said with a laugh. “When I was 17, I said I didn’t want to either,” Jamie said. “Then when I was 22 I thought it was a pretty good idea.” With almost 50 years of dedication to their store, the Reeds have had to learn how to keep up with the competition, especially while operating independently among all the big chains. “It’s harder for the independent to stay in business,” Jamie said. “The thing you notice about the grocery business is that everyone is getting in it. Fleet Farm sells groceries; Menards sells groceries.” But Reed’s Market has
grown along with the grocery industry. “The larger the box stores become, the smaller you look,” Bill said. “That was part of the reason why we expanded like we did.” “You have to give people what they want,” Jamie added. “You can’t just be able to buy groceries (at Reed’s). You better be able to buy pots and pans and cleaning supplies, as well as milk and produce.” The food products are changing as well. “Now we’re getting into the natural, organic stuff, which we’ve always carried a little bit of,” Jamie said. “We just expanded that pretty substantially in the last (few) months because people want it.” Another obstacle Reed’s Market has had to overcome is Crosslake’s seasonal population flux. “Any business that’s in Crosslake can tell you that,” Jamie said. “You have to do well in the summer so you can afford to stay open in the spring because it costs a lot of money to be open all winter long.” To explain how drastically business changes
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it needs to to stay afloat. Though being familyowned has certainly contributed to the store’s success, its future ownership is not yet clear. Both Reed brothers have two children, but taking over the store isn’t quite a timely subject for the young kids at this point. “I’ve got a lot of years left to work,” Jamie said. “I don’t know if any of our kids will get involved in it. It’s possible. When I was their age, I said I wasn’t going to do it either, and here I am 25 years later.” Even if ownership isn’t in the cards for the next generation of Reeds, the
REEDS: Page S10
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with the season, Jamie said he requires between 70 and 80 employees to run the store in the summer - many of whom are high school and college students - but has a staff of less than 30 during the winter. “And the thing is that it goes from zero to 100 in … one day,” Jamie said. “It goes from not doing very much business to being so busy you can hardly keep up in one day. From Thursday to Friday, it’s like somebody turns the faucet on. And then come September, the faucet gets shut off.” But like many other businesses in the lakes area, Reed’s has done what
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Bill and Sharon Reed pose with their son, Marty, in the Manhattan Beach Store in 1967. The Reeds eventually renamed the store Reed's Market and moved it to Crosslake.
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After three location changes, a fire and several additions, Reed’s Market of Crosslake is approaching its 50th anniversary of operation. Bill and Sharon Reed, for whom the store is named, bought the small business from Gordy and Betty Nelson nearly half a century ago when it was located in Manhattan Beach. Before purchasing the Manhattan Beach Store, as it was previously called, the Reeds got acquainted with the business and the area through Sharon’s parents, who owned a resort in Crosslake. Her father also worked as the grocery store’s meat cutter. “We used to come up on weekends and help them clean cabins,” said Bill, who lived in Stillwater at the time. “And then when he’d go to work at the market, I’d go along with him and help.” Then, in 1967, Bill’s father-in-law asked him a simple question that opened a new door for the Reeds. “In conversation to me one time, he just asked if the store ever came up to lease it, would we be interested? And I said, ‘Yeah.’ And I got a call in October of ‘67,” Bill said. “And it’s history.” The Reeds ran the little Manhattan Beach Store for the next six years, though Bill admits it wasn’t easy. “We were just kids,” he said. “The community
supported us. They wanted us to make it.” That community support led to the store’s expansion. In 1972, Bill and Sharon moved their business to downtown Crosslake, where Edina Realty stands today. “That’s when we added the deli,” Bill said. “Sharon drove back and forth to Motley every week to pick up smoked meat, glazed fish … What a terrible job.” Twelve years later, the Reeds renamed and relocated their business, Reed’s Country Market, to what is now Pine Peaks Lodge. A 1993 fire led to the store’s current location, which opened the next year on County Road 3 in Crosslake. With additions in 1996, 2006 and 2008, the grocery store, now known simply as Reed’s Market, features a bakery, smokehouse, cafe, garden center, gas pumps and a bank. It has come a long way. “When we started out in Manhattan Beach, there was actually four stores here,” Bill said. “We’re the last one.” He attributes that success to fair pricing, community orientation and hard work. “We invested our money and re-invested our money back into the store all the time,” Bill said. “We worked seven days a week.” Bill and Sharon’s dedication paid off, as the store grew substantially over the years. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is the family behind it. Three
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pineandlakes.com | Echo Journal • brainerddispatch.com | Brainerd Dispatch
BUSINESS TRADITIONS
Thursday, January 12, 2017 • Friday, January 13, 2017
S5
Travis Grimler/Echo Journal
Land for the Good Samaritan Society Riverside Villas in Pine River was donated by Glenn MacMillan, a business owner. It became a model for other apartments in the GSS system.
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RIVERSIDE: Page S10
AMERICAN LEGION POST #202
Kevin Larson Construction Inc.
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them. Public transportation is available. They can have groceries delivered. The whole goal of these services is to prolong the independent lifestyle that
001521565r1
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With Services.’” Services have expanded over the years at the apartments. Today, residents have the ability to have hair appointments, meals, entertainment and many other amenities brought to
215 BARCLAY AVE PINE RIVER John & Julie Sigafus Welcome You.
001520487r1
Gardiner’s
Pine River Good Samaritan Society administrator. “We try to bring as many services in there because there are about half of them who don’t drive and they can still get their services. If they don’t want to leave the building, they don’t have to. Everything is taken care of and it’s home away from home.” “It really met a need for people who wanted a connection to a skilled location where they could get services if they needed it, yet be in a system to provide multiple services in healthcare, not just skilled needs but also senior housing,” Wolf said. “We designed it as ‘Housing
Submitted photo
Though construction didn't begin until fall of 1993, the Riverside Villas started with a donation in 1991. This photo from August 1991 shows project coordinator Greg Amble and then Good Samaritan Society Administrator Jim Wolf on the site of the donated property in Pine River.
001520263r1
42 Years HACKENSACK LIONS CLUB
81 Years
“I think the project developed very close to what our vision was,” Wolf said. “It was a brand new vision for the society to do a small market expansion of housing in a small market area and to break free of only providing skilled nursing. It really far exceeded our expectations.” Apartments include bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom, and some look over the Pine River. Garages are available for those who want them. Laundry services are on each floor, and Life Alert necklaces are available to any interested clients. Of course, residents also have access to skilled nursing staff when needed. It was an expansion of the society’s mission from its other campuses, and residents in the villas have the option to bring more belongings with them when they move in; they can have pets; and they don’t need to share living space. The apartments offer a very private and dignified setting with easier access to health professionals and much needed services than what residents would find living elsewhere. “They are in their own home being able to get services to stay in their home as long as they can,” said Karen Prososki,
001522819r1
Though years away from hitting its 25-year anniversary, it was in August 1991 that a donation of land led to the Good Samaritan Society Riverside Villas in Pine River becoming a model that would be used throughout the Midwest. In 1991, the Good Samaritan Society already ran a skilled nursing campus with up to 120 beds at one time (today there are 50 residents with private rooms). But until that time neither the local Pine River branch nor the other small community branches had what the company calls “Housing With Services,” commonly known as assisted living apartments. A decree from the top of the society changed that. Jim Wolf worked at the Pine River campus for 19 years until moving to Battle Lake in 1997 to become an administrator with the society there. “The president at the time had called me one day and asked if we could find land and do a model project for the society to develop housing on heretofore only skilled nursing campuses,” Wolf said. Wolf said he spoke to Glenn MacMillan, a business owner and developer from Pine River who died in 2013.
“I went to Mr. MacMillan and asked him if he would be interested in working with us on the land. As our conversation developed over time, the offer came that he would donate the land, which he did,” Wolf said. MacMillan was the primary owner of 3.5 to 4 acres of land along the Pine River, along with City Attorney Ted Lundrigan. The donation paved the way for a development that may have happened somewhere else entirely. “I would say it may never have happened there if not for the charitable visioning for Mr. MacMillan and his wife to donate this land to the society to develop this housing,” Wolf said. “The society has historically gone to locations when they have been invited to come in, when there has been a community buyin. We like it when local people actually put themselves in the vision. Mr. MacMillan did that in a big way with a really valuable piece of land he could have sold for a very tidy sum, I’m sure.” Construction on the 36-apartment building started in September 1993 and continued through winter. When the doors opened in May 1994, the parking lot was still gravel, but Wolf said half of the rooms were already rented.
001520230r1
By Travis Grimler Echo Journal Staff Writer
S6
BUSINESS TRADITIONS
Thursday, January 12, 2017 • Friday, January 13, 2017
pineandlakes.com | Echo Journal • brainerddispatch.com | Brainerd Dispatch
Steve Kohls/Brainerd Dispatch
Jim’s Electric Company in Baxter celebrated 40 years of business in 2016. The company moved to its Baxter location in 1986 and expanded to its current size in 2000.
Family ties power electrical business By Spenser Bickett Brainerd Dispatch Staff Writer
approached him at Grant’s sister’s graduation party. Grant told Benson about Jim Grant may have put his issues at work, and his name on his business, Benson asked him if he’d Jim’s Electric Company, want to start his own busibut he didn’t start the ness. Grant said it would business by himself. be nice, but he didn’t have Jim’s Electric is a family the money. Benson replied business, started in 1976 that he’d support him if he by Grant and his wife, wanted to start a business, Nancy. The Grants’ two an offer Grant took with a sons, Jesse and Tony, are grain of salt. heavily involved in runGrant checked with ning the business with his father to see if Bentheir father, who holds son might be serious, and the title of president. Jesse his father told him BenGrant is the vice presison was. Later that night, dent, Tony Grant handles Grant called Benson to see general operations, while if he was serious, to which Nancy Grant has retired. The company celebrated Benson told him he was. Grant accepted, and a 40 years of business in month later, Jim’s Electric 2016. The main location is was born. in Baxter, but the compa“It’s pretty much a fairy ny does have local phone numbers for Crosslake and tale,” Grant said. “We recLittle Falls, due to how ognized really fast that this often the business does was an opportunity that is unheard of. It only comes work there.
History
115 Years
to a very small handful of people.” The first office for Jim’s Electric was a folding card table in the corner of the dining room of the Grant family’s trailer house, Jesse Grant said. The original warehouse for the business was one rented stall of a five-stall garage with a dirt floor, Jim Grant said. “It’s light-years away from where we’re at today,” Jesse Grant said. “It’s pretty neat when you know the history and can see it.” Jim’s Electric has succeeded thanks to hard work, good people, mentors and, most importantly, family support, Jim Grant said. The greatest gift his business has given him has been the chance to
ELECTRIC: Page S7
95 Years
104 Years
Jim’s Electric began thanks to the support and belief of a close family friend, Jim Grant said. Grant was working as an electrician but was about to lose his job, because his employer was having tax issues. He had a few other job options lined up when longtime family friend Gordon Benson
Baxter~Pequot Lakes~Crosslake Backus~Hackensack~Longville Remer~Walker~Akeley
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71 Years
69 Years
65 Years
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Steve Kohls/Brainerd Dispatch
Jesse Grant (left) and his brother Tony Grant pause for a photo in the warehouse of Jim’s Electric Company in Baxter. Their father, Jim Grant, founded the company in 1976.
75 Years
76 Years
better water. pure and simple.
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BUSINESS TRADITIONS
pineandlakes.com | Echo Journal • brainerddispatch.com | Brainerd Dispatch
ELECTRIC From Page S6
work with his sons and watch them grow, he said. “It’s not always been easy; we’ve not always agreed,” Jim Grant said. “But the pure gift to be able to do that, it’s a blessing that I’ve relished.” In 1986, the company purchased land from the city of Baxter, where the business currently sits. The original building built that year was 3,500 square feet. Then in 2000, an expansion project doubled the square footage to its current size of 7,000 square feet.
What they do Jim’s Electric does a wide variety of electrical work, Jesse Grant said. If it needs to be hooked up or controlled, he said, give them a call. If they can’t do the work, they’ll be able to direct a customer to someone who can. The company does residential and commercial work, Jesse Grant said. There’s also a team of employees who provide low voltage electrical services, which includes data centers, fiber optic cabling, video security systems, building automation and more. “The lines are getting blurred between being an electrician and technology,” Jesse Grant said. “Every day there’s another app that ties something together, so it’s becoming more and more of what we do.” Generators have become a large part of the company’s business, both installing and servicing them, Jesse Grant said. It’s now its own company, Generator Power Systems, and includes five people who travel the Midwest to furnish, install and service generators. A core part of the business involves responding to and taking care of emergencies for customers, Jesse Grant said. Employees live in different places throughout the area, he said, so they can cover about a 60-mile radius from the Baxter location on a daily basis. “Somebody’s got to fix it, and we’re the guys that do it,” Jesse Grant said. Jim’s Electric recently worked on the new Tim
Thursday, January 12, 2017 • Friday, January 13, 2017
S7
Horton’s on Washington Street in Brainerd, as well as numerous other commercial jobs in the area, Jesse Grant said. Those jobs are more visible than residential jobs, he said, but there’s a closer connection with residential customers. “When somebody trusts you enough to allow you to come into their home, which is a very personal space,” Jim Grant said, “that says a lot about you.” There have always been storms in the Brainerd lakes area, but the supercell thunderstorm that rolled through in July 2015 provided a lesson in response and preparedness, Jesse Grant said. After the storm, the company responded to customers who needed service after the power company had restored their power. “Every storm, we always Steve Kohls/Brainerd Dispatch see something,” Jesse Grant said. “Every storm, Joe Rau, a service dispatcher with Jim’s Electric Company, shows Jesse Grant (center) and Jim Grant what he’s there’s always something working on. The company does a wide variety of commercial, residential and low-voltage electrical work in the area. that we’ve got to respond to.” The company was looking for a way to say thank you to its customers when it came up with Jim’s Java, a special blend of coffee grounds roasted by Reality Roasters in Little Falls. In turn, those customers have started thanking Jim’s Electric for the thank-you gift. “It’s the craziest thing,” Jesse Grant said. Recently, people have started asking to buy the coffee grounds, so Jim’s Electric has started selling them through the company website. The proceeds go to the company’s Steve Kohls/Brainerd Dispatch charitable giving, which Steve Kohls/Brainerd Dispatch Jim’s Java is a special blend of coffee grounds Jim’s Elecincludes the Mid-MinneJesse Grant (left) and Jim Grant check out the invento- tric Company gives to its customers after a job is comsota Women’s Center, one ry in the Jim’s Electric Company warehouse. Jim Grant pleted. The company recently started selling the grounds, of the company’s customfounded the company in 1976, and it celebrated 40 years with the proceeds going to charitable causes the comers.
pany supports, like the Mid-Minnesota Women’s Center.
in business in 2016.
Family ties Jesse Grant went to electrician school and moved back to Baxter in 1999, where he started working for his father as an electrician. Since then, he’s moved into an executive role with the company, where he handles much of what goes on in the business. “Any questions or decisions, everything flows through me at some point,” Jesse Grant said. He initially studied mass communications for a year at St. Cloud State University before deciding it wasn’t
for him. Due to a lack of direction, he said, he went to electrician school. “It was something I knew,” he said. Jim Grant’s talk of retirement has turned into a running joke, Jesse Grant said, and he’s not sure if his father will ever retire. He can see why his father might be reluctant to step away, though, as it’s hard to stop doing something you’ve been doing for 40 years. “If you’ve done it all, for a lot of years, it’s really
hard to back away from that,” Jesse Grant said. “Myself, I think I would be bored if I didn’t have some kind of routine every day.”
31 Years
31 Years
33 Years
Jim’s Electric has 38 employees, Jesse Grant said, with a third of them in the office and two-thirds of them in the field. It’s a huge responsibility to support those people and their families, Jim Grant said, but it’s also an honor to work with them. They’re not just employees, he
said, they’re team members and family members. The company tries to create an environment people want to be in, Jesse Grant said, so people don’t dread coming to work. They also try to put together gatherings outside work where people can socialize and get to know each other. “You get to know everybody, and everybody gets to know you for the most part,” Jesse Grant said. Jim’s Electric employees are on life’s journey together, Jim Grant said.
The company has lost team members to illness and death, while having also seen team members have babies during their time at the company. “It’s a journey together, it’s a journey through life,” Jim Grant said. “If we can somehow be part of that, that’s the most you can expect out of a business.”
29 Years
29 Years
28 Years
Practicing in the Brainerd Lakes area for 29 years.
7790 Hastings Road Baxter, MN 56425
Company philosophy
SPENSER BICKETT may be reached at 218-855-5859 or spenser.bickett@ brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ spenserbickett.
THE
COVER
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Kevin W. Dens, DDS Christopher K. Dens DDS
S8
Thursday, January 12, 2017 • Friday, January 13, 2017
BUSINESS TRADITIONS
pineandlakes.com | Echo Journal • brainerddispatch.com | Brainerd Dispatch
Steve Kohls/Brainerd Dispatch
While mending a coat, Kathy Deuel, owner of Kathy’s Custom Sewing in Brainerd, searches through her vast array of spools of thread.
Home-based sewing business reaches 40th year A home-based Brainerd business can trace its roots to the sewing abilities a young girl honed herself. She never thought that interest and ability could lead to having her own
business. Not one to leave much idle time, for many years Kathy Deuel juggled a busy home with young children and sometimes working two or three different jobs. She worked as a waitress, sold Avon, and it seemed every free minute was spent sewing as peo-
ple brought her alterations and other side sewing jobs. “It seems like if I had a minute off from work I’d be home sewing,” Deuel said. “It never occurred to me to open my own shop. … When I went into this full time I really did enjoy it.” She started sewing her
own clothes as a young schoolgirl. She stood and watched over the shoulders of her grandmothers as they sewed. She remembers getting homesewn Christmas gifts from them both. Wide-legged, brightly colored corduroy pants from one grandmother. Matching pajamas
from another. As a seventh-grader, Deuel was sewing clothes for her baby sister. Deuel said an ability to sew seemed to come naturally to her. She remembers her mother bringing patterns and fabric home and asking Deuel if she wanted to make the outfits.
146 Years
144 Years
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COUNTY FAIR
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Serving Brainerd Lakes Area Communities, Youth and Veterans
82 Years
86 Years
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SEWING: Page S9
127 years years 126
CROW WING
St. Francis Catholic Church
“It just came so naturally to me. I just never thought of it as a career,” Deuel said of her sewing. “I wanted to be a secretary or waitress.” At age 13, she was working at her grandmother’s greenhouse. Later she did
001520341r1
By Renee Richardson Brainerd Dispatch Managing Editor
pineandlakes.com | Echo Journal • brainerddispatch.com | Brainerd Dispatch
get a waitressing job at new restaurant in Pequot Lakes. It paid 90 cents an hour plus tips. She worked in several restaurants over the years and loved the work, but it was tough physically on her legs and on the arthritis in her hands. She left waitressing and for several years cleaned houses with a friend. Through it all she was bringing home sewing projects from friends, coworkers and customers. But it never occurred to her to open her own shop. Then in 1985, she moved to sewing full time and opened her own business, Kathy’s Custom Sewing, from her Brainerd home. “It was just an absolute treat to do this full time. When I first started I was a little scared because I wasn’t sure it would pan out,” Deuel said. Home-based businesses are a strong segment of the lakes area economy. Crow Wing County had 5,124 home-based businesses as of 2010. When Deuel did start her own business, she was busy making dresses from scratch. She would outfit an entire wedding party, including bride, bridesmaids and flower girl dresses. Being her own boss could also prove challenging. Deuel said she never said no to anyone when she first started, and it wasn’t unusual to be working from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. or midnight, or going to sleep for a few hours and getting up in the middle of the night. She put the coffee on and started sewing again. But that took a toll as well. She remembers working on a large wedding with seven bridesmaids and ballroom gowns with a year to get things ready
only to get a call in the days after Christmas telling her the wedding was moved up and would take place in 30 days. For one of her first weddings she ever did, she measured all the ladies and bought the fabric. The wedding party then all went to Hawaii so there were no options for corrections until they returned two weeks before the big day. In the process, Deuel said her main sewing machine broke down so she used her backup while it was being repaired. Then the second machine failed. Deuel went to the Sears store and bought a new machine to be able to finish the job. Since that time, she always had a backup of three sewing machines. She still does weddings but no longer makes dresses from scratch. Now her work for weddings, prom and other special occasions and daily items is based on alterations. She’s had a few interesting requests and projects over the years, like making 52 Hawaiian shirts in all different sizes in a week for the Brainerd Jaycees in time to host the state convention here. She got the job done and suspects she bought almost every bolt of Hawaiian fabric at the House of Fabrics in Brainerd to do it. Things have changed over the years. In the past, people often set up appointments for alterations on special outfits for New Year’s, Christmas and Easter. “It’s not nearly like it used to be. It used to be very common, all the time,” Deuel said of people who dressed up for those special occasions. Sometimes Deuel made the outfits from scratch or altered store-bought outfits to fit. Now the dress is much more casual all the time. She had a customer who used to handpick wool
fabric and then tap Deuel to make a four-piece outfit from the fabric with matching buttons, shoes and belt. Times have changed. More recently, she said she’ll have orders for Christmas Ball dresses, and customers who used to come with their moms or girlfriends for fittings now may arrive with boyfriend in tow instead. And, she noted wryly, the amount of fabric being used for prom or Christmas Ball dresses changed drastically over the years with young ladies bringing in dresses they could fit into a small ball inside their purses. Now after 31 years of running her sewing business full time, and 40 years counting the parttime work, Deuel said she thinks about retirement but has to keep busy, so she thinks that will still be a few years in the future. At one point she did think of going out and opening a store front, complete with room to set up tables and teach people the basics of sewing and how to get started. It would have been a dream fulfilled, but Deuel ultimately decided against the expansion. She’s worked on all kinds of projects, including redoing cushions and curtains in a motorhome. Deuel said she loved the challenge. An odd request from a Florida man to put a zipper in 200 thin blue jackets involved many conversations over several weeks. When she asked law enforcement for an assessment, they determined it was a scam with a goal of ultimately getting her bank information by telling her it was needed in order to deposit her payment. One of the strangest requests she fulfilled was creating the fabric to cover a duck blind the customer hoped to market as a prototype.
48 Years
47 Years
47 Years
Steve Kohls/Brainerd Dispatch
Holding her dog Gracie Mae, Kathy Deuel reflects on the years of sewing for all the customers who have walked through her door. Deuel describes herself as a perfectionist. “When you work for yourself, you are your own worst enemy,” Deuel said, noting when working out of your home it’s almost like you have less time because people know you are there. She’s had customers drop by at 10 p.m. on a weekend night looking to drop off sewing projects. Deuel said she has recovered from two heart attacks since 2004, but has
had 12 years now of doing just fine. She’s enjoyed working with generations of customers. Over the years, she said the work has slowed. Beyond more casual attire, she said there was a throwaway culture. So if a zipper was broken, it was easier to throw the clothing out and buy something new than get it fixed. But she’s been glad to see a change in that trend in the last few years as customers are bringing
in items to be mended or repaired for continued use. “I like seeing things mended so you can reuse them and wear them again rather than going in the garbage,” she said. As for the leap into her own custom sewing business all those years ago, Deuel said: “I loved every minute of it and I still do.”
46 Years BOB’S HELIARC WELDING
45 Years
44 Years
Renee Richardson, managing editor, may be reached at 218-855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch. com. Follow on Twitter at www. twitter.com/DispatchBizBuzz.
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43 Years
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Kathy’s Custom Sewing located at 1717 Norwood St. in Brainerd has been the site of Kathy Deuel’s sewing business for decades.
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Attorneys at Law 302 South Sixth Street P.O. Box 411 Brainerd, MN 56401 218-829-1451 (main) www.brainerdlaw.com
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Thursday, January 12, 2017 • Friday, January 13, 2017
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SEWING
BUSINESS TRADITIONS
38 Years
Thank you to the Brainerd Lakes area for allowing us to serve you the past 42 years.
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Boarding Kennels, not only do they receive attention from the owner herself, but they also gain exposure to another species Bilben’s pet horses, who get excited when the dogs spend time outside. “When I’m turning dogs out, the horses kind of gravitate over there. They seem to be interested in the dogs. And I’ve had some dogs that have never seen anything that big,” she said. “It’s pretty hilarious when you get a dog in that’s never seen anything like that.” Though some canines are shocked at first, the two animals don’t normally end up bothering each other. “The dogs that are used to the horses, a lot of the time they’ll sniff through the fence,” Bilben said. “(But) they aren’t intermingled.” The horses simply serve as friendly companions for Bilben and her visiting canines. “They’re a nice animal. You feel relaxed around them,” she said. “They’re good company.” While Bilben enjoys caring for animals on a daily basis, there are a few challenges she has to work through weather-wise,
not unlike other Minnesota businesses. “If we keep getting snow all the time … you have to keep the yard cleaned out,” she said. “I think probably the biggest worry is when we get the windstorms. You don’t want something to get blown away.” But dealing with wind and snow isn’t unusual given Bilben’s location. And the inclement weather doesn’t seem to keep clients away either, as Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to be two of the kennel’s busiest times of the year. Business also increases in the summer but is still fairly steady for the rest of the year. “July and August are really busy … and there’s a period it seems like in the spring,” Bilben said. “A lot of times you don’t really know. It’s just all of a sudden. It seems like if one or two book, you’re going to get several. So quite often there’s maybe between 10 and 20 dogs here. And then all of a sudden it will drop down to one or two, and then it will pick up again.” The busiest the kennel has ever been was one Christmas season when Bilben said she cared for about 45 dogs at one time.
The business certainly occupies much of the owner’s time, but the fact that she lives on the property with the animals helps. “With this kind of job, I’m working from home. I don’t have to hop in the car and go somewhere,” Bilben said. And Bilben occasionally receives help from her two granddaughters, who enjoy interacting with the animals when they visit. “They just love to go out in the kennel with me,” she said. With nearly 50 years of caring for animals under her belt and regular customers returning again and again, Bilben doesn’t see business slowing down anytime soon. “The bills keep coming, and I’ve been able to support myself,” she said. “There’s a lot of really nice dogs that come in personalitywise. So they’re fun to monkey around with. And the people are nice too.”
people expect. Some of those services are newer than others. “When we first started at the apartments we didn’t have services there,” Prososki said. “Within the last three years is when they started services in the apartment buildings. We figured there was a need and people want to stay in their homes as long as they can. With services, they are able to stay longer.” “As a building ages, the
population that lives there ages as well,” Wolf said. “As people age, their needs for more care and more assistance grows so their services begin to follow.” Today, the Pine River Riverside Villas are not the only buildings of their kind in the Good Samaritan Society program, but they are the example that the society used to shape its programming throughout the Midwest. “This model has actually spurred the society to think about themselves beyond just being providers of skilled nursing in small towns,” Wolf said. “Knowing that older peo-
ple will want to continue living in the community where they have lived their whole lives or many years of their lives, they are older and struggling with infirmity and they need to go to a place where they can get some support and this filled that need immensely.” Wolf said most of the society’s skilled campuses now have housing systems, though their shape has changed. Today the apartments are built with 28 units, which are easier for staff to manage. Some are built as hybrids with both the skilled care and the Housing With Services
units on the same campus. Those that were constructed after the Riverside Villas, however, were constructed with Pine River in mind. “This was a model project for the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society to develop housing in their small markets in the Midwest. It became a model for them,” Wolf said.
31 Years
31 Years
29 Years
William D. O’Hara, Jr., Ltd.
Major Alterations, Repair Work, Zipper Replacement, Some Custom Sewing, etc.
From Page S2
do better than if you had several different people taking care of them because they learn your body language, you learn what they’re like, and the dog doesn’t have to figure out somebody else,” she said. “I think it’s a little more of a stable deal.” If the owner does have to step out for any reason, her next-door neighbor, Jo White, is conveniently located to help. “And her (White’s) sister as well,” Bilben said. “Every once in awhile I’m able to take a trip to go out to Montana to visit people that I was in high school with, so Jo’s sister … will come and stay here. And she’s really good with the dogs and the people.” While Bilben focuses most of her attention on her furry clients, she also enjoys interacting with their human companions. “There’s just an awful lot of nice people, and they’ve got some good dogs,” Bilben said. “And when they come back again and again, you get to know each other.” When pets come to Ideal
RIVERSIDE From Page S5
Theresa Bourke may be reached at theresa.bourke@pineandlakes. com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter at @PAL_Theresa.
Submitted photo
Bill and Sharon Reed entered the grocery business in 1967 when they bought Manhattan Beach Store. Today, their sons, Jamie and Marty, run the family-owned grocery store in Crosslake.
REEDS
if you say, ‘Oh, do you want to work in the groFrom Page S4 cery business?’ (they say) ‘No, I don’t want to.’” Regardless of whose four kids can still say hands the store falls into they’ve contributed to the down the road, Bill is store’s success. grateful to have snatched “I remember my son it up 50 years ago. would get up at 7 or 8 “God gave it to us, and years old, ride his bike up we just keep passing it here, push carts from 9 on,” he said. to noon, and then ride his bike back home,” Jamie THERESA BOURKE may be reached at 218-855-5880 or theresa.bourke@ said. “All of them did that. pineandlakes.com. Follow on Twitter It wasn’t just him. … So at www.twitter.com/@PAL_Theresa.
TRAVIS GRIMLER may be reached at 218-855-5853 or travis.grimler@ pineandlakes.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@ PEJ_Travis.
29 Years
29 Years
28 Years
40 Years Part-Time
Kathy’s Custom Sewing 218-829-0778
1223 Oak Street | Brainerd, MN 218-829-7790 kthesing@lakesprinting.com www.lakesprinting.com
Lakeland Public Television Brainerd Brainerd••855-0022 lptv.org
17181 State Highway 371 N Brainerd, MN 56401
218-855-1096 info@lakesawning.com www.lakesawnings.com
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27 Years
Kathy Deuel 1717 Norwood St. SE, Brainerd, MN 56401 www.kathyscustomsewing.com
001520910r1
417 Laurel St.
001527863r1
Attorney At Law 48 Years of Experience
828-3398
anything, you lose a part of that history,” he said. While Luke has been a From Page S3 part of Ganley’s Restaurant for the majority of us grow up, we’ve done his life, he did work in the same.” Twin Cities restaurants for The connections with about five years, where he both local residents and learned a lot about making seasonal visitors become a small kitchen work. He personal, he added. returned to Nisswa for a “There are families who summer to help his dad at were coming here as kids Ganley’s, at a time when and are now adults and the restaurant downsized coming with their kids,” and needed to make a Luke said. smaller kitchen work. “We’ve known all these “I came back to help customers all these years,” my dad for a summer and he said. never left,” Luke said. To that end, not much As for the future of has changed at Ganley’s Ganley’s, Luke said of his over the years. Luke said young family: “Several of those returning customers my kids want to own it.” like to bring their children NANCY VOGT may be reached at 218-855-5877 or nancy.vogt@ in and show them what the pineandlakes.com. Follow her on restaurant was like when Facebook at www.facebook.com/ they came there as kids. PEJNancy and on Twitter at www. twitter.com/@PEJ_Nancy. “Whenever you change
GANLEYS
25 Years
27 Years
27 Years
www.icefishing.org
Brainerd 218-829-3501 Nisswa 218-963-3424 www.brainerdcpa.com
21 Years
21 Years
21 Years
21 Years
5906 Pine Beach Road Brainerd, MN 56401
Quality New Construction & Remodeling
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23 Years
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20 Years
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16 Years
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FRANKLIN ARTS CENTER Watch for information in the spring on how you can join the show.
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3 Years
4 Years Wholesale Distributor since 1938
S. Thomas and Associates Estate Sales (Steve and Julie Foy-owners)
218-270-8020 www.legacychorale.org
‘17
12 Years
A Variety Show in Vaudeville Fashion For The Whole Family. Performed By Talented Seniors!
Candy & Supply
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Spring Concerts April 21-23, 2017
5 Years
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4750 White Gables Road Brainerd MN 56401
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14 Years
ORDINARY PEOPLE, EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCES
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20 Years
Thanks for your business in 2016
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20 1/2 Years
201 S. 6th Street Historic Downtown Brainerd
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