Ernie’s On Gull – A Long-time Favorite That’s

Better Than Ever

Besides a scrumptious menu and a fun atmosphere, a successful restaurant depends on a winning staff as a key to success.

Whether you dock your boat at Ernie’s on Gull or come in after a drive around the lake, you can find the perfect spot to sit indoors or lakeside on the patio and overlook scenic Gull Point. The adjoining On Point Burger Company offers yet another option for outdoor seating and is the perfect place to meet friends for fun with a picturesque backdrop as a bonus.

Ernie’s offers customers a popular gathering spot to grab a light appetizer or relaxing bite in the lakes area. Delicious dinner entrées are available for every palette. Start your experience with a selection from the long list of beverage options, including beer, wine and your favorite signature cocktail followed up with one of their well-known appetizers including peaches and cream bruschetta or peel and eat shrimp.

From pasta to seafood to a burger and fries just the way you like them, Ernie’s delivers.

Just like it was in 1917 when the original Ernie’s first opened, today it’s a place for friends to enjoy one another’s company.

In addition to Ernie’s on Gull, Chris Foy and his brother, Mike, pride themselves on owning three of the most family friendly establishments in the Brainerd lakes area. The two also own both Dough Bros Woodfire Kitchen in Baxter and Main Street Ale House in Nisswa.

“Coming off this strong, busy season we just really want to thank our staff. We appreciate everything they do so that others can enjoy our establishments and everything we have to offer. We truly have the best staff in the area, and we appreciate them.” to collect unemployment for the winter, or take the long-term sub position with School District 181.

To find out what is currently happening at Ernie’s on Gull or to explore the menu, follow them on Facebook or go to Erniesongull.com.

From Zimmerman to Pequot Lakes

on to graduate in 1984 with a BS degree. I had a major in physical education/health and a teaching degree with a minor in biology, along with a coaching certificate. I was provided student teaching at Washington Middle School in the fall of 1984.

I had picked up a job working for Anderson Brothers Construction Company during the summer months flagging, laboring and driving a dump truck hauling hot asphalt, while working 70-80 hours a week. When I started my student teaching in the fall, I was working with the sixth grade students in physical education and also teaching some health classes. I believe I had to complete 6-8 weeks of student teaching to finalize my teaching degree. When I was almost done, the district offered me a long-term substitute teaching position. I had been offered my job back at Anderson Brothers in Brainerd and had to decide if I wanted

Not knowing then what I know now, I am very happy with my decision to go back to work for Anderson Brothers. I met my husband Lyndon at Anderson Brothers, and we will be celebrating 34 years of marriage in October. I have assumed many different positions within the company after all these years, which have consisted of flagger, laborer, truck driver, foreperson, logistics manager, safety director and now aggregate environmentalist. My job at Anderson Brothers was only going to be temporary, but has turned into a career of 41 years of service. I was just recently given my own reserved parking spot at Anderson Brothers. So, when you ask about a career path, one can dream of what or who they want to be when they grow up, and end up with a totally different career path.

Kim Kirk,

Anderson Brothers

Growing up in a family of eight children, being third from the oldest, it was interesting and fun to help the younger siblings.

While going to college at St. Cloud State in 1961, I had an interest to become an elementary teacher as many elementary teachers that I knew were almost all female. I believed a male teacher would be a benefit to many of the students. While attending college to become an elementary teacher, almost all the student teachers were female.

I graduated in 1964 and was hired to teach third and fourth grade in Zimmerman, Minnesota. I really enjoyed working with these young people for two years. There was an opening for a sixth grade teacher in Brainerd, Minnesota, and I was hired to teach in the Lincoln Elementary School.

During the year I had some really sharp young students but I had a number of students that were struggling.

ABOUT BLAEDC Crow Wing County, known for its scenic beauty, is also a hub for thriving businesses. The Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corporation (BLAEDC) plays a pivotal role in fostering economic growth and community development through various programs and services. Here, we highlight some of BLAEDC’s key initiatives and their impact on the local economy.

Recruitment Program

The Brainerd Lakes Area is more than just a tourist destination; it’s a thriving business community. BLAEDC’s Recruitment Program is instrumental in attracting the talent needed to support local businesses in a competitive market. Since its inception in 2016, the program has successfully hired over 82 employees and over 250 new families have moved to the area.

Unified Fund

Established in 2017, BLAEDC’s Unified Fund supports local businesses by pooling unused public funds from across Crow Wing County into a single lending assistance program. Over the past seven years, the fund has provided more than $1.8 million in GAP lending assistance, demonstrating BLAEDC’s vital role in workforce development and business financing.

Business Consulting Services

In addition to its core services aimed at business growth and expansion in the Brainerd Lakes Area, BLAEDC serves as a satellite site for the North Central Small Business Development Center. This service supports both potential and current business owners in Crow Wing County, offering valuable consulting and resources.

Thinking I could help other students better, I was awarded a scholarship to get my master’s degree at the University of Grand Forks. After getting my master’s degree in special education, the administration asked me if I would stay on at Grand Forks and work with 13 of the elementary schools. What an eye opener! I worked closely with the teachers, special education teachers, school psychologist, school psychiatrist and other agencies. In 1970, I was hired by the Pequot Lakes School District to be a special education teacher for grades 7-11. Seniors were not considered as they did not have a graduating class for them. That was changed the first year I was there. I really enjoyed teaching all the classes — home ec, phy ed, reading, basic math and other subjects. I had junior/senior high students from Pine River and Backus with the younger students going to the other two schools. Our students were

Career Path: h45

CURRENT PROJECTS AND IMPACT

BLAEDC continues to address critical issues such as housing, childcare shortages, and employment challenges. Other notable projects include:

• MN Design Team Visit: In May 2024, BLAEDC/CREDI hosted the Minnesota Design Team, comprising architects, urban designers, planners, and other experts, to develop a shared vision for the Cuyuna Lakes Region. This initiative engaged residents, community leaders, and businesses in planning a future that reflects their collective aspirations.

• Brainerd Exterior Improvement Grant Program: In July 2024, BLAEDC administered this program on behalf of the Brainerd Economic Development Authority (EDA) to incentivize external and visible investments within the Brainerd city limits, stimulating local economic growth.

• Supporting Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses: In 2024, BLAEDC/ North Central SBDC have offered a variety of events and workshops aimed at supporting businesses in Crow Wing County including QuickBooks Across the County and Entrepreneurs on Tap.

Conclusion

BLAEDC’s continued success wouldn’t be possible without the support of local governmental partners, business community, and members. This backing enables BLAEDC to attract talented staff and create new programs that foster a thriving business environment in Crow Wing County. As we move forward, our mission remains: to expand business, build community, and grow jobs in Crow Wing County. Together, we can continue to make a positive impact.

For more information on our services and resources, visit growbrainerdlakes.org in charge of planning trips each spring to go to the Boundary Water Canoe Area. Each student was in charge with others of planning meals, etc., for the four to five days we would stay. As we would be using canoes, I had the students arrive at the school wearing old shoes and clothes they wouldn’t mind getting wet. I stressed the importance if one were to fall overboard to see if they could swim with their clothes on. The students, stopping off at the YMCA, had to jump off at the deep end and swim to the other end. We would have lost over half the class or more. Yes, the water in the BWCA at the end of May is near freezing.

I taught a special group at the Brainerd Vo-tech where I was the coordinator/instructor. Eventually the vo-tech became part of the Central Lakes College. I retired from there in 2000. Since 1970 until 2023, my older brother, Calvin Wallin, and I have taught mainly 11-13 year olds the Minnesota DNR Firearm Safety Program. We each had 55 years of team teaching and have helped thousands of young people to help them get their MN Firearm Safety Certificates. One of our last years of teaching we had over six different communities being represented by sending students to attend our classes. Many of the firearm safety instructors from some of those other areas had retired or resigned. We ended up that year with more than 62 students attending.

I have taught Sunday school for over 60 years, most of the time this younger group was from our Lutheran Church in Nisswa, Minnesota.

I was the 2015 Minnesota Tree Farmer of the Year and I was one of eight semifinalists for the national honor. I was the 1983 Pequot Lakes Teacher of the Year and one of the eight semifinalists for Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year. I was Nisswa’s 2018 Citizen of the Year.

I have been truly blessed to have been involved with many things including being a professional photographer/videographer for over 40 years which included taking wedding photos in many other states and one wedding in Mexico.

John Wallin, Pequot Lakes Keeping agriculture in the family I see you are looking for people to share their career path with you. I would like to write about my husband, Bruce and me. We were both involved with FFA in high school (BHS). At that time it

Liesa Thill

stood for Future Farmers of America. Bruce was my brother’s best friend; both were FFA officers. Bruce graduated in 1972 and went on to study ag production at Willmar Technical college — a two-year program. After I graduated in 1975 (also an FFA officer), I went to two years of college, one at the U of M in Morris and one year in St. Paul. Then we got married and we both got educated about agriculture. We farmed a little on our own but mostly worked for Bruce’s uncle on his dairy and beef farm. In 1980, we got more involved by forming a partnership with his aunt and uncle. We continued to learn more about agriculture, pursuing our goals through good times and challenges. Fast forward 44 years, we have fulfilled our career goal of using our agricultural knowledge to care for several hundred acres of land and several thousand production animals to provide food for millions of people. We raised our children to appreciate their agriculture background so now they can work on obtaining their goals. We have been blessed.

Rosanne and Bruce Caughey, Brainerd

A long, strange trip

Beginning in high school, after watching the movie “Sybil” in which Sally Field plays the titular character with 16 personalities, all of which is wrapped up in about two hours, I wanted to be the world’s preeminent, youngest, richest psychiatrist. When I learned that would mean medical school, I took it down a notch to psychologist. I pursued a major in psychology at the University of South Dakota and stumbled upon my second major in criminal justice studies — I had enough credits for a second major, so why not? I was rejected from every psych grad program I applied to, except the Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology program at the University of Minnesota, and even that was after sitting on a waiting list until enough people declined to join the program. (Hint No. 1)

My summer job between my junior and senior years was at a state hospital for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I attributed my miserable time there as working to try to make the patients’ lives better, but there would be no complete recovery. (Hint No. 2)

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At my summer job between undergrad and grad school, my coworker/ supervisor, knowing my grad school plans, quipped, “‘Yeah, I can just see you with a client. They walk in and you say, ‘And what the (heck) is wrong with you?’” (Hint No. 3. See where this is going?)

I happily moved from the small town life in South Dakota to the urban fast lane of Minneapolis, and I loved it. Well, all but the stupid practicum experience I had to do — be a counselor at the Learning and Academic Skills Center, where every week the students would come in complaining of the same thing we’d covered the week before, over and over. Sigh. Every day I was scheduled to work, I woke up saying to myself, “(Dang), I’m not sick.” This misery I attributed to it being students and study skills — no Sybils to work with and miraculously heal in two hours’ time. (Hint No. 4) student loans would be due. I had to find a better job than stitching together part-time work at a liquor store, the Walker Art Center and the Star Tribune. I found a full-time job as a secretary/receptionist at a small architecture firm. I was lucky enough the owners recognized I could handle those tasks plus learn about their business and contribute much more. I did everything there except design the buildings. I also saw the owners were not putting together a business plan that would include me as they prepared the firm for their retirement. I needed to move on and took a shortterm administrative job with a local publisher. That way, I was not abandoning my mentors and friends for a competitor, and I could discern what parts of that experience I really enjoyed — being in a design environment, working on marketing materials, and writing and editing content ... what could I do with that?

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I also had a part-time job at a group home where adults who had been in in-patient mental health care could transition back into their communities. My last day was spent barricaded in the office while an irate resident pounded on the door yelling expletives at me because I had told them where they could find more ketchup rather than getting the ketchup for them. Here was a Sybil moment, but I couldn’t even defuse the situation. (Hint No. 5, and yes, I was starting to see a pattern.)

Production

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By this time, I completed all the required coursework and was ostensibly working on my thesis. I kind of wasn’t, though — I was completely unmotivated to research anything that had to do with counseling. I was adding up the hints and coming up with, “What the (heck) am I doing here?” When the program sent me a questionnaire about my progress, I answered honestly. Their response was to remove me from the program for lack of making progress.

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After just a few months, the ideal position appeared in the Star Tribune classifieds: Marketing Coordinator for an architecture/engineering firm. I could specialize in the one area I had enjoyed the most, while someone else answered the phone. I went for it, got it, and loved it. I assumed leadership positions in the firm, moved up the ranks and was promoted into the first step of ownership in the firm. By the time my husband and I started our family, however, I was less enamored with life in the fast lane and sacrificing my time with our little family just to continue up that career ladder. We looked for opportunities outside the Twin Cities while I stayed home with our firstborn and did some contract work for the firm. Just like the last time I had turned to the Star Tribune classifieds, a help wanted ad jumped out at me: Marketing Coordinator for Widseth Smith Nolting in Brainerd. It’s rare to find such specialized openings, and even more rare for those employers to find such specifically qualified candidates. I asked my husband how he felt about moving to the Brainerd area and taking over as our full-time stay-at-home parent, because I knew if I pursued that job I was going to get it. (Not that I’m bragging — it really is rare to find one of us architecture/engineering marketing folks out in the wild.) Now, nearly 22 years later, I’m still here at Widseth, where I joke that my background in psychology and criminal justice studies is really not all that far off — wink, wink. Since starting at Widseth, I have again taken on

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ThisLaborDay,wehonortheincrediblecontributionsof ourteam!Yourhardworkandexceptionalteamworkare additional responsibilities and added graphic design — finally doing something with my creative talents I overlooked as I locked in the blinders and would only focus on “Sybil.”

It’s been a long, strange trip. And it either serves as a warning (don’t take out a ton of student loans to study something you don’t love) or a reassurance (lots of people change their minds about what they want to be when they grow up). I guess what I hope for my own kids is that my experience is both: Take time to try different things, change your mind, and hone in on something that’s worth investing in — something you love to do.

Liesa Thill

Business Development Manager, Widseth

Still doing what I love in retirement

Since I was a little kid I always wanted to be a radio announcer. I never considered anything else. I went to Bemidji State University which had a radio program and I actually moved to Brainerd to work for KVBR radio. However, I learned it doesn’t pay and it’s amazingly boring, especially now when everything’s run by computers.

So, I got into sales but eventually worked with Lakeland PBS here in Brainerd so I got the opportunity to do some voice work, be on television and more.

My skill is creating media. I’ve been an amateur photographer and done some writing. I taught voice acting. Technology has advanced to the point where I can bring all that together and I now do videography in retirement. It combines my love of words and writing with voiceover work and photography.

Dan Hegstad

Videographer, author, speaker

A roundabout way I graduated from Pequot Lakes High School in 2011, went to Bethel University in St. Paul, then transferred to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix and graduated with a degree in marketing and finance. I finished my master’s degree in accounting a few years later.

At the end of the day, I always knew I wanted to own my own business. I took a roundabout way to get there for sure, but have enjoyed every step of it including working in corporate in both public accounting and sales. Moving back home during COVID kickstarted my entrepreneurial side and now I currently own a business with my best friend doing wedding and event planning and my job Monday through Friday is a marketing director at a real estate firm in town.

Kendra Johnson, Crosslake Full circle and ‘back home’

What I find interesting about my career path over the past 38 years is that it has literally come full circle.

I started out as a dental assistant in general dentistry at three different practices over four years and accepted my first long-term employment with the local oral surgery office where I spent 11 years doing a bit of everything from assisting to scheduling to billing, etc. I learned a lot over those years and went from full-time to parttime as we added two girls to our family.

My favorite task over that time was doing transcription, typing surgical reports as well as letters and other items. By the time our daughters were beginning school and I decided to work full-time again, we had moved to the Browerville area and in order to work closer to home I took a job at Lakewood Health System where they took a chance on me in their medical transcription department where I further learned on-the-job all the medical terminology and skills needed to excel at such a position.

The 19 years I spent doing medical transcription led me to being able to work from home, which I thoroughly enjoyed since it allowed me the flexibility to be available for our growing daughters and take care of the household.

As 2019 continued to progress the amount of transcription work began to wane due to changes in the medical field progressing to more voice recognition capability as well as our girls were now out on their own, leading me to want to get outside of the home again. I moved on to being a scribe for an eye clinic, but after a few months, COVID hit and that position was eliminated. As we all know that led to a lot of uncertainty for so many of us regarding jobs and careers. What came about for me at that time was nothing short of amazing to me in that my career came full circle, landing me back at the local oral surgery office, this time as their patient coordinator registering patients for surgery along with other responsibilities and very quickly felt like being “back home.”

Kimberly Spencer, Brainerd Why did I become an instructor in college?

My direction in life took place after I compressed three discs in my neck tackling a player in football with my head. I had problems with adjusting my head to sleep and to stand straight in an upright position. The local doctor made a decision to have me sent to Gillette Children’s hospital for treatment. They placed me in traction for one year with heavy weights to stretch or pull back the discs from the compressed state 24 hours a day.

Needless to say a person goes through the “why me mental state” for a while but with guidance from staff, doctors and nurses, I recovered enough to finish high school and graduate with my classmates. They were a great support group by writing and phoning me during my recovery.

I commenced working part-time in jobs in and around Le Sueur County, Minnesota. I even drove a truck for Green Giant for seven summers.

When off from part-time jobs, I traveled around the USA looking at and discovering how to grow up and mature. While meeting all different kinds of people, I decided to go to college and get a degree to help me decide what to do in life at 27 years of age. I chose Winona State in the winter of 1974. Because of my age, Winona State hired me as a resident assistant one year and then promoted me to director of dormitories the following year. Really to this day I do not understand why they did this other than the age factor.

I graduated in March of 1979 and began work as an internal auditor in the Twin Cities. While working, the controller asked me to volunteer for Junior Achievement on Tuesday nights during the school year. I did. The club had to set up a company and run it with officers. My management degree helped a lot in organization and procedures to follow. We even wrote a constitution for rules to abide by in meetings, selling product of which we decided to do. Lou Nanne, a North Star player, volunteered to be with our club; he led the marketing and production of the product. Our club was recognized as the best Junior Achievement club in the Twin Cities two years in a row that I and Lou volunteered for. Lou recognized my talent with seventh and eighth graders and said to me one night, ‘Why don’t you go into teaching?’

After the second year, the company I worked for gave the volunteers a trip to Madden’s Resort near Brainerd. While there, I read an ad in the Brainerd Dispatch for an instructor of accounting at the BAVTI college. I applied within the week and shortly thereafter I was hired by Arthur Bialka in the business department in 1972. I made a profound promise to myself that if I couldn’t become teacher of the year within 10 years, I would go back to work in industry. In 1979 I was selected co-teacher of the year at District 181. The management skills I trained in and for at Winona State carried me through my career. I became the business chairperson of the business department of BAVTI. I wrote the curriculum to change from clock hours to credits and then into semester credits when the BAVTI merged with Brainerd Community College to become Central Lakes College. I also worked on the merger team to make this happen more easily. Why did I become an instructor in college? I should divulge that my mother and aunt were teachers, my older sister (who was teacher of the year in her district five times) and brother-in-law (James McCabe) were mentors and advocates of my going ahead with being an instructor of some type. They recognized my capabilities and with my education recommended that I do something better with my life, so, working in a filling station, managing students in college, while receiving a degree in business management along with their mentorship, I became an instructor in accounting in college thus moving on and managing faculty. Thus chairing the business department for five years and after the merger with Brainerd Community College, I became their lead counselor for 12 years. All decisions and my progress were stimulated by the business management degree from Winona State College and mentorships of friends, relatives and supervisors. Even the students over the 37 years gave me encouragement to improve and augment the skills to instruct and manage others.

I thank all for their impact on my life to date at 84 plus years of age.

Roy Androli

Speech pathology to nursing home administrator

When I graduated from Brainerd High School in 1988, I decided to study speech pathology because it was a recommendation from a career test. However, in my freshman year of college, I took interest in nutrition and went on to become a Registered Dietitian. This path led me to leadership in healthcare, especially in skilled nursing care. In 2005, I moved into executive healthcare leadership. I currently work as a licensed nursing home administrator. I never expected I would serve elders, especially during a pandemic.

Julie (Syvertson) Schmidt

Vice President Senior Services, Glencoe Regional Health

A necessary ingredient

I have had an interesting and unscripted career path.

Born just as the United States was about to enter World War II, and growing up in a small town in Minnesota, everyone, including me, assumed I would go to the University of Minnesota and get a degree in electrical engineering, as my father had done, and then take over his successful construction company.

That all went as planned for the first couple of years at college after which it was clear that my interests lay elsewhere. I explored all kinds of other options, finally graduating with a B.A. in English and a minor in humanities. By this time, I was also married.

My goal was to be a writer and I wanted to find a way to get to New York City to be close to one of the centers of writing. To accomplish this goal, I got a job with what was then known as the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare as an epidemiologist in Manhattan.

This was during the Vietnam War and I had a draft deferment since I was involved with the nation’s health, education or welfare. My wife and I were also thinking of starting a family. After a year in that job, my co-workers began to get draft notices in spite of our public health program being very successful, so I began to look for other employment options.

Teaching was still draft exempt, so I began to look for teaching jobs. My wife was also a teacher. And even though I had a B.A. but no education credits, there was a shortage of teachers and so we were both hired to teach in a small town in Michigan without too much of a cut in our income. I would be an English teacher in the high school and my wife would be a kindergarten teacher in the elementary school. By the time we arrived, my wife was pregnant with our first son. After a short time, I discovered teaching was a very good fit for me. I began to take classes to qualify for my accreditation in Michigan. When I received my accreditation, I discovered I was qualified to teach all high school subjects except physical education, so my diverse undergraduate work had served me well after all.

During my time in Michigan, our two sons were born. I also earned a master’s degree in secondary education from Michigan State University and my wife began to take graduate level administration classes.

After about a dozen years in Michigan, we moved back to Minnesota, me to the Anoka-Hennepin School District as a high school teacher and my wife to a job as an assistant principal in the Elk River School District.

After a couple of years, I began fulltime work in a PhD program in adult education at the University of Minnesota and my wife was hired as the Lower School Director at The Blake Schools.

During this time, I also worked for a time in the human resources department at Honeywell, started an event planning company, Surprise Enterprise, and began to serve clients on my own as an empowerment consultant.

Ten years later my wife was offered a job as Head of School at Phillips Brooks School, a private elementary school in Silicon Valley in California so we moved. As a result of this move, I left most of my clients behind in Minnesota, so I began to spend more time on my writing.

After nearly 10 years in California, my wife was ready to retire and we moved back to Minnesota, to our present home in Brainerd. To find intellectual stimulation we joined Unlimited Learning in Crosby, and I was introduced to the national Great Decisions Program, which consisted of a monthly discussion of U.S. Foreign Policy.

After a short time, I became the program coordinator, facilitating and leading the monthly discussions for nearly a decade in Crosby, and then starting a Great Decisions Program in Brainerd.

It was during this time I began to really return to my writing goal from all those years ago, now being able to use all those experiences of the intervening years. I began to write letters to the editor and a few guest opinions for the Brainerd Dispatch. I also wrote for a small monthly publication called Common Sense II and I found an online service to publish my writing, opednews.com.

Because much of my writing was about democracy and politics, I published a book after the 2016 elections, called “Saving Democracy: The 2016 Presidential Election.”

Since then, I have continued to write as my full-time job starting a newsletter on substack.com called Perspectives-Bob Passi, about a year ago: bobpassi.substack.com.

After a varied and definitely unscripted career path, I finally found the writing career I had hoped to pursue all those years ago. Perhaps all that life experience was the necessary ingredient to develop the perspective to be ready to become a mature writer.

Bob Passi, Baxter

Broadcasting to law enforcement to fire department

In elementary school, I wanted to be an architect, but when I entered junior high school, I began volunteering at the local PBS TV station. That sparked my interest in broadcasting. I went to Bemidji State University and earned a BS in Mass Communications. I began working onair at the radio station in Bemidji and eventually moved to Brainerd when the company bought WJJY. After working on-air and in the engineering department, I felt the need to do something for my community and help people, so I joined the Brainerd Fire Department as a paid-on-call firefighter. I continued to work at the radio station and fire department for a number of years, but still wanted to do more for the community, so I started to take some classes at Central Lakes College for law enforcement and passed the POST test to earn my Law Enforcement license. I worked part time for the Lake Shore Police Department while still at the radio station, then after 25 years in broadcasting, I left the radio station and went to work as a full time police officer with the Mille Lacs Tribal Police De partment. I was still a paid on-call firefighter while working as a police officer when the full time position as the Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal opened at the Brainerd Fire

Department. I left the police department and have been full time with the fire department now for over eight years.

Dave Cox

Best career choice

I was born and raised in Pequot Lakes. When I was in high school, I liked to try different over-the-counter hair colors. After several applications, I ended up with orange roots and black ends. Hilma Hartman owned a beauty salon north of Thurlow Hardware. She got me back to one color so that was when I decided to choose cosmetology as my profession.

After I graduated from high school, I attended St. Cloud Beauty College. After graduating from college, I came back to Pequot to work at Hilma’s salon.

After a year, I moved to Cannon Falls, Minnesota, to manage a salon for five years. In 1971, I moved back to Pequot and built my own shop. We opened Sept. 23, 1971. I retired September 2022.

During my 60 years as a beautician, so many of my people almost became family as we shared our feelings, both happy and sad times of our lives. I loved my job, making them look good always made me feel great. I could not have picked a better career for myself. Cosmetology was a great choice.

Glenda’s Beauty Salon is still open with Shirley Cox as manager. I am now 80 years young. Thanks to all over the years.

Glenda Schmidt

By Sheila Helmberger

Your shingles are a major investment. Making them last as long as possible could offer you savings and prove to be money well spent.

Local 5-Star dealership owners, Jaime and Mathew Schad, have offered Roof Maxx since 2022. Over time shingles and caulking start to dry and begin to deteriorate. This natural asphalt shingle maintenance option, made with soybean oil, restores the flexibility and water shedding benefits for five years, each treatment.

“The Roof Maxx Treatment will help to extend the life of the roof on your home,” says Jaime. “And when we rejuvenate asphalt shingles they don’t have to go to the landfill, additionally, our clients save 80% versus re-roofing.”

“We spray newer shingles as early as three to five years old to condition them,” says Mathew Schad. “This gives them a better chance to achieve their 20-30 plus year intended lifespan.”

“The wear on your roof will already start to sneak up just a few years after initial installation,” says Jaime, in agreement. “The frontend property maintenance will help you avoid spending the money to re-shingle sooner than necessary. Older systems, 12-20-plus years old, that don’t show signs of curling, or significant granule loss, may also qualify.”

Take advantage of a free assessment and estimate, taking a half hour or less, for the Schads to determine if the shingles on your roof will qualify for Roof Maxx. These treatments absorb within a half hour to 45 minutes, and include a five-year transferable warranty. Safe for pets, people, plants and the planet.

A maintenance plan through Roof Maxx offers a re-application which can be applied up to three times in 15 years. Roof Maxx is the nation’s original leading brand, which is suitable for homes and commercial properties from the Brainerd lakes to Bemidji, Grand Rapids to Crosby, Walker, Iron Range, North Shore and a neighborhood near you.

To discuss your project/roof concern, or to get scheduled, contact Jaime and Mathew Schad directly at 218-360-2604.

Don’t let another winter pass without protecting one of your biggest investments.