BUSINESS TRADITIONS
Echo Journal | Wednesday, January 27, 2021
pineandlakes.com
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Roll of Honor 2021
BUSINESS TRADITI
A BRAINERD DISPATCH & ECHO JOURNAL PUBLICATION
75 YEARS
OF
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Submitted Photo
ATEK Access Technologies in northeast Brainerd is a part of ATEK Companies and manufactures a wide variety of products, including wall switches and pressure-sensitive mats to open doors.
TECHNOLOGY
INNOVATION: ATEK Companies continues growth
By Theresa Bourke Brainerd Dispatch Staff Writer From electronic door switches to motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle parts to coolers, ATEK Companies has a hand in technology manufacturing across the world. With three operating companies and five locations throughout Minne-
sota and Iowa — including Brainerd — ATEK is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2021. That’s 75 years of technology innovation, 75 years of high-quality products and 75 years of community involvement. “We’re pretty diversified in terms of technologies that we use and the markets that we serve,”
co-owner and CEO Mark Osmanski said during a Skype interview Tuesday, Jan. 19. “Our products do go around the world, and we manufacture all of them in the upper Midwest.” ATEK Companies includes ATEK Access Technologies, ATEK Metal Technologies and Solar Plastics.
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
ATEK Access Technologies employee Steve Scofield (left) and General Manager Mike Berning check out a custom mat made in the Brainerd plant Wednesday, Jan. 20. The mat will be sent to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.
150 Years
149 Years
139 Years
The company grew from Acrometal, a metal stamping company founded in 1946 in Minneapolis. While running that business, Fred Bieber got the opportunity to buy it out. Today, Bieber’s son, Bill Bieber, is one of the three coowners of the company, along with Osmanksi and Kay Phillips. Bill Bieber joined his dad in the metal stamping business in 1965, and the two grew ATEK Companies from there. “Bill was really the entrepreneurial spirit that grew this company,” Osmanski said. In 1977, operations moved to Brainerd, and the plant in northeast Brainerd continues to run as manufacturing headquarters for ATEK Access Technologies. “Inside this business it constitutes all of the proprietary products that we design, manufacture and sell to the end users. And we predominantly are into electronic devices of a variety of sorts,” Osmanski said.
139 Years
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
ATEK Access Technologies General Manager Mike Berning talks about his role at the manufacturing facility in northeast Brainerd Wednesday, Jan. 20. ATEK Companies celebrates is 75th anniversary in 2021.
ATEK Access Technologies
Products made at the Brainerd location include accessible wall switches that open doors, along with floor mats that do the same and regular custom floor mats for a variety of companies. During a tour of the facility Wednesday, Jan. 20, employee Steve Scofield showed off some of his recently completed
137 Years
mats, like one with “Do not enter” signs, set to be shipped to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. The company’s presence in the lakes area dates back to 1969, when it acquired the company Larco. “That brand is pretty well known in the presence-sensing,” Osmanski said. “So these are
ATEK: Page 2
132 Years
Trinity Lutheran Church, ELCA St. Francis Catholic Church
409 North 9th Street, Brainerd
506 James Street Brainerd, MN
829-4705
202 8th Ave. N.E. Brainerd
2021 Fair Dates: August 3 - August 7 P.O. Box 169 BRAINERD, MN 56401
218-822-4040
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Continuous Service Since 1882
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Brainerd 829-8781 Baxter 828-5191 Aitkin 927-3794 Member FDIC
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8027 Highland Scenic Rd Baxter MN 56425 218-829-8726
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“Community involvement — people helping people”
Phone 829-9674
The Parker Building Downtown Brainerd
www.stfranciscatholicschool.org
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218-829-4216
702 Industrial Park Rd, Brainerd
124 Front Street, Brainerd
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AUTO PARTS 218-829-4779
10424 Squaw Point Road Brainerd
218-829-3918 www.erniesongull.com
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Lighting the lives of 38,000 members Since 1937
SHIPMAN 1711 Southeast 13th St. Brainerd, MN 56401
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309 NW 3rd Street
210 10th Avenue NE Brainerd, MN 56401
Purses, Jackets, Sports Equipment “If you can wear it, we repair it!”
509 Washington St. Brainerd
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Since 1940 830 Brook Street • Brainerd, MN
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BUSINESS TRADITIONS 2021
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ATEK From Page1
pressure-sensitive mats that were originally used to open doors. And so we also offer a line of wall switches, very high end push-to-open wall switches. But most of the applications for Larco today are in industrial mats. So these are safeguarding mats that are used in industrial operations to protect a worker from robotics or unsafe areas. So it’s there to stop something from happening, or it will allow something to happen, depending on how you design the system.” Larco is the oldest of the ATEK Access Technology brands. In 2007, the business acquired a new technology called TankScan, which remotely monitors liquid levels in gas tanks. “We sell that to a variety of different industries, but most applications are in the oil, gas and diesel area,” Osmanski said. “So if you have
remote tanks with gas in them, you’ll put our device on it so it’ll automatically — through the internet — show you what the level is, and you can service the tank more efficiently.” Another access technology piece is Datakey, a business acquired in 2010, which makes a ruggedized memory device comparable to a USB device, but without the universal element that the “u” stands for. “It has a unique form factor, and it’s also very rugged. You can drive the truck over our device and it will still work,” Osmanski said. “So these are used in heavy industrial and also military applications. I would say 50% of our sales go to the military. And it’s for authentication data logging firmware updates, those types of applications. And so that constitutes ATEK Access Technologies as of today, but we’re always coming out with new products, new product lines and growing the business.”
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021 | Echo Journal
pineandlakes.com
Submitted Photo
ATEK Access Technologies employees work on a variety of products at the northeast Brainerd plant.
ATEK Metal Technologies
ATEK Metal Technologies is a low-pressure permanent mold aluminum casting operation. “So we melt aluminum, and with very low pressure, we push the aluminum into a mold,
pull it apart, open the mold, take it out and do some post-processing to it and then sell it to major OEMs (original equipment manufacturers),” Osmanski said. Motorcycle riders may have made use of this metal technology, as ATEK provides cylinder heads for large motorcycle retailers.
Solar Plastics
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
Robin Sauer cuts lengths of rope Wednesday, Jan. 20, at ATEK Access Technologies in Brainerd. The ropes will eventually be used as handles on coolers
75 Years
Restaurant
711 Washington Street Brainerd, MN 56401
73 Years
71 Years
302 5th Avenue NE Suite 4 Brainerd, MN 56401
S.T. Monda, O.D. J.J. Hanske, O.D. A.M. Archibald-Swanson, O.D. T.J. Swanson, O.D. M.K. Monda, O.D.
ATEK’s most recently acquired company is Solar Plastics, which has two client bases. The first are major construction, farming and mining equipment companies, which make use of ATEK’s rotational molding technology for fluid tanks. “It may contain water, it may contain hydraulic fluid, or maybe it’s diesel fuel or maybe a type of chemical,” Osmanski said. “It just depends on the application for the customer.” These tanks are also produced for steamrollers and hydraulic drilling machines.
64 Years
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
ATEK Access Technologies General Manager Mike Berning talks about products in the northeast Brainerd manufacturing plan Wednesday, Jan. 20.
While the first side New Hampton, Iowa, and of Solar Plastics makes corporate offices in Eden components that end up Prairie. Though the locaas a larger piece of a tions are concentrated in final product, the other the upper Midwest, ATEK side produces standalone products make their way consumer products, like all around the globe. Since 1946, ATEK has coolers and aftermarket acquired 18 businesses, parts for ATVs. sold 11 businesses and Growing a founded 14 companies. “We take great pride successful business in what we do, so Today ATEK employs about 400 workers, with that’s important to us,” other locations in Delano; Davenport, Iowa; and
6363YEARS Years
ATEK: Page 3
63 Years
RESIDENTIAL-COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL “You’re Locally Owned Backyard Nature and Gift Store” New owners as of July 2017!
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HEATING – VENTILATION – AIR CONDITIONING – COMMERCIAL ROOFING – CUSTOM SHEET METAL
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schroedersappliance.com 16603 State Hwy 371 North
EVERYTHING PRINT
(Just North of the Pine Beach Rd)
Colleen Goedker, REALTOR
Brainerd/Baxter
218-829-3624
49 Years
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1022 Madison Street Brainerd, MN 56401
218-851-3543 BrainerdAreaRealEstate.com
rangeprinting.com
Fawww.kavanaughs.com mily owned and operated for 51 years
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302 South Sixth Street P.O. Box 411 Brainerd, MN 56401 218-829-1451 (main) www.brainerdlaw.com
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We’ve got you covered! BURTON
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easyridersbikes.com 415 Washington St. Brainerd, MN
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14250 Conservation Drive Brainerd, MN 56401 Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport Brainerd, Minnesota
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You’re not far from GuidePoint Pharmacy’s award-winning service with 7 Area locations!
TREE SERVICE INC.
Brainerd, MN Fully Equipped & Insured
www.guidepointpharmacy.com
1505 State 210 S.W. 829-0133
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Greg A. Anderson, LUTCF Agent
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828-4197
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416 S. 7th St. Brainerd
www.mikehamadupholstery.com
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(Next to Martin’s Sports Shop) 218-963-3023 Town Square • Crosslake 218-692-5505 Main Street • Crosby 218-545-5000
417 South 5th Street Brainerd, MN 56401
Rolf Moen, D.D.S. Jeff Mattson, D.D.S. Jenna Ude, D.D.S.
409 West Washington, Brainerd • 218-454-9000
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Medical Supply Company.”
BRAINERD MEDICAL SUPPLY FREE Delivery in our service area! Major Credit Cards Accepted 24 Hour Emergency Oxygen Service We Process Medical Assistance, Medica, Blue Cross, Medicare and Most Insurance. 206 W. Washington St., Brainerd
(Located in the Tyrol Hills Shopping Center)
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24-Hour Domestic Violence Shelter
(218) 828-1216
5 GREAT LOCATIONS
Westgate Mall • Brainerd/Baxter 218-829-5804
Main Street • Nisswa
1021 Industrial Park Road, Brainerd, MN 56401
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Financial Services Professional
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Welcoming New Students! The comeback is stronger than the setback.
Rafferty’s Delivery and Take-N-Bake
raffertyspizza.com
Dance Studio & Audio/Video Production
justforkix.com | 218-829-7107
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402 James Street, Brainerd, MN 56401 (218) 829-4243 www.lakecountrydentalmn.com
Laurie Hall, Agent
326 West Laurel Street Brainerd, MN 56401 Bus - 218.828.0460 • Fax - 218.828.0576 laurie.hall.b5du@statefarm.com Toll Free - 800.828.0460 www.lauriehall.net
Echo Journal | Wednesday, January 27, 2021
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ATEK
service their tanks need. ATEK is working to From Page1 build that technology in other areas. “While it hasn’t Osmanski said. “And achieved everything we what excites the owner- had hoped to by now, we ship team about ATEK still believe that there’s Access Technologies — great growth, particuaside from the solid pro- larly even with this panprietary brands that we demic going on because have today — is really people are now needa growth in the market ing to do things in a in an area called IOT, remote fashion where or in our case it’s IIOT, they before wouldn’t,” which stands for Indus- Osmanski said. trial Internet of Things.” Fortunately, the The TankScan tech- COVID-19 pandemic nology is one example. didn’t impact ATEK as “We take a device, we much as others, though put it in the field in a there was a sales disremote location, and it ruption, especially in communicates cellularly the casting operation. or via WiFi to an inter- Motorcycle companet portal that we host,” nies saw reductions in Osmanski said. demand, Osmanski said, Customers then get which then affected alerts on their phones ATEK. and computers, notify“We did have to go ing them of the level of through some organiza-
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
Patricia Hennes works with a welding machine, used in the production of wall switches to open doors Wednesday, Jan. 20, at ATEK Access Technologies in Brainerd.
38 Years
38 Years
A Community Supporter and Locally Owned Company
tional realignment,” he said, “but I’m pleased to announce that by 2021, we’ll be up to where we were pre-pandemic.” Osmanski is proud of the team ATEK has assembled and said the company is in great shape. Much of that success has a great deal to do with the faithful employees who work for ATEK. Mike Berning, general manager of the Brainerd facility, said there are some employees there who have been with the company for more than 40 years and several who are in the 15-30 year range. Stephanie Maust has been with the company for about 28 years, working in various facets. Though she got laid off during the big economic crash around 2007-08, she eventually made her way back to ATEK. “They called me back here, and I didn’t even think twice about it,” she said. Berning and the owners attribute that longevity to a thorough screening process and the positive culture ATEK strives to create at all of its locations. “We want to make sure that (candidates) want to be on our team, that they’re going to fit in well with our organization, with our culture, and that they’re going to want to have a career
38 Years
Little Falls Brainerd Pierz Pine River
www.hannekeninsurance.com
We would like our customers to know how sincerely grateful we are for their support over the last 38 years but especially during these trying times. We couldn’t do without you!
33 Years
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24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK 828-HELP (4357) OR 1-800-462-5525
31 Years
BUSINESS TRADITIONS 2021
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
Jonathan Larson, an employee at ATEK Access Technologies in Brainerd, explains the inner workings of a 120-ton machine that produces plastic receptacles. here, not just a job,” Osmanski said. Berning described the culture at ATEK as very family-oriented, with outdoor cookouts every couple weeks in the warmer months. “In the seven months I’ve been here, I’ve enjoyed listening to the history of ATEK and Acrometals and the people that have worked here over the years,” Berning said. Community involvement is an important part of that culture as well. In Brainerd, that means donating to and working with groups like the Salvation Army, food shelf, Toys for Tots, Northland Arboretum, Chamber of Commerce and Kinship Partners. “At every location we do engage with the local
36 Years
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
Mike Berning, general manager at ATEK Access Technologies in northeast Brainerd, shows of a custom mat made in the plant. The business also make pressure-sensitive mats that open doors. community because we are a part of their community,” Osmanski said. “We have a responsibility to be a good partner with them.”
THERESA BOURKE may be reached at theresa.bourke@ brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ DispatchTheresa.
35 Years
34 Years
7790 Hastings Road Baxter, MN 56425
Contact us Today For All Your Hearing Aid Needs
OPEN 24 HOURS 7 DAYS A WEEK
East Brainerd Mall
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(218) 828-0110 www.avantech.com
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Custom Residential & Commercial Construction 11360 Business 371 Brainerd, MN
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17274 State Hwy 371, Brainerd www.preferredhearingaidcenter.com
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info@mikestreecompany.com mikestreecompany.com
New Construction & Remodels
1-800-458-0895 Transforming our Community Through the Power of Mentoring
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23 Years
609 Laurel Street, Brainerd Mn 56401
(Downtown Brainerd)
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“Your downtown bookstore!”
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idyourworld@gmx.com www.idyourworld-mn.com
Thanks for your business in 2020
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365-Day Alex & Brandon Child Safety Center (218) 828-0022 midminwomenscenter.blogspot.com S.THOMAS ASSOCIATES
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(218) 825-7682
ESTATE SALES SERVICES
11 Years
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ESTATE SALES SERVICES
218-330-2338
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(Steve and Julie Foy-owners) www.sthomasestatesales.com 218-851-0834 • Brainerd, MN
Shop • Donate • Volunteer Proceeds support Bridges of Hope HOURS: MON-SAT 9-5
BAXTER: 218.824.0923 CROSSLAKE: 218.692.7682
16 Years
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Chem Dry of the Lakes
Superior Carpet, Upholstery Cleaning, Wood & Vinyl Floors, Tile & Grout, Granite Counter Top Renewal
A Locally Owned, Printed, and Published Magazine
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www.theofficeshopinc.com 712 Maple Street, Brainerd MN 56401 218.828.9000 211 MN Ave N, Aitkin MN 56431 218.927.6911
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Thank you for voting us #1 Cleaning service in the Brainerd Lakes Area 2 yrs in a row.
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All work is performed by owners Jeff & Tracy. Independently Owned & Operated
16 Years
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1775 DANDELION LANE SW BRAINERD, MN 56401
218-822-5634
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HomeInstead.com/brainerd
arrowwoodbrainerd.com
10 Years
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Truth Lutheran Church
201 S. 6th Street Historic Downtown Brainerd
218.824.0077
An LCMC Congregation…Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ Sunday worship 9 AM Fellowship and Sunday school following worship
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Brighter Horizons Adult Day Care Amy Bauer Nelson, Program Director 218-232-0541 (cell) Michele Hall, Business Director 218-851-0093 (cell)
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BUSINESS TRADITIONS 2021
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021 | Echo Journal
pineandlakes.com
Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
The Mr. Tire Car Care Center is located in northeast Brainerd on Washington Street. The company handles all your automotive needs from tires to repair.
MR. TIRE CAR CARE CENTER CELEBRATES 20 YEARS By Gabriel Lagarde Brainerd Dispatch Staff Writer Even with a change of ownership, Mr. Tire Car Center in northeast Brainerd will still have a familiar feature after 20 years — a Fisher manning the front desk. This particular Fisher would be Andy Fisher. In the pre-911 world of 2001, his parents, Keith and Cindy Fisher, were already seasoned veterans in the automotive repair industry when they established Mr. Tire on Washington Street — having acquired more than 15 years of experience running similar operations in Crosby and Maplewood, as well as Florida and years working at Tires Plus. In 2019, after roughly 35 years in the industry, they handed the keys to the kingdom to manager Tommy Aderman, but Andy Fisher has remained, maintain-
ing the Fisher presence in the repair shop that’s a fixture of Brainerd for more than two decades. In Andy Fisher’s estimation, just as Mr. Tire resides in Brainerd, there’s a bit in Brainerd in the Fisher family, no matter how far they’ve traveled in their lives. “I think a lot of what drew us to the location here is just the car count at this intersection. The prime location was kind of what really put us here,” Fisher said with a laugh during a phone interview Monday, Jan. 18. “As far as Brainerd, my mom graduated from Brainerd, my dad has spent a lot of time up here. He’s been up here since the ‘70s. It’s just who our family is.” Andy Fisher described Mr. Tire Car Center as a family-owned, six-bay auto repair shop that does most anything short
80 Years
75 Years
Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
MR. TIRE: Page 5 The Mr. Tire Car Care Center in northeast Brainerd features a quick lube building with two bays for service.
74 Years
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Serving the entire Brainerd Lakes Area Westgate Mall Brainerd/Baxter
829-2823
Reichert Bus Service Since 1947 www.reichertbus.com
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NAPA Baxter
14751 Edgewood Dr. Baxter
64 Years
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Fashions & Footwear for Men & Women
Brainerd • 218-828-7000 Crosslake • 218-692-5200 Hackensack • 218-675-7575 Little Falls • 320-632-2381
www.brekkens.com
EdinaRealty.com
44 Years
43 Years
Lutheran Church and Preschool
7669 College Road Baxter, Minnesota 56425-2688
(218) 829-4759
13815 Cherrywood Drive, Baxter, MN 218-829-4105
218-829-5117 Widseth.com
www.holdenelectric.com
www.ChristBaxter.com Sunday Worship: 9:00am Little Lambs Preschool
42 Years
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(218)829-4511
The Best Foods, The Absolute Lowest Food Prices!
Baxter
(218)568-5011 Pequot Lakes
www.lakesdentalcare.com
bercher.com 218.829.1381
n
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HOSPITALITY
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38 Years
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www.gnhomecare.com
Baxter, 218-829-1789, 1-888-420-2015 Nisswa, 218-963-2020, 1-877-963-2010 Pine River, 218-587-2020, 1-888-970-3937
(218) 829-9238 or 1-888-221-5785
Dr. David Pelowski Dr. Michael Marvin Dr. Daniel Clayton
Brainerd Office: 1920 South 6th Street 218-824-7900 Baxter Office: 7638 Woida Road 829-1484
Baxter
www.brainerdsportsboosters.org
BAXTER LIONS
HEALTHCARE
1977 - 2021 44 Years of Supporting the Community
Lic. No. BC004461
In the Brainerd/Baxter area since 1980
7895 Excelsior Rd., Baxter 218-828-2160
“Custom...delivered.”
MN LIC# BC001969
Echo Journal | Wednesday, January 27, 2021
pineandlakes.com
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BUSINESS TRADITIONS 2021
| 5
Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
Top: Personnel at the Mr. Tire Car Care Center in northeast Brainerd are Nate Weiland (left), Andy Fischer, Becca Rathey, Lonnie Aderman, Tommy Aderman, Chris Miller, Mike Dyre and Tyrell Rubin. Left: Mr. Tire Car Care Center in northeast Brainerd has been located familiar to motorists on Washington Street. The complete car care facility handles everything automotive except rebuilding automatic transmissions.
36 Years
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34 Years
31 Years
From Page1
Second Time Around SECOND HAND STORE
218-829-1224 Open March-December
Hwy. 371 North 6 miles north of Brainerd
30 Years
Your CUB, Your Way Christopher K. Dens DDS 218.454.7000
Gentle Dentistry www.densdental.com
29 Years PUTNAM
Practicing in the Brainerd Lakes area for over 30 years.
OPEN 24 HOURS 7 DAYS A WEEK
7870 Excelsior Rd., Baxter Brainerd Office: 218.828.9545 • 877.338.3957
Baxter, MN 828-4601
28 Years
28 Years CROW WING COUNTY
HARDWOOD FLOORS, Inc.
SNOWMOBILE TRAILS
• Free Estimates • 37 Years of Experience
ASSOCIATION
-Installation of New Hardwood Flooring
14466 Dellwood Dr. Baxter, MN
(Next to Kentucky Fried Chicken)
- Sanding & Finishing of New and Existing Hardwood Floors - Residential and Commercial
Adam Putnam 218-330-7851 Larry Putnam 218-746-3828
7789 Hastings Road Baxter, MN 56425
829-3080
Serving Central and Northern Minnesota
218-829-3457 www.lindarcorp.com
24 Years
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Rock Solid Rehab
MARINE & CAR AUDIO • ACCESSORIES
218-454-7012
BOAT & VEHICLE DETAILING
REMOTE STARTERS • HEATED SEATS
Dr. Kristel Schamber Dr. Brooke Fenstad Greg Olson, Optician Theresa Van’t Hul, Optician Ellen Kraling, Optometric Assistant
Dr. David Anderholm 7115 Forthun RdSuite 105 Baxter, MN 56425
15620 Edgewood Dr, Suite 240, Baxter
218-829-5529
7734 Excelsior Road North, Baxter Lakesareaeyecare.com
218.454.0090 www.npamn.com
www.bigstonetherapies.com
7313 Novotny Rd, HWY 371 N, Baxter
13 Years
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All Saints Catholic Church
Your precious moments stored in old formats are never sent away for processing.
Owner/Operator
14643 Edgewood Dr. Baxter
7208 Fairview Road Baxter
jgp18ped@gmail.com
www.pizzaranch.com
218-829-2929
(Copyright Free Materials Only)
16898 Carlson Lake Road Baxter 218-822-4040 www.blccnorth.org
MR. TIRE
Jennifer Pedersen 218-330-0990
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info@lakesaudio.com
www.LakesAudio.com
218-822-1133
of reconstructing transmissions, with a strong emphasis on customer service and six employees — salaried, not commissioned, so as to avoid promoting an incentive to sell customers repairs or products they don’t need and likely shouldn’t buy. It is that understanding between servicegivers and customers that forms the foundation of a profitable business partnership, Andy Fisher said, and has been a cornerstone of the Mr. Tire operation for years. In turn, he said, the greatest challenge is attracting and keeping a solid, core group of employees who reflect the company ethos of communityminded services. “We’re not motivated by commission. We’re just by doing what people need and not taking advantage of anybody,” Andy Fisher said. “You’re always trying to acquire new customers, but once you get a customer base and strive to keep them, that’s our bread and butter: Doing best for people and trusting word of mouth to bring them back.” As such, they’ve been able to carve a place as one of many auto repair shops in the BrainerdBaxter area. With the Brainerd lakes area serving as a central hub and something of
an outpost for drivers heading into the wide expanses of northern Minnesota, there’s no shortage of body shops, discount tire stores, muffler shops, auto repair shops, auto parts stores, oil change services and the like — something that wasn’t lost on Andy Fisher, who said it’s been a battle for years to compete in a such a packed business ecosystem filled with small players and big players alike. But, Mr. Tire has been able to survive and thrive, he said, even during some of the toughest times in recent years. In his estimation, 2020 represented just another test for the private business, he added, and it’s largely thanks to a loyal, longtime customer base that Mr. Tire has been able to weather the storm better than most. “There’s just gratitude to the northeast Brainerd area for keeping us going for two decades. We wouldn’t be here without our customers,” Fisher said. “We’ve made it through COVID-19 this year, the Great Recession in 2008. Competing with big box stores and the discount tire stores of the world, It speaks to the determination of everybody here to keep on keeping on for the community. We always pull through.” GABRIEL LAGARDE may be reached at gabe.lagarde@ brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5859. Follow at www.twitter.com/glbrddispatch.
6 |
BUSINESS TRADITIONS 2021
|
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 | Echo Journal
pineandlakes.com
Alicia Borman / Moments Treasured Photography
After 38 years in business, Schrupp Excavating of Pine River has 23 employees and a fleet of vehicles and machinery. Owner Raymond Schrupp is shown first on the left in the back row.
SCHRUPP EXCAVATING AND
CAME A LONG WAY FROM A TRUCK, TRAILER SKID STEER By Travis Grimler Echo Journal Staff Writer If you mention an excavating job in the Pine River-Backus area, the name Schrupp is likely one of the first that comes to mind. That wasn’t always the case. It took many years for Raymond Schrupp, of Pine River, to become one of the area’s known names in excavating. “Elmer Flategraff said I wouldn’t see money for 10 years,” Schrupp said. “He was exactly right.” Looking back 38 years later, the differences are stark. After all, he had very humble beginnings. Schrupp grew up on a farm and, like many farm kids, was exposed to machinery and got his first chance to operate it there as well. “I grew up on a dairy farm, so I ran whatever Dad had to run,” Schrupp said. Years of operating tractors prepared Schrupp for his future in excavating. Some time later he bought a backhoe for use around the farm, and eventually he decided it was time to start his own business. He purchased his first equipment from someone doing excavating in town. “His name was Kenny Sawyer. He had an old cat, an old truck and an old trailer. I started from there,” Schrupp said. That was the start of Schrupp Excavating. For
many years it was just him. Growing from there was no small task. “You had to work to get your clients,” Schrupp said. “We’d been here, so my last name was familiar and that probably helped. But from there you had to do your job, show up and show up when you’re supposed to. Word of mouth went around. Those years weren’t easy years. They were tough years.” It was approximately three years before Schrupp started hiring help, and even then it wasn’t until the late 1980s that he started hiring more than one person to help him on jobs, upgrading to two or three employees. Growth really started in the mid-1990s. Today, his workforce has grown to 23. By then he had purchased the land where his shop now sits. He had bought his own sand pit, cut out the middleman when it
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66 Years
62 Years
57 Years
56 Years
Submitted Photo
SCHRUPP: Page 7 Schrupp Excavating started with just the owner, Raymond Schrupp, a dump truck, trailer, loader and Bobcat.
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Echo Journal | Wednesday, January 27, 2021
pineandlakes.com
SCHRUPP From Page 7
came to purchasing fill, and his fleet of machinery had expanded significantly. “I think we have about 35 pieces of equipment,” Schrupp said. “Excavators, wheel loaders and about a dozen dump trucks.” The types of jobs his crews complete also developed over time. In the ‘90s, his work shifted from hauling lots of black dirt and fixing driveways to sewer work. Today, those same types of jobs make up as much as a third of their workload each year. “There were a lot of hiccups along the road to getting the right equipment and having the right people on the right jobs,” Schrupp said. His crew sometimes goes to 15-20 different job sites in a day. Having crews that work together is vital. Growth didn’t always come easy. “The most challenging times were growing in the late ‘90s and early 2000s for finding enough help,” Schrupp said. “We had an array of machines for the job and money (for growth) wasn’t an issue.” He’s had many jobs, but the biggest job still sticks out. It was at Eagle View Elementary School in Breezy Point. “We did the dirt work there,” Schrupp said. “It was the biggest job we did. It was a good job. We didn’t make any money, but we learned a lot.” During the recession, Schrupp’s business was thankfully well established and well known, so the business survived.
110 Years
96 Years
BUSINESS TRADITIONS 2021
| 7
He looks back at those times and sees a silver lining. “I got to work a few less hours, which I enjoyed,” Schrupp joked. “We got to go to Alaska to go fishing two years in a row.” The business today has reached a sort of optimal size, with enough staff for two people to manage and enough paperwork to keep Schrupp’s wife and daughter busy without being overwhelmed. Any further growth would require expansion of the company’s staff. For now, Schrupp said the company will likely stay the same for a little while. “You do have to grow with the times,” Schrupp said. “And we did that.” Schrupp has a strong sense of responsibility and dignity, which he credits to his success so far. “It’s probably good to do what you say you’re going to do, do it in a timely manner and you make sure it happens when it’s supposed to,” Schrupp said. If you want to stay in business for 38 years, it also helps to enjoy what you’re doing. “I like to run equipment,” Schrupp said. “Now I don’t have time. It is what it is, but maybe as Cody (Schrupp, his nephew who is estimator/supervisor) takes more of it over and does more of my job or maybe someone else gets involved, then maybe I can run equipment again. You have to like what you’re doing, and I enjoy what I’m doing.” Travis Grimler may be reached at 218-855-5853 or travis.grimler@ pineandlakes.com. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Travis.
108 Years
3855 Independence Rd, Baxter Phone: 218-829-5798
218-546-5029 www.c-icourier.com
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37568 County Road 66, Crosslake Phone: 218-692-3101
www.simonson-lumber.com Toll Free: 800-266-6037
85 Years
Submitted Photo
Over the years, the Schrupp Excavating equipment list has grown, and with it, their ability to do more jobs.
103 Years
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49 Years
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HWY. 371 & CR 16 Jenkins, MN
Your Complete Fence Contractor
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Submitted Photo
Raymond Schrupp says the company never had a hard time getting equipment, though sometimes there was a worker shortage.
8 |
BUSINESS TRADITIONS 2021
|
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 | Echo Journal
pineandlakes.com
Nancy Vogt / Echo Journal
Left: Judy Cotten stands with a popular item - Polish Pottery - in the back part of her store, Judy’s House of Gifts, that is part of a second addition made to the Crosslake store in 1999. Right: Judy’s House of Gifts in Crosslake is shown Jan. 14 during a snowfall.
COTTEN FINDS NICHE SELLING GIFTS IN CROSSLAKE FOR 33 YEARS
By Nancy Vogt Echo Journal Editor The name “Judy’s House of Gifts” could not better describe the retail store located about a block off the main street running the length of Crosslake. It’s where Judy Cotten has sold “unique and unusual” gifts for the past 33 years from her store that looks like a cozy house complete with a welcoming front porch. When she decided to open a retail store, Cotten said her family played with possible names for the gift shop. While building the store on County Road 3 in 1987, Cotten’s husband, Jim, came home one day and said he had the perfect name - Judy’s House of Gifts. “It’s you. It tells what it is,” Cotten said, quoting what her husband said all those years ago. The Cottens moved to Crosslake in 1969 with their two young daughters, Donna and Nancy. Judy Cotten said she is from a small town in Michigan, and when her parents moved to the Minneapolis area, she didn’t like the big city. Jim’s parents had a cabin on Big Pine Lake in Crosslake, and the couple decided to make a move. “We just liked the area. The people were friend-
ly,” she said. “When I was young I went to a lot of different schools. I didn’t want that for my kids.” A Girl Scout leader, Cotten said all the leaders made crafts and agreed to do a sale together. That led to Cotten hosting a sale over the teachers’ convention weekend in October every year at her Crosslake home. “People kept saying, ‘Judy, you should to
40 Years
38 Years
Submitted Photo
tomer service. In 2002, Cotten opened a second store, Willow Bay, in the Ace Hardware complex in Crosslake when that store constructed an addition. She began selling clothes and furniture among other items there until 2008, when they sold the space to Ace Hardware and closed Willow Bay. Cotten plans to “go with the flow” for the future. She still loves her job and, of course, customers bring her the most enjoyment. “The people - they’re just so friendly,” she said, noting just recently a customer offered to bring her biscotti the next time she makes it. The past year was definitely different with the COVID-19 pandemic and people staying home. “Our local people didn’t shop, but we had others who did and that helped a lot,” Cotten said, noting shoppers mostly were from out of state and out of town, and people who came to their cabins in the area. No matter what 2021 brings, Judy’s House of Gifts will remain open to shoppers looking for gifts. “I like what I do,” Cotten said.
36 Years
35 Years
35 Years
Motley, MN
Feeding hope throughout north central Minnesota
38 Years B E ST G O L
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Nancy Vogt may be reached at 218-855-5877 or nancy.vogt@ pineandlakes.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter at www. twitter.com/@PEJ_Nancy.
FC
D
Judy’s House of Gifts on County Road 3 in Crosslake was built in 1987 and was later added onto twice. Right: Judy Cotten (right) accepts her store’s first dollar from Crosslake Chamber of Commerce members in 1988.
tion business, he built the store building. At the time, he was building townhouses at Boyd Lodge in Crosslake, so the store is reminiscent of that look. “It’s the up north look I wanted,” Cotten said. Crosslake didn’t have a store selling gifts at the time. “I was tired of every time I needed a gift, we didn’t have a store in town if you were going to a wedding, to a birthday,” Cotten said, noting she always had to travel to Brainerd for such gifts, or to Pequot Lakes when picking up her daughters from school. Judy’s House of Gifts opened in May 1988, and at first was open MayDecember. When she received frequent calls from customers asking her to meet them at the store and open it so they could shop, she decided to remain open yearround. The Cottens greatly increased the store’s this. You should have a Crosslake American space with additions store,’” Cotten said. Legion was planning to in 1994 and 1999. The Her daughters were buy the empty lot where store is filled with gift older by then and away she ended up build- items, including clothat school when Cotten ing her store, she said. ing, greeting cards, holisaw a house that was When that didn’t hap- day merchandise, jewelfor sale where Frandsen pen, she thought if her ry, florals, dishes, prints, Bank now sits, right next family bought that lot, linens, collectibles and to her location. She put she could build what she much more. Cotten said an offer on the home wanted. her store offers people a with plans to turn it into That’s exactly what pleasant shopping expea store. they did, and since Jim rience, free gift wrapAt that time, the was in the construc- ping and top-notch cus-
9
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