BIAD - Ollie's Service - 2022

OLLiE’S SERVICE

of the Award

BIAD event has honored

Douglas County company

based upon

in number of employees; the impact on the job market.

in sales and/or unit volume; an indication of continued growth.

investment; an indication of commitment to increase community capacity.

contributions; investment of time, skills, and resources to assist in community-oriented projects.

Service was selected as the recipient of the 2022 Business and Industrial Appreciation Day (BIAD) Award by the Boards of Directors of the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission and Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.

Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission

324 Broadway, Suite 101, Alexandria 320-763-4545 aaedc@alexmn.org www.livingalexarea.org

A publication of the

206 Broadway, Alexandria 320-763-3161 info@alexandriamn.org www.alexandriamn.org

Publisher: Diann Drew Editor: Al Edenloff Photography: Lowell Anderson Layout/Design: Lori Mork

BIAD Award gave Ollie’s Service owners THE SHIVERS

Snowmobiling is Earl and Sonya Anderson’s passion

by Al Edenloff aedenloff@echopress.com

Meet Earl and Sonya Anderson.

But considering all the things they’ve been involved in, you probably already know them.

Sonya is a member of the Prairie Woodcarvers, has taught snowmobile safety for decades, served as trea surer of the Vikingland Muskies and the Lake Andrew Lake Association and was a committee volunteer for Youth Outdoor Activity Day, to name just a few of her pastimes.

Earl has served on the Douglas County Fair Board for 19 years and was a president and board member of the Douglas Area Trails Association. His father, Ollie, was one of the founders of the trail system, and Sonya was the association’s secretary and treasurer. Their sons, Terry, Bryan and Jayme, have all served on the DATA Board.

They’re also members of the Runestone Off-Road ATV Riders or ROAR since it began in 2015, and are big sup porters of the Let’s Go Fishing program – Earl is on the board and Sonya was treasurer, vice president and the first woman captain.

Their church, Calvary Lutheran, is also a big part of their lives. They’ve both served on church council and Sonya taught Friday school there.

Both Earl and Sonya have snowmobiling flowing through their veins.

It started in 1967 when they both purchased their first snowmobiles when they were 17 years old. In 1979, Earl became a year-round snowmobile racer and won the World Championships of Watercross in 1983. He com pleted three figure-8s in 1 minute, 58 seconds to win the title.

Back in 1976, Sonya was awarded a different kind of trophy for “riding double” – she was eight months preg nant – during a five-day snowmobile trip to Yellowstone, Montana.

Sonya and Earl were named Grand Marshals for the 2016 Winter Spectacular Snowmobile Race.

With all those accolades, you could assume that hav ing their company, Ollie’s Service, winning the Business and Industrial Appreciation Day Award would be a hohum accomplishment for them, but you’d be wrong.

“We absolutely could not believe it when Jess (with the Chamber) and Nicole (with the Economic Develop ment Commission) told us, we just got shivers,” Sonya said. “Big businesses get these types of acknowledge ment – not little people like us.”

The Echo Press asked Sonya and Earl a few questions about their business and its 67-year history:

Q. Give us the basics – how the business began, who owns and manages it now.

A. The business began in 1955 when it was Ray and Ollie’s automobile repair. Ray Schultz and Ollie Anderson were good friends. Ollie was an airplane mechanic in World War II and Ray was a Korean War veteran who suffered from health issues because of heroic acts during the war. Ollie became the sole owner until about 1972, when Earl became a partner.

In 1983, Ollie retired and Earl and Sonya purchased the business from Ollie, kept the name, added more parking and purchased the building next door where Douglas Machine started.

In 2001, it became Ollie’s Service Inc. and their son, Jayme, joined the business as an owner and manager.

In 2008, the Andersons purchased the far north build ing on the block.

“Now that’s almost half of the block and it seemed like a lot to vacuum and wash floors!” Sonya said.

It stayed at its location at 1213 Broadway until 2019 when Jayme and his wife, Elizabeth, told Earl and Sonya to check out the property at 111 Donna Ave. South, in a building that once housed the AP Hustad Implement Company.

“So the four of us took a tour and the rest kind of fell into place,” Sonya said. “We did some upgrading to the building’s appearance – all thanks to our local bank, Vi king Bank.”

The new building has more than 30,000 square feet and the property includes four acres of land alongside Interstate 94.

Earl and Sonya still own the business, along with their son, Jayme, who is also the manager. Earl and Sonya have four children, 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Q. How many employees did you start with and how many are working for the company now?

The company started from the repair shop with just two employees and a third was added and then a fourth. In 1967, Ollie Anderson took on Allis Chalmers Lawn and Garden, followed by Snapper, and in 1970, Rupp snow mobiles. The first sleds arrived on Aug. 17, 1970 – the day that Earl and Sonya were married.

Sonya Anderson

“But there was no forklift to haul them in,” Sonya said. “We were driving down Broadway and Don Kingston, our employee at the time, was trying to unload them. We stopped and with the help of our groomsmen, the five sleds got unloaded.”

The company’s growth continued. In 1976, it took on Ski-Doo snowmobiles and five years later, added Sim plicity Lawn and Garden. In 1987, it started selling SeaDoo personal watercraft.

“We were the 20th Sea-Doo dealer in the nation with the rebirth of the 1988 Sea-Doo personal water crafts.

In 1995, it started selling Ferris zero-turn mowers with a patented suspension.

Taking on more lines meant adding employees.

Today, in addition to Earl and Sonya, there are 13 employees – Jayme Anderson, Brad Noetzelman, Jus tin Brovold, Justin Blackstone, Dan Klang, Matt Klemm, Pat Koep, Dillon Debre, Earl and Sonya’s nephew, Cory Allison, Sharon Weverly (accounting) and fourth-gener ation Andersons – Grayson, Cooper and Keegen.

The business has nine departments – sales, parts, service writers, service techs, set-up, accounting, pick up and delivery, demonstrations and housekeeping.

Q. Do you have a mission statement or a philos ophy that has guided the business over the years?

They do have a radio jingle that serves as a mission statement: “Ollie’s, Ollie’s Service, where customers send their friends.”

Looking back at the company’s 67-year history, ev ery year is different, but for Earl and Sonya, it all comes down to this: If they can provide their family of employ ees a fair living from the business, they have succeeded.

“Have we had income every year?” Sonya asked. “The answer is no. Some years are tough but our biggest suc cess comes from our customers. So many of our cus tomers have become friends.”

Another philosophy: Treat people right and they’ll treat you right also.

“We have met so many interesting people over the years through customers or volunteering,” Sonya said. “Life can be interesting through those connections. Life hasn’t always been easy but it sure has been good.”

Another piece of wisdom that has helped the busi ness: “We use the things we sell.”

“It’s been nice to wave to a neighbor and be proud of the equipment you’ve sold them,” Sonya said.

Q. What is something the general public may not know about Ollie’s Service?

Back in 1983, Earl was involved in a three-wheeler

‘We’re like a wELL-OILED machine,’ says general manager

by Celeste Edenloff cedenloff@echopress.com

Brad Noetzelman has been working at Ollie’s Service for nearly 30 years. When asked what his title was, he said everyone wears multi-hats and that “it just flows and works good” that way.

Although he did add that his title would probably be general manager.

His duties include ordering parts, accounts receiv

able, ordering products like ATVs and side-by-sides, but he also gets out on the floor and sells when he has time.

“Everyone pretty much knows how to do everything,” said Noetzelman. “We’re like a well-oiled machine be cause we’ve all worked with each other for many years. We’re friends and family.”

Except for the working part, he said the customers are the same.

And that is his favorite part of his job – the customers.

“We build and create those relationships with our cus tomers,” he said. “They become your friends and not just customers anymore. We have a great group of customers here. A big family, that’s what we are.”

Noetzelman said that Ollie’s Service is not a one-stop dealer. He said the goal is to get their customers coming back for years to come. He said they work hard at making sure their customers are comfortable and that they build a relationship with them, which leads into a friendship.

“And those friendships, you can’t put a dollar amount on that,” he said.

Looking back through the years, there have been changes in their industry, especially when it comes to technology, Noetzelman said.

The technology in some of their products, he said, would be like going from an old flip phone to the latest iPhone.

Another change is the fact that many people don’t service their own products anymore. Products like snow mobiles, watercraft, ATVs, UTVs and more. Noetzelman said nowadays people tend to bring in their products for

servicing instead of fixing them themselves, which he said also goes back to technology. Things are much more complicated and it makes it harder for people to fix things by themselves, he said.

When it comes to selling the products at Ollie’s, Noet zelman said his favorite is Sea-Doo watercraft because it makes him feel like Santa Claus.

He said people are always excited about watercraft because they get to make memories with them. Lawn mowers, he said, don’t make memories for people be cause it equals work. Watercraft means fun and time spent making memories, he said.

He has a video on his phone that a customer shared with him. A teenage boy got a Sea-Doo and his parents filmed the reaction. The young man was beyond excited and thankful and was giving his parents hugs and telling them how excited he was.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Noetzelman said. “Our products make a lot of memories.”

Another favorite product of his is the Can Am Defender Limited side-by-side.

“I bow hunt, deer hunt and this is a tool that spoils you with all the comfortable features,” he said.

Noetzelman is married to his wife, Karla. They have two children, Zaven, a senior at Alexandria Area High School, and Zella, who is in 10th grade at Alexandria Area High School. Both are hockey players, he said.

He enjoys watching his kids play sports and spend ing time with them, saying, “Daddy spoils them. We work hard and we play hard.”

Brad Noetzelman

Service manager has been at Ollie’s for14 YEARS

The thing that Justin Blackstone, ser vice manager at Ollie’s Service, Inc., likes best is working with people.

With his easy laugh, he enjoys talking to them and getting their personal water craft or side-by-sides repaired as quickly as possible.

“We have a good customer base,” he said. “We have a lot of repeat customers and now their kids have grown up and they’re customers, too.”

Blackstone has worked for Ollie’s for 14 years. He started out doing the repair work himself, then five years ago became the service manager and service writer. Now he manages four full-time techni cians and several part-time employees who pick up broken machines from cus tomers’ homes and drop them off after they’re repaired. The pick-up and delivery service is a benefit for customers who often don’t own a trailer.

“I keep track of all the scheduling of technicians’ jobs, keeping them busy and efficient,” he said. “I take care of warran

customer relations, repair bills and get ting authorization to fix things.”

From late May to the end of October, his crew is busy with personal water craft. Fun to ride, these watercraft suck up water and expel it like a jet stream — and sometimes they suck up things they shouldn’t. If they’re in shallow water, they can suck up rocks. In deeper water, they can suck up driftwood or flip-flops. They’ve even seen a swimsuit wedged up inside the jet pumps. That’s when he gets a call from a customer, and his team goes to work.

“Ride them at least in waist-deep wa ter,” he said. “That’s what I tell everyone.”

Ollie’s also stores personal watercraft through the winter, and it is starting to branch out into servicing pontoons.

The biggest challenge for his crew nowadays is one facing many industries — and that is delays in getting new ma chines and parts. He said customers are becoming more patient and accepting that these delays are beyond anyone’s

“It isn’t how it was three years ago where you can stop in and get this and get that,” he said. “That instant gratification is not there like it used to be.”

Still, the company’s goal is to fix and return a machine within a week, espe

cially if it’s for someone who only has a narrow window to enjoy the lakes.

Justin Blackstone

Wevley likes seeing the joy on CUSTOMERS’ FACES

A family atmosphere makes her accounting job fun

by Sam Stuve sstuve@echopress.com

For Sharon Wevley, who is originally from Morris and is an Alexandria Techni cal and Community College graduate, the uniqueness of her job keeps her excited daily.

“It’s the variety,” Wevley said when asked about the favorite parts of her job.“ Working with the service parts and the sales part of it. And keeping the flow of everything works out really well.”

Wevley said there’s a family atmo sphere in the workplace.

“They’re just a very family-oriented business,” Wevley said. “They definitely take care of their customers. And they have lots of friends and family that stop by just to visit because they’ve known ev erybody in the community for so long. It’s really laid back. I would say that it’s not as stressful maybe as some of the places that you could work at, just because of that family-oriented aspect.”

Wevley has been working at Ollie’s for five years now. She works with account ing for the company and has experience in the insurance industry.

“I did an auto shop business with my ex-husband, and I was familiar with do ing the bookkeeping,” Wevley said. “And when we decided to close the shop, I started looking around. And I kind of knew Earl and Sonya from the past a little bit and was told that they were looking for some help. So I decided to give him a call. And it’s worked out. I get along great with everybody here and it’s a great team to work with.”

Prior to working at Ollie’s Service, she had a working relationship with Ollie’s.

“I worked with Ray Schultz, who was a partner with Oliver Anderson when Ol lie’s Service first started,” Wevley said. “I worked for him originally, and that’s how I got to know Earl and Sonya. And that was kind of my foot in the door; they knew that I worked for him. A couple of other people here in town and I started the ATV club. So that’s been kind of a nice fit as well – starting an organization like that and then working in a place that actually sells those types of units.”

Sharon Wevley

Wevley has been excited by the busi ness’ growth in recent years, which in cludes expanding to Ollie’s new location on Donna Avenue.

Wevley says seeing the joy on cus tomers’ faces when they buy something from Ollie’s gives her a smile.

“The one thing in this power sports in dustry is when people are looking to buy equipment, they’re happy to spend their money on their toys. And it’s fun to see that,” Wevley said.

A worker since the BASSINET

Jayme Anderson has 30 years of providing service

by Thalen Zimmerman tzimmerman@echopress.com

When asked how long he has been at Ollie’s, Jayme Anderson says since he was in a bassinet.

His grandfather was the Ollie behind Ollie’s Service and his parents are Earl and Sonya Anderson.

Earl became partners with his dad, Ollie, in 1972. By 1983. Earl had bought his dad out and became the own er, along with Earl’s wife, Sonya.

Fast forward nearly 30 years since Earl took over to today, Jayme is 44, vice president and manager of the service center and next in line for ownership. His main goal? To keep the legacy of his grandpa going.

“He was the smartest guy ever. He taught me busi ness. He taught me how to stand up for myself. He taught me just everything,” Jayme said.

Jayme said if Ollie was here today, he would be proud of where the shop is today.

Jayme was officially put on payroll when he was 14. He worked at Ollie’s through high school, into college at Alexandria Technical and Community College, and even throughout his internship at Massman Automation in Villard.

After graduating with a machining specialist degree, Jayme began working in the shop in the back of the building, away from the customers, and stayed there for 25 years. He loved every minute of it. Three years ago, however, he moved into management.

“I was always kind of in the shop. So when people walk in now they don’t really know who I am,” Jayme laughed.

Sometimes he still wishes he was back in the shop, but he knows management is where he is most needed.

“It got to the point where we were getting busier and things were different in how we operated,” he explained. “So I decided to move into management and oversee everything.”

Jayme says his favorite part of the job is flexibility and the environment.

“We are a big family, you know? Everybody that’s here,” he said. “Outside of work, you go hunting, you go fishing, you ride snowmobiles, ATVs. You hang out. May be go to concerts.”

The business has always been a family affair whether literally or metaphorically. Besides his grandpa and par ents, his brothers and sister and a few cousins have held a position at one time or another.

And now his three boys, Grayson, Cooper and Kee gen, work at Ollie’s. And eventually, they may take over the business as well. His daughter, Marah, is content with dance and gymnastics for now.

Jayme Anderson

“I also would like to add that without the support of my wife, Elizabeth, of 23 years I wouldn’t be where I’m at today,” Jayme said.

Congratulations!

Klang finds the parts department a GOOD FIT

He has worked in the industry since 1991

by Travis Gulbrandson tgulbrandson@echopress.com

One of Ollie’s newer employees is Dan Klang, who started work there on April 18, 2022.

Klang has been in the industry since 1991. He attended Alexandria Technical and Community College, and then went to Marshall, where he worked for many years. He returned to Alexandria to in struct at the college for a few years be fore coming to Ollie’s.

“It’s a good fit,” Klang said. “I like it.”

He works mainly in the parts depart ment.

“When customers come in, I try to find the right part for what their unit is, and hopefully we have it,” he said. “If not, we can get it ordered and get them back to using their machine.”

Klang said people come in for rare parts “more often than you would think.”

“They come in with older machines, and with the technology today, if you

have a machine probably older than five years, it’s already starting to get obso lete,” Klang said. “Some parts are harder than others. Belts (are) pretty easy, (there are a) lot of belts out there. More of the cosmetics things — plastics, fenders and all that — tend to go away quite fast.”

Klang said he became interested in the automotive industry when he was in high school.

“I just loved ATVs, snowmobiles — anything with an engine,” he said.

The machines themselves are what appealed to him the most. “How you can take an engine that is at an idle 600 to 1,000 rpm and go up to 15,000 rpm,” he said. “It’s just unbelievable how fast they can spin. I’m amazed at the machining of everything. It’s just very interesting to see and work on.”

In his spare time, Klang is working on rebuilding his 1989 Yamaha VMAX motor cycle.

“It’s my baby,” he said.

Klang said he is glad he made the move to Ollie’s, and that the camarade rie of his coworkers is what he likes the most.

“We’re always here to help,” he said. “If I can’t find something, they’re usually

Dan Klang

here to back me up and get the problem solved. (It’s) a very good and knowledge able staff. We have a lot of people who have worked here 20-plus years, so they know.”

If someone were to start working at Ollie’s, Klang has one piece of advice for them: Be easy-going.

“Sometimes customers come in and don’t know exactly what they need or want, and that can really stress out the situation,” he said. “Try to talk to the cus tomers as much as you can, get as much information (as you can), and go from there. Just go with the flow.”

A fun outing turns into a JOB

Brovold has been with Ollie’s for 9 years

Justin Brovold has been with Ollie’s Service for about nine years. He started in October 2013.

How he ended up working for the company is an in teresting story that he shared.

While attending the annual Grape Stomp, Brovold said he ended up talking to Earl Anderson, who owns Ollie’s with his wife, Sonya. At that time, Brovold was a su pervisor in the manufacturing industry and had always wanted to move to Alexandria but never had.

While they were chatting in the Ollie’s tent at the Grape Stomp, Anderson told him he should buy whatev er he was looking at to which Brovold replied, “Maybe I should sell these.”

Anderson asked him if he was for real and Brovold told him he was.

The next week Brovold had an interview and ended up taking the job.

“I put a for sale sign in my yard and the rest is history,” he said. “Friends and family joked with me, saying, ‘Leave it to Justin to get a job while at a winery.’ ”

Brovold said it was a fantastic move and that he loves working at Ollie’s, which he said is a very family-oriented business, which is great because he and his wife, Angie, have two children – Lucas, 15, and Ayla, 11.

“We are a baseball family and our daughter is in dance,” he said, adding that they love spending time to gether not only with baseball and dance, but also at the beach or just doing “family stuff.”

With Ollie’s being a family-oriented business, he knows that he can take off when he needs to for his chil dren’s events.

“I work with a great group of employees that are like my family,” he said.

And as much as he loves that part of the business, the actual best part of his job, he said, is their customers.

“The people we deal with, we get to be friends with them,” he said, adding that his favorite products to sell are pontoons because of how happy they make people.

Brovold said his family has always been a boat family and so selling pontoons, or even boats, is easy because people buying them are never upset and are just happy about it.

Customers who are buying watercraft of any kind are some of the most pleased and laid back customers he deals with, he said.

“Watercraft just makes their whole day,” said Brovold. “Even on late deliveries, they are still excited.”

And even though people love buying snowmobiles, he said it is a more frustrating sport because to ride them, there has to be snow. They are very weather de pendent, where with watercraft, there is always water.

Another popular product that Brovold loves is the Can Am Defender, a side-by-side that he called the “bread and butter” of side-by-sides.

Justin Brovold

“It’s a tool and a unit that is very universal,” he said, noting that ATVs are still popular, but more so for families who like to go on trips with them.

Brovold called Ollie’s Service a very welcoming place with employees who will stop what they are doing and greet people when they come in.

“There is no one here who is miserable and doesn’t want to be here,” he said. “Everyone has a good attitude and it’s my favorite store.”

Klemm approaching 25 YEARS at Ollie’s

He started as an intern and ‘just never left’

by Travis Gulbrandson tgulbrandson@echopress.com

Matt Klemm will celebrate his 25th year as an Ollie’s mechanic next May, and he’s glad to be there.

“I went to tech school here in Alexandria and then started here in an internship,” he said. “I just never left.”

Klemm said he spends much of his time work ing on Sea-Doos, four-wheelers, pontoons and outboard engines.

“I like working on the power sports stuff, and especially now the outboard marine end of things,” he said.

Some of the electrical work is the more diffi cult part of his job, Klemm said.

“Way back when I first started, with a lot of it you had to use your multimeter and all that — wiring diagrams were a lot of it,” he said. “Now

it’s computerized, where it doesn’t tell you what’s wrong. You’ve still got to figure it out, but it sure sends you in the right direction fast.”

Klemm said he sees this trend continuing.

“Pretty much everything now, especially the newer Sea-Doos and all that, are comput er-based,” he said.

In his spare time, Klemm said he enjoys fish ing and running outboards.

“I just like the water,” he said.

Klemm said one of his favorite parts of work ing at Ollie’s is the flexibility.

“They’re willing to work with you if you need a day off or an hour off,” he said. “That’s really nice. Especially now that we’re out here (Donna Ave nue) instead of downtown, it’s real nice. There’s a lot of room to move around.”

Klemm said he became involved in the indus try because “I just thought it would be fun to work on the stuff I like to drive.”

He continued, “When I went to tech school, I’d never touched an engine or done any of that stuff, so I’ve learned it all from there, and then here.”

Matt Klemm

Cory Allison

Cory Allison has ‘AWESOME’ BOSSES

by Thalen Zimmerman tzimmerman@echopress.com

Cory Allison, 30, has worked at Ollie’s Service for the last eight years.

“I’m going to keep working here as long as I can,” he said. “Earl, Sonya and Jayme are awe some bosses. Very easy to get along with.”

Allison is the shop’s service technician and is responsible for equipment setup.

“We’re kind of the runners. We go set stuff up, go pick equipment, go deliver things. Whatever needs to be done,” said Allison.

Basically, whenever new equipment is pur chased for the store, it is Allison’s responsibility to pick it up, assemble it and relocate it to the display room.

Young technician loves HIS JOB

The son of the son of the son whose dad started it all

by Thalen Zimmerman tzimmerman@echopress.com

At just 16 years old, Cooper Anderson already has three years of work at Ollie’s notched into his belt. But being the grandson of Earl and Sonya Anderson, he has been helping around the shop for much longer.

“I just like it here, I like doing this kind of stuff... Work ing on stuff, driving trucks and pulling trailers,” said An derson.

He enjoys his work because everyone is easy to get along with, the scheduling is very accommodating and the environment is family oriented.

That’s very important to me,” said Allison. “If you have something going on with your fami ly, you can go do that. It’s not an issue. You can always make your time up later. So that’s nice.”

Being one of Ollie Anderson’s grandsons and Earl and Sonya Anderson’s nephew, a passion for the outdoors runs in his blood. And being able to work in an environment that enriches his passion is, for Allison, a perk of the job.

“It means a lot to me. That’s why I’ve been here as long as I have,” said Allison. “I get to see all the new stuff that comes in and see why I need something bigger, better.”

Besides odd jobs, Anderson’s main work is assem bling the new equipment and moving it into the display room.

Anderson says he plans on working at Ollie’s Service as long as he can and plans to take over the business when his father, Jayme Anderson, decides to retire.

accident. He had a blood clot near his brain so they traveled to Fargo. Sonya prayed for a good outcome and the Lord an swered her prayers.

Q. Let’s talk about your employees. How important are they in helping your business thrive?

In 1988, Sonya thought the business’ bookkeeping was getting out of control. With the help of a friend, Theresa Her wynen, now a pastor, they started inventorying the parts, then sales and statements, eventually computerizing every thing.

“There were many late hours!” Sonya said. She remem bers bringing her children to the store – Terry, Bryan, Jodi and Jayme.

Koep likes Ollie’s ‘LAID-BACK’ atmosphere

Pat Koep by Travis Gulbrandson tgulbrandson@echopress.com

Pat Koep has been at Ollie’s for three years now, working on four-wheelers, side-by-sides, lawnmowers and other machines.

“I had a friend who worked here and he kind of got me in here,” Koep said.

He started in the industry in 1987.

“I went to school in Alex for it,” he said. “It was just something I was interested in.”

Koep said he has always liked snowmobiles and four-wheelers, and he likes riding them be cause it gives him a chance “to get away from everything.”

He said his favorite part of working at Ollie’s is “making something work that doesn’t,” while the most difficult part is keeping up with the new technology.

“It keeps changing every day,” he said.

Aside from working on the machines, Koep said he likes his job because it’s easy-going.

“It’s laid-back, it’s not a lot of stress,” he said.

“They came with and if one needed a nap, we’d place them in a huge rag box for a crib,” Sonya said. “All of our kids have worked at the store and any one of them could run it, but it ended up being Jayme that wanted it for the long run.”

Their employee numbers have steadily grown.

“Our employees are very much part of our success,” Sonya said. “Now there are 13 of them and they often wear many hats. We are very proud of our employees.”

Besides providing jobs over the decades, the Andersons have made a big impact in something else – snowmobile safety.

In 1984, Sonya became a volunteer snowmobile instructor and she’s still volunteering and has helped 3,287 students. She’s also been an ATV safety instructor with 625 students.

Q. What does the future hold for Ollie’s Service, Inc. –where will it be 10 years from now?

Jayme Anderson holds the reins for the next 10 years, the Andersons noted.

Service –

Deserve It!

Congratulations Ollie’s Service!

The Business & Industrial Appreciation Day award is an honor you richly deserve. Thank you for growing your business and contributing to our local economy. This award shines a light on one of many businesses that make living in lake country so amazing. It’s better here.