Sauk Rapids Herald - October 22, 2022

County board approves forestry agreement

Park timber to be removed

BY TIM HENNAGIR STAFF WRITER

Windbreak timber in Benton County’s Bend in the River Regional Park will be removed by a commercial logger.

Benton County commissioners approved a forest management agreement for the work during their Oct. 18 meeting.

Pierz resident Bob Perleberg, of Forestry First LLC, will help the county nd a logger to complete the timber removal.

County administrator Montgomery Headley explained the proposal in an agenda item request to commissioners.

Perleberg will determine and mark which trees to remove. During removal, he will monitor the timber removed and calculate the amount owed to the county.

The board and the park commission met with Perleberg at Bend in the River Regional Park earlier this year to consider his proposal.

PHOTO BY TIM HENNAGIR Sauk Rapids firefighter Brian Otremba keeps the pumpkin handout table wellstocked during the department’s Oct. 15 open house. Each year, the Sauk Rapids Fire Department gives away pumpkins to children as part of the event.

Fire department open house

features safety, food, fun

Free pumpkins big hit at annual Sauk Rapids city event

BY TIM HENNAGIR | STAFF WRITER

Anew ladder truck and plenty of free popcorn and pumpkins were big draws during a chilly but well-attended Sauk Rapids Fire Department open house Oct. 15.

The Sauk Rapids Lions Club served burgers, hot dogs, and donuts during the four-hour event at the Sauk Rapids Fire Station, 408 N. Benton Drive. Each October, the

department hosts its annual open house during Fire Prevention Week. Kids get free pumpkins for Halloween, goodies and educational materials.

Achievement, open house a hit for Benton County 4-H

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Benton County 4-H youth – Anya Neu (front, from left), Emma Brenny, Liam Pederson, Madison Sweno and Natalee Montag; (second row, from left) Emmeline Hoheisel, Claudia Schlough, Evelyn Skaj, Ella Lamberg, Carly Hackett, Sophia Hackett, Kraig Rudolph, Raelyn Vannurden and Hudson Kleine; (Third row, from left) Jack Dahler, Jacqualynn Beauchamp, Henry Gramke, Katie Gramke, Morgan Molitor, Sophia Beauchamp, Elise Gramke, Austynn McKay, Holly Heinen and Maya Rahm; (back, from) Espen Groth, Zoe Spiczka, Kathrine Mersinger, Marissa Kuklok, Leighton Hackett, Emily Schreindl, Travis Boyle, Kayden Vannurden and Marizza

Lenz – receive champion plaques Oct. 2 during the open house and achievement night at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Popple Creek. The youth earned the plaques through their Benton County Fair projects.

• Gerald

Hinkemeyer

• Margaret

L.

Month

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER Tiffany Lowman, an employee at Thermo-Tech Premium Windows and Doors of Sauk Rapids, drives a fork lift at the facility in Sauk Rapids. The company produces on average between 750 to 900 windows or doors each day.

Many hands on deck at Thermo-Tech

Employees at Sauk Rapids company make windows, doors for homes across nation

BY NATASHA BARBER | STAFF WRITER

Two-hundred thousand square feet. Over 200 employees.

And yet, not a single person goes unacknowledged when Nick Symalla walks through the facility at Thermo-Tech Premium Windows and Doors in Sauk Rapids.

“You have to,” Symalla said of greeting his people during a tour of the facility Oct. 18. “It’s important, and Jack feels the same way.”

Symalla is the director of sales at the company. He shares his leadership with Jack Harren, director of operations. The two feel it is important to relate to their employees and lend a hand in the work when needed.

“We come out and load trucks,” Symalla said. “When we get behind and it’s 90 degrees, we go get stuff and bring it out and work with them. And then we work late at night to get our work done. It’s the right thing to do, and I believe that’s part of our success.”

Thermo-Tech Premium Windows and Doors –located at 1120 38th Ave. NE, Sauk Rapids – has history that dates back to the 1950s. The company, which got its start with the Ferkinhoff family as part of East Side

Glass of St. Cloud, opened as Thermo-Tech in 1993.

“The Ferkinhoff brothers thought they could build a better vinyl window than the industry was offering at the time,” Symalla said. “They started in a 5,000-square-foot facility.”

Through ve expansions – the latest in 2018 –and a change in ownership, Thermo-Tech remains a thriving manufacturing business in Benton County. The company produces new construction and replacement windows and patio doors, producing on average between 750 to 900 pieces a day. They sell their products to distributors in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

At Thermo-Tech’s facility, raw materials from two production lines meet in the middle to become windows and patio doors for future homes.

On one end of the plant, panes of glass are dropped onto an air-cushioned table where they are cut and processed for the next day’s order. Some panes remain clear while others are coated with a low-emissivity coating, which blocks or slows transmission of ultraviolet rays. One clear pane and one Low-E pane of glass are assembled with a U-shaped spacer in between. Then, argon gas – an insulating component – is pumped between the glass before it is sealed.

On the other end of the facility, employees prepare the window casing, sash and screens. Vinyl comes into the building, and it is machined to the correct length for each order. A four-point fusion welder uses extreme heat to merge the vinyl pieces together before the casing and sash are clamped, cooled and the excess corner material removed.

Technology at Thermo-Tech has not overtaken the hard-labor facility, and many employees are found moving, assembling and paying attention to small details of the work like a well-oiled machine.

“There are other manufacturing companies that have many robots; we don’t have a lot of that,” Symalla said. “We have two robotic pieces of equipment. We have some Joseph saws at our machining centers that really sped our windows up.”

But despite the labor, workers are seen smiling, engaged and taking pride in their work. Symalla said positive workplace culture is key to facing the challenges of today’s labor and economic markets.

And, he hopes the employees feel the same.

“We need every person on that line to understand how important that window is to get to our customer; not just me,” Symalla said. … “They have to be a part of our team and our philosophies.”

Advertorial

Coil’s Flags and Flagpoles prepares for Veterans Day

With Veterans Day, Nov. 11, fast approaching, we are reminded of those veterans in our own community who fought for our country during different times in history.

Tim Coil, owner of Coil’s Flags and Flagpoles, is reminded of the freedom veterans fought for every time he unwraps and puts up the stars and stripes that make up the American flag.

After years of working under a variety of business owners, Coil and his wife, Karen, decided to jump at the chance to own their own business 12 years ago.

“I have always been a very patriotic person,” Coil said. “For us to buy this business, it’s just been awesome. Dealing with people is the best part; my heart is sold to every customer.”

Coil has devoted time toward repairing, installing, servicing and selling different versions of the American flag, flag poles and other military and first responder apparel.

“I’ve been around town a lot, been very active in a lot of things,” Coil said. “People know who I am; I know who the family is, which is a good trait to have. I’ve stood up for myself and always treated people with a lot of respect. It pays dividends.”

With one employee, help from his own sons and a grandson by his side, Coil is able to complete his jobs with ease.

“My 12-year-old grandson is deeper than I am with his love for the business, and he likes to go out with me to help with installation,” Coil said.

Coil’s connection with veterans leads back to his own family’s involvement in the U.S. military. His father, Vernon Coil, served in World War II. His father-in-law, Louis Dahlmeier, served in the Korean War. And his oldest brother, Terry Coil, is a Vietnam veteran.

“Without veterans, we would be another poor country,” Coil said. “We have so much here in the United States to live for, to enjoy when it could be just horrible. Without them, other countries could have taken us over.”

This Veterans Day, those who are in need of patriotic items, such as a flag to fly in their own yard or to give as a gift, can visit Coil’s Flags and Flagpoles at 2803 Clearwater Road, in St. Cloud. The store is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

On Coil’s Flags and Flagpoles owner Tim Coil’s truck tailgate is a decal of family veterans. Coil’s father, Vernon Coil, served in World War II; his father-in-law, Louis Dahlmeier, served in the Korean War; and his oldest brother, Terry Coil, is a Vietnam veteran.

PHOTOS BY MAURA WENNER

Tim Coil proudly displays his father’s U.S. Army uniform inside his store, Coil’s Flags and Flagpoles, in St. Cloud. His dad, Vernon Coil, served in WWII.

PHOTO BY R. TAMM PHOTOGRAPHY

Sauk Rapids-Rice boy and girls cross-country teams consists

Weber

left),

left)

left)

Martin.

The

Sauk girls cross-country teams consists front, rom

ena

Emma Tucker, Faith and from

Football

CONTEST RULES