35C Business April / May

Owatonna’s Uber Tanning continues growth I Waseca pilot helping missions in Third World

APRIL/MAY2009CCommerce along the I-35 Corridor35

A taste of MexicoJose Herrera has taken success of Plaza Morena to new heights in the region

35Confab: Gov. Tim Pawlenty talks about I-35 corridor business.

Business of golf: While rounds were flat in the region, clubs optimistic. 35C Business Magazine • P.O. Box 537 • Northfield, MN 55057

35C cover (April-May).indd 1 3/25/09 9:14:55 AM

35C page 2 (April/May).indd 1 3/25/09 9:15:58 AM

DECEMBER 2008/JANUARY 2009 35C 35Cbusiness.com 3

APRIL/MAY 2009 35C 35Cbusiness.com 3

6 The business of golf

Jose Herrera’s journey from Mexico a coup for Mexican food lovers in the region.

12 A new skins gameThe new owner of Uber Tanning Company is spreading the word about its products and success.

22 A pilot on a missionWaseca pilot/mechanic Maynard Stensrud volunteers to help Third World missions.

Cover story

With rounds played around the state declining, area golf clubs holding their own.

16

s

Volume 1, Issue 5Copyright © 35C 2009Published April/May 2009 by: I-35 Target Media, P.O. Box 537, Northfield, MN 55057 / 507-645-1136Send releases and story ideas to: Jerry Smith at 35C Business Magazine, [email protected]

Publisher: Sam GettSales Director: Julie Frazier Associate Editor: Jerry Smith Account Executive: Machelle KendrickGraphic Designer: Catherine Roberts

Contributing writer: Forrest Izuno (Southern Research Outreach Center)

Cover PhotoJose Herrera has taken the recipes he learned in Mexico and turned them into dishes he serves at four restau-rants he owns or co-owns in the region. (Photo by Thom Caya)

About Us

Departments4 35Commentary5 35Confab11 35Catalyst 20 35Commendation21 35Culinary26-27 35Chamber28 35Construction29 35Commercial Directory30 35Charitable

31 A fun solution35Caricature: Northfield attorney James Schlichting wets a line to escape pressures of job.

Contents35

35C page 3 (April/May).indd 1 3/26/09 1:34:53 PM

4 APRIL/MAY 2009 35C 35Cbusiness.com

Biomass for renewable energy, bio-business, bio-economy, bio-tech,

local grown, healthy foods, pharming, farmaceuticals — some of the buzzwords and topics du jour as we try to cope with high energy prices, rising costs of health-care, shifts in global markets and produc-tion strategies, sagging rural economies and rising consumer awareness.

We all feel so enlightened that we sometimes forget that “local grown” corn ethanol was the rage in the prohibition era, that pharmaceutical giants had their own agricultural divisions in the 60s and 70s to cultivate plants such as periwinkle for use in cancer-fighting medicines, that people in many countries have never aban-doned herbal medicines and that children in Southeast Asian villages can still be seen chasing water buffalo with pans to recycle solid manure for cooking fires.

We have made great scientific, attitu-dinal and infrastructural strides in these areas. Yet, I find it interesting how close our present day conceptual solutions are to practices that have existed for centuries around the world, albeit on much more sophisticated levels today.

I am a proponent of plant-based solu-tions. However, I would strongly suggest that we ensure two things as we move forward: good science and the right land-use balance. We have seen health claims

about everything from food supplements to whole foods. Do we have the science to back up the claims?

We can make energy out of virtually any-thing. Is it truly renewable, carbon friendly or practical? Have we been attentive to the fact that a bio-economy, in many current cases, requires land and the production of intentionally grown materials?

Do we fully understand that to achieve our goals, we must find a sustainable land use balance for food production, human health crops, growing biomass for energy and maintaining a healthy environment? The big question is: How do we achieve all of the additional benefits from our fixed supply of land without jeopardizing our single-most important global advantage, i.e. the ability to grow a wide variety of foods in amounts great enough to feed ourselves as a nation?

We need to remember that any bio-solu-tion must address tangible and intangible

values, be doable and practical, not create major imbalances in land use, be scientifi-cally substantiated and result in economic benefits over a wide geographic area.

Relative to southern Minnesota, there are tremendous opportunities for us in this new bio-economy. But, we must be patient and not get caught up in implementing technologies that will not be truly sustain-able. We must strive to be better stewards of the land since the land now has more value. We cannot jump at new opportuni-ties without first ensuring that the underly-ing science is sufficient and that land use and product balances are maintained.

As entrepreneurs, we must not myopi-cally lock into founding the next multi-bil-lion dollar company. Instead, we should remember that a larger number of smaller companies, spread out over a larger area, will in fact bring more value to more people and to the rural landscape.

Finally, we cannot forget that a bio-economy is not just about making money; it is a strongly emotional issue with poten-tially huge implications with respect to a sustainable human race.

— Forrest T. Izuno is Professor and Head of the University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca. He can be reached at (507) 461-0320 or by email at [email protected]

Commentary35Weighing the pros and cons of bio energy

GuestColumnistForrest Izuno

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?5 Takeaways from

Gov. Tim Pawlenty

As Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty travels the state with the message

of living within our means in these hard economic times, there is one topic he makes no qualms about.

“It’s too expensive to do business in this state,” Gov. Pawlenty said in re-cent visits to Faribault, Owatonna and Dundas. “You cannot be pro-job and anti-business. We need to be a pro-job state.”

In each of his three recent commu-nity discussions along the I-35 corridor, Pawlenty said that “our corporate or business tax rate (9.8 percent) in Minne-sota is the third highest in the world.”

“If Minnesota was a country by itself, if you combine the federal and state tax burdens in Minnesota, we’re the third highest in the world,” Pawlenty said. ”That is not competitive. For too many business sectors, it’s too expensive to start a business.”

Pawlenty believes his answer to this crisis is simple. He’s proposed a plan that over six years would reduce Minnesota’s business tax rate from the 9.8 percent it is today to 4.8 percent.

“It would be done incrementally,” Pawlenty said. “Minnesota would then go from being third worst to one of the better states in the country.”

While Pawlenty discussed business on the state level, and even the local level, he did not address trends on a regional level during his stops.

In a 35C interview, Pawlenty touched on business along the I-35 corridor:

Q: How can the state of Minne-sota assist in helping regional busi-nesses prosper?

A: We have a whole series of programs in Minnesota that have worked, but we need to do more, including overall mak-ing this a better business and job climate by reducing the burdens on our busi-nesses and job providers. We also have

some targeted things we can do. For example, Sage (Electrochromics in Farib-ault) has used the Job Seek Program, which has been very successful. That’s basically a tax-free opportunity for them to invest in Minnesota and not be taxed. The issue that they raised this morning (frozen funding) is really a federal one, so we can start by seeing if we can get the federal people to change the law.

Q: Do the state’s discussions and analyses of its business environ-ment ever drill down to the region-al level?

A: Absolutely. If we don’t have a geographically balanced state in terms of where investments are made and where businesses grow, it begins to be an unfair or unbalanced state. With the programs that we are offering, many of them require that the investments and incentives be spread across the whole state.

Q: How does the I-35 corridor (from Lakeville to Albert Lea) fit into the state’s business future?

A: Well, that’s a major transportation artery for the whole state and really the upper Midwest, so it’s an important mover of goods and people and some-thing we want to maintain and hopefully enhance in the future.

Q: How important are regional partnerships, such as those along the I-35 corridor, to the state’s business future?

A: We see a correlation between economic development and prices where there is a modern infrastructure. So having an efficient, modern piece of infrastructure usually is a magnet or an invitation for businesses to come and stay and grow. That’s a critical part of the I-35 corridor and its attraction.

1. “Our corporate business tax rate in Minnesota is the third worst in the world.”

2. “It’s too expensive to do business in this state. So I’ve launched a whole series of proposals to make Minnesota a more job competitive, business friendly state.”

5. “I think the only way we’re going to get any sort of real discipline out there is to pass an amendment to require a balanced budget.”

4. “The federal government is broke. But they’re going to send us billions of dollars. They are printing money in the basement and sending us money they do not have.”

3. “You’d have to massively raise taxes in order to just make a dent in Minnesota’s budget deficit.”

Confab35 A chat with Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty

“We need to get back to some basic things in this state.


Despite rounds played being down statewide, the region’s golf clubs are hanging tough during the economic slowdown

The Business of GolfThe BusinessBy JERRY SMITH

Photos by THOM CAYA

Depending on whom you talk to in the region, golf is either holding its

own in the slow economy or is in danger of becoming the next casualty.

On one hand, you have the private and semi-private clubs that are flat or expe-riencing modest growth. On the other hand, daily or public courses are feeling the effects of the worst economy since World War II.

“Minnesotans are probably going to continue to play golf, but the big question is how much,” said Curtis Jorgenson, the director of golf at Legacy Golf in Faribault. “It’s about the recreation dollar. People are choosing to do more family oriented things, which will affect the rounds of golf played here and at most public courses.”

That trend began in 2008 as public courses across the state saw a 2 percent drop in rounds played from the year before, according to the Minnesota Golf Association.

So as courses along the I-35 corridor open or prepare to open, golf faces major challenges in 2009.

For Legacy Golf, the biggest challenge will be attracting leisure golfers in the region who aren’t members at area golf clubs and who might not have the same golf budget as they once had.

“I can’t say we were down a lot last sea-son, but we were definitely flat,” Jorgen-son said. “I don’t see things getting much better in 2009 unless the economy makes a quick recovery.

“All we can do is give our customers the best product we can on a daily basis and try to entice them to play. We’ll offer good deals to get them down here and hopefully they’ll like what we offer and keep coming back.” >>>



Superintendent Phil Jones mows a putting green in preparation of the early March opening at Legacy Golf in Faribault.

Semi-private and private clubs are holding own

The Owatonna Country Club has enjoyed a six-year honeymoon of sorts as it has seen growth in all areas of operation, including membership, since major renovations to the course and clubhouse took place in 2002.

The honeymoon is all but over now as the club is feeling the effects of the economic slowdown, albeit not like public courses in the city and region.

According to general manager Bob Howell, mem-bership at the Owatonna Country Club was “way down” in 2002 when a decision was made to give the course and the club-house major facelifts. By all accounts, it was the right decision.

“We were starting from scratch,” Howell said of the major renovation. “Each year since then, we have enjoyed growth in our membership. We have a cap of 350 members and we hit 340 toward the end of sum-

mer last year.”Then the economy went

into the drink.Howell says this is the

first year the club has hit the national average of club resignations, which is annu-ally 7 percent. Up until this winter, that attrition number hovered around 4 percent to 5 percent.

“We had a heavier than normal resignation this winter and people cited the economy,” Howell said. “I think things have settled down now. We always believed this would be the year attrition would reach 7 percent.”

Now the challenge for Howell and the Owatonna Country Club in 2009 will be retention.

“We want to give our members reasons not to leave,” Howell said. “We’d hoped in 2009 we would reach our cap. That vision has changed a bit. We’re now focused on a 2-3 year plan to get back to full membership.”

The Northfield Golf Club has experienced the same

highs and lows as those seen at the Owatonna club. Attri-tion has decreased the num-ber of members, and rounds played in 2008 were down 1,500-2,000, according to Mike Luckraft, director of golf and general manager at NGC.

But the club saw the writ-ing on the wall early enough to make a difference. The decision to waive the club’s $2,500 initiation fee helped attract enough new mem-bers to offset the number of resignations.

“We lean more toward the private club and the prospective members were looking at the cost of a membership and the initiation fee as being too much in these tough times,” Luckraft said. “We made the decision to eliminate the initiation fee and that led to a big injection of members.”

While 35 members were lost to attrition during the winter, 45 new member-ships were sold, giving the club a net gain of 10 mem-bers. >>>

Outings, weddings, food & beverage handicapped by slowdown

The actual golf part of the golf industry at semi-private and private golf clubs isn’t the only aspect feeling the pinch because of the economy.

While the number of rounds at many of the courses in the region are flat or down, so are the number of players par-ticipating in outings.

“I think more compa-nies are taking a look at how they spend their money now,” said Bob Howell, general man-ager of the Owatonna Country Club. “As a result, we are seeing lower numbers.

“We’ve signed every-one from the year before and will see 80-100 participants where in years past that number has been 120-144.”

The food and bever-age part of nearly every club has seen a decrease in revenues as well.

“People still have to have weddings, but now they might spend a dollar or two less,” said Jeff Richards, general manager of the Waseca Lakeside Club. “They will make thrifty choices.”


>>> “That doesn’t sound like a lot, but we feel for-tunate to have gained any members,” Luckraft said. “We’re very optimistic for 2009. As we continue to do things to improve our prod-uct, more people will want to belong.”

The exceptionAs other private and semi-

private clubs weather the economic storm, Waseca’s Lakeside Club has been the true success story in the region.

“We’re coming off a record operational year,” said Jeff Richards, who has been the director of golf and general manager for 16 years. “We’re membership driven and so far we have seen nothing but growth. We’re fortunate, we’ve been in the black my entire time here.”

Richards says he isn’t naïve enough to think that the growth in Waseca will continue. He’s cautiously optimistic for 2009.

“It will be interesting to see how the economy af-

fects us in 2009,” Richards said.

Richard’s plan is to offer great products at reasonable prices. It’s a strategy that hasn’t changed much in his tenure.

“A mistake you can make is to give your product away, even in times like these,” Richards said. “If you don’t have revenues, you can’t maintain your golf course.”

Richards has had enough experience in the golf busi-ness to know that there will be ups and downs. When it comes to matters of eco-nomics as it pertains to golf, he is philosophical.

“Golf was here before the Great Depression and it’s still around,” he said. “Golf tends to stick around and weather the storm no mat-ter how bad it gets.”

“Greens meetings”One aspect of golf that

has never waivered is networking on the course. Doing business on the golf course is as prevalent as ever. >>>


ABOVE: Super-intendent Phil Jones mows, as assistant ground-skeeper Chad Carrigan inplants cups at Legacy Golf in Faribault.

LEFT: Superinten-dent Seth Lan-gager prepares machines for the upcoming season at the Waseca Lakeside Club.

“We’re coming off a record operational year ... we have seen nothing but growth.— Jeff Richards, Director of Golf and General Manager of Waseca Lakeside Club

35C page 8 (April-May).indd 1 3/25/09 1:31:03 PM


Assistant Golf Professional Brady Arnold puts out new woods in the Owatonna Country Club pro shop in preparation for the golf course opening.

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>>> Richards believes there is no better place to network and do business than on a golf course.

“There is a huge amount of business being done out here,” he said. “Social net-working is not dead. What better place is there to net-work than on a golf course.”

Bernie Gaytko couldn’t agree more. The president of First National Bank in Waseca believes in doing business on the golf course so much, he encourages all of his officers to be members at the Waseca Lakeside Club.

“It’s very important for our officers to be out there often to make those connections,”

he said. “It’s a big part of the fiber of the community, the relationships that transpire at the clubs.”

For Mike Milstead of Ag Power in Owatonna, it goes beyond that. He believes rela-tionships can be forged on the golf course and for three years he has been doing his best to make that happen at the Owatonna Country Club.

“Anytime you can talk to someone for four hours, that gives you a lot of time to talk about business,” said Milstead, a partner in the John Deere dealership in Owatonna. “It’s a fun way to conduct business. We take advantage anytime we can.” r

I-35 corridor golf courses

Semi-private/private

Faribault Golf Club • 507-334-5559

Northfield Golf Club • 507-645-4026

Owatonna Country Club • 507-451-6120

Kenyon Country Club • 507-789-6307

Public

Willinger’s Golf Club(Northfield) • 952-652-2500

Legacy Golf (Faribault) • 507-332-7177

Brooktree Golf Course (Owatonna) • 507-444-2467

Hidden Creek Golf Club (Owatonna) • 507-444-9229

Havana Hills Golf Club(Owatonna) • 507-451-2577

Shoreland Country Club (St. Peter) • 507-931-4400


Phil and Chris Vorwerk don’t ever want to apolo-

gize for the work they do.That’s why the owners of

United Commercial Upholstery in Nicollet say they use only the best materials to build their highly successful “Suite Seats” custom replacement seats for golf cars.

UCU took its design cues for its Suite Seats from the marine industry. In that industry, stud-ies showed that the first thing a potential customer looking at a boat or a pontoon would test were its seats.

The Vorwerks knew that any seat they designed for golf cars would have to be stylish, well built and be able to withstand the elements.

Chris said the work they’ve been doing in the marine in-dustry has paid dividends.

“We were already doing work for several boat manufac-turers so we had the knowl-edge of what it takes to design

and build a sharp looking seat that would stand up against the elements,” Chris said. “A lot of people compare Suite Seats to the kind of seats you see on bass boats.”

Since production began in 2003 on the Suite Seats line, the Vorwerks have seen great success and incredible growth.

Golf clubs such as The Mead-ows at Mystic Lake and the Medina Golf and Country Club have gone with Suite Seats.

“Our members deserve the best and Suite Seats are the best seats I have ever experi-enced,” said Jeff Drimel, direc-tor of golf at Medina Golf and Country Club. “Their comfort, looks and functionality are unmatched.”

The company offers eight standard colors, which allows for 64 different color combi-nations within the standard pricing scheme. UCU also does custom colors, as well as custom fabrics.

UCU also offers custom embroidery, which can be as

specific as a corporate logo or a more general look such as a cart owner’s initials, all of which have been successful.

“I didn’t think the golf car seats would take off like they did,” said Chris, who designed the Suite Seat lines. “It’s just not an appearance thing. Our seats are comfortable and built to withstand harsh elements.”

On the business side, Phil believes the company has seen success by being competitive with other manufacturers. He says UCU has kept its overhead down by manufacturing the Suite Seat line in Nicollet and using the same materials used in its marine seats.

“Because of our marine cus-tomers we are purchasing large amounts of raw materials used in the manufacture of our Suite Seats and this leveraging of our cost of goods is what makes Suite Seats affordable,” he said.

For the Vorwerks and UCU, a decision to stay at a certain price point and not lose any quality has paid off as the com-pany has continued to grow.

“We’re not going to try to out cheap anybody,” Phil said. “A business thrives on quality, affordability and talent and we have all of that.” r

• For more information, call United Commercial Upholstery at 507-232-4224.


35C photo by Thom Caya

Phil and Chris Vorwerk have cashed in on the comfort, quality and good looks of their “Suite Seat” golf car seats.

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4.

FAITHFUL TO OWATONNA

Jim Herzog draws his energy from his wife Joan, his family and the thousands of children he has gotten to know during his three decades plus as a teacher and school administrator.

Retired now, Herzog’s lifestyle hasn’t changed much as he is still involved with the Owatonna school system,

the Owatonna Hospital-Mayo Clinic partnership, the Civil Service Commis-sion and other community organizations.

On top of that, he is an adjunct faculty member in the area of training principals at St. Thomas University.

“I’m of the belief that you need to feel fortunate that people continue to keep asking you to con-tribute to the community, even after you retire,” Herzog said. “I think we have some responsibility to continue to work for our community if we can.”

2.

FARIBAULTADVOCATE

Kathleen Jansen believes it takes a lot of people to make a com-munity successful.

For 24 years, she’s played a key role in keeping Faribault, and especially its schools, strong and vibrant.

Now that Jansen’s two children (Cole and Ellen) have gone through the school sys-tem in Faribault, she’s turned her attention to other causes.

One is the First United Bank all-female women’s advisory board. The board helps bring community issues and concerns to the bank by hosting meet-ings and special events.

“We get good feed-back from the com-munity on this effort,” she said.

Jansen feels humbled that she can support these organizations.

“I feel fortunate to be a part of this commu-nity,” she said.

1.

DEDICATED TO ST. PETER

After a tornado ripped through St. Peter in the summer of 1998, Super-intendent of Schools Gil Carlson was faced with one of the biggest chal-lenges of his career.

With school damages in excess of $10 million,

he was asked, and met, his deadline to get students back in the classroom.

“They needed normal-ity,” said Carlson, who is now retired but still serves on many boards and vol-unteers in St. Peter.

That’s one example of Carlson’s dedication to the city he’s been a part of since 1978.

What he’s most proud of are his efforts and the efforts of others who helped turn 80 acres of school property into af-fordable housing. The deal was not only lucrative for the city and school district, it opened up a whole new avenue for different hous-ing options in St. Peter.

5.

WASECA’S KEEPER OF LAKES

Waseca is often referred to as the “city between two lakes.”

As president of the Waseca Lakes Association, it is Duane Rathmann’s job to improve and main-tain water quality of Clear and Loon Lakes in the city.

One of the big-gest projects Rathmann has been involved with since the

association was formed in 2001 is the Gaiter Lake project. When finished, it will re-route storm water being emptied into Clear Lake through a series of wetlands, thus making it cleaner.

“I enjoy doing this,” said Rathmann, who is an avid runner and has a home on Clear Lake. “It’s been educational and we learn a lot of what’s behind what we see.”

Rathmann and the asso-ciation are also involved in many community events that take place on or around the city’s lakes.

3.

NORTHFIELDHOCKEY FAN

Hockey is alive and well in Northfield thanks to Mike Stowe, the North-field Hockey Association and a cast of hundreds of volunteers.

That has never been so evident than in recent months as the Northfield

Ice Arena underwent a major facelift. Organizing that effort was Mike Stowe

and Pete Jirik, who each had large roles in getting the inside of the arena painted, among other things.

“This has been one of the most successful seasons from a customer standpoint for our arena,” said Stowe, who also vol-unteers as the association’s tournament director. “This year was one of the largest volunteer efforts both for the ice arena and in improving the outdoor arena.”

As a hockey parent, Stowe says he appreciates those who helped.

Catalyst35Five who are making things happen

along the I-35 business corridor

Kathleen Jansen Marie McCarthy



Jared Rinerson has helped Uber Tanning Company grow each year since taking over in 2006

In German, Ubermensch means “the man” or “superman.” Since Jared Rinerson arrived at Owa-tonna’s Uber Tanning Company four years ago, he’s been just that, helping grow sales about 80 percent.

Ubermensch..

By JERRY SMITHPhotos by THOM CAYA

If Jared Rinerson had a theme song, it would have to be Willie

Nelson’s “On the Road Again.”

From his Ham Lake home to his business in Owa-tonna to as many hunting shows as he can fit into his busy schedule each year,

the owner of Uber Tanning Company puts thousands of miles on his truck each month.

But that’s OK with Ri-nerson, who is the proud owner of the only custom tanning company remain-ing in the United States. He says his mission is to let people know the 104-year-old company is alive and doing well.

“For me, it’s a matter of getting the word out about Uber Tanning Company,” said Rinerson, who bought the company from the Uber family in 2006. “Even folks here in Owatonna don’t know we exist. At the Owatonna Deer & Turkey Expo, a third of the people I talked to from here hadn’t even heard of us.” >>>



>>> Rinerson wants to change that as he is not only spreading the word about Uber Tanning Company’s quality products, but also about the company’s suc-cess. In 2008, Uber grew 56 percent, and according to Rinerson, sales on both the wholesale side of the business and the tannery are already up 40 percent this year.

“We’re growing because in part we are the only one in the country doing this, but also because we have quality products,” Rinerson said. “I can feel it snowball-ing.”

Rinerson recently returned from the Salt Lake Interna-tional Sportsmen’s Exposi-tion, an outdoor show he believes will gain Uber new business.

“I bet I will get a 1,000 percent return by the end of the year on all of the shows I’ve attended,” he said. “Hunters are a crowd you know or don’t know. I’ve been a hunter my whole life and I know how to market to that group.”

New to the businessFour years ago, Rinerson

was working as a computer systems analyst and felt his job was taking him nowhere.

Knowing he always want-ed to run his own business, Rinerson decided to start looking for opportunities to purchase a company he could call his own. He really hadn’t given much thought to what kind of business he wanted and spent the better part of a year searching as brokers continued to contact him.

“Once I got my name out there, brokers started to call,” Rinerson said. “We got a call about Uber Tan-ning and we took about six months to make the deci-sion. One day my wife and I said it felt right and we made an offer.”

The rest is history.Rinerson was fortunate

that Lanny Uber was willing not only to sell him the busi-ness, but also to help him learn about a trade he had very little knowledge about.

“Lanny comes in two to three times a week and helps out around here,”

Rinerson said. “I couldn’t ask for a better situation. He has been so helpful.”

Providing even more insight into the business is general manager Chris Proft, a seventh generation Uber and Lanny’s nephew. He runs the daily wholesale and tannery operations and is a key reason Rinerson feels comfortable hitting the road to drum up more business.

“We’re very fortunate to have Chris because I didn’t know anything about the business,” Rinerson said. “Making leather isn’t an easy thing to do and he makes it look effortless. He knows his stuff.”

Since Rinerson’s arrival, Proft has seen an increase in business.

“Jared has expanded our market by talking to more hunters and attending more shows,” said the 30-year-old Proft, who has been GM for two years and has worked for the company on and off since he was 15. “The big-gest thing he has done is to get the word out about the company. It’s fantastic how we’ve grown.” >>>

Uber Tanning Company

What: A 104-year-old custom tannery that makes mittens, gloves, clothing, garments and accessories from deer and elk hides and sells them to retailers across the region, state and country.Owner: Jared RinersonWhere: 308 Adams Ave., OwatonnaPhone: 507-451-1990Web site: www.uberleather.com

Buying Uber products

Uber Tanning Com-pany products can be found at the Uber Leather Store at 308 Adams Ave. in Owa-tonna and on Uber’s online catalog at www.uberleather.com. Other regional distributors include:

• Faribault Woolen Mills (Faribault)• Charlie’s Hardware (Waseca)• Scheels Sporting Goods (Mankato and Twin Cities locations)• C & S Supply (Mankato)

Mittens, gloves and a number of other garments are cut from deer and elk hides by using specialty dies. A hydraulic punch puts pressure on the die, which in turn cuts the pieces.


One of a kindUber Tanning Company

has specialized in the custom tanning of deer, elk, moose and cowhides into soft, pliable glove and garment leather for more than a century. When three other custom tanner-ies around the United States recently went out of busi-ness, Uber became the last company that processes hides brought in by customers.

“The custom tanning is 60 percent of our business,” Rinerson said. “We are now the only place in the country where you can bring a deer hide in and we’ll clean it and tan it for you.”

Even as the economy contin-ues to slow, the tannery seems to remain steady in its growth. According to Rinerson, people are still bringing in their hides to be processed.

“One guy wanted us to make a gun case out of a giraffe he bagged,” Rinerson said. “We’ve also processed Cape Buffalo from Africa and

other wild game.”

History on his sideFor more than 104 years,

Uber Tanning Company has been making garments, acces-sories and durable work gloves created from premium leather produced at its tannery in Owatonna.

While mittens are the big-gest part of the wholesale business, there is still a call for leather clothing, jackets, bags and accessories.

To make these garments and accessories, Uber Tanning Company needs a lot of deer and elk hides. That’s where Rinerson comes in. He’s able to

purchase skins in large quanti-ties, which means lower prices.

“We buy our hides from pro-cessors and hide brokers re-gionally,” said Rinerson, whose company is running 600 hides a week through the tannery, as compared to the 400 a week they were doing. “We recently purchased 15,000 deer hides and 2,000 elk hides to be used on the wholesale side. I bought a lot of hides this year because I knew we’d have a big fall.”

Rinerson says he buys only quality hides, which trans-lates into quality gloves and garments. He believes people who want high quality prod-ucts will continue to buy from Uber.

“In times like these, people pay much more attention to what they are spending their money on,” he said. “They want quality and value. People aren’t buying disposable gloves and mittens. They are buying the quality products we provide.” >>>


Randy Camerer has more than 20 years experience in the tanning industry. Here he hand fleshes a deer hide. Fleshing removes the fat and membrane.

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The future looks brightAfter nearly four years,

Rinerson still can’t believe the entire process of creating qual-ity leather products is all done in-house. He’s proud of that fact each and every day.

“It just strikes me that we have raw hides coming in the front door and mittens and gloves and bags and garments going out the back,” Rinerson said of the products that are shipped to retailers, some of which are halfway around the globe. “We clean up the hides in the tannery and then we make what our Japanese cus-tomers say is the best leather in the world.”

Proft agrees.“We’ve always had a really

fantastic product, but to see us go international blows me away,” he said. “To know somebody over in Japan is wearing our products is really cool.”

As Rinerson gets the word out to even more hunters at outdoor shows, he believes Uber Tanning Company will grow even more, despite the economy. He’s banking on it.

“We get most of our busi-ness from hunting shows,” said Rinerson, who has pre-sented Uber products in Forth Worth, Texas, Reno, Nev.; Bir-mingham, Ala., and closer to home in cities like Des Moines and Duluth. “Everybody wants to work with us. I think the next couple of years are going to be really good.” r


Uber Tanning Company General Manager Chris Proft scrapes a hide to stretch it at the sewing factory.

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Tanning 101• Hides are received during deer season each year. Custom hides are individually marked and recorded by customer name, address, etc.• The hides are then separated by color and salt packed to start the curing process.• Once in the beamhouse, the hides are washed and run through a fleshing machine. This machine uses a high speed roller knife to peel away all re-maining meat and membrane.• Next, the hair is removed using an unhairing solution and soaking process. This not only removes the hair, but also the hair cup or root, leaving the smooth grain leather.• To reduce the swelling in the hide from the unhairing pro-cess, the hides are moved on to the bating and pickling process. Here, the hide is prepped for the tanyard.• In the tanyard, chromium salts are introduced to replace

the biodegradable protein in the hide. By this process, the hide is preserved indefinitely.• The hides are then stored or sent on to finishing. They are wrung to remove excess water using a Stehling Feed Thru hydraulic wringer.• Next, the hides are set out to soften, smooth and loosen fibers in the hide with a Baker-Layton Setting Machine.• Then, the hides are split for thickness to an even, suitable glove and garment thickness. The hides proceed directly to finishing, where they are dyed the desired shade and fat-liquored with finishing oils to keep the leather soft and supple.• Finally, the hides are taken to the drying room for toggle dry-ing, and a talc tumble milling to luster and finish them. For those having articles made, it’s on to the Glove Shop and the cutting department.



Interstate appealJose Herrera brings a taste of Mexico to the region with four corridor restaurants

Serving his countryBy JERRY SMITH

Photos by THOM CAYA

Jose Herrera’s long journey from Mexico to Owatonna landed him

in many places, where he worked in just as many jobs.

But no matter how many times he strayed, Herrera was always drawn back to the food industry. It’s where he gained a strong work ethic, learned how to run a restaurant, and more importantly, where he became an extraordinary cook.

From washing dishes and busing tables in Jesus Maria, Jalisco, Mexico, at the age of 10 to owning his own restaurants in the region, Herrera knew from that early age that he was

meant to cook in his own restaurant.“I started working in the restaurant

business in Mexico when I was a young kid, but I was too little to cook so I was just a helper,” said Herrera, who is sole owner of Mexican restau-rants in Owatonna and Albert Lea, and is a partner in two other restau-rants in Faribault and Waseca. “At age 11, I was already cooking and it was something I was good at and enjoyed very much.”

A few years later, with the intimate knowledge of how to cook authentic Mexican cuisine, Herrera embarked on his dream of one day owning his own restaurant.

In 1985, Herrera came to the Unit-ed States and landed in the straw-

berry fields of California where he worked hard for very little. It was the first stop on his 16-year trek across the country to his eventual home in Owatonna.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life and have been many places,” said Herrera, who opened his first res-taurant in Detroit in 2001. “I moved to Minnesota in 2002 to open this restaurant. I wanted to get my family away from Detroit. It was bad there.”

So Herrera got in the car with a friend and they drove around the Midwest looking for a place that felt like home. Three months after that foray into Iowa, Illinois and Minneso-ta, Herrera got the call from a Realtor in Owatonna saying a building >>>

Jose Herrera (right) serves customers at the bar of the Plaza Morena Mexican Restaurant in Owatonna.



Jose Herrera’s restaurants

Plaza Morena Mexican Restaurant 369 18th StreetOwatonna507-446-0844www.plazamorena.com

Plaza Morena Mexican Restaurant Northridge Mall2588 Northridge Ave.Albert Lea507-379-9195

Gran Plaza Mexican Grill520 Central AvenueFaribault507-333-1344

El Molino Mexican Restaurant214 State St., NorthWaseca507-835-4223

Jose Herrera not only owns four restaurants along the I-35 corridor, he can often be found cooking one of the many dishes he has created from recipes he learned in Mexico.

>>> was available. Herrera jumped at the op-

portunity and the rest is his-tory. Plaza Morena on 18th Street SE in Owatonna was Herrera’s flagship restaurant. Three others would follow.

In a 35C interview, Jose Herrera talks about his roots, his love of cooking and how he has taken the success of one restaurant and expanded that to include three others.

Q: What is the advan-

tage of having mul-tiple restaurants in the region?

A: We’re proud to have four successful restaurants in this area. The advantage from a purchasing side is that big companies sell products to us and we can get better deals because it’s for all four. They have to think about it. If they lose one, they lose four.

Also, insurance is cheaper (with four restaurants) and advertising is the same.

The most important advantage is that our food is “Mexican Creative,” instead of authentic because I make all of the recipes. Not all of the dishes are the “real thing.” Some dishes are real authentic dishes, but some are not, so we call our food “Mexican Creative.”

Some are created from dishes in the U.S. and from Italian restaurants. It’s a bit of a mix. That’s the thing that the American people like. I experimented a lot and most of the dishes are my creations. This makes us unique as all four of the restaurants use many of the same recipes.

Q: Where do you get your work force?

A: Most of the cooks are Mexican. I have one from Guatemala. The servers are mostly Mexican, but it doesn’t matter. We have

Americans working for us, too. I’m not too concerned that all of the workers are Mexican. My main concern is that they are good and the service we offer is good.

Q: Do you have plans to expand?

A: Yes I do. I have to pre-pare myself more and find people to help me. I tried to go too fast in the begin-ning and it didn’t work out. I had to close a restaurant in Savage (Minn.) because I never had good help. That is where I learned that I can’t go that fast. Now I’m trying to get more prepared and to make enough money to expand. That way we can grow. Another thing, I’m trying to create a system so maybe we can franchise. That’s a little ways off, but I hope it can happen.

Q: Has the economic slowdown affected your

business?

A: Actually not. We went up for whatever reason. One of the reasons, I think, is be-cause we give a lot of food for the prices we charge. Our prices are fair, so I think that is helping us. We may not make the same money (profits) as the other com-panies, but we make more in quantity. Another reason, I think, is that people try to spend less and expect to get more for less. We can provide that, which is why we are successful. I think we were up about 5-10 per-cent over last year (2008 to 2007).

Q: What are your plans to keep your business growing?

We’re really working to keep the prices the same. Many of the products we use went up but we are trying to keep our >>>



Jose Herrera’s Plaza Morena Mexican Restaurant in Owatonna has a full-service bar, where customers can order a margarita or other specialty drinks.

>>> prices the same as long as we can. The only time we increase the prices is if I see we are falling short. If we get more business, that’s good. We make less of a percentage of profit, but we have more dollars because of the quan-tity.

Q: Who is your customer base?

A: Most of our customers are repeat customers. They love our food. We’re not like a restaurant on the highway where people stop just when they see it. I try to attract the local customers and make them happy so they keep coming back. I want to keep the same people coming back, but of course I like new cus-tomers, too.

Q: How important is ser-vice in your restaurants?

A: Very important. It’s a sys-tem we’ve put in place at all of our restaurants. We want you to feel welcome and we want to serve you the best we can. We try to listen to our custom-ers on just how much service they want and need. We know when to relax. Sometimes it bothers the customer to have service so quickly and so often. We keep an eye on those things. Not too much and not

too little. Service is one of the ingredients that makes us suc-cessful.

Q: What has made you most successful in your businesses?

A: I think it is the food and service, because we are not too different from the other restaurants, but we have our own line of food. We try to offer products the others can’t offer. We’re unique in many ways and I think that is why we are so successful. We have a lot of dishes that are the same, but we also have dishes that set us apart. We use some spices that no other Mexican restaurants are using. We try to be different and that’s our advantage. Our fajitas and chimichangas are different. They really don’t look that different, but they taste differ-ent because of the spices and ingredients we use.

I think we offer a lot of choices, too. You see some Mexican restaurants offering a smaller menu, but we want our customers to have many choices. We also offer some American food so families with children can choose Plaza Morena. I have kids and they always wanted to go to McDonald’s, so I offer some choices for kids, too. >>>


Q: Is it easy to be com-placent once you find suc-cess in this business?

A: We never want to be complacent. Now that people say we are the best we have to keep having the same good service and the same portions. You will always learn something different and hear something so you can never get too comfortable. We always strive to be the very best. I’m always nervous as a restaurant owner. It doesn’t matter if they say you are doing very well. I feel we are doing OK, but that we can always do better.

Q: Why is it important for you to be a part of this community?

A: Since I was little I was involved with my community. It’s something I enjoy. When I came to Owatonna they were

very welcoming. I just want to give something back and to get involved in the city. I’m on the Human Rights Commis-sion here and a member of the Chamber of Commerce and a

lot of other things. I try to do all I can for this community. I’m thankful that the people here like us as people and as a business.

Q: You’ve moved around a bit since coming to the U.S. Do you feel like Owaton-na is your home now?

A: Absolutely. Since we’ve moved here I thought this

was the right town. It’s a great community with good schools and I want my family to grow here. When I moved here I wasn’t thinking of having a big business. I just wanted a small business where I could make money and support my family. It’s turned out to be a lot better than that. My dream happened and is still happening. r

“We never want to stay complacent. Now that people say we are the best we have

to keep having the same good service and the same portions.


One of Jose Herrera’s specialties at Plaza Morena Mexican Res-taurant is Val-lartas Especial, which features grilled shrimp, steak, chicken, peppers and onions over a bed of rice with lettuce, pico de gallo, cheese dip, guacamole and tortillas. Professional Services for

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I&S Group adds Koense, Schlaak to growing team

I&S Group, Inc. recently announced the addition of Ken Koense and Steve Schlaak to its growing team.

Koense is a senior architect and will focus on healthcare and other public facilities, from schematic design to construc-tion.

A graduate of the School of Architecture at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Koense has experience designing spaces for retail, education, public spaces and health facilities.

Koense recently served on Mayor R.T. Rybak’s “Great city Design Team” in Minneapolis and the AIA Housing Advocacy program “Search for Shelter.”

Schlaak is a mechanical engi-neer and will be working with I&S’s vertical services group providing heating, ventilation and air conditioning and plumb-ing design services. Through his eight years of professional experience, Schlaak has special-ized in mechanical designs for commercial properties.

Schlaak is a graduate of the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota. He has worked on projects of up to 200,000 square feet for local

and national clients, including the Mall of America, Target and Best Buy.

/Faribault/

SCC unveils Center for Business and Industry

South Central College, with campuses in Faribault and North Mankato, is shifting the focus of its Customized Training and Education program.

As part of this shift, a new identity was enveiled. The new name is Center for Business and Industry.

“The Center for Business and Industry is a brand that exemplifies our commitment to helping business, non-profit and government organiza-tions improve profitability and productivity,” said SCC Dean of Economic Development Marsha Danielson. “We are making a functional shift from being a niche-services broker to becom-ing a full-service, performance-improvement agency and we wanted to communicate that evolution.”

The renewed approach is targeted to employees who realize that they need to invest in employee training to remain competitive during slow eco-nomic times.

SCC’s customized training and

education program has drawn approximately 16,000 students each year, making it the largest of its kind in Minnesota.

/Faribault/

Phone Station, Inc. celebrates 25 years

For the owner of Phone Station, Inc., Helmut “Butch” Schwartz, it seems like yesterday when he opened the doors on his new venture.

That was 25 years ago and many things have changed in the telecommunications industry.

“When I started the Phone Station in 1984, the phone busi-ness was all about rotary dial phones,” Schwartz said. “Today, technology has turned towards the Internet and wireless forms of communications.”

According to Schwartz, Phone Station, Inc. has been growing and changing its mission to meet the needs of its customers.

/Owatonna/

Sears Hometown store changes hands

Steve and Holly Glynn, recently took over as the new owners of the Sears Hometown store in Owatonna.

The Glynns are also the own-

ers of Brookstone Homes in Owatonna.

The Sears store was purchased from Chip DeMann of Dundas, who has owned the store for the past 6 1/2 years.

Steve Glynn spent time at the Sears corporate office in Chi-cago, learning the business and getting ready for the transfer.

“In no way does this compro-mise the service and commit-ment that Brookstone Homes offers the community,” Holly Glynn said. “We are very pas-sionate about both companies.”

/Owatonna/

Music school opens in Owatonna

There’s a new music school in town called Owatonna Music School.

The proprietor of the school, Dave Rohde, teaches guitar and bass guitar, both acoustic and electric, as well as music theory. He’s also a song writer. He also has a drum teacher and a piano teacher on board and is plan-ning on hiring a violin teacher and perhaps more, soon.

The basic business will be to provide music lessons to those who are just beginning or want-ing some additional instruction or to those who have picked up an instrument as a hobby.

Recognizing individuals and companies in business along the I-35 corridor

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Culinary35I-35 corridor restaurants are ready to serve

Torey’s Restaurant & Bar685 W. Bridge St. Owatonna

Torey’s, located one block east of the Bridge St.

exit off I-35, has fantastic food and

friendly service and offers a full service bar and an extensive wine list, all in a sports bar atmosphere.

Known for its lunch buffet, Torey’s is a perfect place to go if you are look-

ing for a casual meal and great service.

Torey’s also offers a banquet room for those special occasions or busi-ness dinners and provides full service catering.

Specialties: Seafood, award-winning ribs, char-grilled steaks, Asiago chicken, pastas, spinach ar-tichoke dip, seafood cakes and deck wings.

For a full menu and wine list, go to www.toreys.net.

Information and reservations: Call Torey at 507-455-9260.

Patrick’s on Third125 S. Third St.Saint Peter

Welcome to Patrick’s, home of the World Famous Patty Melt, Best Burger on the Planet, Bucket of Death, Govenaires Drum & Bugle Corps, Drum Corps Museum and a number of other really weird and wacky

things. If it’s an amazing

burger you crave, Patrick’s is the place to go.

Patrick’s also offers a variety of menu items from steaks and burgers to pasta and Mexican to Italian.

If it’s beer you crave, Patrick’s offers 20 craft beers on tap.

Enjoy a casual atmosphere where there’s Trivia Night each Tuesday, Karaoke Buf-fet every Wednesday, kids eat for $1 on Thursdays after 4 p.m. and Cribbage on Sundays.

Patrick’s is open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. For reservations, call 507-931-9051.

Richard’s Restaurant & Pub408 South 3rd StreetSaint Peter

Richard’s Restaurant & Pub recalls turn of the century elegance.

Located in the historic Konsbruck Hotel, friends, family or business associates will find a comfort-able yet sophisticated environment in which

to enjoy fine food — prepared by chef Emily Streeter — and beverages attentively prepared and served.

Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or you just want a variety of food options, come eat with us.

Our delicious dishes are freshly prepared and offered at very affordable prices.

Reservations: For more information and/or to set individual and group reserva-tions, please call 507-934-4988 or e-mail [email protected].

The Tavern of Northfield212 Division StreetNorthfield

The Tavern of Northfield Restaurant & Lounge is a great place for people of all ages.

The Tavern has been mak-ing its breads, soups and sauces from scratch for nearly 24 years.

Located in the basement of the historic Archer House in Northfield, the Tavern features a full breakfast, lunch

and dinner menu and a full bar.The Tavern has been a restaurant of choice

in Northfield for business people and families alike.

The service is great, but you’ll return for the great prices and the quality menu.

Reservations: For more information about the menu and for reservations for parties of five or more, please call 507-663-0342.


Waseca’s Maynard Stensrud puts his trust in God when he travels the globe to help Mission Aviation Fellowship

Fixing airplanes is his missionFixing is his

By JERRY SMITHPhotos by THOM CAYA

Most days when you see Maynard Sten-srud, he’s elbow deep into the engine

of one type of an airplane or another.As owner of Stensrud Aviation, the company

that runs the Waseca Airport, Stensrud has had his hands full for 19 years repairing airplane engines and doing the annual inspections on many of the planes housed there.

While that is what helps put bread on his table, it is something similar, yet totally differ-ent, that fills Stensrud’s heart with joy and gives him a sense of accomplishment.

It all began 12 years ago when the son of a fellow member of Christ Community Church in Waseca asked if Stensrud would be willing to come to Mali, West Africa, to bring one of the planes being purchased by Mission Aviation Fellowship up to current inspection.

Six weeks later, with all of his shots updated, Stensrud was off to Mali for the first time. He completed the annuals on the plane, and Mission Aviation Fellowship purchased it for mission flights.

“Before we could purchase the airplane it required a presale and annual maintenance inspection,” said Jerry Krause of MAF. “No one was available within our mission organiza-tion to come out so that’s when the thought crossed my mind to contact Maynard and see if he was interested, available and willing to make the trip.

“Due to Maynard’s timely trip and mainte-nance sign off, MAF did purchase the Cessna 206 and it continues to fly missionaries >>>



Maynard Stensrud, of Stensrud Aviation in Waseca, not only works on airplanes, he’s an avid pilot and still flies for pipeline patrol for Eagle Sky Patrol, based in South Dakota.

Farm lease has Waseca airport flying highWASECA — May-

nard Stensrud, man-ager of the Waseca Municipal Airport, said a $25,000 increase in revenue is a big deal to the airport’s financial health.The additional in-

come comes this year and next from a new two-year lease on the 230 acres of farm land surrounding the airport.The farm lease

revenue goes into the airport fund to sup-plement operational costs of the airport. Stensrud said the

city’s airport was developed through a Federal Aviation Administration grant. The sources of rev-enue available to the airport come from land rental, hanger rental and yearly maintenance money from the Minnesota Department of Trans-portation Aviation. He said the air-

port fund balance has been depleted through a variety of improvements made over the past few years, including a new building, park-ing lot and driveway.“This will help us

maintain and hope-fully increase our fund balance,” Sten-srud said. Stensrud said the

airport improvements are made in conjunc-tion with the FAA and MnDOT with aviation user fees and aviation fuel taxes.

— Ruth Ann Hager

“Maynard, in a simple way, demonstrated the love of Christ to all those he came in contact with every time he was here.

— Jerry Krause, a member of the Mission Aviation Fellowship

>>> and relief workers in Eastern Africa.

For Stensrud, it was an op-portunity to use his skills as an airplane mechanic to do some good for others.

“I think it’s something God has presented to me,” said Stensrud, who has now been to Africa 19 times in 12 years to bring planes up to certifi-cation or do repairs on mis-sion planes. “If God moves my heart to do a certain thing, I do it. It’s been a real blessing and a lot of fun.”

The causeMission Aviation Fellow-

ship, based in Nampa, Idaho, operates the world’s largest fleet of private aircraft used for the public good.

In 2008, the MAF fleet of 55 aircraft made 36,831 flights, logged 2.7 million

miles, transported 120,343 passengers and delivered 10.3 million pounds of cargo, all on 1,700 rough, unimproved dirt and grass airstrips, as well as water-ways, according to the organization.

More importantly, in the past year, “MAF planes saved Christian and humanitarian workers 63,460 days of travel time,” the Web site claims. “These flights support Chris-tian workers, evangelists, teachers, medical personnel, as well as relief and develop-ment workers.”

The organization also says its planes haul food, seed and livestock; transport the sick and injured; and deliver doctors, medicine and relief supplies.

With that many planes flying that many missions,

the aircraft need mainte-nance and annual inspec-tions. That’s where Stensrud has stepped in. He not only has done numerous mis-sion-related trips to Mali, he also has helped make planes Federal Aviation Administra-tion ready in Niger and other parts of Africa.

Krause says it’s been a blessing to have Stensrud among those he can count on to volunteer.

“Each time (we’ve called upon Maynard) we were either short-handed on main-tenance staff or had major maintenance that needed to be performed,” Krause said. “Without his help, the airplanes would have been grounded for two to four ad-ditional weeks until we could have completed the work on our own. >>>


>>> “For those missionar-ies, relief and aid workers who depended upon our service, Maynard’s willing-ness to sacrifice his time to come made a tremendous difference.”

Inherent danger

It was in Niger that Sten-srud realized the danger that is sometimes involved in these goodwill trips.

Two years ago, Stensrud was asked to co-pilot a flight that was heading to northern Niger to evacuate three soldiers wounded by rebel forces. Stensrud flew hundreds of miles across the Sahara Desert right into political unrest.

“There are times when things get a little dicey, but for the most part there is not much danger,” said Stensrud, who is a pilot for a company called Eagle Sky Patrol based in South Da-kota that does aerial surveil-lance along the natural gas pipeline. “In this case, three wounded soldiers were just south of Libya and had to be

flown out and they needed a co-pilot. They asked me and I said I’d do it.”

On another mission trip, Stensrud found himself in western Mali, where he helped take apart a dam-aged aircraft, load it on a truck and transport it 300 miles across rugged terrain.

“That was a lot of fun and an experience I’ll never

forget,” Stensrud said. “It took us six hours to travel 45 miles and three days to go 300 miles.”

While Stensrud has never really felt threatened on any of his 19 trips to Africa, his latest adventure left him a bit apprehensive.

Stensrud left in mid-March on a mission-related trip to Afghanistan, where he will

inspect a plane and prepare for the annual FAA inspec-tion. He said going to this part of the world has him a bit rattled, but not enough to stop him from going.

“I’m really not too wor-ried,” Stensrud said. “I’ve been on a lot of trips and there has been no real danger to speak of. There is political unrest in this part of the world, but I think I’ll be far away from any danger.”

The right reasonsWhile Stensrud works on

planes for a living, his work on mission planes is done solely on a volunteer basis. He has not received a penny for any of his mission-related trips. The Waseca pilot/me-chanic believes his payment comes in many other ways.

“I don’t get paid for this,” he said. “I stay with mis-sion families, which is half the fun. Africa has become a love of mine. It’s all Third World people living day-to-day and hand-to-mouth. It makes you appreciate all you have.” >>>


Maynard Stensrud’s love of tearing things apart and put-ting them back together led to him being a mechanic.

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“There are times when things get a little dicey, but for the most part there is not much danger.

— Maynard Stensrud, talking about his goodwill trips to Africa and Afghanistan


>>> Krause says that besides Stensrud’s great aviation maintenance expertise, he developed friendships easily with the local employees and showed them great respect.

“Maynard always came with about 20-25 pounds of candy so he became known as the ‘Candy Man,’” Krause said. “He always had a piece of can-dy to give out to children he met along the way. Maynard, in a simple way, demonstrated the love of Christ to all those he came in contact with every time he was here.”

Stensrud says he’ll continue to do his part as long as he is asked to help.

“I do it because I can’t find a reason not to do it,” he said. “If I can’t come up with legitimate ‘why nots,’ then I’m going to keep going.”

That doesn’t surprise Bob

Pierce, a member and vol-unteer at Christ Community Church and the brother-in-law of the man who ran the Waseca airport before Sten-srud took over. Pierce says the congregation is aware of Stenrud’s goodwill trips and all believe his heart is in the right place.

“Maynard is one of those guys who wants to help any-one in need,” Pierce said. “His heart is as big as he is. He’s the right guy to be doing what he is doing.” r


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If Maynard Stensrud isn’t working on one of the airplanes stored in the 24 hanger spaces at the Waseca Municipal Airport, he’s working on his own plane. Stensrud’s love of mechanics has led him to Africa and Afghanistan to help make sure mission planes pass annual maintenance inspec-tions.

The Stensrud fileName: Maynard StensrudOccupation: Owner of Stensrud Aviation and Waseca Municipal Airport Manager (19 years).Family: Wife Sara and three children ages 29, 27 and 23.



Chamber35A look at what’s new in the region’s Chambers of Commerce

Northfield Chamber recognizes Person, Business of the YearThe Northfield Area

Chamber of Commerce named its top award winners at

its recent annual celebration.

Waste Manage-ment of Northfield was named the 2009 Business of the Year, while Da-vid Shumway, CEO of First National

Bank, was chosen as the 2009 Business Person of the Year.

Both honorees were recog-nized at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting and Business Recogni-tion Banquet.

Northfield BRE visits more important than ever

The Northfield Area Cham-

ber of Commerce wants local companies to grow, expand and prosper in the Northfield area.

In an effort to address this important matter, the Chamber has participated in a statewide,

private-sector Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Initiative for six years.

The Chamber’s Business Development Committee is responsible for working on this initiative, and is conducting business retention and expan-sion visits to local companies.

The reason for the visits is to thank them for doing business in the Northfield area, to see if there are any problems that can be solved, and to collect feed-back that will be used to identify trends in the economy and help shape the business community’s public policy agenda.

• To see more Northfield events, log onto www.north-fieldchamber.com.

Shumway

35C photo by Jerry Smith

Curt Saffle (from left) of Waste Management, Chamber presi-dent Jeff Hasse and his wife Karna, Northfield Mayor Mary Ross-ing and MC Jeff Johnson enjoy the Chamber dinner.

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Faribault Owatonna St. Peter WasecaSt. Peter Area Chamber Annual Social on April 4The St. Peter Area Chamber of

Commerce will hold its Annual Social on April 4 at Gustavus Adolphus College.The theme for the event is “Ca-

sino Night — Let ’er Roll” and costs $25 per person. The public is invited to attend.There will be gaming, hors d’

oeuvres and a dessert buffet, plus a live auction.

Key City Kennel Club dog show set for May 23-24The Key City Kennel Club All

Breed Dog Shows and Obedi-ence and Rally Trials are set for May 23-24 at the Nicollet County Fairgrounds in St. Peter.Hundreds of dogs from numer-

ous breeds compete in the show rings.For more information, please

call 507-344-1159 or visit www.keycitykennelclub.org.

• To see more St. Peter Cham-

ber events, log onto www.tour-ism.st-peter.mn.us.

Lowe Family coming to Owatonna on April 23-24The Owatonna Community

Education program is host-ing two concerts by the Lowe Family, a popular musical group from Branson, Mo.The concerts are scheduled for

7 p.m. on April 23 and 24 at the Owatonna High School audi-torium. All seats are reserved and sold in advance with tickets priced at $30. You can also purchase tickets online at www.owatonnacommunityed.org. To find out more, call the

Owatonna Community Educa-tion office at 507-444-7900.

Owatonna Area Chamber ‘After Hours’ set for April 28The Owatonna Area Chamber

of commerce is hosting a Busi-ness After Hours from 5:30-7 p.m. at Deml Heating & Air conditioning. Call the Chamber at 504-214-1888.

• To see more Owatonna

Chamber events, log onto www.owatonna.org

Faribault Chamber Business Expo set for April 23The Faribault Area Chamber

of Commerce’s 18th Annual Business Expo will take place from 2-7 p.m. on April 23 at the Faribault Ice Arena. The 2009 Expo will continue

the tradition of drawing in many people who are looking to get information on local sales and products from Faribault busi-nesses.The Chamber will be partner-

ing with the Faribault Founda-tion in providing a large non-profit area at the Expo.

Business Awards Luncheon planned for May 14The 2009 Faribault Area Busi-

ness Awards Luncheon will be held May 14 at the Elks Lodge East Wing.Business of the Year, Small Busi-

ness of the Year and New Busi-ness Spotlight will be awarded.

• Get connected in Faribault

by clicking into EVENTS at www.faribaultmn.org.

Waseca Historical Society offers spring luncheonsYou won’t want to miss these

spring luncheons at the Waseca County Historical Society. • April 23, photographer Doug

Ohman shows his “Minnesota’s State Parks” exhibit. Ohman comes back to WCHS

with another book published by the Minnesota State Historical Society press. • May 28, writer Susan Price

Davis presents “Northern Treasure – The History of the Minnesota Arboretum.”

Waseca antique and shops ‘Out on the Farm’ set dates A Touch of Country Craft and

Gift Sales out on the Farm takes place May 14-17 and 21-25.Many of Waseca’s antiques and

specialty shops throughout the city will also showcase their new spring merchandise with open houses.

• To see more Waseca Cham-

ber events, log onto www.wasecachamber.com

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Construction35Projects contributing to the growth of the I-35 corridor

Ritchie Bros. auction sets Minnesota record

The first auction at the new Ritchie Broth-ers Auctioneers facility in Medford took place on March 19. The auction had more than 1,000 items up for sale — items rang-ing from golf carts, skid steers and trucks, to diggers and pavers.

More than 2,500 registered bidders — the largest that Ritchie Brothers has ever had at any of the 80-plus auctions the company has held in Minnesota — were on hand to bid on the equipment.

— 35C photos by Thom Caya and Jerry Smith

TOP: New signs visible from I-35 will be finished soon as Preferred Outlets of Medford continues its expansion from 34 stores to a possible 55 businesses. RIGHT: Work on the Waseca Medical Center’s $1.2 million Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center has begun.

LEFT: Work continues on the $5.3 million GrandStay Residential Suites Hotel on Highway 21 in Faribault. The hotel is due to open this smmer. ABOVE: Construction is on schedule for the new Owatonna Clinic addition.



Commercial Directory35Professional resources along the corridor to help grow your business

• For information on including your services, please contact Machelle Kendrick at [email protected]

Tim O’Connell, CPA

Carlson, Branstad & Co.

Barbara Burke and Assoc., Inc.

Making Words Work Brenda Elsagher

Renee’ Rongen & Assoc., LLC

Carriage Cleaning

Elite Shredding

Technology Navigators Inc.

NelsonAgency

Hoffman Law

Corporate Graphics

Environmental Financial

Northfield

Owatonna

Northfield

Northfield

Burnsville

Fertile

Faribault

Owatonna

Owatonna

Waseca

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

INSURANCE

LEGAL SERVICES

CLEANING SERVICES


March 5, 2009

United Way’s ‘Power of the Purse’ a success Marcia Morris-Beck didn’t really know

what to expect when she started plan-ning the “Power of the Purse” event for the United Way of Faribault.On March 5 at the Vintage Ballroom,

the Executive Director of the United Way of Faribault was pleasantly sur-prised.“It was an evening that highlighted

women, because many of the busi-nesses that took part are owned by women,” Morris-Beck said.“Power of the Purse” is a new United

Way fundraiser that featured a buffet-style dinner, wine and silent auction of fashionable bags and purse packages.More than 65 people attended the

event that raised $2,571 in ticket sales and auction sales.More than just a fundraiser, Mor-

ris-Beck said the event was a way for women business owners to network with others.“As a woman in business in Faribault, I

like every opportunity to network with other women,” she said. “Another rea-

son for the event was to get feedback about United Way best practices.”Morris-Beck deemed the event a suc-

cess on all fronts.“Everybody commented on how much

they enjoyed the event and that they looked forward to the next ‘Power of the Purse,’” Morris-Beck said.

Submitted photo

Women who attended the “Power of the Purse” fundraiser bid on purse packages.

Charitable35

April 18, 2009

Young Life Cake Auction benefits Owatonna kids Young Life Cake Auction organizer Chuck

Jamison can’t say enough about the folks who come out each year for what has be-come a local rite of spring in Owatonna.“I’m really humbled by it and in awe of

the great lengths these people go to in or-der to help fund Young Life and continue its mission,” Jamison said just days before the 2008 event, which raised a record $56,000 in its 30th year.Individuals, businesses, groups of friends

and neighbors are encouraged to come to this year’s event, which is being held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 18 at the Owa-tonna High School gymnasium.Organizers are hoping to raise $70,000

this year to benefit kids and Young Life in Owatonna.More than 100 cakes will be auctioned

live, with cakes on sale for $30-$35.For information about the Young Life Cake

Auction, call Jamison at 507-451-9401.

We would like to hear from you35C welcomes announce-

ments for your upcoming charitable events and news of those that have passed. We are looking to publish

information and photos relating to fundraising and philanthropic efforts along the I-35 business corridor.For consideration, please

e-mail information and pho-tos to Associate Editor Jerry Smith at [email protected]. Please include the date, time, place, event name, details and charity served.


Charitable35

35C photo by Thom Caya

Young Life Cake Auction organizer Chuck Jamison takes a bid on a cake during the 2007 event, held in Owatonna.

Submitted photo

Unique bags and purses like these from irememberbagz.com were auctioned off.



Caricature35Corridor business people draw strength from outside the office

Fly fishing provides great escape for attorneyBy JERRY SMITH

On a beautiful summer day a couple of years back, James Schlicht-

ing was taking in all the sights and sounds of nature as he stood in the middle of a bab-bling brook.

As he was casting his fly toward the west, he noticed a storm rolling in but figured he had a few hours before it reached his little slice of heaven.

A few minutes later, he noticed the water beginning to rise. And a little while after that, small tree branches, twigs and leaves, along with other debris, started swirling around and past his hip waders.

“The water rose eight inches in an hour and I noticed more and more debris racing by me,” Schlichting said. “That storm over the hill came up pretty quickly.”

Such is the life of a fly fisher-man.

While the storm presented no real danger to Schlichting, it did interrupt one of his favorite pas-times and cut short his “chess match” with his nemesis, which in this case was a trout.

“Fly fishing is about out-think-ing the fish,” he said. “They are small, but they are still wily and smart. Because the bait is artificial, you have to be good enough to fool the fish into thinking it’s his next meal.”

Schlichting took up the sport by accident when he was visit-ing a friend in Juneau, Alaska, in 1996. But to this day, the North-field attorney lists it among his favorite hobbies and one of the best ways to escape the day-to-day rigors of being a lawyer.

“You’re out in nature with the grass and the trees and the running water gurgling over rocks,” said Schlichting, who is

a catch-and-release fisherman. “It’s meditative. It soothes you and slows you down.”

As an attorney who has been practicing business, real estate and family law since 1975, Schli-chting has the need on occasion to find something that takes him away from the intense pressure of finding solutions for people who are in a bind.

“At first, I reacted to the clients’ problems and that was a bit stressful,” Schlichting said. “I’d rather spend my time find-ing solutions. My job is to get past the emotional part and find solutions.”

Which, in turn, can be emo-tionally draining for Schlicht-ing. When that happens, the 63-year-old attorney tries to get away for a little fun and relax-ation.

While fly fishing is at the top

of his list of summer getaways, hitting the slopes is his choice when the snow starts to fly.

At least once a year, Schli-chting tries to head to Utah or points west for an extended ski trip. Closer to home, he prefers the serene setting of Welch Vil-lage right here in the Cannon River Valley.

“I’m a day skier and enjoy a sauna by night,” he said. “I’m out there to have a good time and relax. Your mind just clears and you start concentrating on something entirely different. It’s a very good way to relax.”

The Schlichting fileName: James SchlichtingOccupation: AttorneyAge: 63College: St. Olaf College (B.S. in Economics in 1968); Rutgers University, Camden (Jurisdoctor-ate in 1975)Hobbies: Fly fishing, skiing, woodworking

Northfield’s Schlichting can’t think of a better place to clear his head than in a trout stream

Photo by Thom Caya



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35C Business April / May