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Morgan's Meats opens in Waseca
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STAFF - From left: Dean Morgan, Chris Devetter, Carter Fischer, and Breanna Karsten. Star Eagle photo by Melanie Piltingsrud
By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Staff Writer
Dean Morgan is far from retiring after selling Morgan's Meat Market in New Richland to Dan and Bud Lewer. Instead, he purchased Lau's Meat Market in Waseca, and in so doing, has come full circle.
“This was where I started working,” says Morgan as he sits in the break room of what will now be the new home of Morgan's Meat Market. Bob Lau opened Lou's Meat Market in Waseca in 1983. “I started working here in '86.”
Morgan attended school in Pipestone to learn meat cutting in the mid '80s. He learned butchering, per Morgan, “pretty much on the job,” from Gerald Hullopeter, who bought the New Richland meat locker in '68. The New Richland meat locker exchanged hands a few times and was finally closed when Morgan bought it and opened Morgan's Meat Market in 2003. Now, with over 120 awards under his belt for his meat products, Morgan's business was thriving.
“We didn't even have it for sale,” says Morgan. “[The Lewers] approached us at the end of February. Honestly, it was a real tough decision. The store becomes a part of you, and it's like a child; you nurse it up from infancy, and you just see it growing. Every year, you just saw that store grow.
“Dan and Bud are probably two of the only people I ever would have sold it to,” Morgan continues. “They know what it takes to make a business successful. They know it's going to be a seven-day-a-week job, going in at midnight, [or] 2 in the morning to empty the smoke house out. Just like any business, you have to have a passion for what you do, and they definitely do.”
According to Morgan, once the decision was made, the transaction went down really fast. “In March we made the deal, and by the time we got done with all the paperwork [...], we signed the deal on May 3.”
The sale was contingent upon Morgan being able to purchase Lau's Meat Market in Waseca. Morgan approached Bruce Barrie, the owner of Lau's Meat Market, to ask if he were interested in selling. He was, and Morgan is the proud new owner of the Waseca based meat market.
Barrie will be helping with the franchise until the end of the year. “He's making quite a few programs for us on the computer that's going to make running the shop a lot easier,” says Morgan.
“When we sold our shop, [the Lewers] took over that day, and I was out,” says Morgan. “I still stop in there once a week. They're awesome guys.
Gym turned Power House, Panther Power House
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BLOOD, SWEAT, TEARS, AND FAMILY - The Leonardo family is pictured above in the newly renovated gym, Panther PowerHouse. After five months of renovations the building is unrecognizable. From left: Jayce, Melisa, Keith, Reed, and Kenzie Leonardo. Star Eagle photo by Eli Lutgens
By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
“If you build it, they will come.” The infamous line from the movie Field of Dreams has been the motto for Keith and Melisa Leonardo as they renovated and transformed Panther PowerHouse, formerly New Richland Fitness, over the past five months. An open house will be held August 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to celebrate the grand opening of the gym.
Keith and Melisa found their lives revolving around New Richland after the two married in 2013. The pair lives in Claremont with their three kids Jayce, Kenzie and Reid, but a lot of their business is found in New Richland. They rent several other New Richland properties, including the New Richland Craft Mall building.
“We really focus on single family units and investing in small towns,” Keith explained. “The town of New Richland is a natural place for us to do business since Melisa is from New Richland and we have some family in the area.” Melisa is a 1999 graduate of NRHEG and daughter of Kim and Marcia Berg.
The Leonardo’s were looking for another way to invest in Melisa’s hometown when they heard through the grapevine that the local New Richland gym might be for sale. “A lot of people reached out to us and told us we should do this,” Melisa said. “We love our small town roots. I don’t want to say we were looking for this big of a project, but this one spoke to us.”
In February Keith called Wayne Billing and expressed interest in purchasing the more than 100-year-old main street property in New Richland. The former grocery store and gym includes two second floor apartment units, and the main floor gym. When negotiating the terms of the sale of the property, Wayne and Jean stressed how important it was to them to keep the downstairs a gym for the community. The building had been in his family for many years and serving the community is what the building has always done.
The five-month project included a lot of blood, sweat and tears from Keith, Melisa, and their family and friends. The interior was expanded 20 feet further back, the interior walls removed, and the original tin ceiling exposed, restored, and painted to create a much more open space. An upper loft previously used to overlook the grocery store was also removed.
“I’m the spreadsheet and budget manager,” Melisa said. “He makes the dreams come to life.” The Leonardo’s involve their three kids in all of their projects so they can learn the importance of hard work, and about entrepreneurship.
As soon as Keith walked into the gym, he had an image in his mind of what he wanted it to become. It was just the matter of making it happen and according to Keith this is only phase one.
Contract rescinded: First meeting for new care center administrator - New Richland City Council July 26, 2021
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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
The New Richland City Council rescinded a five year contract made with Coordinated Business Solutions at the previous council meeting in favor of a new contract agreement with Metro Sales of Owatonna, saving taxpayers roughly $15,000 during its regular meeting July 26, 2021.
Metro Sales Contract
The new contract the city agreed to will cost roughly $191 per month, compared to the $451 per month they would have been paying with Coordinated Business Solutions. The new contract will cover all the needs that were expected to be covered by the Coordinated contract, the only exception being that Coordinated will continue to provide support for the city’s Global Search Now archiving software. Metro Sales is an employee owned printer and copier business operating since 1969, which also provides service to the State Bank of New Richland and NRHEG High School.
NR Care Center
New administrator David Dunn presented the care center report. As of July 26, the census was at 41 care center residents with 48 other beds available. The month of July included nine new admissions and seven discharges.
Administrator Dunn told the council that staffing isn’t a major concern compared to other facilities he’s worked at before. The main concern is finding more certified nursing assistants (CNA).
Financials
June wasn’t a good month for the care center, but they are still operating very close to their budget. “We’ll recover,” Administrator Dunn said. “There’s some dollars sitting out there that we can get back.”
Dunn discussed temporary 12-hour shifts for nursing assistants, including a temporary two dollar an hour raise. Doing so will help curb significant overtime bonuses. Consultant fees with Advanced Health Institute (AHI) are also expected to decrease because the care center no longer needs to employ an interim administrator through AHI.
The temporary director and AHI began working with the care center on a comprehensive strategic plan to reorganize the departments to operate optimally.
“There are good processes in place,” Administrator Dunn said. “They just need some tweaking here and there.
“I think the folks that are ready for the change are willing to do what it takes to have that facility run the way it should,” Dunn explained. “The residents’ care comes first. [...] We make the residents happy, makes the staff happy, (and) everything just kind of falls into place. It’s a good building, with good people.”
Party for Rourke: Annual event utilized to help Wacholz family
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THE FIGHT CONTINUES - Finly’s Wings at Work is a nonprofit organization founded in 2018 after the Budach family lost their daughter at only seven years old. Every summer the organization holds a golfing fundraiser, followed by a concert to show appreciation. This year the concert was moved to Broadway in New Richland and asked for free will donations to help the Wacholz family. Four-year old Rourke Wacholz was recently diagnosed with leukemia.
By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
The NRHEG community threw a party Saturday night, in New Richland.
Finly’s Wings at Work and New Richland Liquor Company worked together to host and sponsor a benefit concert performed by the Blue Ringers, to raise money for Rourke Wacholz. Finly's Wings at Work is a non-profit organization created in 2018 by Nick and Erin Budach after the loss of their daughter Finly.
Rourke is the four year old son of Chelsey and Michael Wacholz, and grandson of Kris and Lynn Wacholz, as well as Dalys and Diane Waltz. In March of 2021 he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Rourke recently started undergoing treatment. A handful of events have already happened and will continue to take place in order to help support the Wacholz family. Saturday night was a good example of NRHEG residents supporting each other in a time of need.
A large crowd attended the performance Saturday night. “What do you say for people in hard times like this?” Karl Proehl, owner of New Richland Liquor said. “All I can say is that it was a good night. It was a party for Rourke Wacholz.”
Saturday’s events became a reality after Nick Budach of the non-profit group Finly’s Wings at Work approached the Wacholz family with the idea. “We put on a concert each year as a thank you to the community,” Budach said. “This year we used it to raise money for Rourke.”
Gateway to larger issues:Monarch butterfly offers a unique look at the environment
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BREATHTAKING - A monarch butterfly rests on a milkweed flower along a local road. A bee feeds on native bee balm in an area conservation plot. The study of native plants--including both milkweed and bee balm--is an important element of studying monarch butterflies. Star Eagle photo by Deb Bently
By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
Wendy Caldwell, executive director of Monarch Joint Venture, has been studying monarch butterflies and their interconnectedness with the environment since her college days beginning back in 2007. She is ready, though, and even anxious to learn more.
The organization she leads is based in the Twin Cities, with offices in California and Michigan. Its purpose is to serve as a clearing house for information and recommendations to assist the many people, groups, businesses and agencies which have a stake in monarch butterflies and their annual migration. “We want to help them make their efforts as efficient as possible,” she explains. At the current time, well over a hundred groups from all over the country have partnered with the organization.
It seems everybody is fond of monarchs.
“Pretty much everyone has a connection with them,” observes Caldwell, “whether it was raising a monarch in a classroom as a child or watching as hundreds of monarchs flew overhead during a southward migration.”