During today’s ribbon cutting, Chamber Ambassadors extended a warm welcome to Home Revisions, a construction company that is committed to their clients. Their motto? Protect and provide.
In August 2020, Home Revisions owner Nick Darland began the company with a vision to not only renovate homes, but to “transform the client experience within the construction industry.” Darland, who grew up in Grinnell, has since purchased a building on Penrose Street (formerly Ashing Machine & Tool) as the company’s headquarters, and now offers a subscription service that includes gutter cleaning, exterior inspections, and 10% off future remodeling projects.
Ultimately, says Darland, “we’re carpenters aspiring to be artists.” Darland and his team of two — Kolton and Kevin Werner — have done beautiful work on numerous historical and Victorian homes. Together, they’ve built a reputation for taking on complex, large-scale projects around the town of Grinnell, preserving charming features of older homes while introducing the functionality of modern ones.
Today, Darland continues to catch tea with one of his former clients every week, having spent time between August 2022 to May 2024 reconstructing her home — another nod to their client-centric approach to business. Meanwhile, HomeRevisions has maintained good working relationships with similar companies around Grinnell and has built an impressive clientele. HomeRevisions is a company with deep roots in the community, one that Darland has grown to appreciate since he has “found his way back home” to the Grinnell community.
For more information on Home Revisions’ work or their approach, visit their website homerevisionsiowa.com, email info@homerevisionsiowa.com or give them a call at 641-260-1079.
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Ambassadors visited with BakerStarrett LLP today to learn more about the services they offer and how their business has grown over the last 13 years.
BakerStarrett is a CPA firm that specializes in small business work. They can do taxes of all shapes and sizes (planning, preparation, filling, etc.) and are able to prepare personal returns all year long, not just by April 15. They also offer bookkeeping and payroll services for a variety of businesses and industries. Their team can craft a service plan that offers as much or as little assistance as a business needs. All three departments (tax, bookkeeping, payroll) work together and strive to provide the best service and the best cost savings for their clients.
Tim Baker & Lindsay Starrett opened the current location in 2011, renovating what used to be the hospital’s workout facility. As they expanded over the years, they added office space upstairs and are currently renovating the retail space next door to add 5-6 offices to their footprint.
The number of CPAs servicing rural Iowa is decreasing and with fewer people entering the industry, their team is always looking to expand to continue to provide quality service to individuals and businesses. If you or someone you know has a math/financial/accounting/marketing background or is willing to learn those skills, they want to talk to you! Their team was quick to note that working at an accounting firm is not just deskwork and numbers, Tim and Lindsay strive to provide a positive team atmosphere that is a fun and joyful place to work.
If you’re interested in learning more about their services and open positions, give the office a call at 641-236-8083, email info@bakerstarrett.com or stop in at 808 Commercial Street.
Pictured L-R: Ashley Krebill - BakerStarrett LLP, Marissa Ylagan - Grinnell Chamber, Matt Moyer - Bayer Crop Science, Lindsay Starrett - BakerStarrett LLP, Donna Fischer - UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center Foundation, Jennifer McAlexander - JM Consulting & Hawkeye Lock & Security, Trent Arment - Mahaska Communication Group, Lisa Shiver - BakerStarrett LLP, Jeff Finch - Wes Finch Auto Plaza, Tim Baker - BakerStarrett LLP, Shane Hart - Grinnell College Golf Course, Rachael Kinnick - Grinnell Chamber, Monica St Angelo - Grinnell Area Arts Council, Desiree Stayer - German Plumbing Heating and Cooling, Joni Schmidt - The Mayflower Community, Kody Bigelow - Walmart Grinnell
Ambassadors officially welcomed Grinnell Farm To Table to the Chamber today. The local food hub is one of 8 entities across the state dedicated to supporting area farmers and serving the local community.
Executive Director, Tommy Hexter, shared more about how Grinnell Farm To Table online market merged with Local Foods Connection to make the Grinnell Farm to Table nonprofit in early 2023 in an effort to combine resources and increase access to local foods. GFT now has two arms; an online retail market and connecting underserved residents with local foods.
The online market opens tomorrow and will stay open through Sunday. Customers can register for the site for free and order a variety of products from local and regional farmers. The market carries everything from fresh produce, locally raised meat (beef, pork chicken, bison, lamb) Iowa dairy products, tofu, soaps, decoration and more. Orders will be available for pickup next Wednesday. The online market will run once a month from November through April before picking back up to twice a month during the summer months.
Grinnell Farm to Table also works to support underserved residents in the community by creating access to local food through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups or with credit to use at the Farmers Market. They also received a USDA grant to purchase local foods for area school districts and food pantries; filling their shelves and financially supporting area farmers.
Grinnell Farm to Table is excited to continue to update its facility over the next year to add more cooler and freezer space and to grow their customer/client base in the community. If you’re interested in purchasing from the market, find the link in the comments. If you’d like to make a financial contribution to their mission, contact Tommy at grinnellfarmtotable@gmail.com or call 540-471-1647. Visit their website at grinnellfarmtotable.org to learn more.
Pictured L-R: Joni Schmidt - The Mayflower Community, Rachel Arseneault - Ramsey-Weeks Inc. Real Estate, Desiree German - German Plumbing Heating and Cooling, Donnette Ellis - Grinnell College Community Connections, Lisa Cirks - Cirks Financial Services, Matt Moyer - Bayer Crop Science, Ann Brau - Compass Plant CSA & Grinnell Farm to Table board member, Donna Fischer - UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Jordan Scheibel - Middle Way Farm & Grinnell Farm to Table board member, Kerri Olson - Olson Garden Market & Grinnell Farm to Table board member, Jennifer McAlexander - JM Consulting & Hawkeye Lock & Security, Monica St Angelo - Grinnell Area Arts Council, Tommy Hexter - Grinnell Farm To Table, Kody Bigelow - Walmart Grinnell, Briana Gaunt - Community 1st Credit Union, Mike Storbeck - Grinnell Farm to Table board member, Laurel Tuggle Lacina - Grinnell Farm to Table board member, Joe Tuggle Lacina, Fran Conn, Marissa Ylagan - Grinnell Chamber, Trent Arment - MCG - Mahaska Communication Group
Ambassadors welcomed new member, Oakland Acres Golf Club to the chamber today! Owner Larry Heishman and his team shared more about the history of the course and some of the exciting things they have coming up.
Oakland Acres is a public 18 hole golf course on 110 acres. Originally built in the 1970s, Larry and his family bought the property in 2013 and brought the course back to life. They built the current club house in 2014 and have continued to expand offerings and programming over the years. Memberships are available during the season and they often host a number of outings each year and can accommodate up to 150 people per outing. This year, kids 18 and under were able to play for free. Larry is hoping to use incentives like that to inspire the next generation of golfers.
While outdoor play is waning now that the weather is beginning to turn, the clubhouse offers a variety of year round activities. Inside, two simulators are available for play throughout the year. In addition to playing notable courses around the country, there’s a variety of golf games for all ages that can also be played on the simulators - perfect for a birthday party or beating the winter blues. The winter simulator league will start up after Thanksgiving and run for 14 weeks. They’re also hosting a Sip & Paint class on October 25 (find details on our event calendar). The clubhouse space is also available for rent throughout the year for parties, open houses, graduation, work events and more.
If you’re looking for a bite to eat, the clubhouse is also open for lunch & dinner Tuesday-Sunday 11 AM - 8 PM. Their short-order kitchen carries some of your favorite foods and a fully stocked bar will keep you refreshed. Their fall pricing for golf is in effect ($20 + tax for a cart and 18 holds) and they’re fall menu pricing will be released in a couple of weeks. They’re hoping to add more events and updates over the winter months, follow them on Facebook to stay up to date!
If you’re interested in booking an outing or an event at Oakland Acres, send them a direct message on Facebook or email oa@oaklandacresgolfclub.com!
Pictured L-R: Jeff Finch - Wes Finch Auto Plaza, Nathan Beck - Community 1st Credit Union, Marissa Ylagan - Grinnell Chamber, Jennifer McAlexander - JM Consulting & Hawkeye Lock & Security, Briana Gaunt - Community 1st Credit Union, Donna Fischer - UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Austin Johnson - Oakland Acres Golf Club, Gabbi Gable - Oakland Acres Golf Club, Kody Bigelow - Walmart Grinnell, Larry Heishman - Oakland Acres Golf Club, Trent Arment - MCG - Mahaska Communication Group, Rachael Kinnick - Grinnell Chamber, Rachel Arseneault - Ramsey-Weeks Inc. Real Estate, Fran Conn
Ambassadors celebrated Dolly’s Dog Park with a ribbon cutting today! Ahrens Park President/CEO Chad Nath shared more about the process to get the park open and some of the things they’re hoping to add in the future.
The need for an in-town dog park has been voiced across a number of mediums over the recent years and was something that the Ahrens Park Foundation had in their strategic plan. Nath was approached by Kevin Hosbond and 3 Grinnell High School students - Max Mintel, Carson Penyich, and Ethan Walker - about using a dog park at Ahrens as a Senior Capstone project last year. Max, Carson, and Ethan worked with Chad to develop a plan, write and submit grant applications and even came up with the idea to name the park in Dolly Ahrens’ honor.
Through grants and donations, the team was able to raise enough funds to build a perimeter fencing that features four separate areas for dogs to run and play. As additional funds are raised through donations or other grants, the Ahrens team hopes to add agility elements, water access, shade, seating and more.
The dog park is free to use but please clean up after your furry friend. Chad mentioned social media has been used to organize “Yappy Hour” to meet up with other dog owners for play time for pets and they’ve enjoyed seeing all the use the park has gotten since the fencing went up. The dog park is located on the south side of Ahrens Park, right behind the sledding hill.
If you’re interested in making a donation to the dog park or supporting other Ahrens Park initiatives, visit their website.
Pictured L-R: Shane Gosselink - Ahrens Park, Jeff Finch - Wes Finch Auto Plaza, Troy Kingery - Ahrens Park, Trent Arment - MCG - Mahaska Communication Group, Lisa Cirks - Cirks Financial Services, Jennifer McAlexander - Hawkeye Lock & Security & JM Consulting, Lauren Augustin - Grinnell Mutual, Kevin Hosbond - Grinnell High School - GNCSD, Chad Nath - Ahrens Park, Joe Bagnoli - Grinnell College, Monica St Angelo - Grinnell Area Arts Council, Donnette Ellis - Grinnell College, Sarah Smith - Grinnell College, Fran Conn, Ashley Symbol - First State Bank, Joni Schmidt - The Mayflower Community, Rachael Kinnick - Grinnell Chamber, Stephanie Lair - UnityPoint Health - Grinnell Regional Medical Center
Ambassadors had the opportunity to tour one of the most advanced seed corn manufacturing facilities in the world today. Matt Moyer with Bayer Crop Science at Grinnell’s Commercial facility shared more about all the work that happens at the Grinnell plant. The Grinnell community is home to two Bayer manufacturing facilities, Grinnell Commercial & Iowa Foundation.
Seed corn production has an 86 year history in Grinnell. The original facility was at 3rd & Main St from 1938-1954 when it moved to the old site on 6th Ave. That location still holds warehouse and storage space but the main production facility was moved to its current site in 2001.
Located on a total of 140 acres just east of city limits, Grinnell Commercial is responsible for creating roughly 1.5 million bags of seed corn to be sold to farmers across the state of Iowa. The process starts at privately-owned growing locations in; Bondurant, Conrad, Grinnell, Oelwein and Waterloo where anywhere from 40-50 different hybrids are grown each year. Corn is then harvested on the cob from those locations and brought to Grinnell for processing.
Once arriving in Grinnell, the corn is de-husked and dried before kernels are removed from the cob. Each kernel is sorted by size and shape and then treated. The corn is then packaged and shipped out to distribution centers before being sent to customers. Dekalb and Channel are the two major brands produced in Grinnell. Please know this is a very brief description of a detailed and intricate process that the Grinnell Commercial team has mastered. If you ever have the chance to tour a facility, we highly recommend you do!
Grinnell Commercial team runs anywhere from 100-200 employees over the course of the year depending on the production schedule. Their technician team is one of the best in the country and often tasks with piloting new programs and hosting tours like ours.
Special thanks to Matt, Susie, Stephanie and the rest of the Bayer team for hosting us today during their busy season. We had a great time learning more about Grinnell Commercial!
Pictured L-R: Fran Conn, Lisa Cirks - Cirks Financial Services, Rick Jacoby - Grinnell American Legion, Rachel Arseneault - Ramsey-Weeks Inc. Real Estate, Trent Arment - MCG - Mahaska Communication Group, Susie Pickhardt - Bayer Crop Science, Matt Moyer - Bayer Crop Science, Hannah Vos - UnityPoint at Home, Kody Bigelow - Walmart Grinnell, Marissa Ylagan - Grinnell Chamber, Rachael Kinnick - Grinnell Chamber
