Autotronics, A to Z Lock & Key, The Design Element
Photo: Art Sidner
St. Peter: Autotronics
While growing up on a farm near Harmony, Arvin Vander Plas was driving tractors at age 6 and rebuilding a John Deere 40 at age 10. At 14, he was restoring his grandfather’s ’67 GMC pickup.
“I always knew this was what I was going to do,” said 45-year-old Vander Plas in a Connect Business Magazine telephone interview. “In fifth grade, we had to write a paper about what we would be doing in the year 2000. I was going to own an automobile repair shop, be married, and have two kids. In a way, it ended up being a self-fulfilling prophecy, except I have three children.”
In 1984, he moved to Mankato to attend Rasmussen Business College. While going to school, his first job involved working as a mechanic for Washington Citgo on Second Street, which became Autotronics when the business moved to North Riverfront in 1985.
“Terry Tacheny taught me everything I needed to know to run a business,” said Vander Plas of his employer then. “I moved to the St. Peter location for him in July 1992.”
In July 2009, Tacheny sold the Autotronics building on the south side of St. Peter to Kwik Trip and offered Vander Plas the business. He purchased it, and immediately began renting space from Shorty’s Tire One until his new building on 111 Jefferson opened last month.
Said Vander Plas, “Our business went up after our move (into Shorty’s Tire One). I attribute that to the closing of two of St. Peter’s three new car dealerships at about the same time.” Vander Plas is an ASE Certified Master Technician with advanced level certification and an ASE Certified Service Consultant.
“This is a great town to do business in and I’ve had a lot of fun here,” he said. “I love getting up and going to work. If I’m gone only a few days, I miss it. I like what I do.”
Address: 111 Jefferson Avenue Telephone: 934-9290 Hours: M-F 8:00-5:30.
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Photo: Art Sidner
New Ulm: A to Z Lock & Key
Jon Bregel first became interested in locksmithing while growing up in Fairmont. “My friend’s father owned a lock and key business. And I thought it was neat how he could get into unlocked cars and houses,” said 41-year-old Bregel in a telephone interview. Then, years later, Bregel was stationed with the Marine Corps in California, where he worked off and on in a maintenance shop that featured locksmithing.
After the Marines, Bregel went to work for the family business, which included owning and operating an A&W restaurant in Fairmont and Mrs. B’s restaurant in Fairmont and Truman. His parents exhibited a strong work ethic. He said, “My restaurant background is where I get my customer service skills and learned how a business worked.”
In 1996, he began working for food distributor Sysco, selling to nursing homes, restaurants and hospitals, and covering Fairmont, Truman, Blue Earth, and St. James. In 2001, he stepped back into the restaurant business to manage The Ranch in Fairmont and later, Perkins in Mankato. Later, due to the struggling economy, he was laid off from a distribution company, after which he tapped into Veterans Administration school funding to learn locksmithing.
“I started my business on May 15, 2010,” he said. “I do residential and commercial locks, deadbolts, and re-keying. I also do auto lockouts and work with safes. I like the challenge and love helping people. It’s really rewarding to open up something—because not just anybody can do it.”
Many home or business owners have a false sense of security, he said. To them, he offers security analyses to help make their property more secure. His hours are 8-5 Monday through Friday and he offers 24-hour emergency service for lockouts.
Mankato phone: 387-LOCK New Ulm phone: 217-9403 Web: mankatolocksmith.com or newulmlocksmith.com
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Photo: Art Sidner
Mankato: The Design Element
When age 12, Margo Weyhe was telling people she wanted to grow up to be an interior decorator. “I was always the one decorating the Christmas tree, rearranging furniture, moving knick-knacks, and drawing,” said 43-year-old Weyhe in a Connect Business Magazine telephone interview.
Later, she began at Minnesota State majoring in interior design and eventually “fell into” a job with a carpet and decorating store, Heller & Sons, before finishing her degree. From there, she worked for Town and Country Interiors about 10 years, until three years ago.
“My husband is a homebuilder and owns R. Henry Construction, so I began working hand-in-hand with him,” she said. “Then we decided to pursue starting a retail design center in Mankato that everybody could utilize, including homebuilders, designers, and the general public. We decided on a Madison Avenue location. It’s called Mankato Design Center. A lot of people made it happen.” Mankato Design Center houses about a dozen different home-related businesses in order to offer homeowners and contractors a one-stop shop.
At first, Weyhe and her husband were planning to open inside the facility only one of their own businesses, Lights on Madison. But friend Lisa Scheiss, owner of Minnesota Valley Granite, saw a need for an interior design studio, and the two opened The Design Element in December 2009.
“Some clients just want cabinets, for example, while others working on their whole house hire us to pull everything together,” she said. “Builders appreciate we take care of their clients for them and keep the clients on schedule in making selections. We can help manage a project.”
The company has three interior designers, charges hourly for consultations, and has complimentary design services for customers with purchased product. It sells window treatments, flooring, furnishings, artwork, lighting, and accessories.
Location: 1351 Madison Ave. Hours: 9-5:30 M-F and Th 9-7. Telephone: 345-8708 Web: thedesignelement.net
