DUNCOMBE — About five years ago, hundreds of bicyclists flooded Stumpy’s Bar and Grill during RAGBRAI, an annual bicycle ride across Iowa. “It was crazy,” recalled Bruce “Stumpy” Wagner, owner of the establishment. “We had breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches. When ...
WEBSTER CITY — A new auto dealership officially opened its doors in Webster City on Wednesday morning. Karl Chevrolet, Buick and GMC in Webster City, formerly Webster City Auto LLC, opened for business Wednesday. The acquisition adds a third franchise dealership in Iowa for Carl Moyer, ...
The Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance has added two new members to its board of directors this year, bringing on Kelly Hindman and Mike McCarville. Hindman has served as VP of Campus Support Services at Friendship Haven for more than three years. A native of Dayton, he previously served ...
LAKE CITY — Stewart Memorial Community Hospital recently earned the 2021 Women’s Choice Award as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics. This places SMCH among the top 15 percent of hositals considered the best in which to have a baby. About 400 hospitals nationwide met the ...
2020 saw the closing of multiple businesses in the Fort Dodge area. But 2020 was also a year of new beginnings for other businesses. Meanwhile, other businesses announced major expansions. Here are some of the highlights: Schuur becomes co-owner at Coldwell Banker In January, Keenan ...
Dan Dix, general manager of NEW Cooperative, admittedly wasn’t sure what the name of the little town off in the distance was when he eyed an existing Morton shed along Iowa Highway 4 as the place from which to stake a claim on the local anhydrous ammonia market. The town was Cooper (pop. ...
In her practice, Heidi Smith strives to help people become better versions of themselves. A tattoo of a yellow-orange phoenix that she has inked on her left forearm is a continuous reminder that people can overcome trying times in their lives. The words, “Get up & Rise” are ...
Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the permanent closure of multiple businesses in the Fort Dodge area. But in some cases, the pandemic has led to the formation of new ones. After Fort Dodge Motors closed in October, Ajae Arndt decided to open his own auto repair ...
Five friends who got to know each other during their time in beauty school now work together at a salon in Fort Dodge’s downtown district. Erica Trudeau-Adams and Brittany Kirsch opened The HairLoft, 14 N. 11th St., in May. “Brittany and I have worked together in the past before with ...
HUMBOLDT — When Shawn Sturtz returned to school after Christmas break in 1983, he was thrilled to tell his friends what Santa brought him. It wasn’t the latest gadget or gizmo, though. In fact, it wasn’t really a toy at all. Rather, it was a place. His parents, Roger and Jackie ...
Koch Fertilizer’s $140 million investment in its ammonia plant east of Fort Dodge will have a ripple effect throughout the Webster County economy, according to local officials. The company announced last week its intentions to increase production capacity at the plant, 3162 200th St., ...
Editor’s note: this article is being reprinted with permission from the Iowa State University Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS). A Fort Dodge feed ingredients company expects to save millions of dollars by implementing technology upgrades identified through a CIRAS Industry ...
A long-standing tradition of business in the city of Fort Dodge continues on with the third generation. For over 125 years, the Kirkberg family has been offering jewelry merchandise and service in Fort Dodge and the surrounding areas. Cary Estlund and her husband Steve Estlund have owned ...
Handcrafters prepare unique and personalized items. Some do it as their full-time job, for others it is their side hustle. Regardless, local support of their businesses could make for some fun gift giving and even better gift receiving. Farm Gal Soaps HARDY — Farm Gal Soaps features ...
One of Rebecca Reitmeier’s first high school jobs was working at Bloomers, a coffee shop that has been a mainstay in Fort Dodge since the early 1990s. She worked for the original owner, Michelle Elbert, before eventually working under JoAnne Peterson and her daughter, Kristen Utley, ...
A decade after Dr. Josh Mason started his one-provider chiropractic practice in the commercial building at the intersection of Second Avenue North and North 15th Street, Active Health Chiropractic has seen a lot of expansion and change. Six months after opening in October 2010, Mason was ...
Golf Central, where golf season never ends, has a new location not far from its old one. The Fort Dodge business recently moved from the first floor of the Boston Center, 809 Central Ave., to the second floor. “We went from about 4,000 square feet of usable space downstairs and we ...
Scooter’s Coffee, best known for its convenient drive-thru specialty coffee and baked-from-scratch pastries, is the newest business to open along the city’s Corridor of Commerce. Scooter’s opened a coffeehouse and drive-thru location at 2949 Fifth Ave. S., which formerly housed Taco ...
Whether it’s a wheelchair, a lift chair or something as simple as a grab bar, the goal of Wheelchair Dynamics is to help people with special needs become more independent. “We are just trying to keep them independent and improve life as best we can,” said Tim Haupert, co-owner of ...
One of the lines Mary Rivera likes to use on customers at Party Productions is, “It won’t cost you an arm and a leg.” She says that line while she’s holding Halloween props of an arm and a leg. Rivera, who has been an employee of the party supply and rental shop for five years, ...