Olson Ag has been around for a long time, although you may know it by its former name, Olson’s Custom Farm Services. Olson Ag is a 3rd-generation company. It was founded in 1930 by Melvin Olson when he started managing the Sebeka Pederson-Biddick store and remains family owned and operated.
Melvin’s son Murlin purchased the business in 1974 and expanded it through acquisitions:
Murlin’s son Mac Olson worked alongside his dad, and in 2007, Mac took over the business.
Olson Ag has locations in Sebeka, Verndale and Staples. It serves farmers, ranchers and hobby farmers throughout central Minnesota and offers a wide array of ag-related products and services, which include feed, seed, fertilizer and chemical needs. The Sebeka location offers a wide variety of supplies in the store and features a convenient drive-through dome for loading up your supplies. The business also carries a full line of farm equipment parts and offers crop and livestock equipment for sale or rent. Being rural, Olson Ag tries to source their products locally whenever possible.
When asked what makes Olson Ag stand out, Mac said, “Working with our customers to get them what they need is the most rewarding part of my job. What makes us stand out is that extra mile we’ll go to provide the best customer service.”
Olson Ag relies on West Central Telephone for phone and internet services as well as a surveillance system so Mac and his team can keep an eye on the business even when they’re not on location.
Olson Ag’s main location is in Sebeka at 29238 US Hwy 71. For more information, you can call 218-837-5749, or visit www.olsonscustomfarmservices.com. Follow them on Facebook .
Brian Hagen has been a business owner for over 35 years. One of his latest endeavors is the restaurant formerly known as Maasconi’s, which he’s renamed The Pirate’s Den Bar & Restaurant. When he purchased the restaurant, there were no operating gas stations in Verndale. Brian really wanted a gas station in town, and ever the entrepreneur, he added a Cenex C-Store and station to the business.
The Pirate’s Den Bar & Restaurant can accommodate large or small groups and private parties, offering a full menu and full bar. It’s a fun environment with a friendly staff ready to serve you. Their winter hours are Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 8 pm.
The C-Store opened in January 2021 and sells hot deli food, frozen foods, and a wide variety of groceries. A customer favorite and “must try” is the broasted chicken. Its hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 6 am to 9 pm, Friday from 6 am to 10 pm, and Sunday from 6 am to 8 pm.
Brian relies on West Central Telephone for his phone, internet, and Manage MyWiFi services. He does most of his advertising on Facebook, posting specials of the day or week, and with the volume of takeout orders, he’s thankful for reliable phone service.
The Pirates Den Bar & Restaurant is located at 210 W Service Dr. in Verndale. You can reach them by calling 218-445-2855. For daily specials, check their Facebook page.
Join West Central Telephone’s team as a Business Sales Advisor! This position is responsible for selling and marketing our products and services to commercial customers. The Business Sales Advisor will actively seek new customers in the business market to take WCTA services, as well as develop relationships with current business customers. The right person will be passionate about helping others succeed and have the high energy and drive necessary for an outside sales position. The ideal candidate has industry knowledge of business products and services such as Hosted IP phone systems, network management, and surveillance and security systems.
One of the benefits of joining our cooperative is that each year we’re successful, members are rewarded with cash back in the form of capital credits. Some members move out of the area but forget to give us an updated address, or a member may no longer be living. In either case, the checks are returned to us.
Are you one of the many individuals whose capital credit check has been returned to us due to an outdated address? If you’re a former customer of our cooperative, we may have your money.
For over 30 years, Barmah Hats has built a reputation for innovative hat design. They are known for manufacturing the toughest outdoor head wear on the market. This is because Barmah Hats commits to using only the finest materials and handcrafts each hat with care. Barmah Hats has production sites in Staples, Minnesota and Melbourne, Australia.
So how did an Australian hat company get a foothold in rural Minnesota? Andreas Vogel was living in California when the opportunity arose to take over the Barmah Hats, USA division. Andreas and his wife Michelle wanted to raise a family in a less populated area. Andreas, with family near Verndale, knew Minnesota was a great place to live and they made the move. Barmah Hats now has five employees, a robust online business and a manufacturing and retail location in Staples.
Located within our expanded fiber network area, Barmah Hats now enjoys broadband access over a fiber optic line. In fact, they wrote letters of support to the MN Border to Border Broadband committee on our behalf. They needed broadband to stay competitive, lower costs and be more flexible. Andreas said, “Fast internet is a must since a large majority of our sales are online.”
If you are looking for quality hats made in the USA, visit Barmah Hats at 1240 Prairie Ave. NW in Staples or online at www.barmahhats.com.
| For a good cause… ten-digit dialing must be implemented in all areas of the U.S. This is due to technical reasons supporting the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) directive adopting 988 as the three-digit number to be used nationwide to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline. For 988 to work in the 218-area code, 10-digit local dialing must first be implemented, which means you will need to change the way you dial local calls. The 988 hotline is starting July 16, 2022. Customers should continue to dial 1-800-273-TALK to reach the Lifeline until July 16, 2022. What will be the new dialing procedure? To complete all local calls, you will now need to dial 218 + telephone number. This applies to all calls within your area code that are currently dialed with seven digits. Who will be affected? Anyone with a telephone number with the area code 218 will need to make this change from 7-digit local dialing to 10-digit local dialing. When will the change begin? Beginning April 24, 2021, you can and should begin dialing 10 digits (218 + telephone number) for all local calls. If you forget and dial just 7 digits, for now, your call will still be completed. Beginning January 1, 2022, you must dial 10-digits (218 + telephone number) for all local calls. On and after this date, local calls dialed with only 7-digits may not be completed, and a recording will inform you that your call cannot be completed as dialed. You must hang up and dial again using the area code and the 7-digit number. Reprogram Your Auto Dialers In addition to changing the way you dial local calls, all services, automatic dialing equipment, or other types of equipment that are programmed to complete calls to 7-digit local numbers will need to be reprogrammed to complete calls to 10-digit numbers. Some examples are life safety systems or medical monitoring devices, PBXs, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, fire or burglar alarm and security systems or gates, speed dialers, mobile or other wireless phone contact lists, call forwarding settings, voicemail services and other similar functions. Be sure to check your website, personal and business stationery, advertising materials, personal and business checks, contact information, your personal or pet ID tags, and other such items to ensure the area code is included. What will remain the same? • Your telephone number, including current area code, will not change. • The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the dialing change. • What is a local call now will remain a local call regardless of the number of digits dialed. • You will continue to dial 1+ area code + telephone number for all long-distance calls. • You can still dial just three digits to reach 711 (relay services) and 911 (emergency services). • 211, 411, 511, 611, or 811 services can still be reached by dialing their three-digit codes. • The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can still be reached by dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Who may you contact with questions? If you have any questions regarding information provided in this notice, please call our office at 218-837-5151 or access www.wcta.net for more information. You can also visit the FCC website. And remember, if you or anyone you know needs it, beginning July 16, 2022, dialing “988” will quickly route your call to National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline. For more information see the FCC Announcement. |
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| The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is adopting 988 as the three-digit number to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline. Use begins July 16, 2022 nationwide. You should continue to dial 1-800-273-TALK to reach the Lifeline until July 16, 2022. For more information see the FCC Announcement. |
Erik J Olson CPA Ltd is a local accounting and finance firm located at 503 Jefferson St S in Wadena. They specialize in personalized financial consulting, tax accounting services and other services to meet your financial needs. Unlike some firms, Erik J Olson CPA Ltd will do more than just prepare your business or individual tax return; they also offer continuous tax planning so you can achieve your full financial potential.
Erik Olson is the owner of the firm and was born and raised in Wadena. Erik earned his BS in accounting at St. Cloud State University before becoming a licensed CPA. He opened his own practice in 2012, and now has 17 years of experience under his belt.
Jim Nardello, also a CPA at the firm, earned his BBA in accounting from Hamline University. Jim works with a wide range of clients in many industries.
Lynn Olson is the Office Manager (and Erik’s mom). Lynn keeps the office running smoothly and handles bookkeeping, corporate tax returns and customer service.
Kristi Vanroekel is the Staff Accountant specializing in payroll.
Erik J Olson CPA Ltd trusts West Central Telephone’s business support services to keep their network running smoothly and ensure that the important work they do is backed up and safe-guarded properly. We encourage you to trust the folks at this firm to help with your financial needs. For more information, call 631-1405, email kristi@ ericjolsoncpa.com or visit www.erikjolsoncpa.com.
Premier Realty Group LLC is a full-service real estate company located at 504 Ash Ave NW Suite 2 in Wadena. It offers professional service at competitive rates. Founder Jeff Nardello brought more than 18 years’ experience in real estate to the table when he opened Premier Realty Group, LLC. He started his own company because he enjoys helping buyers and sellers realize their real estate dreams. His team of three is eager to help with the ins and outs of real estate and works hard to make the process as easy as possible for clients.
The company’s tagline is “Your Property is Our Priority.” Those five words form the foundation of Premier Realty Group, LLC and represent their commitment to giving each client a professional and personalized experience. When asked to share their biggest challenges, Jeff said, “The biggest challenges are finding the right property for the right buyer and navigating current protocols under COVID-19—especially during our first year of business. We also face the challenge of getting people to list their homes. We need more listings!”
While West Central Telephone can’t help Premier Realty Group, LLC with listings, we are able to provide business support. Since Jeff is a cooperative member, he was already familiar with West Central Telephone, which made it easy for him to choose us for business support services. Even though West Central Telephone isn’t the local phone service provider, we were able to install a business phone system and provide managed Wi-Fi service and support for his business.
Premier Realty Group, LLC hopes to grow quickly and be a top-of-mind name in real estate. If you need help buying or selling property, call 218-430-0355 or visit their website at www.premierrealtygroupmn.com.