Words I would use to describe my mother, Rosemary Adeline (Welle) Meyer: loving, kind-hearted, and generous in spirit, always giving to others. She was a devoted wife and mother and a devout Catholic (lived this life preparing for a life in heaven), instilling and role modeling a strong moral faith-based foundation in us six kids.

She was a homemaker extraordinaire; cleanliness was next to godliness. We grew up in three Minnesota homes. A house in Bloomington, Sauk Centre, and dairy farm in Parkers Prairie, each house impeccably maintained. She always made sure we had plenty of home-cooked, garden-fresh (a one-fourth acre garden), canned food, and baked goods. She was known as an award-winning bread maker and cake decorator. Mom made sure each home had smelled of fresh home-cooked meals and cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, puddings, cupcakes, brownies, and all sorts of other seasonal delights.

Mom was a dedicated home health care worker after raising six children and volunteered at St. Williams Catholic church for over forty years. She could count on one hand the number of times she missed church before Alzheimer’s disease ceased her ability to go to church the last year of her 82-year-life. She crossed over peacefully as my sister, Joan Ronning, prayed and sang to her on March 10 of 2020. Mom, rest in peace.

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 Today’s Guest Mentor: Multi-venture entrepreneur Jim Conn grew up in Alexandria, MN. Twenty-three miles from Parkers Prairie, where I graduated high school. He had a much different upbringing than I did that shaped his entrepreneurial life. Lakehouse living vs. dairy-farm life. You will notice in our four podcast conversations how Jim acquired his entrepreneurial business acumen traversing six decades. In this conversation, we explore Jim’s adventurous upbringing and resilient family, as he describes how his life took shape before he joined the family business of Wood & Conn Corp. in 1973.

Jim’s entrepreneurial spirit took hold at age 8 with a burning need to earn some nickels to ride his bicycle to the Gang Plank/Triple R/Rolling Roller Rink to buy an Orange Crush caramel roll or candy bar. Norm Lund of Lund’s Bait Shop recognized Jim’s need and casually mentioned that he would be willing to trade some nickels for frogs and angleworms. Norm became Jim’s very first customer. Jim initiated a pesticide spraying summer business at age 12 from their 13-acre lake property. Lake homeowners were able to get rid of those pesky mosquitos with Jim around. Businesses discovered in a resort area by a resourceful budding entrepreneur. DOWNLOAD

His life sounds quite picturesque, like you might imagine Lake Carlos to be in the middle of a resort area. A different picture began to emerge as he described his parent’s public and private personas and mental health challenges. Women with depression were treated with harsh remedies in the 1950s. You will learn what happens to his family and how Jim self-medicated to ease the emotional disruption and homesickness caused by traumatic separation.

A few years later, a brief stint in jail provided a wake-up call Jim responded to with a lucky break and a well-written letter. “Entering the United States Air Force,” Jim says, “saved his life.” We discuss how he met Anita Nelson at the University of Minnesota and their life after college with the U.S. Navy. How did Jim convince Anita to move from Hawaii to Fargo, N.D.? What was the draw?

We conclude with Jim facing some brutal facts about his role as a father of three. And hear some of the tradeoffs with early financial success within Wood & Conn Corp. when Jim figures out how to grow the business from $300,000 in annual sales to $4M.

BACKGROUND. Jim’s Dad, Clair Conn, co-founded Wood & Conn Corp. with Walter Wood in 1947, after WWII. Jim was five years old. That is about the time they moved to their Alexandria Lakehouse. Clair ran the Fargo, N.D. branch from Alexandria, and Walter ran the Redwood Falls branch, both locations selling quality farm equipment. Eventually, the two sons, Dave Wood and Jim Conn, would run the business. Tim Gilk bought Wood & Conn Corp. from Dave Wood in 2006.

Tim Gilk was a Guest Mentor earlier this year. Laurie Healy, also a Guest Mentor, is Jim’s daughter. You can find both Guest Mentors’ podcast conversations in the Episode Resources.

Before I start our conversation, with permission, I read Jim’s tribute to his business partner, Dave Wood, who passed away in 2020. Dave Wood was a mentor to Jim and Tim Gilk. A mentoring relationship with a smooth baton toss from Dave Wood to the next business owner, Tim Gilk. Tune into this meaningful conversation.