Oct. 29 - Mitchell - Tom Batzer has seen it all in the past four decades of running his woodworking business.
From a devastating flood that destroyed his equipment and damaged his facilities, to a fire and an epidemic, Batzer faced many challenges that tested his will to succeed as a local entrepreneur. But whenever a serious obstacle stands in his way, Batzer always finds a way to overcome it.
His ability to withstand adversity marks Patzer Woodworking's 40th anniversary this year. Thursday was a time to celebrate this historic milestone at Batzer's new facility, which submerged more than a foot just three years ago.
“But we are still stronger than ever,” Batzer said of the past three years of flood and supply chain response triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A wide smile crosses Patzer's face as he reflects on how far Patzer Woodworking has come since its inception in 1981, when a small garage served as an office and production facility.
According to Batzer, starting a carpentry business was a "leap of faith." Friends doubt he was in business for more than a few years, and banks were reluctant to give him the credit he needed in the early 1980s.
"A lot of my friends said they would give me two years to leave the business. They knew it was hard to run a woodworking business, but here, 40 years later, I'm still humming," Batzer said. . "I found a bank in Mitchell that gave me a loan and I thought they had a lot of faith in me. I'm sure they believed in it because it worked."
What started as a carpentry business in a 650 square foot garage has now grown into a 20+ employee business manufacturing custom furniture and countertops in a 32,000 square foot facility in downtown Mitchell.
"I was lucky to have a woman who was by my side from the start," he said of his wife Sherry Batzer.
After making a name for himself as a skilled cabinet maker and countertop maker, Batzer began accepting work in large companies. Having Avera Health and Puetz Construction as customers was a proud moment for Patzer.
Batzer has many fond memories of witnessing a successful business, but the addition of his son Ryan Batzer and daughter Amanda Naples to the team is "one of the proudest moments" for the founder. of the company. Ryan and Nepla's decision to work for the company transformed Patzer Woodworking into the multi-generational family business that Tom had dreamed of since the start of his journey.
Tom said: "I always thought Ryan would come back here, but I never thought Amanda would come back. It was a blessing they both came back and made us a second class family business. generation. "
The brother duo jointly oversee commercial projects, design and customer relations. The addition of Ryan and Napple was a success as the business expanded into neighboring states like Iowa, Wyoming and Minnesota.
Although Batzer lost its first building to a fire and faced a unique outbreak in the past two years, the 2019 flood that engulfed the business with more than a foot of water was undoubtedly , according to the family, the company's biggest challenge.
The Batzer family still remembers the disaster well. The annual Labor Day was scheduled to take place at the Patzer Woodworking Showroom on September 12 of the same year, but Mother Nature has other plans.
Instead of going to the showroom with plates of snacks and sweets waiting for employees to celebrate another year in business, the Pacers couldn't even make it to their building because the entire area was flooded more than a foot of standing water from the tap. Begin. Morning shower bringing 8 to 10 inches of rain.
"The water was higher than the windows of the building," Tom said of the flood footage he recalled. "Computers were floating around us. There was a boat next to the building with a person on it." "We lived in a partial showroom for three years."
Unlike fires, flood damage was not covered by insurance. This forced the family business to pay for most equipment repairs and replacements out of its own pocket.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 40% of small and medium businesses never open after a natural disaster that has caused significant damage. According to FEMA, 25% of businesses that reopen after a disaster close within a year.
Family-owned Batzer broke that trend when it entered its third year of business since the 2019 floods.
"There were a lot of sleepless nights," Ryan said of the nights after the flood.
One of the most important pieces of equipment, the heart of Patzer Woodworking's production, was badly damaged by the flood. Within three days of the flood, the woodworking machine broke down, causing production to stop.
Although the technicians estimated the Lumberjack's chance of survival at 40% after his resurrection, the production team was able to fix the machine where it broke down until a new Lumberjack arrived a few months later. late. With equipment damaged and a factory destroyed, a carpentry group was transporting products to and from customers.
Nibel believes the dedicated team's ability to improvise and troubleshoot after the flood is key to helping Patzer Woodworking recover from the accident.
“Each of our employees is important to the business,” he said. "It really takes a team effort for a project like this to be successful in the long term." Without them we would not have been able to face the difficulties”.
When community members and business leaders gathered in the showroom on Thursday to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary, there was no indication that just three years ago the premises had been submerged more than a foot in water.
Despite the many challenges Patzer Woodworking has faced over the years, Tom has always instilled the confidence to overcome obstacles, saying his family often heard, “You will always succeed.
"That's what he always says when we're worried about something," Ryan said of his dad. "The."
