Author Matt Goldman
Bethany and Scott Loncorich stand beside a new golf cart, one of the expanded offerings at L&P Supply’s showroom.
L&P Supply has been a staple in the community for 59 years. It offers a wide range of lawn and garden equipment for professional landscapers, to farmers, and the average homeowner.
For nearly six decades, L&P Supply has been a family-owned staple in the community, specializing in lawn and gardening equipment. Now, a new family prepares to expand its presence in Hutchinson.
Bethany and Scott Loncorich of Stewart took the wheel from Brian and Brad Lokensgard back in January. The pair plan to keep the store a family-owned business, as well as expand its services and equipment offerings.
Having known the previous owners for years and sharing ties through community connections, the couple found themselves not just acquiring a business but embracing a tradition deeply intertwined with their own roots.
“We’re trying to keep it the same as much as possible, and just add on to what they’ve already made into a very successful business,” Scott Loncorich said.
Alongside the existing product lines, the duo is introducing an array of new offerings, including side-by-sides, dump trailers, enclosed trailers and golf carts.
In addition, the new owners have decided to expand into recreational equipment, filling the void left by the absence of Fun Sports, which closed its doors in August. This expansion will also include the servicing of snowmobiles, four-wheelers, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, as well as golf carts and trailers.
“We’re adding service to all the new stuff that we’re going to be selling, and the stuff people used to go to Fun Sports for,” Scott Loncorich said. “I just felt like those were things … you had to always drive an hour elsewhere to go get them. It just kind of felt like a good fit to bring those to town.”
Since January the store has hired three new employees including a technician who will service equipment and powersports. The Lokensgards are also still working at the store to help with the transition.
“Brad and Brian were both very great to work with, and I think they both really wanted to see it continue to serve the community as we did,” Scott Loncorich said.
“So that made the transition of everything very easy,” Bethany Loncorich added.
Previously employed as a crop adjuster, Bethany Loncorich has transitioned to a full-time role at the store, contributing her costumer service expertise to its operations. Meanwhile, Scott Loncorich continues to dedicate his time to his family’s farm, balancing his responsibilities there with occasional involvement at the store. Together, they bring a wealth of experience from their respective backgrounds to their roles, ensuring a comprehensive approach to business management and community service.
One of the most significant changes under the new ownership is the introduction of rental services. Understanding the demand for equipment rentals in the area, the Loncoriches aim to fill the gap left by the departure of Sorenson Rentals.
“We’re getting lifts, mini excavators, stump grinders, basically all the regulars,” Scott Loncorich said.
The Loncoriches expressed optimism about the potential impact of the rental services on their business, emphasizing the increase in foot traffic. They anticipate that rental offerings will not only attract customers seeking equipment rentals but also serve as a platform for showcasing their sales of new and used inventory.
“Just kind of felt like it was a great addition to the business,” Scott Loncorich said.
Despite the expansion, the Loncoriches remain rooted in their commitment to community and family. With their two sons already showing enthusiasm for the store, they see L&P Supply as a family endeavor that can involve future generations.
“Looking to the future, it’s something that we could potentially pass down to our boys,” Scott Loncorich said. “We just felt like we really want to stay here in the community and serve the community that we’re in.”
The serendipity of their last names, Loncorich and Plamann, Bethany’s maiden name, align with the initials of the store, L&P, adds a charming touch to their ownership. This fortuitous coincidence not only underscores their connection to the business but also symbolizes their seamless integration into the store’s legacy.
Hutchinson Leader will cease operations April 28, the newspaper announced today, bringing an end to its more than 140 years of service to Hutchinson and the McLeod County area.
The Leader’s shopper companion, Weekend Leader Shopper, and its sister publications, the Litchfield Independent Review and Meeker County Advertiser, and the Crow River Press printing business also will close.
The final edition of the newspapers will be Wednesday, April 24.
The newspapers’ management said it will refund the balance of paid subscriptions in the coming weeks.
The Leader and Independent Review, like many newspaper businesses around the country, have been challenged during the past decade or longer by changing lifestyle habits, especially by the dramatic shift in advertising revenue from local print publications to digital options such as Google, Facebook and Amazon.
The COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on newspaper businesses as well, with advertising revenue falling 25% to 50%. Local advertising revenue is the primary revenue source for most weekly newspapers. Hundreds of newspapers across the country have closed or downsized, reduced their publication schedules and made other cost-cutting measures.
The Leader, Independent Review and Crow River Press — collectively known as Crow River Media — as well as sister newspapers in the southwest metropolitan area, are owned by MediaNews Group, a Denver-based media company, which also owns the Saint Paul Pioneer Press.
In a related announcement today, Southwest News Media said its publications — Shakopee Valley News, Prior Lake American, Savage Pacer, Jordan Independent, Chaska Herald and Chanhassen Villager — also will cease operations April 28.
The Leader was founded in 1880, and the Litchfield Independent Review was founded in 1876.
Dr. Charles Nies
Dr. Charles Nies
Dr. Charles Nies, a 1982 graduate of Hutchinson High School, has been named the 10th chancellor of the University of Minnesota Duluth, effective July 1, and pending approval by the University’s Board of Regents at its May 2024 meeting.
“Dr. Nies is an experienced, strategic leader who is ready to tackle UMD’s challenges and celebrate its success,” said University of Minnesota Interim President Jeff Ettinger. “He will continue to build UMD’s great partnerships with the Duluth community, region and the University of Minnesota System. UMD is poised for a bright future under his leadership.”
Nies currently serves as the vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California, Merced. Founded in 2005, UC Merced is one of 10 campuses in the University of California system and the youngest university in the United States to earn the Carnegie R2 designation — the second-highest classification for American research universities. Nies joined UC Merced in 2006 as its first associate vice chancellor and dean of students, a role in which he oversaw the development and growth of student life programs on campus.
“I am honored to be able to serve in the role of chancellor at the University of Minnesota Duluth — having grown up in Minnesota, this will be a coming home opportunity,” Nies said. “I am also excited to join the Duluth and University of Minnesota communities. UMD is filled with wonderfully creative and brilliant students, faculty and staff, and I look forward to the discovery that has been and will continue to be our mark of excellence.”
Nies comes to UMD with more than 25 years of experience in higher education. Prior to his work at UC Merced, he served as an assistant dean of an interdisciplinary school at Miami University in Ohio and a program director for a minor in leadership studies at Washington State University. As an instructor, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership theory, organizational theory and student development.
Nies holds two degrees from Washington State University — a doctorate in education administration and leadership and a master’s in counseling psychology. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Nies succeeds Interim Chancellor David McMillan, who will remain in the role through June, and Chancellor Lendley Black, who retired in the summer of 2022.
The University of Minnesota Duluth is one of five campuses in the University of Minnesota System, the University of Minnesota Duluth integrates liberal education, research, creative activity, and public engagement and prepares students to thrive as lifelong learners and globally engaged citizens. With an enrollment of nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the Duluth campus offers 87 undergraduate and post-baccalaureate degrees and graduate programs in more than 24 different fields.
A digital render of Storyteller Cafe. Story Foundation is trying to raise money to build it in Ramsey, MN. The Storyteller Cafe will help get human trafficking survivors back on their feet by offering housing, job training and a job at the cafe.
When people hear the words “human trafficking” they might think of stories in other countries, but it’s a real problem in the United States, even in Minnesota.
“It’s happening in every county, every night,” said Jodi Elliot, a Hutchinson resident who has become active in the fight against human trafficking.
Elliot started working against human trafficking in 2018 after attending a seminar offered by Stories Foundation through Hutchinson Area Youth.
“I was new to Crosspoint Church but I wanted to support them, so I attended with my youth group kids,” she said. “It was the most serious I’d ever seen the kids, and even I was blown away by some of the statistics.”
Elliot hopes to continue to spread the word with events like one planned later this month at two Hutchinson churches. The seminar “Stuff I Wish My Parents Knew” is planned for 1-3 p.m. Sunday, April 28, at CrossPoint Church and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, April 29, at Christ the King Lutheran Church.
Human trafficking is divided into two sub-categories: labor trafficking and sex trafficking.
Labor trafficking forces someone to work against their will through force, fraud or coercion.
Sex trafficking,on the other hand, is forcing individuals to perform sex or sexual favors through the use of force, fraud or coercion.
“Human trafficking is a lot more commonplace than we’d like to admit,” Stories Foundation founder Stephanie Page said.
In 2021, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 335 signals in Minnesota with 119 of them being from victims or survivors of human trafficking. In the same year, the NHTH identified 98 cases involving 148 victims.
Page said traffickers learn to find and take advantage of vulnerable people. They manipulate them to get what they want, and often these people are too used to being exploited to see the signs.
“Manipulation is a baseline practice in businesses and when we allow it to exist we set people up in exploitive relationships,” she said. “When being exploited is normalized for people, red flags don’t go off in their minds, which can lead to dangerous situations like sex trafficking.”
With more than 20 years of experience working with youth, Elliot understands how people, especially kids, can fall vicitim.
“They feed the person what they want or need,” Elliot said. “They take advantage of someone in a bad situation. It could be anyone, it might be a high school girl looking to be validated for her clothing choices.”
Sex and related topics are difficult subjects, Page said.
“There’s a lot of shame,” she said. “We’re not having those difficult conversations, and while it is a very personal conversation, when (human trafficking) is happening in our backyard we got to talk about it.”
Human trafficking can occur anywhere, be it in a city or a more rural area, and it occurs more often than is reported.
“These criminals aren’t caught nearly enough,” Page said. “The truth is we barely have enough support from the law to prosecute human traffickers, and buyers barely have consequences for what they are doing.”
But to Page, the lack of support through the legal system is only part of the problem.
“The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has a Human Trafficking Task Force,” she said. “And they will investigate and build cases for years, like two or three years against traffickers to be able to take them to court. And it’s hard to gather the evidence. And a lot of times, victims/survivors will go back into the life they had because there isn’t any place for them to go while their case is being built and investigated.”
Page and Elliot are dedicated in the fight against human trafficking, and said they will keep having the hard conversation as many times as it takes. One of the ways they are doing this is through a Stories Foundation project, Storyteller Cafe.
The Cafe will be a place for awareness and prevention, and also a place for survivors and most vulnerable. Survivors will receive job training, jobs and housing.
Page had the idea in 2012 after she learned about human trafficking. She started Stories Foundation with support from her parents.
“We’d always wanted to start a coffee shop,” she said. “And we knew about a nonprofit coffee shop in Washington, D.C., that did what we wanted, so we thought we could do it too. Admittedly, 11 years later, slightly naive, thinking it would be easy. Nothing good is easy, but I thought that we could use business for good — we could use business as an avenue for people to donate in a way that they were getting something in return.”
Page’s coffee shop didn’t gain ground until much later in her nonprofit career.
“We started with a food truck,” she said. “In 2016 we raised money to get the truck going and we launched it in 2017. We kept that going until 2020.”
During 2020 instead of continuing with the food truck Page looked back into setting up the cafe and found land in Ramsey, Minnesota.
“Since then we’ve been trying to raise money for the cost of the building,” she said.
The cafe will cost $1.8 million to build, and Stories Foundation has raised around $437,000. The cafe’s goal is to break ground this spring and finish construction no later than December.
“I believe we can do it,” Elliot said. “I believe we need to do it. Now is the time. So I committed to raising $20,000 in the Hutchinson area.”
