2 June 20, 2012Progress: OUR PEOPLE

WWiillllooww LLaakkee vviissiittoorrss sshhoopp WWooooddbbiinnee

“I just wanted to tell you what a great time we had while visitingyour shop. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed looking aroundand visiting with you. Most shop owners don't interact with their

customers and to us this is a huge mistake. We were the people (stay-ing out at Willow Lake) who bought your boiler out front and the

next day my husband came back for another item. You also fed himsome wonderful fresh baked cookies (I got a bite) that were choco-late. We plan on coming back this summer and we have had many

compliments on our purchases. Just wanted to tell you that you havea great eye for your store items and we enjoyed our visit with you.”

--A Woodbine Antiques customer Main Street shopping testimonial

By Kevin BrownTwiner General Manager

The secret to Tommy Gate’s suc-cess: It’s people and their workethic.

Lila Blandford, owner of TommyGate, said the success that the lift-gate firm has had in Woodbinewould be hard to replicate almostanywhere else for just that reason.

“Some people wonder why wedon’t move the entire company toArizona but it wouldn’t workhere,” Blandford said. “There isless of a work ethic here and peopledon’t have the loyalty to their job.”

Blandford said Woodbine offersa unique, educated and specializedwork force that benefits from itsrural roots yet is close enough toOmaha, Neb., to offer the cultural opportunities many people desire.

“The Midwest culture and work ethic is so evident in the Woodbineworkforce,” Blandford said. “I have many excellent employees who havebeen with us for years.”

Blandford said one of the biggest challenges to running a manufactur-ing firm in Harrison County is the high property tax.

“The property taxes in Iowa are a real burden,” she said. “The tax onreal estate is huge. We have received some tax breaks with TIF (TaxIncrement Financing) and economic development programs, but taxesare still very high.”

Even with the taxes, Blandford said the advantages of the area out-weigh the negatives. It is a quality her dad recognized as his businessbegan to grow.

She said Delbert “Bus” Brown founded Tommy Gate in 1965. Hedesigned and built the first hydraulic liftgate in his Woodbine machineshop. The device was named after his son; the liftgate was originallydesigned to help move loads into and out of pick-up trucks.

The firm recently expanded its facilities here to 150,000-square-feet.The plant area now features a new head office and warehouse area thathas state-of-the-art production, logistic and lab centers.

Blandford said the firm has an excellent working relationship with cityand state officials. For example, city officials recently announced majorwork on two bridges on Bus Brown Drive that support a great deal oftruck traffic to and from the plant.

“Without those bridges and other road improvements, it would be dif-ficult to continue to move product and supplies,” she said.

The state also helped with the building expansion and she said thecompany benefits a great deal from employee training programs housedat Iowa Western Community College, Council Bluffs.

“The state does provide training funds through refunds of some of theIowa withholding taxes if you meet certain criteria,” Blandford said.“That is veryhelpful.”

The onlyconcern shehad at onepoint aboutthe future ofthe firm inW o o d b i n ewas a concernthat thee m p l o y e ebase woulddegrade asthe popula-tion inH a r r i s o nCounty con-tinues to fall.

But, shesaid she tooksteps to learnthat thoseworries arel a r g e l yunfounded.

“I had ameeting twoor three years ago where we gathered together the youngest and newestemployees,” she said. “I asked them about their future plans and whetheror not they saw themselves staying in the area. I needed to know howsteady the workforce would be going forward. I was worried if the youngpeople wouldn’t want to stay and continue to grow with Tommy Gate.The response was overwhelmingly positive. They said that they live herebecause they want to, that they love it here and have no plans to leave. Itmade me feel much more secure that we will be able to keep our goodhelp. The idea of leaving Woodbine was not on their radar. They love itthere.”

She said that theworkforce in largemetropolitan areas isnot as dependable.

“The lifestyle in thebigger cities is not thesame,” she said.“Those populationsare very mobile andvery transient.”

She said the statealso helps arrange andpresent internationaltrade shows thatTommy Gate has par-ticipated in successful-ly to expand its marketshare internationally.

“We have a tremen-dous economic impacton Woodbine,” shesaid. “Four years ago,Renea Anderson withHarrison CountyD e v e l o p m e n t

Corporation conducted an econom-ic impact study and it showed thatat that time we had a $30 millionimpact on the county. I was justfloored. But, when you think aboutit, it is easier to visualize. Weemployee 90 people and have atremendous impact on property andother taxes.”

Blandford said she is committedto Woodbine and its residents.

“I grew up there,” she said. “Ibelieve in the community and itspeople. And, we have demonstratedour commitment with the expan-sion. Our warehouse is now state-of-the-art, efficient and designed forour needs now and in the future. Wenow have three loading docks andwe have added a number of com-puterized and updated equipment

and other machines to continue to improve our product and develop-ment.”

Part of that work involved converting the former old offices into amodern engineering office and lab.

“It is specifically designed for the development and testing of lift-gates,” she said. “We recently showed a big end customer the lab facilityand they were just amazed that we had this quality of facility inWoodbine. We haven’t done a lot of this before but we plan on doingmore. It is good for us and good for Woodbine.”

She said the company hopes to expand tours of its facilities to includesuch recognizable names as Penske.

Other aspects of Tommy Gate that are all part of its success includeattention to quality control and providing excellent customer service anddelivery experiences for their customers.

Blandford said she is nearing retirement and is looking forward to anupcoming transitioning for the firm.

“We are a closely held, private company,” she said. “I will be transi-tioning within a year. I have three children who are all interested in thebusiness.”

TJ, 30, is working towards his MBA and will graduate next May. Hehas worked in Woodbine and is familiar with the company’s entire oper-ation. Chris is 27 and has worked in the office in Phoenix for 4 years aftergraduating from the University of Colorado. He does all the graphicdesign for our website and marketing materials and spent a summerworking on the floor of the plant. Chelsea, 23, will graduate in May fromArizona State and plans to work in Woodbine for a few months learninghow the factory operates and then will return to the corporate offices inPhoenix.

“I will be leaving the company in good hands,” she said.For more information on Tommy Gate, please visit

www.tommygate.com.

3June 20, 2012 Progress: OUR PEOPLE

Tommy Gate has huge economicimpact on Woodbine, countyThe owner of Tommy Gate credits the firm’s success largely due to the well-educated, dedicated and professional work-

force in Harrison County. They have done their homework and believe the firm’s future is bright right here at home.

4 June 20, 2012Progress: OUR PEOPLE

Woodbine MunicipalLight & Power

Chris Waite, SuperintendentPhone: 647-2340

If no answer, call 647-2345www.woodbineia.org 425 Walker Street

Woodbine, IA 51579

(712) 647-2301Fax (712) 647-2362

Foutch Brothers LLCspecializes in bringinghistoric icons back to glory

The three Woodbine brothers have taken on a regional and national prominence in a unique area of tax credit constructionand development. From the revitalization of the former Equitable Insurance building in downtown Des Moines to a new afford-

able housing project in Harlan, the Foutch Brothers are building on the past to a rewarding future.By Kevin BrownTwiner General Manager

Rehabilitation and repurposing.Those two words sum up the basic founda-

tion of Foutch Brothers, LLC that is owned bythree former Twiners – Steve, Scott andShawn. The three are the sons of Vern andNancy Foutch, Woodbine.

The brothers specialize in taking projectsothers might consider difficult – like the reha-bilitation and remodeling for loft apartmentsof the former Equitable of Iowa headquartersin downtown Des Moines – and turning theminto profitable projects that restore these for-mer grand buildings back to their originalgrandeur.

But, the three visionaries who honed theirbasic knowledge of the world from practicalfarm work experience as kids, also focus onbuilding new projects that offer affordablehousing to communities. They are currentlyputting the finishing touches on one suchproject in nearby Harlan.

Steve founded the development, visioningand construction firm in 2004; Scott movedfrom Seattle to run the construction work.Shawn is a professional engineer who joinedthe firm in 2011. The firm has its headquar-ters in Kansas City and a new satellite officein Des Moines.

When you look at the firm’s portfolio ofwork, you see that they enjoy working onrepurposing former school buildings in par-ticular.

“There are literally hundreds of schoolsacross the Midwest that have the potential tobe repurposed,” Steve said. “We look for theright project in the right community. We trynot to look at cities of less than 5,000 popula-tion. We look for communities that have a sta-ble demographic trend, are county seats orhave sustainable economic bases, and arelarge enough to support a healthy employ-ment base.”

Shawn added that school projects oftencome along after the communities have cometo terms with the realities for alternative usesof such buildings.

“Towns will go through a series of deci-sions and gyrations about a school,” he said.“When an old school is decommissioned,

there is a lot of emotion around that decision.Towns will try to make them community cen-ters or alumni museums, etc., but eventuallythe actual costs of such projects limit thoseoptions.”

And, the brothers would like to find moreprojects like the Equitable building. In KansasCity, the brothers have worked on a projectsuch as the former St. Margaret’s Hospital, theformer Mead Paper Building in St. Joseph,Mo., and the former Tire Town building inLeavenworth, Kan.

Harlan is the firm’s first effort at newaffordable housing.

“Those homes are for people who earnfrom 40- to 60-percent of the median incomefor their area and will be rent to own,” Stevesaid. “There are a total of 27 units in the devel-opment. Two-thirds of those are single-familyhouses and a third are duplexes. It is made forfamilies but anyone who meets the incomeguidelines may qualify. The program is set upfor people to rent for affordable levels for 15years while taking classes on responsiblehome ownership, and then to make the pur-chase.”

The brothers also have upcoming schoolprojects in Shelby and Algona.

“When we work on schools, we restore thegyms and auditoriums and make them avail-able to the public and the alumni,” Shawnsaid. “We restore the hallways to their originallook and keep the historic ties of the buildingto the communities.”

For the future, the brothers note that theyhave a backlog of projects now.

“We have more opportunities coming inthan we know what to do with,” Steve said.“We are growing and becoming more sophis-ticated in how we approach a project and itsvision. We are to the point where we can takea project from cradle to grave.”

Steve said the brothers know they are buck-ing a trend to outsource support services tooutside firms, but they agree that such deci-sions are inefficient for the type or work thatthey do.

“We are a highly specialized firm and ourwork needs are continuous,” he said. “It does-n’t make sense for us to outsource work thatis so heavily specific. And, timing is impor-tant and you need to be able to tap experi-

enced resources quickly. It is all about team-work for us. We have better control and moreflexibility to guide activities by having every-thing in-house.”

As an example, the brothers pointed to thelarge number of projects they do that involvethe highly technical area of tax credits andgovernment funding. It is vital that the firmknow all of the ins and outs of the guidelines.

“There is a continuity and experience basewe have now,” the two agreed. “We have tobe experts in all of those critical areas. Whenyou take on historic preservation work, youare responsible for everything. Outsourcing issimply too risky.”

To the brothers, they said they formed theirfirm because “we got tired of working for theman.” They started out simply by moonlight-ing and flipping houses and duplexes andthen did their first tax credit work in 2002with the Abernathy Lofts in Leavenworth,Kan.

This gave the firm the experience theyneeded in all areas of such projects, includingproperty management and leasing.

The Iowa State University, Ames, gradu-ates credit Woodbine with fostering theirwork ethic and setting the stage for their cur-rent success. They also credit their educationin the Woodbine schools for providing them asolid educational foundation from which tobuild. Scott graduated from WHS in 1981,Shawn in 1982 and Steve is 1984.

“The experience of growing up in a ruralarea in the 1980s also influence us,” the broth-ers said. “We saw poverty and the need forfinancial security during the Farm Crisis.”

The brothers also credit their upbringingwith fostering the creative minds that enjoythe challenge of taking a job from the groundup to save cherished buildings for communi-ties.

“We are able to do a lot of visualizationduring the initial tour of a vacant, blightedbuilding,” Steve said. “In this business, expe-rience counts. But, a lot of it still begins fromthe gut. And, if we agree to take on a project,we will see it through to the end one way oranother. We stand by our word.”

You can just hear the hometown work ethiccoming out in those words.

Construction information for aFoutch Brother project in St.

Joseph, Mo. (Mitchell Park Plaza):

# of metal studs for the walls 90,000 plus

# of square feet of sheetrock1 million plus

# of toilets 450 plus# of doors 2,000 plus# of holes drilled into 9” concrete

10,500 plusAmount of electrical wire installed

68 milesAmount of base trim installed

18 miles

The EquitableBuilding in DowtownDes Moines is one ofthe firm’s current proj-ects. Others include anew housing develop-ment in Harlan andupcoming school con-version is Shelby andAlgona along withother out-of-state proj-ects. (Photo Submited)

June 20, 2012 Progress: OUR PEOPLE 5

ROGER L. BARRY 414 Walker StreetWoodbine, IA 51579

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410 Walker StreetWoodbine, IA

647-1600

FFoooodd LLaanndd iiss ccoolloorrffuullWWooooddbbiinnee llaannddmmaarrkk –– aannddtthheerree iiss mmoorree yyeett ttoo ccoommeeFood Land is cut deeply into the fabric that is Woodbine. Its roots go back to 1947 and the future looks as bright and

vibrant as its iconic and historic neon sign with a planned expansion on the horizon.By Kevin BrownTwiner General Manager

You can’t miss Food Land’s bright, multi-colored neon sign that faces LincolnwayStreet at Fifth Street. The trademark sign is asmuch a part of the fabric that is Woodbine asthe old railroad depot.

And, owner Dina Corbett is proud of thesign and the family heritage that it represents.

“My parents, Lloyd and Bonnie Roundy,founded Food Land in 1947,” Corbett said.“Before opening Food Land, the coupleowned Lloyd’s Pharmacy and also ran arestaurant.”

She said the Woodbine grocery store markssignificant industry firsts for HarrisonCounty.

“Food Land was the first self-serve groceryin Harrison County,” she said. “Before that,you went to a counter and asked for itemsand clerks found and packaged those itemsfor you. The store was also the first to use self-serve shopping carts that are so commontoday. My father also built all of the store’sshelving himself. It also featured a 10-footmeat counter, a 6-foot x 8-foot walk-in cooler,and an 11-foot fruit and vegetable displaycooler. It was state-of-the-art in its day.”

Corbett has a copy of the first ad for thestore.

“The store actually opened its doors on Oct.6, 1947, but the Grand Opening ad was forOct. 11,” she said. “The ad itself is uniquebecause my parent’s actually sponsored a car-toon on the ad – a way of building readershipfor the ad by readers. The prices for the items– and some of the names for items – recall asimpler time. (See sidebar for a list of theitems and prices in that original Twiner ad).

A Woodbine “Twiner” article from Oct. 2,1947, has an item that mentions the originalFood Land was coming along well and thatthe family had done a nice job in stocking andarranging the merchandise.

The store itself has been in four differentlocations in Woodbine. The store we all knowtoday opened in 1969 and was specificallydesigned and constructed to continue the tra-dition of being state-of-the-art in grocery tech-nology and design.

“Our first location is what most peopletoday would remember as the old laundro-mat,” Corbett said. “The second location iswhere Kim Jacob’s has her business today –Roots and Rumors – in the Bank Building.The third location is the building that nowhouses Shaw’s Screen Printing business. Thesign that is on our building today was origi-nally made for that building.”

She said she really knows no other life thanFood Land having been raised in the familybusiness.

“I was cashiering at the age of four,” shesaid. “I would stand on a wood milk crate. Wedidn’t have plastic back then. That store wasand is a cherished part of my life.”

In those early days, Corbett said the storeemployed 10 to 12 employees. Today, the

Woodbine store alone employees 26 peopleand overall the company employees just lessthan 100 people.

Food Land has been so successful that thefamily has expanded their operation outsideof Woodbine – and Iowa.

“We have stores in Missouri Valley andWeeping Water, Neb.,” she said. “We openedthe Missouri Valley store in 1964 because wefelt there were opportunities there for a well-run, quality grocery business.”

The Missouri Valley store is the largest inthe chain at 25,000-square-feet. The Woodbinestore has 8,000-square-feet and the WeepingWater Super Foods store has 4,000-square-feet.

The Missouri Valley store also features arecent expansion by Food Land into yetanother state-of-the-art concept for grocerystores – Food Land Express.

“We opened Food Land Express in 2010,”Corbett said. “We used to run a video storeout of that location. As that market changed,we decided a quality liquor store that isattached to the main store was an attractiveoption for our customers. It features a beercave and expanded selections of merchan-dise.”

She said the Missouri Valley store also hasa bit of its own unique history.

“The land our store is built on was six-feetbelow street level when we purchased it,” shesaid. “The land was a former ice skating rink.We built the land up to where it is now five-feet above street level – which is important inthat area due to the potential for flooding.”

Corbett said there is big news in the nearfuture for the Woodbine Food Land and itsloyal customer base.

“You are one of the first people to know, butwe are planning an expansion of the store,”Corbett said. “We are working together withseveral partners right now to get everythinglined up. We want to grow with Woodbineand position ourselves into the future. Thenew addition will allow us to bring in a full-service deli and beer cave so that all of ourbeer and wine will be cold. It also will allowus to expand our merchandise selections here,too. We also will be expanding our meat, pro-duce and dairy areas. Demand is what is driv-ing this expansion – we thank our customersfor being loyal.”

Attention to customer needs and requestsis the secret to Food Land’s success andlongevity, she said.

“Our success goes right back to our cus-tomers,” Corbett said. “Our customers areloyal and appreciate the small-town atmos-phere our store brings. We focus on our cus-tomer service and we are always looking forways to get better at what we do.”

And, Corbett knows the importance of cus-tomer loyalty in keeping stores like her fami-ly’s operating.

“Our supplier – AWG from Kansas City –has figures that show a large number of small-town supermarkets have gone out of businessin towns of less than 4,000 population in the

past few years,” she said. “We believe it isvery important – and basic – for a town tohave its own grocery store.”

Corbett said grocery stores bring customersinto town that then do business at other localfirms. Without her store, those customerswould go to towns where they could “get itall.”

“We really are an economic engine forWoodbine,” she said. “We have a significanteconomic impact on Woodbine in both theamount of business we bring in and the pay-roll and taxes we pay out.”

The Main Street façade work on WalkerStreet has revitalized Woodbine’s downtowndistrict, she said, which helps everyone.

“The work on Walker has been very benefi-cial,” she said. “We participated and put innew windows, doors and insulation. It is a bigboost for the town.”

Such work also is a way to give back toWoodbine as is donations to local groups andactivities.

“It is very important to give back to thecommunity,” Corbett said. “We try to partici-pate in as many things as possible.”

For the future, Corbett looks forward totwo of her four children taking over the reinsof the business in the near future and for FoodLand to continue to prosper and be a vitalpart of the communities it serves.

“I just want to see it be in existence and tobe a success,” she said. “I want it to continueto serve the public in the tradition we’vealways. That is our main goal.”

Corbett said two of the children – JenniferCorbett, 29, and John, 28, both of Omaha,Neb. – plan to follow in the family business.The other two children, Jessica Kesler, 31, ofOmaha, and Justin, 30, of Mesa, Ariz., areproud of their heritage but have chosen othercareers.

“I’m glad we have yet another generationready to continue to build on our family’s her-itage,” she said. “I’m proud and excited aboutwhat the future holds for my family, FoodLand, and the customers we serve.”

Grand Opening Specials From Food LandOn Oct. 11, 1947

Kraft Velveeta Cheese, 2-lb box, 87 centsCrackers, 1lb box, 23 cents; 2 lb box, 45 centsLettuce, jumbo sized head, 16 centsGrapes, 2 lbs, 19 centsSunkist oranges, 23 cents per dozenDr. Pomelo Grapefruit Juice, Big No. 5 can, 19 centsMiracle Whip Salad Dressing, pint, 35 centsPrince Albert or Velvet Tobacco, can, 10 centsDuz Washing Powder, large package, 32 centsFresh Ground Pure Beef Hamburger, 39 cents per poundWieners, 51 cents per poundSmoked whole or one-half Picnic Hams, 53 cents perpoundBeef Short Ribs, 36 cents per poundBeef Hearts, 29 cents per poundBeef Brains, 12 cents per pound

Little Known Fact AboutThe Corbett Family’s

Connection To Woodbine

Dina Corbett said her great-great-great grandmother, Anna Butler, namedWoodbine. Her ancestor, who was origi-nally from England and served as thefirst postmistress for the town, had thehonor of naming it. She named it afterthe Woodbine vine that she loved. Andthe rest, as they say, is history. It evenwas the foundation of one of the mostunique newspaper names in the country– The Twiner – but also to a unique wayof being identified by our neighbors –Twiners.

June 20, 2012Progress: OUR PEOPLE6

MORE THAN A PHARMACYTwo Convenient Locations

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Eby Pharmacy offerslocal nostalgia, modernservice with small-town feel

TThhee pphhaarrmmaaccyy ooffffeerrss mmooddeerrnn ccoonnvveenniieennccee wwhhiillee ssttiillll ooppeerraattiinngg iittss SSooddaa FFoouunnttaaiinn aanndd ssppeecciiaalliizziinngg iinnssmmaallll--ttoowwnn ccuussttoommeerr sseerrvviiccee.. TThhee cchhaalllleennggee wwiillll bbee ttoo ffiinndd aa ttrraannssiittiioonn ppllaann ttoo kkeeeepp tthhee

lleeggaaccyy bbuussiinneessss ooppeerraattiinngg aafftteerr iittss oowwnneerr rreettiirreess..By Kevin BrownTwiner General Manager

It is hard to imagine a Woodbine that doesn’t include an EbyPharmacy.

Bob Eby, the current owner of the three-generation pharmacy, saidhis grandfather, Robert H. Eby, founded it in 1916.

“The pharmacy itself goes back to 1875, but it has been continuous-ly owned by my family since 1916,” he said. “In 1940 when his grand-father passed away, his dad, Richard Eby, took over. He continued torun the pharmacy until 1990.”

Bob, who is a 1972 graduate from the School of Pharmacy at theUniversity of Nebraska, Lincoln, said he has been running theWoodbine legacy business since his father’s death.

But, the Eby Pharmacy tradition extends beyond Woodbine toinclude Logan.

“My brother, Stephen, runs the Logan store,” he said. “Dad pur-chased the former Wood Brothers Pharmacy there in 1956. Steve is a1974 graduate of the School of Pharmacy at Creighton University,Omaha.”

Eby’s mother, Pat (her real name is Evelyn but everyone knows heras Pat), also played an active and important role in the pharmacy, hesaid.

“Mom ran the greeting card department for us and did so for a

number of years after dad’s death,” he said. “She was still activelyinvolved until a couple of years ago when she retired and now lives atRose Vista.”

Eby said the pharmacy has not changed a great deal in appearanceand that is by design.

“The building and sales area looks pretty much as it did 45 yearsago,” he said. “The soda fountain was added in 1947 and is still in

operation today. I would have some unhappy customers if I tried toclose it. The interior of the building was remodeled in 1967 and thestorefront was redone in 1958.”

While the physical building we all know so well hasn’t changedmuch, Eby said there has been a great deal of change behind the phar-macy counter.

“There have been substantial changes in the operation of the phar-macy over the years,” he said. “In my grandfather’s day, all prescrip-tions were made from scratch. Now, you inventory items. Thosechanges are less visible to the customer, but have made quite animpact on the industry.”

A store scene at Eby Pharmacy’s Soda Fountain in 1947. Pat is in the cen-ter.

Bob Eby, right, his mother, Pat (center), and brother, Stephen as picturedin 1991.

Eby Pharmacy, on page 7

June 20, 2012 Progress: OUR PEOPLE 7

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Eby said the clientele of the pharmacy hasn’t changed muchthrough the years other than his customers have become older just asthe population of Harrison County as a whole has aged.

“People now live longer and as you get older, you need more pre-scriptions,” he said. “Our customer base is now more elderly than itused to be. And, there are just so many new, specialized medicationssuch as the cholesterol lowering drugs, the large increase in antibioticsand the number of drugs for cardiac care issues. Our stock is muchmore extensive than it used to be.”

While the rise of large drug store chains and the entry of major gro-cery and big box retailers into the pharmacy business have changedthe overall industry, Eby said the impact on his pharmacy has beenminimal.

“The big stores are not a real competition for us,” he said. “So manypeople have insurance now and the insurance industry controls theprice of the drugs so much that the price is basically the same no mat-ter where you go. The insurers basically tell us what they are going topay. Plus, our customers appreciate the small-town yet up-to-dateservice we provide – we know who our customers are by name.”

Eby said he grew up working in the store and learning the tradefrom his parents.

“I used to stand on pop cases to dip ice cream from the soda foun-tain,” he said. “I worked here on and off my entire life. I basically grewup here. I chose to go into the pharmacy business because I realized Iprobably would be happiest working as my own boss. My dad neverpressured us to follow him. It is just the life we know.”

With his business on Walker Street, Eby has had a front row seat towatch the façade transformation of the business district. He said thework is a huge asset for the community.

“It looks really nice,” Eby said. “I hope it results in increased retailactivity. The more retail businesses you attract the more it feeds onitself. Customers who come to one business will usually go to others,too.”

In the early days, the pharmacy had several sidelines that added tothe bottom line.

“We used to have a big veterinary supply business here,” he said.“Farmers would come in for products for their livestock. We also usedto cut wallpaper and glass. Those departments kept us busy in theearly days. But, over time, other businesses picked up some of thatbusiness and the pharmacy industry became more specialized anddemanded more of our time. That left little time for the front endretailing.”

A typical day when Eby first started working in the store wouldfind him filling 90 prescriptions.

“And that would be a very busy day,” he said. “Now, it is commonfor us to fill up to 120 prescriptions a day with busy days having up to200.”

The 2,000-square-foot store is small by today’s standards, he said,but was a typical size for its time.

Bob and his wife have two children, Kimberley and John. Steve andhis wife, Carolyn, also have two children – Mark and Melissa. All ofthose children have their own careers not in pharmacy, so Eby said heand his brother hope to find a young pharmacist to take over the oper-ation when they retire.

“We would like to transition to someone who would enjoy being aself-proprietor and enjoy live in area,” he said. “We don’t have a setplan. There are fewer people interested in this type of opportunitythese days. There just aren’t that many independent pharmacies anylonger.”

Eby has a sister, Mary Wick, who lives in Virginia Beach, Vir., and isin the music field.

“She followed the interests of our mother who was a music teacherher entire life,” Eby said.

One reason some pharmacists aren’t interested in ownership isbecause the job – especially in a small town – can be 24 hours a day,seven days a week.

“You do work a lot of hours and you do miss some things,” he said.“But, that is just part of the job and service to the community.”

Service to the community is important to Eby.“Woodbine has been very good to us and we believe in giving

back,” he said. “Dad graduated from here and mom moved here toteach. It is important to support the people who support you.”

Eby Pharmacy, from page 6

White Gardens is colorful,well-tended extension of oneman’s original dream space

In 1956, Herbert White created his garden – a retirement passion of his for the remainder of his life. Later,a volunteer committee managed the gardens and its care. Now, it is time to pass the torch again

and the City of Woodbine has agreed to merge the gardens with its other park and recreation amenities.By Kevin BrownTwiner General Manger

For Lois Schroeder, Woodbine, the White Gardens is a true labor oflove and a way of showing respect for her old friend, Herbert White,a former postmaster who founded and designed the gardens.

“Herbert bought the land from my husband’s parents in 1955,” shesaid. “He was a family friend and a very nice man. He was a bachelorwho lived with his sister in a house they built by the school at Sixthand Weare streets. He really enjoyed gardening. He did all of the workhimself.”

Schroeder said the garden has a large number and variety ofpeonies but that there are also a large number of magnolias and nuttrees in the garden.

“The garden takes a lot of work and upkeep,” she said. “Right now,we need to get the old peony blossoms cut off. We are trying to findpeople to come and help. That is why we are asking the city to startcaring for the garden.”

Schroeder said her vision for the garden is for the peonies that weredestroyed by a recent disease to be replaced, but that is expensive.

“There are a lot of bare spots out there,” she said. “I would like tosee the city buy more but they can cost from $20 to $80 per plant. And,peonies on the old wood can cost from $75 to more than $100. Thereused to be a lot of those in the garden.”

She said the garden really is unique and an attraction for the com-munity because it includes many rare varieties of plants and drawsgarden club tours from across the state and region.

Schroeder said she has served on the garden’s independent commit-tee for 15 years but because of failing eyesight, she finally felt it wastime to resign. But, her family still helps to support it.

“Our family has always supported it,” she said. “We used to taketillers over and work the garden. We have always been involved.”

White created the garden as a labor of love even though it wasn’talways convenient for him.

“The garden used to have no water going to it,” she said. “He usedto carry three or four cream cans of water in his car truck to the gardento water the plants.”

It can be a full-time activity just to keep the weeds controlled, shesaid, in the acre garden.

She said the committee tried to have enough varieties of plants inthe garden that something was always blooming.

Schroeder said others who have been vital to maintaining White’slegacy are Kenneth and Barbara Wimer and Irene Churchill.

“They have all done a great deal for the garden,” she said. “Itwouldn’t be the asset it is today without their experience. Irene keptthe books for more than 20 years. Chris Andersen also rebuilt thebenches as an Eagle Scout project.”

Most of the volunteers who have cared for the garden have done itto recognize the quality man White was.

“He was the nicest man,” she said. “When he died, he left the houseto the Methodist Church. He left funds with the church that are usedto help families during the holidays and to help people who are downon their luck. He was just a tremendous, caring person.”

For the future, Schroeder would like to see more kids involved inthe gardens so they can gain an appreciation for the flowers.

“I hope it can all continue and that school kids can be moreinvolved,” she said. “The school does bring down classes to view thegarden and the kids come down to collect their bugs for class proj-ects.”

Schroeder wanted to stress that she is only one of many caretakersfor the gardens since White passed away.

“The important thing is for his legacy to live on,” she said.

June 20, 2012The Woodbine Twiner8

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