Nope this isn't about Archie and Edith Bunker (for those of a certain age, you'll have to google Archie Bunker to get the meaning), but a story of keeping a family business in the family.

Starting up and maintaining a family business takes a lot of hard work, dedication and a lot of hours. You put your time, talent and energy into growing a business that not only provides a living but is something you can be proud of. It serves the community and people come to depend on it and you.

Then retirement starts to look pretty good, yet you don't want the business you've sweated over all these years to simple cease to exist. If you're lucky, there is a fami – ly member ready and willing to take over and make your dream their dream.

Such is the case for two Village of Boyd businesses, located right across the street from each other on Boyd's Main Street. First is McQuillan Plumbing, which was start – ed by Tom McQuillan in 1980. Tom started working for Shilts Heating, Plumbing and Hardware in Boyd when he was 16, and continued to work through high school. Af – ter high school, Tom completed his 5-year apprenticeship and 3 years of work to achieve Master Plumber status. He worked in Eau Claire for 4 years, then decided he wanted to own his own business, and knew Boyd was where he wanted to be.

He partnered with John Bourget, also living in Boyd, and they opened shop on the main street of Boyd in the old Ben Anders garage.

This was their home until 1990 when Cenex moved out of the old John Greb Ford dealership building just 3 blocks east of the original McQuillan Plumbing. Initially Tom and John rented the building, then bought it and made a permanent home for McQuillan Plumbing.

The two men partnered until 1996, when John took a position with the State of Wisconsin, and Tom became sole owner. Since that time, Tom has been the go-to guy for all plumbing needs in the area. The same year Tom started up the business, he married Laurie, and subsequently had two sons, Ryan and Shane.

When asked why Tom decided to start and keep the business in Boyd, he stated that Boyd is a great small town. He was born and raised here and knows it’s a great place to raise a family. He says he’s been in business for 42 years and owes a big part of his success to the support from his wife and family.

Ryan started to work with his dad when he was about 12 years old. He says he always like being around job sites and was interested in the construction field. He's always enjoyed doing plumbing work and was never really interested in doing anything else as a career.

Ryan worked with Tom through high school graduation in 2002, then continued with his 5-year apprenticeship plus 3 years of work experience to earn his Master Plumber license.

Earlier this year, Tom and Ryan made it official. The reins of McQuillan Plumbing are now in the hands of Ryan. Tom says “I couldn’t have a better man to follow me. He’s smart and works hard”.

Ryan and his wife, Sarah, along with sons Grant and Liam live in Boyd where Sarah serves on the Village board. Ryan says he’s excited to start this new journey as owner, and for McQuillan Plumbing to continue on.

With the support and encouragement of his wife and parents, things are off to a great start.

And now, Ryan sees his own sons hanging out at the shop, already starting to take an interest in plumbing.

Ryan currently has three full time and one part-time worker. They mostly work on new construction, but still handle many service calls. It’s no surprise to see the big white and green McQuillan Plumbing trucks out on the road. Ryan’s plan is to keep the business located in the Village of Boyd. He states “This is a great place to raise a family and run a business. The citizens of Boyd have always been very supportive of our business”. He goes on to say “I have been very lucky to be mentored by a very hard working, honest and knowledgeable man. I’m just extra fortunate that I get to call him dad, and my kids get to call him grandpa”.

As for Tom, he continues to work at the plumbing shop but with a lighter load to carry.

He and his wife, Laurie will continue to live in Boyd and enjoy their grandchildren. And as luck would have it, their son Shane and his wife Alyssa are expecting their first child in February.

The second part of this story focus on the Boyd Locker and Catering business. The business started 62 years ago, on November 1, 1961, under the ownership of Nick and Betty Zais. Both Nick and Betty (Knapp) were born and raised in the Boyd area. Nick was doing road work in 1961 and was looking for another job for the winter months. He and Betty purchased the old Weiss’ Red and White grocery store building, and the Boyd Locker was born. With Betty’s help running the locker business, he continued working the roads for almost 10 years. When Nick and Betty first opened the store, it was strictly a locker business. He did a lot of on-site butchering, with meat cutting, and wrapping done at the store.

At that time, many households did not have freezers in their homes, so Nick provided 175 freezers in his store for customers, each with their own key to their freezer. In 1983 Nick decided he was ready to retire.

Jeff, Nick and Betty’s son, had worked at the Locker while growing up, and through high school. After working at meat processing plants in Eau Claire, Jeff and his wife, Debbie (Marcellis), decided it was a good time to move back to Boyd and continue the work Nick had begun. On September 1, 1983, Jeff and Deb became the owners of the Boyd Locker.

In 1987, Jeff’s brother, Denny, was celebrating his 15-year class reunion (Stanley- Boyd class of ’72). Denny asked Jeff if he and Deb would help with the food, and the catering business was born. They started with just 2 roasters, bought from the Boyd Legion.

They continued meat processing, while the catering aspect of the business continued to grow. By 2002, much of the on-site butchering had become a thing of the past. Beef and wild game were still processed at the store, but more time was spent building the catering business.

While running the locker and catering, Jeff and Debbie had two children, Cory and Cara.

Both kids grew up in the store. Deb remembers Cara standing on a milk crate so she was tall enough to help her stamp meat packages.

Both Cory and Cara continued to work for the family business through high school. Even while working different jobs post high school, they often came back to help Jeff and Deb.

The years have gone by and now Jeff is looking to retire. Last October Cory heard his dad say, “I don’t know what I’m going to do”, as the aches and pains of getting older started to set in. This got Cory thinking about taking over, and Cara was ready to jump on board.

Earlier this year, both Cory and Cara quit their jobs and joined Jeff and Deb full time. In July of 2023, Cory (wife Angie) and Cara (hus- band Sam Meier) will make it official, and the third generation will become the new owners.

Cory’s children, Mykell and Ella, and Cara’s child, Zoe’, work part time at the store, so who knows – maybe there will be a 4th generation running the family business some day!

The Boyd Locker and Catering is still operated out of the original building Nick and Betty bought all those years ago. When asked why they stayed in Boyd, Jeff and Deb said it’s a great place to raise kids, and they love the small-town atmosphere where everyone knows everyone. They say the people are friendly, and you feel safe here. When Jeff, Deb, Cory and Cara were asked what was most rewarding about the business, all agreed it was the appreciation shown to them by their customers. From the compliments they receive, the Thank You notes, and the wordof- mouth referrals, it makes all the hard work worthwhile. Cory says, “What’s not better than going home to work”.

While the catering business has grown over the years, the potatoes are still peeled in the shop and all the food is still home cooked. Some of their specialties include Beef Tips, Grilled Chicken (mainly grilled outside the shop doors by Grill Master Dean Spaeth), Roast Beef and roasted red potatoes. However, they have lots of great choices for all your catering wants and needs. They also have items available for purchase in the store, including retail meats and homemade sausage. From the 2 roasters they started with, they now have close to 100 roasters and hot boxes, a second vehicle and 3 teams to cover events. These are just two of the businesses in our area that have been fortunate enough to have next generation family members taking over. There are also many family farms that are blessed to have next generations carrying on the family business. It’s a great testament to the people of our area that these families can continue to operate. Please continue to support all the small businesses around you.

Boyd Locker and Catering, owned today by the Jeff and Deb Zais family, is a multigenerational business, started in 1962 by Nick and Betty Zais. Photo by Kris Bremness.