Ag commodities firm has long history in west central Wisconsin

The path to a new Ag commodities busines in the City of Stanley has taken the next step.

Meeting Thursday April 2 in closed session, the Stanley Common Council approved a purchase and development agreement for the sale of land to North Side Elevator in the West Industrial Park.

The agreement, which lists the purchase price at $1 per acre, relates to two parcels south of Highway 29 and west of 345th Street totaling 59 acres.

Under the agreement, Northside Elevator has until June 1, 2022 to pay cash or cash equivalent for the property, with construction to potentially proceed in two phases.

No start date for construction was known as of press time.

The approved purchase and development agreement comes after approval by the city of a Master Site Plan in March, following upon approval of a letter of intent to purchase the site earlier this year.

While exact details of what the site will contain still await further information and development, the Master Site Plan approved by the Council in March includes a dry fertilizer plant, bulk feed and other warehouse space, a corn dryer with bins, and scales with a scale house, to be accessed ou 345th Street.

Now over seven decades old, the company set to build a plant locally already has a long and proud history of supplying customer needs.

Northside Elevator started in Loyal, Wisconsin in 1948 after Steve Brussow purchased an existing feed mill known as August Witt & Sons that he had begun working for in high school. Steve raised his family in lodging above the mill, then located on Main Street in Loyal. Steve’s son Tom worked in the mill through high school and then went to business college, graduating in 1962. Once graduated Tom came back to work at the mill in 1964.

Working as mill opera- tor with five employees, Tom grew the business. Back in the early 1960s, most mills were multi-species and included an assortment of farm animal products, ranging from dairy cows to hogs and horse, along with chickens.

Northside Elevator was no diuerent, ouering diverse ser vices and adding a fertilizer plant in 1968, the new addition helped farmers achieve better crops and allowed a full-time sales person to stay busy at Northside.

In November 1970, a fire destroyed the original mill site at Loyal, with Steve alerted to the fire and escaping after someone walking by threw a rock through the window. Although the business had suffered a big loss, it wouldn’t be long before Northside Elevator was back. With wholesale vendor OW Trindal ouering to continue servicing Northside Elevator customers at night, the Loyal mill was rebuilt in 1971 after insurance covered the fire loss, giving the Brus sels an opportunity to rebuild a mill that was better than the original. In 1978 a fertilizer division began spraying crops as a service to farm customers, and in 1982 Steve retired, the NORTHSIDE

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business transitioning to Tom.

In 1985, Northside Elevator constructed their first grain bin at 50,000 bushels as a way to add to the services ouered area growers.

In that same year (1985), Tom’s oldest son Tim joined the business after graduating college, being familiar with work- ing at the mill during high school. Tim first worked in the Shop facility at Loyal before managing the fertilizer business for three years. In 1992 Tim started feed consulting and continues to manage that side of the business.

In the meantime Tom’s son Rick joined the family business as well, becoming mill manager in 1996 and serving in this capacity through 2013. At that time Rick became Supply Specialist for the company, with knowledge of Northside’s vendor management, manufacturing processes, and customer service.

Constructing a pelleting mill in 1988, Northside went on to internalize its trucking and logistics in 1990, through the purchase of their contractor group Bixby. Able to haul its own feed and internalize cost as a result.

In 1992, Tom’s son Ted started working in the mill bagging and hauling feed after attending college, working in diuerent job functions as he gained a knowledge of the company be- fore spending extensive time in the ovce. In 1998 Ted moved Northside into grain contracting and hedging, with Tom retiring in 2008 to hand ownership of the business to Tim, Ted, and Rick. In 2009 a new feed mill was built, and in 2013 Tim’s son Jordan joined the company, serving at present as CFO.

Also in 2013 a new grain bin was erected, pushing the total grain storage capacity to almost 3 million bushels, a new fertilizer plant being built in 2013 as well.

Continuing to grow from then until the present, Northside Elevator looks forward to expanding to Stanley at 345th Street, bringing with it job opportunities for the area as well.

With a long history in Loyal Wisconsin, Northside Elevator looks forward to expanding its business to Stanley Wisocnsin. Image courtesy northsideelevator.com