Nothing is quite so bittersweet as retirement. On one hand, it is a time in which you depart from the field you've poured considerable time, effort, and hard work into and hopefully look back on with pride. On the other, leaving the position opens the door to countless opportunities, allowing you to harness previously unattainable time to pursue what you value. As enticing as a world of travel, time with family, and meaningful pursuits may be, it's only fair to recognize this work with a proper sendoff first. Larry and Kari Flom will find themselves in this very scenario in less than a month, when they hang up their hats and take the step into retirement. This decision concludes two notable careers: Larry's farming business and Kari's many jobs, ending with the last six years at Heritage Bank.
Kari: "I grew up around and graduated from school in Northfield, later attending Rochester Vocational School for Child Development. I then spent the next fourteen years in the daycare business. After working and managing the Dennison Depot for 17.5 years, I took some time off to help care for my grandkids. But they grew up, leading me to work at Heritage Bank for the last six years."
This "small-town, family-friendly" institution started with a location in West Concord. Since then, their services have extended to Dennison and, in December of 2019, Northfield. Their family-owned and operated business strives to work in the communities they serve, investing in you and your town. Changing their name from Farmers State to Heritage Bank in 2018 better reflected this history as a multigenerational operation. Although this decision brought a notable revamp to their brand image, they have prided themselves on having faces like Kari Flom's around to fulfill customers' needs and demands since 1930. If you're wondering how an employee at Heritage Bank ever got into touch with the seemingly distant world of a farmer, the answer lies in the couple's love for parties. During one of the town's local get-togethers in the 1980s, the two hit it off and have been together ever since.
Looking at Larry's side, he grew up and graduated in the Kenyon area on the same farm he's lived on since he was two. Despite the industry's many highs and lows, these roots in no-till corn and soybean farming have remained strong. Even during the busy planting and harvesting seasons, however, Larry has managed his Dennison farm solo. Though he and Kari brought their 2,000 acres down to 500, there was still the issue of handling marketing and on-farm work without an extra hand. To avoid the cost and time of training someone, he typically emptied loads and moved grain carts into semis without assistance. Since their grandkids usually kept Kari occupied, the latest farm equipment and technologies had to make up for the labor shortage. To guide the community and showcase farming products fit for Minnesota, Larry also hosted field days for Isaacson Implement starting around 2000. These one-day events gave customers the chance to see the newest combine models, tractors, and tilling machines harvest corn and clean up stubble.
Larry: "It's something I enjoy. Plus, it allows me to learn something new from the company field reps who come out to help. Farming in the Dennison community has always been a great place to visit with your neighbors and friends. Sharing ideas or just trash-talking about the 'green equipment' with the locals at coffee in the mornings is always a highlight of the day."
With both of their careers containing such wonderful moments, the two undoubtedly have reason to celebrate. For Kari, it will be the workers and customers she misses the most, who constantly played a role in her daycare, manager, and bank positions. Meanwhile, Larry will treasure the land and his efforts to care for it as best he can. Though it was challenging to brave the industry at times, he has developed a love for the land that will undoubtedly stick with him beyond his career. In the coming months and years of their retirement, the two hope to enjoy more cabin time and travel around the U.S. In a world where spectacles and grandiose works occupy our time and attention, it can be easy to overlook stories like those of these two small-town workers. However, it is their faith and devotion that run these communities. Behind the stereotypes we pin to specific jobs and career paths are real people, experiences, and dreams, whose faces and heritage deserve recognition. Their story shows how retirement does not conclude a person's legacy; it merely spotlights it.
