24/7/365. In other words, except for rare occasions, always.
“I always know where he’s at,” JoAnn Beckman said with a loving smile. “We work together well.” Husband Ron (of 41 years this June) chimed in with “we know what each other needs to do.”
This teamwork, the hallmark of the Beckman duo, has served Elgin through raising a family, serving our community, and offering a business primarily supporting agriculture. “There’s no place I’d rather be,” admitted Ron dressed in smudged work clothes ready for some Saturday morning catch-up at the Beckman Lumber office south of Elgin on Highway 14.
JoAnn, who suggested a Saturday interview to snag some uninterrupted time, gleamed with pride about living in Elgin and doing business here. “Elgin is a small community – the people, churches, schools, employment opportunities, especially related to agriculture” combine to make this a great place to live, work, and play.
Ron, generally quiet and pensive, laughed out loud when, at my request to show how he’s known for writing everything down, pulls out a clipboard from atop his desk. It’s filled with yellow sticky notes. “When customers want this or that, I can remember what they said when they call back a month later,” Ron quipped.
The business leaves little time for leisure. Ron puts in 60-plus hours a week, at least 7:00 am – 6:00 pm weekdays, plus Saturday mornings and sometimes Sundays, too. In addition to lumber and building supplies, he specializes in feed bunks, livestock shelters, and portable buildings with the biggest seller being pole buildings for farms. About the pandemic, he reported that costs increased though business didn’t slow down. For the full story turn to the Elgin Review.
