Archive for February 28th, 2008

The Family Cow ‘Work in Progress’

Posted February 28th, 2008 by Sue Steiner

Sue Steiner painting in the Buggy Barn

I am an artist living in the Kidron area. I have the very fun job of painting farm animal murals in Lehman’s Buggy Barn. In the photo above you can see me as I am working on the most recent mural of a the family cow. I choose a Jersey because they are often used by the Amish for that purpose and besides, Jersey’s have the most amazing faces! I love their dished profile and beautiful big, brown eyes. In this photo I painted the faux finish wooden stall earlier and am now about 3/4 of the way thru the cow painting. I would like to paint a barn cat lapping up some milk to go along with this picture. I liked the idea of painting a family cow also because Lehman’s has such a wide selection of products related to the home dairy. You can make all the cheese, yogurt, soap, ice cream and butter you’d want with the milk from your family cow with Lehman’s products! They also have fun things like milking stools, old fashioned milk cans, butter churns, old fashioned wooden butter molds to name a few.

I am having fun with the cow but the big project will be on the back wall. I am planning on painting a couple of belgian draft horses tied to a hitching post. I came across just the right pair to use as a reference a couple days ago at the hitching post across the street from Lehman’s. The horses were positioned just right so I got several photos and even got to talk to their Amish owner and learn their names, Roy and Rex. The Amish often use the belgians for their field work and to pull big wagons. They are quite impressive animals! One of my favorite sights in the spring is to see the teams of work horses plowing in the fields. So check back often so you can see more works in progress of the murals.  When you are in the Kidron store make sure to stop in the buggy barn to say hi to all the critters! To see more of my artwork go to www.suesteiner.com  Thanks for stopping by! 

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Glenda’s Interview on the Radio

Posted February 28th, 2008 by Greg

Glenda Lehman Ervin, vice president of marketing and daughter of company founder Jay Lehman, was interviewed on Wednesdsay morning on KAXE radio (Grand Rapids, Minnesota) by on-air personality Maggie Montgomery. Ervin explained how Lehman’s unique line of products can help with food processing needs when you want to get close to your food source.
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Secrets of Success for first generation family businesses

Posted February 28th, 2008 by Galen Lehman

balance.jpgRecently Galen Lehman took several weeks off from his job as president of Lehman’s. He spent this time visiting suppliers and other businesses he knew and admired. The companies he visited ranged from 1 employee to 300 employees. Most were owned by Amish or Mennonite families. At each stop, he asked, “What is the secret of your success?” This is one of a series of postings about what he learned

I just spent two weeks traveling across three states talking with nearly two dozen other family business owners and trying to learn everything I could about what makes family businesses succeed or fail. I was surprised to discover that every business shared common traits.

Family businesses succeed in the first generation because they are family businesses.


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