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YMCA of the Prairie Receives Worldwide Attention for Fund-Raising

 A $500,000 Founder’s Campaign, a $3.5 million Capital Campaign, several years of successful annual › read full article

Groups Partner to Offer Summer Youth Entrepreneur Class

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pDCPD Molding Provides Critical Updates for Light Tower Line at Allmand Bros.

OSBORNE, KANSAS – The light weight, impact resistance and aesthetic qualities of pDCPD made it the perfect choice for a new molded plastic en...
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Greener Program Expands Across Nebraska

 LINCOLN, NEB (April 22, 2011)—The Greener Byways of Nebraska program is expanding. As of today, the program will be known as Greener Ne...
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Reed Disposal wants 100% Customer Satisfaction

Trash hauling is a dirty job with high expectations."Every day I'm tested with my job, and I have to get 100 › read full article

Holdrege Looks to the Future While Celebrating the Past

Holdrege is a community that makes things happen.  Business leaders and residents came together last Friday night for the annual Holdrege Area...
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Holdrege Area Chamber of Commerce

It′s Time For Swedish Days!

The Holdrege Chamber of Commerce is proud to be the organizer of the 2011 Swedish Days! There will be plenty of fun activities including traditional Swedish Activities, parade, Silver Run, Street Festival, Car Show, Ribfest, Bouncy House, Street Dance, Dedication of George Lundeen's Bronze Sculpture, Courthouse's 100th Anniversary and So Much More. Click here for more details and how you can take part. 
 

  

 

posted on May 5, 2011 by Holdrege Chamber of Commerce

This Week Feature

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream.

As summer hits, it’s time for ice cream, and you’re sure to find a treat to satisfy your sweet tooth at the Dairy Queen in Holdrege.
Steve and DeAnn Vaughn bought the Dairy Queen restaurant and franchise in Holdrege in January 2009. Before that, the couple worked for a trucking company, and they were looking for a career change. When DeAnn heard that the DQ store might be for sale, she called former owners Mark and Julie Lind and in a few months, the Vaughns were the new owners.
“It really has been a good thing for us,” DeAnn said. “We love it, but it has been a lot of hard work. The first year was exhausting. We look back on it now and we say, ‘Wow, we have come so far.’ Now those things that were huge in our first year are just another day because we know how to get past them. We know how to fix things. We were completely overwhelmed the first year.”
The long hours have paid off as DeAnn says business has exploded in the last two years. The Vaughns have created a strong presence at the restaurant and in the community.
“There are days when you don’t even have time to refill the toppings,” she said. “You are trying to do this stuff as mobs of people come through the door.”
DeAnn credits the Vaughns’ staff with working hard and creating a fun atmosphere for customers. When one customer’s pick-up died in the drive-thru recently, four of DQ’s employees came out and pushed the truck out of the lane.
“I think we have a great staff,” DeAnn said. “We have a unique staff that just complements us. We have a manager and a staff that can handle things that come up.”
DeAnn and Steve each have their areas of expertise in the restaurant. Steve keeps the machinery running and performs maintenance when needed while also working behind the counter one night per week. DeAnn handles the book-keeping and staffing in addition to working the floor every day during lunch. Dairy Queen is open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“We always make sure that we have a competent, reliable person in charge,” DeAnn said.
Customers have noticed the changes as the Vaughns have doubled the menu and brought in new equipment. With the business going strong, they are looking at expanding the restaurant and bringing in an Orange Julius franchise in the future. With only 32 seats in the dining room, another 18 spots outdoors, and a small working area for staff, the Vaughns really see the need to enlarge the restaurant so it can serve customers for at least the next 15 years.
“We really, really need to do something,” DeAnn said. “We are working very hard to come up with a plan for the future.”
As they start their third year as owners of DQ, the Vaughns are happy with how it has all turned out. It is a great business to be in as they raise their young daughter, Ava. And the ice cream is a nice perk.
“I eat ice cream every day, sometimes twice a day,” DeAnn said with a laugh. “I never get tired of it.”
 

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