Category: Member Spotlight

Lloyd’s Family Farm

Lloyd’s Family Farm is locally owned and operated by Zach and Erin (Wren) Diederich, life-long community members. The farm is a lively 6-generation Martin family farm. We are proud of this heritage, and have a deep love for our farm.

The business opened to the public September 2014, when the dream of consumer-involved agriculture came to a reality. What started as a simple pumpkin patch experience quickly grew. After outgrowing their space, a new barn was built on the farm, and “Lloyd’s Pumpkin Patch” moved to the new space on the farm for the fall of 2016. Things have grown and crops have diversified, growing not only fall/pumpkin produce, but also strawberries and Christmas trees. This brought forth a more fitting name, Lloyd’s Family Farm, which was modified in 2020. The name Lloyd comes from Erin’s 2nd great-uncle, Lloyd Martin. His mother/father/siblings and he lived in the farmhouse still sitting on the property. This farm was always referred to as “Lloyd’s” within our family, and we thought, we never will call it anything but that! So Lloyd’s it was. His legacy represents things we stand for as well; love, friendship, simplicity, service, community, and contentment. Thank you, Lloyd.

Lloyd’s is continually expanding to new crops and hope that the Ashland community will find something exciting to look forward to each season. We are farmers, and we love the process of both growing and harvesting. Harvesting is a rewarding end to the hard work, and is also the most exciting part of the experience! That is why we offer much of our produce as “you-pick”! This is an enjoyable way to get some fresh air, good-local grown-produce, and skip the hard part of growing and maintaining plants.

Spring/Summer offers you-pick strawberries. Fall offers our you-pick pumpkin patch, as well as plenty of outdoor activities (hayrides, corn maze, etc..) for the family to enjoy a day together on the farm. Over 9,000 (and counting!) Christmas trees are growing quickly, though not quite ready. Currently, Lloyd’s is offering pre-cut trees only, until planted trees are ready for harvest. At that point, your family will have the opportunity to fresh-cut their Christmas tree right from the soil of our farm. We are passionate about agriculture, family, our farm, and our community.
Thank you for supporting local businesses, and thank you for supporting Lloyd’s Family Farm!

Witt Print Shop

If you ask Brian Kirmse what time it is, he’ll be the first to tell you it’s time to “Get Witt it!” Yes, it’s an inside joke at Witt Print Shop, located at 1901 Vandiver Drive just three doors down from the Food Bank in Columbia, Missouri.

“We moved out of our downtown location on 8th Street back in January of 2017 and totally revamped our marketing campaign with the ‘Get WITT It!’ tag line along with a jingle in our radio ads. It’s been quite the ride ever since! We’ve had a lot of fun with being ‘Witty’ in our campaigns… you know, Half-Witt, Nit-Witt, Dim-Witt… but it’s all in fun and we love to have fun while we work!,” Kirmse said.

Brian, a 21-year resident of Hartsburg, purchased the business with his cousin back in 2000 from his Uncle Harold Nichols, but became the sole owner in 2016. Thomas Witt opened Witt Print Shop back in 1926 in downtown Columbia and sold it to Mr. Nichols in 1967. It’s been in the family ever since.

“Harold kept the name, Witt Print Shop, because of the reputation that Mr. Witt gave the business,” Kirmse said. “I also decided to keep the name because it didn’t make sense to change something that worked for so long. Mr. Witt had great quality printing, turn times, integrity, solid business relationships, etc… and I wanted to continue that tradition that he and Harold built up for so long. It’s important to me.”

Mr. Kirmse also owned a home-based photography business, You’ve Been Shot!, from 2007 to 2019 but chose to close one. According to Kirmse, both were very successful businesses and keeping him too busy to continue with the exceptional customer service he provided.

“I needed sleep! I needed to pay attention to my health and to the time I was spending with my family. With my kids no longer in high school, the photo business was the easiest option to let go of,” he said. “I loved being busy and multi-tasking, but my heart was more into the print shop and the people I worked with day-to-day. Besides, it’s easier to head back to the warehouse and sleep on a few boxes of paper…not so easy on the sidelines of a football game!” Kirmse joked.

With the success of the print shop, Kirmse stays focused on customer service and keeping up with print technology. For such a small crew of 5 people, he touts that they move as much printed paper through the shop that much larger shops do on a daily basis. “I’m so proud of our crew and what they accomplish each day. Everyone knows what they’re doing, has a ton of experience with each position and is cross-trained to help wherever they are needed. The great quality and quick turn times do nothing but help our customer relations,” Kirmse said.

 

Although Witt Print Shop is a commercial printer that does business with other businesses, they also accept jobs from individuals if it makes sense for the customer. “Our niche is commercial work of quantities from 100 to 10,000 on average, but I won’t turn a job down that doesn’t fit us if we can do it cost-effectively and meet the deadline required by the client. If it doesn’t fit us, I know exactly where to send the customer to get it done, and most people appreciate that honesty,” Kirmse explained.

So, if you catch yourself in need of printing, keep Witt Print Shop in mind. It’s a small, family-owned business and member of the Ashland Chamber of Commerce that has deep roots in Mid-Missouri and loves taking care of their customers. Listen to the radio and you just might find yourself singing their jingle, “Witt Print Shop, it’s time to Get WITT It! So much more than ink and paper.”

Address: 1901 Vandiver Dr., Suite B, Columbia, Missouri 65203

Phone: 573-443-7227

Email: wittprintshop@socket.net

Website: wittprintshop.com

Contact: Brian Kirmse, Owner

YMCA & MU Health Care’s Mizzou Therapy Services

When the doors opened in 2015, the Southern Boone Area YMCA had a goal of 800 members. Due to overwhelming support from the community, the YMCA has exceeded that goal and is looking to start building a new home for its membership which is now over 2,500 strong. In addition to a wide variety of cardiovascular exercise and weight training equipment, the local Y offers group exercise classes, child care, summer camps, youth sports, youth and teen enrichment as well as a partnership with MU Health Care.

Conveniently located within the current YMCA facility, MU Health Care’s Mizzou Therapy Services clinic is equipped to serve all ages for any diagnosis requiring outpatient therapy, including joint or back pain, gait and balance disorders, generalized weakness or fatigue, pain with pregnancy and even golf performance. Mizzou Therapy Services in Ashland is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and can be reached directly by calling (573) 657-2241.

The Y offers financial assistance to those in need and also awards scholarships to graduating seniors each year. The YMCA received business of the year in 2015. This past year, Membership Director, Faryn Griffin and Katie Williamson from Mizzou Therapy Services won Rookies of the Year for their joint efforts in planning Chamber events. The Southern Boone Area YMCA employs over 40 individuals and is set to open its new location in 2021.