American Faces #65 - The Mini-donut man?

American Faces No. 65

I thought this American Faces 65 featuring Daniel Wohlfert was going to be a simple story about a guy who owns a mini-donut business in my hometown of Rogers, MN. I was wrong.

My interest was piqued when I met Daniel at our NorthRidge Fellowship church block party and I saw the Combat War Veteran (Iraq) sticker on the truck towing his snazzy The MinneDonut Company trailer.

But I discovered that was really just the sugar on the mini-donut story.

I learned Daniel’s early life was impossibly difficult. His mom died of Leukemia when he was seven and left him in the care of an alcoholic, abusive father. At 18 he left and found a new home in the Air Force as a C-5 Loadmaster. Then Daniel experienced war. On his first mission to the Middle East he saw battle for the first time. Peering through the cargo compartment window as a lookout for the rocket-propelled grenades that would kill him and his crew left Daniel with the effects of PTSD.

And then Daniel and his crew were tasked with escorting home the remains of eight Special Operations soldiers. Staring at those caskets in his cargo hold, Daniel realized those young men were soldiers just like him, and alive just a few hours prior, until experiencing the battle that took their lives. That’s hard stuff to get your head around, and can change you.

But all that wasn’t Daniel’s only story.

After leaving the Air Force, Daniel’s path took a number of turns. He worked in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry where he did well until a corporate restructuring left him jobless for 10 months. He found a job with a company providing precise measurement for product safety and quality, but realized it wasn’t the place for him. It was at that job, however, where he discovered Lil’ Orbits, a Minnesota company making high-quality mini-donut machines.

Which brings us back to the mini-donut trailer, where I met him.

I learned that Daniel started The MinneDonut Company in 2017 as a side hustle and a means to create more financial stability for his family. His mini-donut business has grown steadily since then. I think it’s a winner – because dough, sugar and grease, formed into a little magical ring, is sure to attract 99% of humanity, just by its smell.

But that is still not the whole story, really.

What amazes me about Daniel’s story is that it’s not about a boy who almost gave up on life at seven. And it’s not about a young man who stared the horrors of war in the face. It’s not even about a man who discovered the magical money-making powers of mini-donuts, when he could have just given up.

This is a story of a man who refuses to be defined by his past, or any particular part of his story. He keeps moving, he looks for open doors and he steps through them.

So, in closing, here’s my bit of wisdom: I first judged Daniel as simply the “MinneDonut Company guy” who also served in the military. But Daniel Wohlfert’s story, like the previous 64 American Faces stories I’ve done, has taught me that human beings are fascinating and walk very interesting paths, with all kinds of twists and turns. Some of those paths are similar to our own, but most we can hardly imagine. Take time to listen to someone’s story. It’s worth the time. It might just change your life!

Check out his MinneDonut Company: https://www.theminnedonutcompany.com/

American Faces #64 - Superior Gear

American Faces No. 64

Danny Warnock is a 37 year old entrepreneur who founded Superior Gear, a Minnesota based company that designs and produces ultra light camping hammocks, tarps and down quilts. These hand-crafted products are custom made to order, right in Minnesota, through their E-Commerce website.

Danny has had an unusual life. He grew up as a missionary kid in East Africa, and first began making a living as a musician (drums/keyboards). He worked as a private music instructor for most of his 20s. He then transitioned to software engineering and several years ago moved into entrepreneurship. Superior Gear was born out of Danny’s dissatisfaction with getting poor sleep on the ground in tents, and his frustration with other complicated hammock systems. He set out to design something more simple and effective by sewing insulation directly into the hammock to solve the dreaded ‘Cold Butt Syndrome’. He was making for himself the gear he wished he could buy, but didn’t yet exist. Danny’s endless tinkering and a child-like excitement to show others his creations eventually led to “accidentally starting a business” In 2017. Danny knew his young company needed a big boost to get on the map. So he created a Kickstarter campaign that raised $43,000 which allowed him to purchase the industrial sewing equipment and materials.

Danny is driven to create camping gear that is true to the Superior Gear tagline, ‘Simple, Cozy and Light.’ He has relentlessly pushed himself in product research, development and testing through millions of stitches and countless late nights. Superior Gear now employs several workers right here in Minnesota, providing superior care and attention to each piece of gear they ship.

While there are certainly cheaper hammock options out there, you simply won’t get the innovation, simplicity, quality and customer care that Danny and the team at Superior Gear strive to provide every day. Sourcing your new hammock from Superior Gear means supporting a home-grown Minnesota company, owned and managed by an awesome guy.

American Faces #63 - A true hero

American Faces No. 63

Eighty-seven year old Joe Myles is a man full of stories, wise cracks, and love for his late wife and daughters of more than forty years. Joe is a Korean war vet, which was what I thought would be the backbone of my story. I quickly learned that being in the Army in the 1950’s was a small part of this man’s life. After the Army, Joe spent thirteen years living the rough life of an unmarried man working various jobs while living at the YMCA. However, the love of a woman helped him realize there was more to life; a lot more to life. Like, the love of a woman with four daughters and a life in the city of Chicago, Illinois more to life. That woman was the cleaning lady at the YMCA. Marjorie endeared herself to Joe by banging her cleaning cart against the wall to wake Joe after his long night shifts. Joe, in his early 40’s, married Marjorie in 1972 and became the father to her four girls. He affectionately refers to Marjorie and her four daughters as his "ready-made family.” I could hear in his voice, the heart of a father who didn’t look at these girls as anything less than his very own daughters. Joe went on to work hard to provide for his family and do the best that he could to raise a family in the upper Midwest. Was he perfect? No. But then, no one is. Maybe he is not a war hero, or a man who commanded the very army he served in, but Joe deserves the same respect. This man named Joe left behind who he was in his younger years to become the man Marjorie and her daughters needed.

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So while I went looking for a war-hero story originally, I got the everyday-hero kind of story. The kind of story where the hero has tears rolling down his face because he loves his wife and family so much.

Take time to listen to the stories of your parents and grandparents. The stories you have heard a thousand times might be boring to you, but they mean the world to them. Their stories define who they are and just might influence the kind of person you become.

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