DETROIT LAKES — Hundreds of attendees filed through the meandering pathway of vendor booths and displays over the weekend during the 2023 Lake Region Builders Association Home and Sport Show at the Kent Freeman Arena in Detroit Lakes.
The March 25-26 weekend event featured more than 60 displays from area businesses who were more than happy to answer questions from the attendees and show off new products and services to potential clients.
"It's nice to meet new faces and tell them that there are upgrades they can do on their water wells," said Clint Olson, owner of Clint's Well Service of Waubun. "And it's nice to meet all kinds of different business owners, and I've been in this industry for 18 years now, but still, you learn more at these home and garden shows that you never knew before. You see a lot of different faces in the industry, but it's always nice to meet some of the same people year after year and see how their water well has been working through the years."
He added it also gives him the chance to remind clients there is always maintenance required with well and septic services, so he gets a lot of free on-site inspection appointments from the event that can lead to new services or new products for the client.
"I see a lot of unsanitary well caps where people bump it with the lawn mower and the well caps come off ... and whatever kind of debris in there makes it unsanitary," said Olson.
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Pat Morstad, owner of Precision Landscape and Irrigation of Ottertail, said much of securing repeated business from the same client is creating a personal relationship, and that face-to-face contact helps.
"It's contact with the client," said Morstad "You can't create a relationship over Zoom, you can't create a relationship over a phone, and you certainly can't do it over email or a text, and that's why personal contact, face-to-face, is the most important thing you can do."
Morstad added it's also a great way to show the new additions and expansions.
"We just brought on a whole new team that is in the electrical world for us," he said. "So now we have a new division, not only do we have the landscaping that we've had for 20 years, but we just recently purchased an electrical company that allows us to present that, and let everyone know ... we are more valuable to our clients because we do more for them."
He also gave credit to the Lake Region Builders Association and other similar organizations that promote local businesses and give businesses like his the opportunity to present themselves to potential new clients.
One attendee, Cayla Mosser, said she was just happy to get out of the house on a Saturday afternoon with the kids, and her dad added some extra fun for them while they were in the car.
"We were in the truck on the way here and my dad looks at both my kids and goes, 'OK, when we get there, you are each going to grab a bag, and when you get that bag you are going to stop at every single booth and you are going to grab a candy, look for the (beverage) koozies and then make sure you grab a pen,'" said Mosser. "Just really wanted the kids to get out and do something different. It's nice to come out and look and see what you can find."
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