Paulding County’s full service print shop also publishing the newspaper of legal record, The West Bend News. Starting in 2005, West Bend Printing and Publishing Inc. has been serving the Antwerp and surrounding communities of northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio for business printing and sign needs. For any questions, call 419-258-2000 or email info@westbendnews.net
KB Scoops: the summer stop for your ice cream fix. Featuring Sallie’s by the Shore ice cream. Small batch, hand crafted with the freshest ingredients.
The Root Beer Stand in Antwerp, Ohio offers a nostalgic, family friendly atmosphere. The Root Beer Stand offers a wide variety of items to choose from on their full menu, options including… Dogs, Burgers, Wraps, Chicken, Specialty Sandwiches, many Fry and Side options along with Homemade Root Beer Floats, Ice Cream Sundaes, Cones, Flurries, Milkshakes and Malts. Many people enjoy the nostalgia of the pull up Drive-In and our friendly Car Hop Service. We also offer a small, shaded park space with picnic tables if you prefer to eat outside rather than in your car. Our specialties are our Coney Dogs, Chili Cheese Fries & Root Beer Floats. Our Root Beer is made fresh in house and it’s delicious! The Root Beer Stand is open seasonally. Drive-In and see us for a Coney Dog and frosty cold mug of Homemade Root Beer! Don’t forget to visit us on Facebook.
Our spotlight this month is Mercer Landmark located at 103 S. Cleveland St. in Antwerp.
Mercer Landmark Inc. is a locally owned farm cooperative located in West Central Ohio with 19 facilities in Mercer, Darke, Van Wert, Paulding and Defiance counties with more facilities being added.
The mission of Mercer Landmark Inc. is to provide a sound financial entity in which producers can invest in and expect a return on that investment. The entity will in turn then provide markets and services to its owner patrons that they would otherwise not have access to as individuals. The above will be achieved by the entity while keeping the best interest of its employees and the environment in mind. Mercer Landmark https://www.mercerlandmark.com/index.php
The Antwerp Equity Exchange had existed in Antwerp for over 100 years. They merged with Mercer Landmark in 2008. Currently they have 5 employees including Jenn Zartman – Antwerp/Sherwood branch manager. Jenn has been with Mercer for 11 years. Chad Molitor, elevator supervisor, has been at the elevator for 27 years. John Zielke, elevator operations, has been with the company for 17 years and Candace Feehan, office administrator, and Mikel Carnahan, elevator operations, have both been with Mercer for two years.
The silos contain corn, soybeans and soft red winter wheat. The winter wheat is planted in the fall and hibernates all winter and begins growing in the spring. The storage on site is 1.5 million bushels. In 2006-07 they added 2 more silos nearly doubling the size of their storage. During harvest season the elevator can process 100,000 bushels a day and more than 100 trucks will pass through on any given day.
In 1994 corn was yielding 123 bushels/acre. 20 years later farmers were doubling their yield due to advances in seed genetics and plant breeding for higher yields, better fertilizer formulations and equipment advances, and larger and more efficient combines and tractors.
Mercer Landmark, Inc. in association with CHS Hedging offers a full service commodity brokerage service for farmers. They help to strengthen producer operations, enhance producer profitability and provide education information support to enable producers to make sound marketing decisions.
Harvest season is generally from September through November but in very wet years it can last through January. There are less hoppers and more semi’s coming in to unload grain so the facility realized that they needed to make some changes to help farmers and themselves be more efficient. Recently Mercer Landmark increased the dumping capacity to help speed up the process making it quicker for the farmers and to get them back in their fields.
Basis is the difference between the cash price paid for your grain and the nearby Chicago Board of Trade futures price. Basis is often called “the voice of the market” because it’s an indication of whether or not the market wants your grain. A narrow or improving cash basis is a signal that the market wants your grain. This improvement often happens right after the crop has been put away, or in spring when everyone is busy in the field and no one is making cash grain sales. A wide or widening cash basis is often a signal that the grain market doesn’t want your grain. In this case you should hold your grain and avoid making cash sales, according to Farm Progress at https://www.farmprogress.com/
Mercer Landmark also carries many products from rat and mice killer, flower and garden weed preventer, Crossbow herbicide, Muck eliminator for ponds, Copper Sulfate crystals and many kinds of bird seed.
The Antwerp branch of Mercer Landmark works closely with their sister facility in Payne. Jenn has great things to say about her crew here in the Antwerp office. She cannot commend them enough. During the harvest season they put in many long days but they are rewarded when Harvest is officially done for the year.
Antwerp Chamber of Commerce Spotlight on Business this month is H2O Water Stores, LLC located at 208 S. Main St in Antwerp.
H2O or Your “Everything Water” Store has been in business since 1997 where it began in Hicksville, Ohio. The business moved to Antwerp in 1999. Todd Cook, owner/operator built the business from scratch and the business employs 9 Full-time/Part-time employees along with 4 independent contractors.
Todd has a degree in Chemistry from The Ohio State University and he enjoys all things chemical. He was a volunteer on a design water project in New York City and it was that project that motivated him to start his business. Todd realized there were many challenges in ground and surface water and his knowledge and education in industrial and commercial systems could bring value to the residents in Antwerp and the municipalities in the surrounding 75 mile radius.
H2O specializes in water softeners, sulfur removal systems, iron removal systems, pond systems, water coolers, reverse osmosis systems, purified drinking water, spa supplies, and swimming pool accessories. They are probably best known for their 7 step water purification process and their purified water dispenser that is available for customers to come in and fill their containers. They also have home test kits that can be used to test for impurities such as bacteria and lead in ground water.
What sets Todd and his business aside from others in this type of business is the vast knowledge base and background that exists within the business. With several professional engineers on staff, Todd is capable of designing town municipal water systems and has done so in Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. His biggest retail market is here in Paulding County and Defiance County.
Here is a fun fact about water. About 6,800 gallons of water is required to grow a day’s food for a family of four. When you walk into H2O Water Stores you can expect to be greeted with a smile. Customer service is very important to Todd and he conveys to his staff that whatever they do, they will treat the customer with respect because they may meet that person on the street after the store has closed. Todd is also very interested in solving the customer’s water problems. A little known secret about the business lies in the design and engineering capabilities that the staff has to create water systems. The Cargill company makes the salt that is distributed and they may have anywhere from 60,000 to 80,00 pounds of salt on hand at any given time.
Barb Secrist, Monte Cornell, Derek Demongeot, Ron Smith and Becky Cook as well as a few others round out the staff at H2O Water Stores. You can stop in and see them for all your water needs. Currently, they are having a sale on pool items to help you get your pool into shape for the summer weather.
Our spotlight on business this month is the Oasis Bar and Grill in downtown
Antwerp. The owners of the business are Doug and Lisa Bragg. The Oasis,
or the “O” as many may call it, has been a restaurant and bar since
1940. At that time it was called The Oak and was owned by Albert
Guysinger. The building itself was built in 1870 by Henry George and it
eventually became a grocery store, a dry goods store and a jewelry and
drug store. In 1966, Gene Hughes and Noah Slusher purchased the Oasis
from Bob and Dale Johnson. In 1988, Cliff and Linda Bragg purchased it and
Doug and Lisa eventually purchased it from Doug’s parents.
The Oasis is best known for their Wednesday night wings that can be
served with a variety of sauces: BBQ, Hot, Teriyaki, Garlic Parmesan, Mango
Habanero, Honey Hot, Zesty Orange, Sriracha Bourbon and Sweet Chili.
They also have wonderful Angus steaks and daily lunch specials. If you
follow them on Facebook, you can find a calendar listing of daily lunch
specials. Smokin’ “O” BBQ is new on Monday nights starting at 5:00 pm
featuring smoked baby back ribs and pulled pork with a rotation of chicken
halves, turkey breast and beef brisket. Sides include smoked macaroni and
cheese, smoked baked beans and cornbread.
Bottle or Tap? Three years ago, Doug purchased a tap system that features
12 beers. He typically carries mostly craft beers on tap, but he also has two
domestic beers – Yuengling and Miller Lite. The seasonal brews are the
most popular of craft beers. To really get a taste of the tap beers you can
ask for a flight sampler which consists of four 6-ounce flights. Columbus
Brewing Company hosted a Tap Take-Over on Thursday, September 6th.
Three representatives were on site showcasing their new brews and had
many giveaways such as hats, t-shirts and other Columbus Brewing
memorabilia. They will be hosting future events so keep an eye on
Facebook.
The Oasis strives to provide great food and great service at affordable
prices. A family friendly atmosphere is what you will find at the Oasis
serving mostly a 20- mile radius of friends. The staff desires to have
you leave full of delicious food and drink and above all… happy.
Doug and Lisa are most proud of their incredible staff and the fact that they
have continued to survive and grow in the Antwerp community for over 30
years. Whether you are meeting friends after a football game or just
stopping in for some wings and a cold one, quality food and drink in a small
town setting is what you can expect at the Oasis.
The Antwerp Chamber of Commerce is happy to spotlight Friend Flooring as the business spotlight for March.
Ray and Anita Friend are the owners of Friend Flooring and their son Tom works alongside them as an installer. “Your Friends in the Flooring Business” are located at 105 N. Main St. in Antwerp. You can reach them at 419-258-8081 or by cell phone 419-506-1201. They are more than happy to meet at a time convenient for you! All you have to do is call the number above and arrange a meeting.
The business began in 1857 as Schilb and Sons furniture and funeral home by Andrew Schilb. Ray said that the caskets would be upstairs and the furniture downstairs. The business stayed in the Schilb family and eventually the funeral home was moved to the present Dooley funeral home around 1930. The furniture store stayed on Main street and was owned by 3 generations of Schilb’s. Ray began working with Andy Schilb in May of 1966 installing carpet and delivering furniture. Ray was then drafted into the Army and after serving in Germany and Vietnam he came home and took over the furniture store in 1978. Flooring was always a part of the business but the furniture portion was phased out in the early 2000’s and the family continued with strictly flooring products.
The business is best known for their home town service, professionalism and 40 plus years of installation experience. When you purchasing from Friend’s, whether it is carpet or laminate, you know that you are getting a quality product as well as timely installation and you know who is coming into your home or office. The owners do their own work and take great pride in the quality of product and service you will get from them. They realize that you can go elsewhere and buy similar products but you will be hard put to find the same quality and service that you would receive from Ray and Tom. They will make sure that the job is done right at a highly competitve price!
Ray and Tom have installed most of the flooring at the Paulding County Courthouse, many of the homes in the Antwerp area and surrounding counties in both Ohio and Indiana. They recently completed work at Harlan Christian School and Harlan Church of Christ which lead them in to carpeting another large church near the Dupont Road area. They have also recently helped with overhauling the look of the fire station uptown.
Friend Flooring carries one of the higher end hard surface flooring lines called Mannington. It offers one of the most realistic wood and tile looks. It is both durable and environmentally friendly using over 70% or recycled content. If it is carpet that you are looking for they carry Mohawk, Alladin, Horizon and Dreamweaver.
Stop in or call and make an appointment. You will be greeted by Ray or Anita along with their 4 legged friend Lucy the Yorkie.
