Nick R. Hansemann

Although he was born and raised on a farm near Gilmanton, Wisconsin, Nicholas R. Hansemann never felt that farming was the answer. He remembered the routine of repetitive chores each day; milking cows, laboring in the fields, and long hours, all of which led to a small monetary reward. While he was no stranger of hard work he knew the farm life wasn’t for him.

Upon graduation from Gilmanton High School in 1924, he went to Minneapolis, MN to seek his fortune. After various jobs, including washing dishes for $12 a week, 12 hours a day, he found employment with a tire and supply jobber.

There he gained experience filling orders and delivering tire boots, inner tubes and valve hardware to garages, filling stations, and tire shops. After one and a half years experience he decided to strike out on his own. He spent the $650 he’d saved on a new 1928 Chevrolet and borrowed $50 from his mother for working capital. With this money he purchased supplies, and started selling them to the trade.

He remembered buying inner tubes for 65 cents each and skived boots for 8 cents a pound. By turning over this merchandise rapidly, his inventory grew. By the end of the first year he had repaid the $50 loan and compiled an inventory worth $432. He was 22 years old. Each year his business grew a little – even during the depression.

In the early forties, Nick rented a small building at 3015 Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis and added one employee to run the ship while he called on dealers. Recapping was catching on and he now stocked tread rubber, boots, tubes and a wider variety of repair materials.

Eventually he became a Goodyear tire distributer and moved into larger quarters at 4020 Minnehaha, a facility he purchased from the old Minneapolis Moline Company. He hired a full-time bookkeeper, secretary, and two more salesmen. Later they discontinued the tire line to concentrate on repair materials, tire equipment and tread rubber, selling to tire dealers and garages.

In the early 1960’s Nick entered into a stock sales agreement with two of his valued employees, Lowell G. Michels and Jack Wright, who in time took in three more partners, Lloyd Olson, Marlyn Houk and Paul Morgan.

Through the years, Nick had always found time for hunting and fishing, taking time out from business every year for these activities. Two of his business associates, Ted Pederson of Eighth Street Tire and N.K. (Eleck) Ellingston of Ellingston Tire Service became very good friends and hunting companions.

Nick was proud of his son, Bruce, and Daughter Gloria, who provided him and his beloved wife, Millie, with five grandchildren. His church membership was with the Assemblies of God and he had served on the Deacon Board for many years.

Always an avid sportsman and conservationist, Nick was a staunch supporter of such organizations as Ducks Unlimited, and National Wildlife Federation. He was an endowment member of the National Rifle Association.