Today we’d like to introduce you to Dean Williams
Hi Dean, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My love of the outdoors started at a very young age growing up on six wooded acres that joins the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minnestoa. I am an avid hunter and fisherman and have walked countless miles in the woods looking for deer antlers, mushrooms, ginseng, and wildlife. For twelve years I worked as a carpenter building houses for my father doing everything from framing to finishing to landscaping. My grandpa was very creative and loved to make bird houses, windmills, wooden bowls, etc. My other grandpa started his small business sharpening blades, knives, chains and other tools. I am fortunate that they all passed on their creative and entrepreneur skills on to me.
Between the love of outdoors, carpentry experience, creative blood, and a can-do attitude, starting my own business and creating art out of wood is perfect for me. I see a fallen tree or a dropped branch and think to myself…… I could carve a bear or eagle out of that. Instead of throwing it on the fire, I’d rather transform it into a piece of art. It’s something that is second nature to me and I love doing it.
In 2005, I was laid off from my job. For about 15 years, I tried many different things to make a living including odd handyman jobs, snow plowing, remodeling, building log furniture, and chainsaw carvings. Just before the pandemic I bought a sawmill and added milling and selling hardwoods to my business. I also worked another job for about 5 years in addition to running my business. I was laid off again due to the Covid pandemic and that’s basically when things all came together for a successful business. Now I was able to devote all my time to it and since a lot of people were isolated at home and many stores were closed, people were stopping in to my outdoor shop more than ever before who wanted to be creative and make things as well as refresh their decor and backyards. They wanted to buy live edge slabs to do shelving, coffee tables, log paneling, tabletops, charcuterie boards, etc. They also wanted to buy chainsaw carvings and signs. I gave them ideas and showed them techniques to bring their creative ideas to life. Customers also brought their own logs to be cut, kiln dried and planed to their specifications. In 2021, I bought a CNC machine, and my wife started making custom engraved plaques and signs.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not a smooth ride for sure. I just kept trying different things and never gave up. It took many years before I found the right combination of products and services to sell. It also took the right time and circumstances in the economy. Basically, it was if all the stars aligned finally. My wife had a good career with benefits and therefore I was able to follow my dreams and create our family business. If we didn’t have that, I would have had to go a totally different route. Moving to our current location was a key part of our success but it was a risk. We moved here shortly after I was laid off from my job. I always struggled with whether I was doing the right thing or not. Should I just work for someone else? Owning your own business, you have your highs and lows. You don’t know how long the ride will last. Just keep striving to succeed and take one day at a time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At a young age, my artistic abilities showed in my school artwork. My teachers and classmates recognized it. My dad and multiple other relatives have artistic talents, so I believe it is a gift I was given. After school, I worked for my dad building houses until the economy took a downturn, then I worked for a paper mill, and then a printing company before I was laid off. I hadn’t done anything artistic since high school. When I was laid off and had to decide what I wanted to do next is when I picked up on my artistic talents again. I specialize in custom chainsaw carvings. In 2012, I was commissioned to carve 13 animals in huge storm damaged maple tree in Hastings. This story made it into the Hastings Star Gazette and Star Tribune papers. I’ve also made it into the Hastings Trade Winds, South Washington County Bulletin, Prescott Journal, The Chetek Alert, and Red Wing Republican Eagle. I was also interviewed by Mike Binkley (Channel 4) on Finding Minnesota in 2015 and on Twin Cities Live (Chanel 5) in April of 2024. The largest display of my chainsaw art on one site is at Luther Park in Chetek Wisconsin where we went to family camp for about 18 years.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you can, do what you love. Don’t give up. Get your name out there, do quality work and treat your customers right.
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