Ramsey Creek Woodworking
Though Bill Yoder and Lynn Hostetler have been in business together for over 30 years, their connection began well before the business formed in 1990. As youth, the boys attended the same one room country school house, and their families knew each other well. After school, both men worked in the construction industry until Bill was inspired to begin his own business. He invited Lynn to be his business partner and the two started a new endeavor together. “We went in with eyes wide open,” Lynn says, well aware that having a partner-based business can add more risk. They were each married and knew that everyone had to work together in order to be successful.
They made gradual growth as a business, after a couple years they built the shop where they are today, later adding the offices. A common challenge in their line of work is having the appropriate workload, balancing with the seasons and keeping employees busy. In the last 30 years they only had to lay off employees one time for a three week period before they were able to call them back to work. How do you find that appropriate balance you might ask? “Pray,” is Lynn’s answer. Though you never know what the future may hold, “We have been blessed so far and have confidence going forward.”
It is not just Bill and Lynn that make this business thrive; they believe in nurturing their employees gifts. “Your company is only as strong as the people around you,” explains Lynn. Their designers have vision for projects and their craftsman have insight on how to get the job done. Sometimes it’s installing a cabinet line that was ordered in, other times it’s creating a customer’s vision for an elaborate garden trellis or maybe refinishing a timeless stairwell. Many people have the impression that Ramsey Creek is simply a cabinet shop, not realizing the bulk of their work is residential remodeling.
Primarily working in the Kalona, Iowa City, Coralville Amana, Crawfordsville areas, they have also traveled to Chicago, and once built a log cabin in Knoxville. The web of connections among their customers is baffling after so much time in the area. “You don’t survive by taking shortcuts or burning bridges,” Lynn states. A testament to their work is the repeat customers and relationships. One family had them build a barn, storage shed, and a large home remodel. Locally, they completely reconstructed the Kalona Hills Bank building and the bank was able to remain open during the process. There are very few Kalona businesses that Ramsey Creek does not have a connection of some type with. They use our lumber yards, hardware stores, banking, and subcontractors even though it could be easy to stop by chain stores they regularly drive past. The Kalona Area Chamber of Commerce is grateful to be working with Ramsey Creek Woodworking, a prime example of community focus that brings success full circle.
