? ?
[ding, ding of trolley bell]
- Trolleys are fun.
- All aboard.
Here we go.
- Kristina Pence-Dunow understands that.
- It's an American history for one thing.
Trolleys are like an iconic form of transportation.
- Kristina's been making trolleys
since she was a teenager,
and the thrill has never worn off.
- I feel like I'm going to Mr. Roger's neighborhood.
- Kristina sends Hometown Trolleys
from Crandon, Wisconsin
to vacation spots around the country
and the result is always the same.
- People will let city buses go by,
but if they see a trolley,
they will wait and ride that trolley
because it s fun and it s an experience.
- So trolleys are fun
but who knew making trolleys could be fun too?
- When an employee is happy, the product is happy.
- When Kristina Pence-Dunow walks the floor of Hometown Trolleys,
she is many things at once.
- Hey Richie, how many seats do you have left?
- Like three.
- She's the owner.
She's the inspector.
But she's also a mother.
- Hometown Trolley really is a family and a team company.
So when I walk through the shop I'm like mother hen.
Hi, what's your name?
- Ian, I just started here.
- When? Oh today cuz I'm like, wait a minute, I don't know you.
It's his first day. [chuckles]
- In two cases, she literally is mother.
Both her son and daughter are employees.
And Kristina knew many of her employees
long before they came to work here.
- I mean I know these--
some of these people were kids
in the same class as my children.
And so I know on their faces if they're having a bad day.
- Kristina knows about bad days too.
In the early '90s,
she and her first husband moved their fledgling trolley business
from Illinois to Crandon.
- It was a culture shock really
to come to the north woods from Illinois.
- After a divorce,
Kristina kept the company and decided to make it her own.
- I was a single mom in the north woods
not knowing what to do.
We had eight to twelve employees.
And I had to fire probably half of them to get respect
and rehire them as the woman taking over when the husband's leaving.
To get their respect, I learned every single process.
When I took over, we did one trolley a month
and now we are doing two to three a week.
Fifty-two employees and we're adding six more jobs
as soon as we tear down the wall and can expand out.
[high pitch whirring]
- To attract good workers,
Kristina sells the family atmosphere,
and the ability to earn a good living in the north woods.
[vrooom of engine]
For some employees,
the chance to ride your snowmobile
to work in winter is a perk.
- It s just a fun thing to ride to work.
You know it's twenty minutes of fun before you get to work.
- Occasionally, Kristina visits her trolleys in their new home.
- We do have a big order coming up this summer for Hawaii
and so we'll plan on a trip there
and I ll definitely be going on that trip.
[whoosh of passing car]
- But it's always nice to come home.
- When you go away and you come back,
it's cleaner air, cleaner water, space.
What trolleys do you want to go in see today?
That one?
- Now remarried, Kristina has family all around her at work.
- Going to drive?
Get up in the driver s seat.
- Even her grandsons like to inspect the trolleys
before they leave for warmer climates.
- Look, see there's grandma's trolley bell up on the wall.
For some reason, I was chosen to do trolleys
and it's grown on me and I love 'em.
So I love the trolleys.
I love the colors.
I love the fact that we're building a happy product.
Can you pull hard?
[ding]
[chuckling]
You want to do it now?