Area youth recognized by Senator Ernst: Diagonal duo’s business takes off
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By Jeff Snyder
MOUNT AYR, Iowa — A pair of area youth’s were recently recognized by the office of U.S. Senator Joni Ernst for their entrepreneurial spirit.
LT Farms, which is run by Diagonal youth Lane and Tyce Parrish, ages 15 and 11 respectively, were chosen by Senator Ernst’s office in October for their ambition and success, but the formal awards were only delivered this past week and presented to the Diagonal duo.
The Parrish brother’s, business venture is a snack food business that was created by Lane and Tyce approximately three years ago and with the assistance of their family, they have created a thriving successful enterprise. In being chosen by Sen. Ernst’s office for the award the Parrish brothers also received invites to congressional activities in Washington D.C. along with acknowledgment from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Iowa State University Day held each year.
The snack food business of LT Farms came about after providing their dad, Lincoln, with snacks for him to carry and munch on during his hunting excursions. Since that original snack recipe that started out as a nice snack made for family and friends quickly blossomed into a sustainable business with it being a true family affair with everyone pitching in to produce the product. The mix was a special blend of high quality ingredients along with unique spices and seasoning that became an instant hit when they decided to package it and sell it at a local farmers market. The supply sold out in a manner of hours and they were off to the races.
Since then, the pair have expanded their product line to include several unique blends including Dad’s BBQ, Mom’s Spicy Snack, Lane’s Zesty Snack and Tyce’s Sweet and Salty. They have formalized the packaging and delivery methods which has enabled them to expand their sales partners to include some of the most prominent retailers in the area. Not only have they introduced their products through the main stream traditional retail centers, they have also been able to introduced the mix via the internet with a strong social media presence which has helped to further expand their reach.
Besides making money and creating tasty snack foods the brothers agreed that one of their favorite parts of running a successful business is “meeting new people was the best part.” The two indicated that future plans for the company included to eventually getting their own dedicated factory to produce the product.
In addition to the successful retail sales, they are also tireless ambassadors to the community itself, which is something that their mother and financial advisor Shawna Parrish said is just as important as the products. Each year they give away large quantities of their special blends to a wide variety of charities and church programs.
“It’s important to give back to the community and they do it all the time,” Shawna Parrish said.
The pair were introduced to the Iowa State University President at ISU Day and later through the Iowa State Fair where they represented LT Farms. This meeting ultimately led to the brothers meeting Senator Ernst and eventually culminating in their nomination as Small Business of the Week. This subsequently led to an invite to the Parrish family to visit the SBDC offices in nation’s capital. The Parrish family is hoping to take advantage of this invitation in the upcoming months.
The old saying goes that if you build a better mouse trap, the world will beat a path to your door, immediately comes to mind with this ambitious family. They have placed the quality of their product first and sales success quickly followed. Through an incredible network of friends, family and community, LT Farms has flourished and thrived.
They have maintained the connection to their farming roots and have not lost sight of how hard work and perseverance contributes to success. They have witnessed first hand the power of dedication and belief in not only themselves, but in the community that they live. Life lessons don’t always show up at such a young age, but it would appear that these two are well on their way to a future of success and satisfaction.
