Active in business, community Soland learned to balance time

Robert (Bob) Soland was a pastor’s kid who lived with a sister and brother in Rock Valley, Iowa (northwest Iowa about an hour from Sioux Falls) and then they moved to Elk Horn, Iowa (about 50 miles from Council Bluffs).
Bob graduated from Elk Horn – Kimballton High School. He participated in football, basketball and track and tennis during the summer but was not involved with any drama or music groups, which is surprising since he has been so involved with plays now.
He attended Luther College in Decorah, as his family has a real connection with this area going back into the 1850’s. One of his ancestors sold farm land for the site where the Washington Prairie Lutheran Church was going to be built in rural Decorah in 1853. It was one of the first Norwegian Lutheran churches built west of the Mississippi.
The pastor of that church (Rev. Ulrik Koren) was instrumental in bringing Luther College to Decorah. Bob participated in intramural sports at college and did take part in the launch of the annual Flamingo Ball held during Homecoming at school but again was not in any of the plays.
Bob graduated from college in 1985 in history and business and worked for some of the local farms and then heard about an opportunity at Leutholds in Kasson with Larry Turner. This opportunity was a good fit for Bob, as he always wanted to run a business in a small town. Working at Leutholds helped him learn what it would take, he said. Bob has joked that working for Larry taught him what not to do, but in reality most of what he knows today about running a business he said he learned from Larry.
During this time Bob also became involved in area non-profit organizations, the Jaycees, the Mantorville Theatre Company (MTC) and the Education Committee at St. John’s Lutheran. So besides working he was attending many meetings, teaching Sunday school, and acting in melodramas. 
Bob learned a valuable lesson one day while having lunch at Mike and Lavonne Berge’s hamburger place on Main Street, he said. It was a small shop with little room so when you ate lunch there you probably would be sitting at the table with someone you didn’t come in with.
At one of these times Bob happened to sit by Dick and Jo Palmer. Jo was trying to get Bob involved in something at church. Trying not to disappoint Jo, but knowing his schedule was packed, Dick spoke up and said “It’s okay to say no, you can’t do everything.” Dick went on to say when he was a young man he got way to involved in activities and had to learn to balance his time by just saying no. It was good advice.
The first summer Bob lived in Kasson, he was invited to be in a melodrama by Cheryl Frarck. It didn’t work out because he was also playing in the adult softball league on Thursday nights and would be unavailable for practice. Later in the summer, Cheryl approached him again about being in a show. 
It was agreed that he would play softball the first Thursday night of play practice but be at play practice the second one. After that Bob played a couple more years of softball but still to this day is active one way or the other in the Mantorville Theatre Company.
One of the bright spots of being involved with the Mantorville Theatre was meeting new people, he said.  One day at rehearsal a young woman showed up to watch and Bob and his unknowing future wife Jennifer were introduced. It took only about three years to convince her to date him and another couple to marry him. They were married on Feb. 22, 1992 and have three children. 
Jennifer and Bob were able to actually be in a couple shows together through the years and each of their three children have been able to either act or direct with Bob at one time or another. Jennifer Soland is a physical therapist at the Kasson Mayo Clinic. Their children are all Kasson-Mantorville grads: Eric lives in Edina, working as a computer engineer; Rachel lives in Pasadena, Calif. and is working in the film industry, while Laura is finishing up school to become a dietitian. Bob said they do get to try out some new foods when Laura is home.
After his career at Leuthold’s, an opportunity came up to work in management at JCPenney in Rochester. Bob was employed there for 15 years while still continuing to serve the Kasson Mantorville communities through St. John’s Lutheran and the MTC. 
Driving home one day Bob passed by the new Casey’s General Store in Mantorville and noticed a sign advertising their need for a store manager. Casey’s had built a new store where the Mantor Mart stood.  Bob applied and has been the store manager for the past 9 years. One of the positives, he said, is he’s only a couple of minutes from his home to get to work.
The Mantorville Casey’s employees around 23 full and part time employees and Bob said he has worked at all the jobs at the store at one time or the other. He has filled in at other Casey locations especially when they are opening a new store, including the one in Kasson.
He makes pizzas at times and said the taco pizza seems to be the most popular one they sell. One of the things he really appreciates is the electronic gas price sign out in front as the corporation makes the price changes so he does not have to be out there on a ladder on real cold or hot days changing the price letters.
Casey’s is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa and has over 2,200 stores located in 16 states.
Since being employed once again close to home Bob has gotten busy being involved in the Mantorville Chamber, the Mantorville EDA, the Dodge County Expo, Finance Council and Trustee at Holy Family Catholic church and of course the MTC.
Bob said he has been part of the Mantorville Theatre group with many board positions throughout the years including the board chair. He said he has been part of at least 30 different plays as an actor, the director, set builder, publicity and board member He has also been involved in some of the plays at the Rochester Rep Theater and the Rochester Civic Theatre dinner theatre known as Feast and Footlights.
The virus has certainly had an effect this past year on such events such as Marigold Days, the Dodge County Fair and other activities through this past year which have not been held. Since Mantorville is a tourist town this has also certainly affected the traffic flow though the community, he said.
Bob’s parents moved to Kasson 14 years ago plus just this past year his sister and niece moved from Alaska to call Kasson home. 
Living in the Kasson-Mantorville area has been rewarding for Bob. The community has always been welcoming and has felt like home, he said. 
Being accessible by a short drive to Rochester and not much of a drive to the Twin Cities is also a nice feature of living here, he said. The Soland’s have been able to take advantage of all the activities that Rochester and the Cities have to offer.
Since Bob has lived in smaller communities most of his life, Mantorville has certainly fit the bill for the Soland family living in this community that they enjoy giving back to in many ways.