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Eastern IA Farmer_Fall23_SOUTH

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AG CAREERS<br />

toy tractors together…<br />

Members of the Flenker family (from left) are Brooklynn, Nick, Melissa,<br />

Brock, Bryce, Kim (in driver’s seat), Haley, Lana, Grant, Adeline, Nate,<br />

Pearl, Roland, Angie, and Charlotte. Nick and Melissa are the parents<br />

of Brooklynn, Bryce, and Brock; Grant and Haley are the parents of<br />

Lana; Nate and Angie are the parents of Charlotte, Adeline, Pearl, and<br />

Roland; and Kim is the father of Nick, Nate, and Grant.<br />

EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / NANCY MAYFIELD<br />

GRANT<br />

CLASS OF<br />

2012<br />

NATE<br />

CLASS OF<br />

2000<br />

payroll and books. Middle brother Nate serves<br />

as vice president and head mechanic, and<br />

youngest brother Grant manages dispatch and<br />

operations. All three brothers drive full-time<br />

and manage to fit the other duties that come<br />

with running a company into their schedules.<br />

“Most of the time we spend one to two<br />

hours once we finish hauling catching up and<br />

preparing for the next day. This can be anything<br />

from loading the night before to doing<br />

repairs and washing trucks,” Nate said.<br />

The long hours and double duties sometimes<br />

make it difficult to make plans, but they<br />

eifarmer.com<br />

still believe that working together and<br />

owning their own business is worth it.<br />

“We wouldn’t want it any other way,”<br />

Nick said. “We always assumed we would<br />

work together when we got older, because<br />

we grew up farming together, grew up playing<br />

with toy tractors together when we were<br />

kids. It just seemed natural that we would do<br />

this together, too.”<br />

Owning the trucking company together is<br />

not the only thing they do as a team. They<br />

NICK<br />

CLASS OF<br />

1999<br />

<strong>Eastern</strong>Iowa<strong>Farmer</strong>_South_Fall2023.indd 45<br />

9/19/23 3:35 PM

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