The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – Shoppers at Waitsburg Grocery are practically guaranteed a first-name welcome if owner Dan Cole, who has operated the community hub for nearly 30 years, is anywhere nearby. It's that kind of personal attention and genuine interest that helped earn Waitsburg Grocery the first-ever, Waitsburg Commercial Club's Business of the Year Award.

Cole and his wife Trina were presented with the award at the April 7 Commercial Club award ceremony, where Master of Ceremonies Tom Baker read recommendation letters from Joy Smith and Dani Harper Silvester.

Smith commented on the uniqueness of Waitsburg's Main Street and the businesses that contribute to its positive synergy, paying special tribute to Waitsburg Grocery as a vital core of the business community.

"Waitsburg Grocery is open regular hours and the employees – local community members – are friendly and knowledgeable. Our store provides for locals and visitors in a consistent and professional manner," Smith said in her letter.

Silvester praised the store for being well-stocked, not too expensive, and holding dependable hours: "They pick up the slack, making sure there is always quick food and coffee to go. The staff is always pleasant and extremely supportive about bringing in foods for local events by community groups and accepting returns of unused supplies. I don't know of anywhere else that does that. Of all the businesses on Main Street, they are always busy and showing signs of vibrant life while the rest of the street often looks like a ghost town. With high traffic in both directions, it gives a good impression of Waitsburg."

After reading the letters, Baker quipped that "those of us who have been published in the news media know that Waitsburg Grocery has the best maple bars in existence." (There is reportedly a "rule" dictating that locals whose photos are published in The Times must purchase donuts to be shared at the local hardware store. It is also reported that those donuts should be maple bars from Waitsburg Grocery.)

Cole moved to Waitsburg, from Loveland, Colo., at 13 years old, while wife Trina was born and raised here. Both are Wait-Hi graduates. Following graduation, Cole worked for Hinchliffe Trucking and Touchet Valley Grain Growers before buying Waitsburg Grocery, at just 24 years old, from Jim and Joan Helm, in 1986. "This June will mark 29 years of owning the store. That's hard to believe," said Cole.

Cole said the store once demanded much of his time but "awesome employees" have changed that. "They are well-trained and they know what to do. I can leave and they can run the place," he said. "When it comes to winning this award I contribute a lot back to the employees. They do a great job here. They make it easy for me," he added.

Cole, who says he loves being self-employed, also owns Touchet Valley Communications, an Internet service provider, and L-C Applicators, a professional spray service. He previously operated Cole Construction, which closed in 2010, and is a partner in Whiskey Creek Sports Bar & Grill, slated to open next month on the former site of the White Stallion restaurant. The two-time Lion of the Year award winner says he enjoys being an active part of the community he interacts with on a daily basis.

"The best thing about the grocery store is the people that you get to see in and out of the store on a daily basis. It's fun to be around that part of it," Cole said. "I just wish that, back in 1986, I had started writing a journal to remember all the people that had come and gone over the years. I'd like to be able to remember the stories of all the people I saw every day. Twenty-nine years is a long time, and a big part of the community has already passed away," he added.

That's the kind of personal interest that makes Waitsburg Grocery a fitting choice for Business of the Year.