BVU Graduate Earns Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Honor
Garner resident named the February 2022 Entrepreneur of the Month by the North Iowa Area Community College John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and the North Iowa Small Business Development Center seeks to build the communities in which she resides and works.
Buena Vista University alum Laura Schleusner was named the February 2022 Entrepreneur of the Month by the North Iowa Area Community College John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and the North Iowa Small Business Development Center.
Schleusner was cited for her development of Java 18, a coffee shop she owns in Garner, as well as commercial properties in Garner, Adel, and Carlisle. Another Schleusner business development, The Daily Grind, a coffee shop in Clear Lake, is set to open within the Clear Lake Wellness Center later this year.
“By day, I’m Controller at Clear Lake Bank & Trust,” says Schleusner, a 2007 BVU graduate who resides in nearby Garner. “On the side, I have LMS Properties, which I’ve used to purchase and develop commercial properties.”
“Earning the Entrepreneur of the Month award was humbling. I never dreamed I’d arrive at this point, working full-time, running businesses, and raising a family.”
When the coffee shop serving Garner closed, Schleusner set out to fill the void. She founded LMS Properties LLC in 2017 and went about fulfilling her vision of creating space in Garner for new businesses, including her coffee shop, Java 18, which employs 10 people part-time. The new building is anchored by Athletico Therapy, a clinical resource for physical therapy needs.
“Athletico was a new clinic in Garner, and it brought a needed service to town and provides a great economic presence,” she says. “The company is service driven and is involved in the chamber of commerce; they host events with the high school, and they make an impact in the community.”
Schleusner, who earned a degree in finance from the University of Minnesota-Mankato and a degree in accounting from BVU, went to an auction to purchase equipment for Java 18. She relied on her business background, past employment experiences in food service, and efficiencies in inventory management in building Java 18, a firm that weathered the economic blows wrought by COVID-19.
“Pre-pandemic, our drive-through orders made up approximately 30 percent of our traffic,” she says. “That total has grown to 70 percent now.”
Schleusner, who raises livestock and grain with her husband, Travis, is also the mother of 10-year-old twins and a seven-year-old. She coaches little league softball and youth basketball as well.
“It takes all of us working to make our communities successful,” she says while lauding the efforts of her Java 18 employees. “Earning the Entrepreneur of the Month award was humbling. I never dreamed I’d arrive at this point, working full-time, running businesses, and raising a family.”
Schleusner, a native of Forest City, says she worked her way through college, as she grew up in a single- parent home. Her BVU education came through NIACC, a program choice she found ideal for its convenience.
“I was single and didn’t have any children at the time, so it was a super opportune time for me to finish my accounting degree through BVU while I was in my mid-20s,” she says.
Schleusner is also pleased to be able to share her tale of success during March, Women’s History Month.
“I’m a huge advocate for women business owners and success stories shared by women,” says Schleusner, who visits local high schools to present ideas about starting and running a business.