Our Story

From Humble Beginnings...

In 1965 John and Donna Hansen started a convenience store chain that grew from a family business to a Midwestern staple. Part of being humble is the idea that “leaders eat last.” Egos have no room at Nesnah Ventures. With that belief, Nesnah Ventures was born; Nesnah is Hansen spelled backwards.

In 2000, when we sold our family company, Kwik Trip (which was founded by our parents), the siblings wondered, “What do we do next?” The company was a learning ground for us early in our careers; we were not only co-workers but shareholders too. The day of the sale our father said to us, “You all had some stock in the company; take that money and go out and do something you love.”

Despite the individual professional opportunities available to us in our respective fields, what we loved was working together in a family business. Shortly after the sale, we decided that by combining our skills in human resources, real estate, marketing, information technology, and trading, we had the foundation for a great company. We wanted to work together and grow a business that would be people-oriented, faith-driven, and a fun place to work. Through great planning, execution, and hard work, Nesnah Ventures was born.

Today, we own several companies in the agriculture and service sectors. We are a family office that intentionally holds onto businesses to enhance long-term value, rather than selling businesses within five years. This philosophy is in stark contrast to the practices of other private equity companies.

Our goal is to facilitate growth in our people, as well as the companies and customers we support. We offer invaluable leadership development to the companies we own, in addition to providing them with human resources, finance, accounting and technology services and support. We challenge and encourage our co-workers to grow in a positive environment, and they will tell you, “At Nesnah Ventures, we are more likely to get a hug than a kick in the pants.” We treat our people like family and foster a sense of community at work. Our goal is to help our employees achieve.

We treat our co-workers and customers as we would want to be treated. Faith and stewardship guide us in all that we do to grow and create value in our co-workers and companies. When one of our employees needs help, we roll up our sleeves and pitch in to offer support and assistance. We strive to make a difference in our communities by encouraging outreach activities such as food drives and volunteering in charitable activities.

At Nesnah Ventures, we work hard and play hard. From ice cream socials to turkey bowling (yes, the turkey is deceased – and frozen!), we thrive on seeing our co-workers smiling and laughing at work! We encourage team-building, along with some friendly competition, to continually build a joyful culture in our workplace.

Nesnah Ventures is not just a “flash in the pan” company; we are designed to be a multi-generational, 100-year business. We are proud to be mentoring a third generation of family members who desire to be involved in our companies. The next generation is excited, eager, and ready to earn an integral spot in our business and embrace the ideals and values that our company was founded upon. The future is bright!

Nesnah Ventures executive team

Our Values

Respect
We believe having integrity helps foster an open and positive work environment and an ethical approach to decision-making.
Respect
We show respect for ourselves and others by what we say and do.
innovative
We are grateful for our success and share our appreciation with our co-workers in a humble fashion.
Excel
We strive for excellence in everything we do. We are committed to producing high-quality products and services at a superior value for our customers.
innovative
We encourage and value innovative solutions to customer needs and business challenges. Our uniqueness will provide us with great competitive advantages in the marketplace.
work ethic
We are a MidWestern company that believes in a “roll-up-your-sleeves” work ethic. The commitment and outstanding effort of our people has driven our success in the past and will do so in the future.

Our Team

Enhancing businesses and lives
Improving the world and making people’s lives better by sharing our God-given gifts and talents.

John Hansen

Partner

John Hansen

John’s passions focus on helping others grow and succeed.

Paul Hansen

Partner

Paul Hansen

Paul helps build the unexpected by thinking outside the box and applying strategies from other industries.

Mark Hansen

Partner

Mark Hansen

Mark directs business development with an ever-present intellectual curiosity.

Tim Brennan

Partner

Tim Brennan

Tim uses his strategic mindset to drive business forward.

Kelly Wood

CFO

Kelly Wood

Kelly has strong strategic tendencies; she serves as a thought partner while helping Nesnah Ventures grow to the next level.

Laura Hutzler

Human Resources

Laura Hutzler

Laura leads the company’s people operations, supporting our culture and the development of a superior workforce.

Steve Lee

Information Technology

Steve Lee

Steve drives to maximize the value of Nesnah’s Information Technology resources across Nesnah and our portfolio companies.

Cate Hollowitsch

Marketing

Cate Hollowitsch

Cate brings an energetic approach to setting the marketing strategy, commercialization, and branding efforts to drive growth throughout the enterprise.

Dera Arnold

Project Management

Dera Arnold

Dera drives positive change through our project management center of excellence.

The leadership team at Nesnah Ventures has been leveraging their individual strengths and combined experience since the company’s inception in 2000.  Together with patriarch John Hansen, Tim, Paul, and Mark have shaped Nesnah Ventures into a product of their humble approach to honest business.

Our Team

Enhancing businesses and lives
Improving the world and making people’s lives better by sharing our God-given gifts and talents.

John Hansen

Partner

John Hansen

John’s passions focus on helping others grow and succeed.

Paul Hansen

Partner

Paul Hansen

Paul helps build the unexpected by thinking outside the box and applying strategies from other industries.

Mark Hansen

Partner

Mark Hansen

Mark directs business development with an ever-present intellectual curiosity.

Tim Brennan

Partner

Tim Brennan

Tim uses his strategic mindset to drive business forward.

Kelly Wood

CFO

Kelly Wood

Kelly has strong strategic tendencies; she serves as a thought partner while helping Nesnah Ventures grow to the next level.

Laura Hutzler

Human Resources

Laura Hutzler

Laura leads the company’s people operations, supporting our culture and the development of a superior workforce.

Steve Lee

Information Technology

Steve Lee

Steve drives to maximize the value of Nesnah’s Information Technology resources across Nesnah and our portfolio companies.

Cate Hollowitsch

Marketing

Cate Hollowitsch

Cate brings an energetic approach to setting the marketing strategy, commercialization, and branding efforts to drive growth throughout the enterprise.

Dera Arnold

Project Management

Dera Arnold

Dera drives positive change through our project management center of excellence.

The leadership team at Nesnah Ventures has been leveraging their individual strengths and combined experience since the company’s inception in 2000.  Together with patriarch John Hansen, Tim, Paul, and Mark have shaped Nesnah Ventures into a product of their humble approach to honest business.

Our Brand Promises

Grow

We’re here for the long haul. We’ve dedicated ourselves to helping your company grow and continue the excellence you’ve built.

Transform

We’re not interested in status quo. We shift mindsets by helping businesses to consider not what their company needs in the context of their own industry, but in the context of all industries.

Create Leaders

Our passion is to facilitate growth in our people and help them achieve success.

Leaders are the ones that help drive business forward and it is important to us to continue to grow them. We do this through continued educational assistance and our internal LEAD Academy which is a custom training program with individual mentors to grow, transform, and create leaders to make better businesses.

Our Brand Promises

Grow

We’re here for the long haul. We’ve dedicated ourselves to helping your company grow and continue the excellence you’ve built.

Transform

We’re not interested in status quo. We shift mindsets by helping businesses to consider not what their company needs in the context of their own industry, but in the context of all industries.

Create Leaders

Our passion is to facilitate growth in our people and help them achieve success.

Leaders are the ones that help drive business forward and it is important to us to continue to grow them. We do this through continued educational assistance and our internal LEAD Academy which is a custom training program with individual mentors to grow, transform, and create leaders to make better businesses.

Our Community

The Nesnah team is committed to connecting with our community. We believe in bringing positive, measurable change to the communities in which we live and transact business. Community involvement activities include in-kind and financial donations, employee volunteer days and enduring nonprofit relationships.

The many benefits of connecting with our communities provide positive returns for local charitable organizations and neighborhoods while boosting our thoughtful reputation and employee engagement levels. As we continue to strengthen our relationships with local community nonprofits and service-based organizations, we also witness how neighborhoods grow and thrive. Nesnah employees have a long-standing reputation for fostering a workplace culture that allows us to utilize our collective talents and energy to make the world a better place.