New owner looks forward to being a part of Henning

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Ben Greene works in the back of an otherwise quiet shop in Henning. As the sparks fly from his welding equipment, a vehicle pulls up besides the building with a special request for a project that needs to be completed down the road. While some may opt to simply throw a ramp or piece of farm machinery away, Greene prefers to find a way to help his new customers repair and not simply replace their equipment. 

Just one week into his new business venture, Greene of North Star Welding is getting adjusted to life as the owner of a popular and busy business tucked away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Henning. 

“I am really impressed with the community, I really am,” said Greene. “A lot of people have come in and expressed a need for a welder in town.”

Greene took over the former McCollough Welding business, after longtime owner George McCollough finally hung up his welder after more than 50 years in the business. McCollough had expressed an interest in selling the business to a welder who could keep it open, as opposed to simply shutting down the operation and leaving local farmers and individuals in a bind. 

The idea of purchasing the thriving business in Henning began about three years ago, but Greene said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to own his own welding business at that time. Over the years, Greene said he felt a desire to go out on his own and start his own welding business.

“My wife said just do it. It was kind of the right place at the right now,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to go out on my own for a while now, but it was really just the right place at the right time.”

When he walked into the business for the first time, Greene said being in the business located on Inman St. felt like a perfect fit. 

“I walked in and it just felt right,” he said 

While he may be new to owning his own business, Greene has 14 years of welding experience and has worked on everything from rock crushing equipment to bridge welding. He is looking forward for the opportunity to work on a variety of equipment that will be dropped off at the shop and making the lives of local farmers and community members easier through repairs and custom piece of machinery. 

“The people I have met so fa have been awesome,” said Greene. “You can tell that the community has a super strong bond. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he said.

Though he began cleaning up the back of the shop and said he would like to modernize the shop a bit, Greene said it will be business as usual for what is now known as North Star Welding. 

“We are going to try to keep everything the same as George had it,” said Greene. “It seems to be a system people liked.”

Greene is the son of Julie Greene and grandson of Wayne Gunderson, both originally of Henning. He currently lives south of Ottertail with his wife and his two children. 

North Star Welding is located at 1123 Inman St. For more information about the business or to drop off equipment in need of repair, stop by the shop during regular business hours.