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Farm Horizons • Feb . 6 , 2017 • Page 4
Plato garage goes from horsepower to horse products
By Marie Zimmerman
A building on Plato ’ s Main Street that once housed the horsepower of Farmall tractors and GM cars is now home to a local manufacturer of products for horses . Great Oak Equine hand crafts fencing , pens , hay feeders and other oak products . It ’ s owned by Stephen Tusha .
Tusha was driving through Plato when he happened upon the old Plato Garage , which had sat unused since 1989 . An inquiry at city hall led to the building ’ s purchase ; Tusha closed on it late last year . Plato has been a welcoming community , Tusha said , and he plans to expand his business there .
Built in the 1920s , the Plato Garage followed a blueprint for GM Dealers that could be found in small towns across the country . It also served as a Farmall dealer , said Tusha , who took an interest in the history of the place . The triangular front showroom is flanked by enormous panes of glass looking onto the crossroads of Plato ’ s main streets . The room opens to the manufacturing floor through sliding doors . Two cars could be
driven into the show room . The original hoists and lifts remain in the back , and have been put to use moving heavy lumber .
A Minnesota kid with an English literature major from the University of Minnesota , Tusha ’ s career has been spent in general contracting and design . He and his wife , Connie , live in Waconia and own four horses . Great Oak Equine was inspired by Tusha ’ s horses , and a pen he built for them .
“ I didn ’ t have any money and I couldn ’ t afford my own round pen ,” Tusha said . “ That was thousands of round pens ago .”
He started selling his pens on Craigslist . Then he leased a barn near Waconia , complete with company mascot Maggie the barn cat , who also made the move to Plato when demand outgrew the space in the barn .
Tusha ’ s team of four employees receives a semi load of dense white oak boards about every two weeks , sourcing from 10 different sawmills to keep up with demand . On average , they turn out four round pens a week , but
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