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Hastedt got his start as farmer, owner of greenhouse

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By ANGELA ASSAF

cnlife@crescent-news.com

HAMLER -- Henry County commissioner-elect Bob Hastedt has a style of campaigning that is all his own.

This past election he opted out of the door-to-door routine, preferring to meet potential voters while in his own element, surrounded by tomato plants and flowering shrubs, on his own time, and on his own dime.

If he happened to notice a license plate with the number 35 on it (indicating a Henry County resident), he'd say, 'Oh, by the way, I'm running for county commissioner,' and proceed to give them his "spiel" as he carried a flat of petunias out to their car or loaded a bag of mulch into their trunk.

"I picked up a lot of votes that way," says Hastedt, who owns a greenhouse business in Holgate with his wife, Deborah. "It's not difficult to get people's attention if they are interested in what you have to say."

Hastedt grew up on a farm in Henry County like so many residents who cast their vote for him.

Following graduation from Holgate High School in 1968 he joined his father, Elmer Hastedt, in the family farming operation for a stint of eight months up until he was drafted into the Army.

Hastedt was later honorably discharged when his father became injured so that he may return home and attend to his family's needs.

"I grew up with the idea that local politics is about helping people," says Hastedt. "My parents are hardworking, Christian people who would always help a neighbor."

Elmer Hastedt served as a township trustee for 20 years.

"I used to help my Dad mow along the roads and work on different projects in the county," recalls Hastedt. "It seemed to me that the job of county trustee and farming just fit together."

When in 1987 his father retired from farming, Hastedt took over the family farming operation and became involved in politics. He first served on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Being a land owner, he was later elected to the Henry County Soil and Water Board. For the next 20 years he had a series of different jobs, but always found the time to farm.

Hastedt has two sisters who are both married: Judy Gray, who is retired and lives in Holgate; and Mary, a phlebotomist living in Baton Rouge, La.

When his father retired from his trustee position in 1997, Hastedt ran in his place on the Republican ticket.

At the end of December he will have been a trustee for 11 years.

As a trustee Hastedt has served on a number of different committees. They include: The Solid Waste Advisory board, which oversees the country' landfill; Henry County Rail Road Crossing Safety committee, a liaison between the public and rail road companies; and the Henry County South Joint Ambulance District of which Hastedt has been the president since it was first established 2 1/2 years ago to help provide ambulance coverage to six townships in the southern portion of the county.

Hastedt worked as an EMT and EMS driver for several years and presently drives EMS on a voluntary basis.

During this time Hastedt was also elected to the Tri-County Rural Electric board serving mainly Henry and Fulton counties as well as some of Putnam and Lucas. He was then appointed representative to the state board of Ohio Rural Electric Co-op.

"This was an important board," he says. "I found the experience to be very educational and I learned a lot about the electrical industry.

"I was excited about belonging to this board because I thought it had nothing to do with politics... Well, it has A LOT to do with politics. The group of people who are involved with the rural electric system is very politically oriented," he remarks, noting that the rural electric system is funded in part by the federal government.

Unrelated to politics, but a job that played an important role in getting to know a lot of people nonetheless, was as a bus driver for Patrick Henry Schools for 23 years. His wife, Deborah, also worked at different times for Patrick Henry School (her alma mater), as a cheerleading advisor, cafeteria worker and cook. She presently is a full-time bus driver.

"My wife also manages the flower business and I work for her."

Hastedt and his wife first met at a cousin's wedding.

He recalls, "I had seen her around a few times before and asked my cousin to introduce us. He eventually married and I was in his wedding and Deborah was there." The couple were married Jan. 15, 1972.

The Hastedts have two married sons, Christopher (Annie) of Hamler, and Troy (Michelle), Continental. They have five grandchildren.

Today the couple is helped at their business Hastedt Family Greenhouse by their sons and a couple of part-time workers.

The idea for the greenhouse business literally grew out of the couple's love for gardening.

"I built a 24x32 greenhouse on our property because I wanted to try and grow tomato plants from seed," explains Hastedt. "We learned mostly by doing and reading. My wife bought some flowers to experiment with.

"The first year we sold tomatoes to our neighbors. The next year we built another greenhouse and gradually built up a customer base by word of mouth."

They later purchased the 5-acre parcel along 281 in Holgate where today they have a thriving greenhouse business. "We used to close the greenhouse on Mother's Day, but now it's one of the biggest days of the season," he says.

It was Hastedt's experience through forming the southern ambulance district that compelled him into county politics.

He recalls at that time, "There were a lot of meetings to get things set up and organized. The commissioners helped us out a lot and I became more involved with that group of people.

"Several people in the Republican party felt that I was qualified to run for commissioner because of my experience working in many different aspects of county life. It was a humbling experience to be asked to run for commissioner."

But first he had to talk it over with his oldest son since he would be the one to take over the family farming operation. "He was all for it. My wife offered her support."

Hastedt began campaigning around this same time last year.

"It is a learning experience," he says of the process. "First you make mistakes, and then you have to learn from them. Campaigning is NOT something that I would like to do to make a living."

Back when Hastedt was in high school he studied the parliamentary procedure in FFA and even won a couple awards for public speaking. But his first time out stumping he choked. He recalls, "My mind went blank. Speaking in public is not something that bothers me. Now I always write down my key points whenever I have something specific to talk about."

The support shown for Hastedt's election was "overwhelming" he says. "A lot of friends helped set up signs and they're still helping me pick-up signs."

Although Hastedt funded his own campaign, there were many generous contributors who stepped up to help defray some of the cost.

The first year for any county commissioner is always one of learning he says.

Having been a township trustee going on 11 years Hastedt says, "I feel that it puts me ahead of the curve."

He is fortunate in the history of the commissioner's job to come aboard at a time when the budget is balanced.

"The past group of commissioners had to make budget cuts. I would like to rebuild those departments back up as the budget permits. I am a firm believer that you don't buy something if you don't have the money to pay for it."

There are a lot of issues that come across the commissioner's desk that most people wouldn't think about. One key issue that Hastedt will soon have before him is what to do about the overburdened landfill. There is also talk about expanding the local air port.

"It's a busy job," he says. "When I ran for this position I said that I would be a full-time commissioner and that is what I am going to be."

"People are the same all over the country," says Hastedt, who enjoys any opportunity to travel whether it's taking a short trip and driving home on the back roads to take in the local scenery or heading out west to Phoenix where his wife has extended family, or down to Louisiana, to visit his sister.

"I like to meet people from different places and find out what they're doing where they live."

For Hastedt antique malls and greenhouses are must-see stops.