Stone Mill Bread – “Dan the Bread Man”

 

Dan Danztler pulls into his parking spot with a license plate that makes his introduction easy; “Bread.” With his laid back confidence and pearls of wisdom, we were more than honored that he took time out for our meeting. Dan was an easy choice to highlight. His local veteran owned company makes honest fresh ingredients sourced from farms here in Northwest Arkansas.

After the  Vietnam War, Dan decided he didn’t want to live in his hometown any longer and was on the hunt for his next adventure as a young man. One of his first stops was to interview for a buyer position in Bentonville. He landed the job, but once he made it back to his hotel room to celebrate, he had an epiphany; he thought, “This is terrible, I can’t live here. I am single and if I take this job, I won’t find my wife.” At that time Bentonville was home to only 5,000 people and he happened to be staying at the only hotel in the city.

After that night, he landed in Fayetteville and worked at the local radio station for some time. Then, he moved to Little Rock and got into investment banking. He remained there for 17 years as what they called “bond daddies.” At the age of 30 he became a Christian and met a beautiful Christian woman. Together, they moved back to Fayetteville.

He knew he wanted to do something honest and hardworking all while honoring his newly found faith.  During that time he read an inspirational passage that discussed leading a quiet, peaceful life and working with your hands. He thought to himself, “I can’t drive a truck, drive a nail and I don’t have the brain power to be a surgeon.” After lunch with a friend one day, he was given a piece of bread for his trip home. While eating the bread, a lightbulb went off. He came home and told his wife about the idea. She eventually agreed, and they cashed in their IRA and the rest is history. When asked how they came up with the name “Stone Mill Bread”, he pointed inside the window where they would grind their own grain to make flour. They would buy wheat berries and grind the flour in a stone burr grain mill. So they decided to name the café Stone Mill Bread.

Dan and his wife distributed samples for the first ten years to gain exposure and brand recognition.  They would go to Farmer’s Market or Expos to give away bread. They found vendors that were willing to sell their bread for a percentage. The vendors got their bread out to people who otherwise might not have found it.

I asked Dan what piece of advice would he give to a recent college graduate that aspired to be an entrepreneur. He replied, “I think you have to go with your gut, and have at least twenty-four months of operating expenses. It took me about eighteen months to turn a profit.” When asked if he would do anything differently in his career, he answered endearingly, “I don’t think so,  anything I would change would mean I would not have met my wife.” It’s safe to say that his determination to be his own boss and his grit have been the key driving forces in his life as an entrepreneur.

Their menu consists of a wide variety of soups, sandwiches, and sweet treats. They have been a ‘design your own sandwich’ establishment from day one. They offer at least 8-10 delicious homemade soups. The desserts range from scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls, and a line of sweet breads such as; pumpkin, sour cream pecan, banana walnut, blueberry, strawberry, and many more. Everything on the menu is made from their own recipes. They offer online ordering for home delivery, dine in or drive through, and catering. All of these options make their scrumptious goodies easily accessible.

Stone Mill Bread can be found in some of your favorite local stores such as; Whole Foods, Harps, Allen’s and more. They have four drivers that deliver all over Northwest Arkansas. They even ship bread all over Northeastern and Southern Arkansas. They have been at the original location for 23 years and are considered a staple in Northwest Arkansas.

“Those whose hands are not idle know that they honour God, because they keep his commandment to be gainfully employed.” -Thessalonians 4:11-12

Sheep Dog Impact Assistance

SHEEP DOG – noun

1.Protector of the flock. Killer of the wolf. Willing to sacrifice life and limb in defense of the Sheep.

The mission of Sheep Dog Impact Assistance is to improve the lives of our nation’s veterans and first responders in need by helping them Get Off The Couch and reengage in living an active, meaningful and productive life through their outdoor adventures and disaster response mission programs.

How it began…

SgtMaj Lance Nutt was sitting at home after a bad deployment, watching hurricane Katrina unfold and was shocked by the realization that people sat for days without help; hungry, thirsty, exhausted, injured and some even dying. He realized that screaming at the tv was not going to help and decided that he needed to get out there and do something. Nutt ended up getting a couple of Marine Corps buddies, family and friends together and went down to Louisiana to assist in any way they could. His Marine mentality set in and before most organizations were ready to mobilize, SgtMaj used his years of emergency and logistical training to lead a strategic relief effort straight into the heart of the destruction. Upon seeing the immense devastation and delay of relief to the victims, he realized this was something he really wanted to pursue and made the decision to act. Fast forward a few years and a couple more deployments, Lance filed for a 501c3. He was deployed in Ramadi when the paperwork was finalized in 2010. Welcome, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance.

What started out as a “hobby” quickly became a full time job. After years of self-funding and helping veterans and first responders Get Up Off The Couch, SgtMaj realized how big and impactful his mission had become. Word of mouth spread rapidly, and he was soon being contacted by people in other states asking how they could help their veterans and first responders in the same way. Chapters and teams across the nation started to develop and today there a total of 22 teams and chapters. 

The territory that comes with any natural disaster can be detrimental. To date, SDIA has responded to 60 disasters. The most recent response was the tornado that hit Nashville, Tennessee. Over the past 10 years they have acquired numerous trucks, trailers, tools, boats and chainsaws to better prepare them for when the next disaster strikes. One of the most challenging responses for SDIA was Hurricane Harvey that hit Houston, Texas in 2017. This was a very large scale operation. They had 600+ members and volunteers working through the neighborhoods. This mission consisted of 3 different deployments over a 4 week span. To name a few, they assisted with boat rescue, chainsaw work and debris removal. There was no limit to the work that needed to be done. They also helped cook for the community and handed out water, gear and supplies. 


Because disasters don’t happen every day, they knew they needed to do something else to keep veterans and first responders engaged. There were a couple of years of no disasters to respond to and they were all sitting around having chapter meetings with nothing else to do. This is when the idea of outdoor adventures came into play and it gave them the opportunity to bring back moral and camaraderie during their down time. If they couldn’t deploy, then they wanted to go and do something else, something social. A few of the trips have included scuba diving, sky diving, spartan races, hunting and fishing trips. Team Rubicon, another veteran service organization, calls the time between disasters “deployment blues.” This is a time that veterans and first responders feel down and out because they are not with their brothers and sisters. One of the first outdoor adventures was a Spartan Race ran by 2 Marines that SgtMaj found from the wounded warrior battalion. In 2019, SDIA partnered with the vet centers and were able to achieve larger scale adventures; including and not limited to New Your Tunnel to Tower, Buffalo River excursions and snowmobiling at Yellowstone. For the larger outdoor adventures, they can accommodate up to 80 attendees. They have learned that the magic number is 36 to ensure each veteran and first responder is receiving the attention they need and deserve. These adventures help instill there is a healthier lifestyle out there. All they have to do is be willing to
Get Up Off The Couch, go out and do within their community. 

As a community, there are several ways we can help Sheep Dog continue in their disaster responses and aiding in outdoor adventures. The most common need are monetary donations. They need that stability to pay all the overhead, to assist the men and women that they take on adventures and disaster response missions. Not only that, but fuel, travel and food are huge expenses that they can’t necessarily pay for without those donations. Another way to help is with in kind donations. Gifts in kind is a type of charitable giving in which, instead of giving money to buy needed goods and services, the goods and services themselves are given. Gift cards are also a great way to give. During each disaster response, many trips to Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot happen in order to purchase necessities during that given time. It is very expensive for the organization to transport a lot of goods needed. With the hardship of any disaster, there are veterans that just had their house flooded or destroyed that need those specialized items to store their family pictures, memorabilia and important paperwork. Having those gift cards allows the teams to purchase containers, rubbermaids and any other needed items to lessen the heartache and stress the victims are undergoing.

Besides outdoor adventures and disaster responses, Sheep Dog loves to get involved within their community throughout the year. One of their biggest fundraisers is the Turkey Trot. Held every Thanksgiving morning, their Turkey Trot for Heroes 5K is an exciting event that garners the full support of local runners, running organizations and our communities. In addition to the traditional 5K run, they have a Wild Gobbler 5K (a 5K with 5 stations of exercises throughout the route dedicated to fallen heroes,) a 1-Mile fun run/walk, and a virtual 5K. Proceeds from the race fund their disaster response and outdoor adventure programs, allowing SDIA to help fellow Sheep Dogs Get Off The Couch and reengage in living a meaningfully productive life with a renewed sense of purpose. Another great fundraising opportunity is their holiday assistance program. This allows them to feed veterans and first responders along with their families. They also provide toys for their children. These small acts of kindness go a long way, especially during the holidays.

For more information about Sheep Dog Impact Assistance please visit www.sheepdogia.org

With all the bad in the world, let’s do our best to spread some good!

Veteran Company Spotlight: Clean Cookin’

Clean Cookin’ is a veteran owned and operated business, founded by Stuart Rowland. Stuart grew tired of struggling with his weight and decided to try something new; that something turned into a company with over 30 employees. What began as cooking for friends out of his kitchen, eventually led to running a food truck, and now he is feeding Arkansans out of 5 different storefronts. Stuart plans to expand into Little Rock and the Tulsa areas sometime next year. He is extremely proud that his meals have never increased in price. His main daily struggle is narrowing the menu down to just 16 items! He describes himself as someone who needs to be constantly creative.

Clean Cookin’ does not allow any food to go to waste, if they can help it; food is packaged and distributed to local nonprofit organizations that are tailored to the community’s needs and will deliver as they see fit. Here in Northwest Arkansas, Stuart is filling fridges for the Ronald McDonald House. Rowland states, “If the family needs food, here you go, it’s not a question, they never have to leave their child’s side. They will have food in less than three minutes. That’s one of the proudest things that we do,” and the serving does not stop there. On October 24th, the company announced they are giving away 25 Thanksgiving Dinners to deserving families in need. He is asking his followers to write in and nominate a family in 250 words or less. You will also see his upcoming partnership with Arkansas Democrat Gazette to do a colossal Christmas Drive that will feed hundreds of families. He is adamant on taking care of the community that supports him.

Rowland served in the Army National Guard, he was deployed 2nd of 142nd out of Ozark Arkansas, from December 2006 to March of 2008 with convoy escorts. He was one of three medics in his battery and they wound up doing 185 missions and covered 70,000+ miles. Upon his return, he continued to train other soldiers in the states for the remainder of this service. His inability to quit is what he contributes to his military experience; failure is not an option. The mission world is going to happen, doubt and failure do not exist in the military.

 

You may check them out at any of these 5 locations! 

Ft. Smith

Van Buren

Fayetteville

Bentonville

Springdale

 

Each week the menu has approximately 16 options to choose from and they are based on a keto friendly and low carb diet. They also have Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free options. From smoked chicken to brisket, you can count on these meals to be as pleasing to your taste buds as they are to your wallet and waistline. The meals range from $5-7 and are kept frozen until you are ready to eat them, making meal prep easier than ever for you and your family! In addition, you can now cure your sweet tooth with keto friendly desserts from Sweet Boutique through all locations. 

Join their Clean Cookin’ Club today for exclusive sales and deals! Check them out for a full menu, store hours, and delivery options at www.cleancookin.com.