Several years ago, Inver Grove Heights native Rob Reitberger was a man on a mission: He wanted to cook a half ham on the grill.  Reitberger and his wife, Robin, scoured the area in search of a half ham, but came up empty handed. It was then that the couple decided to open up a butcher shop. “We just felt that Inver Grove Heights needed something like this,” said Rob. Rob, a former grocery store manager with over 20 years of retail experience, opened Hometown Meats in August 2008. The shop boasts a butcher with decades of experience and a staff of close family friends. The Reitberger’s also …

Editor's Note: Each month, Inver Grove Heights Patch asks the owners of a well-established local business what makes them successful. We publish their answers in our regular feature, "Secrets to Success." The secret to success is simple at The Times Hair Designs: Continuity among staff means continuity with clients. Adherence to that principle has kept clients at The Times—Inver Grove Heights longest-running hair salon—coming back for more, the owners say. Located between H&R Block and Domino's Pizza on Cahill Avenue, the business was originally named Cuts Express when it opened in 1991. But …

Editor's Note: Each month, Inver Grove Heights Patch asks the owners of a well-established, local business what makes them successful. We publish their answers in our regular feature, "Secrets to Success." When a new remodel of Dakota Pediatrics is completed, the Inver Grove Heights-based health care provider might be a place kid’s look forward to visiting, instead of a place they dread going. After all, that remodel will include Xbox and Play station 3 gaming consoles in the waiting room. But Robert Deeb knows the clinic that his parents founded over 30 years ago needs to provide much more …

Editor's Note: Each month, Inver Grove Heights Patch asks the owners of a well-established, local business what makes them successful. We publish their answers in our regular feature, "Secrets to Success." When Paul Goodwill was 16 he bought his first car—a 1967 Chevelle. There was only one problem: He didn't have enough money to pay someone else to fix his car when it needed repairs, so he learned how to do it himself. Little did he know then that it was the start of his lifelong career in the automotive repair industry. Now 55, Goodwill is the owner of Paul's Auto and Tire Center, located …

For most people, working 85 hours a week is labor. For Nich Buytaert and Bob Kadrlik, it's a labor of love. The two took over Dominick's Pizza in Inver Grove Heights in January  2011 and have been putting their hearts and souls into the restaurant ever since. The co-owners are passionate about not only making great tasting food, but a great food tasting experience. "We try to do things old school, where customers are actually important," said Buytaert, who learned the restaurant business making pizzas at a small restaurant in Hutchinson. "We try to know them by name. We try to thank them for …

On a Monday afternoon in mid-June, Jersey's Bar and Grill hosted a networking luncheon that included 30 members from the Twin Cities business community. On Tuesday and Wednesday evening players from the local softball teams the bar and restaurant sponsors were in attendance. Thursday night, a DJ played music. On Friday night, families feasted on dinner from a menu that includes everything from appetizers to entrees. Saturday night, the crowd enjoyed another night of live music. Sunday, it was bingo. It's safe to say there is a lot going on at Jersey's Bar and Grill, located on Concord …

It's one of the first warm days of spring and Gil Cournoyea Jr. is busy. Customers are flocking to Bike King on Cahill Avenue, home of Inver Grove Heights’ only full-service retail bike shop. One needs new tires. A few others need a tune-up and another is checking out one of the nearly 500 bikes for sale. To add to it all, the phone is ringing off the hook. It's busy, it's hectic. And it's exactly what Cournoyea dreamed about when he was a child growing up in Forest Lake fixing bikes out of his parents’ garage. "I knew then someday I wanted to own my own bike shop," said Cournoyea. That dream…

Plenty of businesses have come and gone over the years, but a few, including Glassing Florist, have become staples in the Inver Grove Heights business community. Founded in 1940 by Fred and Bernice Glassing, the flower shop is now owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Bruce and Holly (Glassing) Zschokke and their son, Derek. Bruce and Holly took over the business in 1990, when they bought it from Holly's parents. A total of 11 employees currently work at the shop, which is located on Babcock Trail. The focus of the business is simple, said Derek Zchokke, a 1996 Simley High School…