While living in Wyoming in 1989 and on their way to Minnesota, the Henschels stopped over in Faith at a motel. The owner, a member of Faith's economic development board, saw the stool and asked if they would consider moving to South Dakota. At that time, the Henschels had no employees and worked out of the basement of their home.

Things happened fast. "Two men flew in from Pierre," relates Donna, "and showed us a vacant building in Faith. They said, 'We really like your product.' We applied for an economic development loan and within five days the loan went through. It was overwhelming!" The story gives a whole new spin to "faith" as it applies to economic development, and Tower Stool Company became a South Dakota manufacturer.

The Henschels were chosen to participate in QVC's 1997 50/50 Tour, where 1,200 Tower Stools sold out in three minutes. Selected for QVC's Best of the Best in 1998, they sold 1,500 stools in under eight minutes.

Reed does their company's design and building and Donna does the marketing. It's a successful partnership. "It has been very enjoyable to be married for 47 years to the same guy," says Donna, "and to watch all these things transpire. It's never a dull moment."

Tower Stool Company participates in the South Dakota Made Program, the South Dakota Inventors Congress, and the South Dakota and International Exporters Directories. The Henschels can be reached at 605-967-2418, 800-568-4228, or towerstoolco@gwtc.net. Their website is at http://www.towerstool.com.