New business Cascade Creek Company offers home improvement services in Cook County
It all began in high school in the late 1970s.
“I came up here as I was a camp counselor,” Laurie Roberts said. “I just fell in love with the place like most people do.”
While Dan Roberts was drawn by the plentiful fishing and canoe trip opportunities, it was family friends Gene and Laurene Glader that brought Dan to the North Shore.
Gene and Laurene Glader moved to Cook County from the Twin Cities area in 1981 and purchased Cascade Lodge and Restaurant. “That happened to be the same year I graduated from high school,” Dan said. “So I took a job in the summer working for the Gladers at the lodge.”
Soon after, Laurie landed a job at Cascade Lodge. And the rest is history. Throughout the years, the Roberts have spent their summers working at Cascade Lodge and raising their kids in Cook County.
“So we’ve got a pretty long history on the shore,” Dan said.
After fifty years of visiting and working on the North Shore, Dan and Laurie Roberts decided it was time to live in Cook County full-time. After settling in, the couple decided to start their own business named after the location where the two developed a lasting connection.
“Cascade is pretty central to our lives,” Dan said.
Their new business, Cascade Creek Company is a home improvement business that provides services such as tile work, custom shelving, fireplace renewal, painting, installation of window treatments, staining, and many other home repair projects.
“We’ve been doing home improvements for a long time,” Dan said. After purchasing their first home in the Twin Cities area in the early 1990s, they began remodeling and doing small construction projects.
Laurie said it quickly developed into more home improvement projects, “We kind of started flipping homes in the Twin Cities that we were living in.”
Once the couple settled in Cook County full-time, they decided to capitalize on their acquired skills and start their own home improvement business. “It was just sort of a natural fit,” Dan said.
And business has been good, the Roberts said.
“It’s been a really good start for us,” Dan said. “We’ve got a whole list of people that are already on a waitlist.”
While the Roberts have a busy spring and summer season ahead, Laurie said she is looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends. She added, “It’s fun to see how happy people are when we’re done with the work.”
WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with the owners of Cascade Creek Company, Dan and Laurie Roberts, about their new business. Audio from the interview is below.
Kalli Hawkins February 17, 2023
