Photo by Mike Lamb Jason Swan checks on the seed inventory that keeps for his farming customers inside his Balaton shop.

Jason Swan is a Channel Seed Pro. He’s also a pro in vehicle detailing.

While his businesses are important to him, he’s proud that he gives as much as possible to the Balaton community.

“I think it’s important for any small town in order to support their local businesses. Keeping the community involved and helping one another. Without small businesses, we wouldn’t have small towns,” Swan said.

He operates two businesses out of his downtown Balaton retail storefront — a seed distribution business and vehicle detail operation. He says operating two businesses works well for him.

His detailing experience goes back early in his working career doing auto body for more than three years with dealerships and auto sales in Marshall.

“In the detailing, I do pretty much everything from power buffing, complete interior, shampoos, motors and whatever the customer wants,” Swan said. “If they want to do interior or exterior. If they want a wax sealant applied. And I do pretty much everything — farm equipment. Do campers, boats, cars pickups, motorcycles. It’s a good deal just protecting your investment. As expensive as these vehicles are getting to be, it’s a good way for both retail value and always good to get into a clean vehicle.”

Swan also has extensive experience in the seed business working with Channel Brand Seed.

“I pretty much start ordering the seed back in November for the following year. We do our forecasting a year in advance and then start taking seed from November until March. Now I’m actually sorting it in my shop. I store it for all my customers. Like next week, I’ll be starting to deliver seed, calling my customers and bringing the seed to their farm so it’s ready for them in a couple weeks for planting,” he said.

“I was under another dealer and then I went on my own. Got my own dealership,” Swan said. “Just an extra supplement income. So hopefully we can do more business out on the farm doing customer visits and stuff throughout the growing season as well with them.

“I have a customer that puts plots in for us. How that works is that we go help him put the plot in, they get the free feed for doing it. For putting it in. We get a lot of our data of course off those plots that we put in and we help them put them in, so it’s kind of a nice deal.”

Swan continues to keep busy outside his shop as well with the volunteer fire department. He has served for 22 years and currently is the assistant fire chief.

“We do a lot of projects like fundraising throughout the year. We do our fish fry or pancake breakfast,” he said.

He also recalled how the department assisted when the community was hit with severe flooding a few years back.

“We go out and sandbag for the community. For the people around the lake (keeping water) from coming into their houses.”

Swan wanted to follow his grandpa’s footsteps in volunteering with the department.

“He kind of started the ambulance service way back then,” he said. “He was retired way back before I got in.”

Swan also had some friends in the department and he “decided he wanted to kind of give back to the community in ways I could help.”

Swan says he considered the other volunteers in the department like family.

“You get to spend a lot of time with them with training and meetings. We cook out during our training night. It’s kind of nice to have that rapport and friendship with them.”

Swan also gives back through his businesses and serving on the Western Mutual Insurance Board in Balaton.

“I do sponsorships and donations with area businesses like the golf course for promotions and chamber events. I’ll donate some certificates. If there’s a community project, and I have time, I’ll help with that too or give a donation,” he said.