People prove to be lifeblood of local businesses, organizations
Volunteerism and customer support have proven to be the lifeblood of a few Butler County businesses and organizations.
There often are many moving pieces that contribute to a business’s longevity, but according to two local golf course owners who are celebrating 60 years of business, that secret sauce begins with how you treat the customer.
“It’s about treating the customers right,” said Tiffany Korn, manager and event coordinator at Aubrey’s Dubbs Dred Golf Course. “We treat everyone like family because we are family. You must have a welcoming and positive attitude. You’ve got to pay the employees and treat them well, too. It all comes full circle.”
Butler County was established in March 1800, filled with rolling hills and pristine farmland.
Some of those farms remain today, but decades ago some of that land was repurposed into some of the county’s most well-known and established golf courses.
For Stoughton Acres Golf Course and Aubrey's Dubbs Dred Golf Course in Butler, that transformation happened 60 years ago.
With more than 15 public and private courses in the county, there are plenty of options for golf enthusiasts to choose from, but for 60 years, Stoughton and Aubrey’s have been able to stand out from the crowd and bring back loyal customers year after year.
“There’s a lot of options,” Korn said. “We are a little cheaper than closer to the city (Pittsburgh courses) I would assume. If you just shoot up Route 8 you can find some reasonable golf courses. I think our prices are fair.”
The story of Aubrey’s began in 1962, when Korn’s grandparents, George and Eva Aubrey, bought the property, which originally was a small nine-hole course.
It stayed a nine-hole course until the 1980s, when Korn’s father and uncle started construction on what is now the back nine of the course, making it a typical 18-hole destination.
“They are both PGA professionals, so they kind of knew what they were doing,” Korn said.
Korn said the front nine is your typical Western Pennsylvania golf course, with rolling hills and plenty of space to work with, but the back nine is what can give locals a bit of a challenge.
“The kicker is there is only one water hole and zero sand traps,” Korn said. “The hazards are not a problem, the back is just hilly. I think we are known for the back nine and (golfers) are intimidated by the back nine.”
Korn said she gets to work very closely every day with her parents, John and Jeanne Aubrey.
John spends most of his time maintaining the course, while Jeanne helps out in the clubhouse.
“Not many people can say they go to work every day with their family and get along,” Korn said. “Even when I was little, I came in to work with my grandma.
“We are so grateful. I think 60 years is pretty big. We couldn’t do it without the customers. They are much-appreciated and we hope for 60 more years, obviously.”
Korn said she has noticed golf has spiked in interest since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Sally Hangliter, co-owner of Stoughton Acres agrees.
“I would say that COVID was great for the game of golf,” Hangliter said. “We have been busy since COVID happened. We now take starting times because of that. That has really added to the business. Most golf courses would say that.”
Stoughton Acres, in Center Township, was opened for business in 1964 by Hangliter’s parents, Van and Jeanne Smith, who were in their early 20s.
“It was my great-grandfather’s farm,” Hangliter said. “My dad loved sports. He loved golf. My dad just said to my mom that would make a great golf course. They checked into it. The relatives that owned the farm were not using it.”
Hangliter said Stoughton Acres is a good public golf course that has a lot of challenging and distinct holes her father created.
“The rolling hills and fairways, woods and ponds are extremely picturesque,” Hangliter said. “Our father did an amazing job designing all 18 holes. He continued to change the layout over the 60 years to make it better for golfers.”
Hangliter said her father spent most of his time maintaining the course, while her mother handled the business side of things.
Today, Hangliter co-owns the business with her sister, Debbie Loughry.
“(Loughry) does a lot of the purchase ordering, snack bar and dealing with vendors,” Hangliter said. “I do the books, the banking and that stuff. We meet weekly to learn what the other person is doing so that we both know how to do everything.”
Hangliter said the most important lesson she and her sister learned from their parents was how to treat people, which she believes has been key to the success of the golf course.
“My parents treated people the way they wanted to be treated,” Hangliter said. “My mom was the one who worked behind the desk so she knew a lot about what was happening in their lives. She got to know them. They went to the funerals of golfers. My parents thought about others, not themselves. They were great role models.”
The history of Butler County spans more than 200 years, but it wasn’t until the early 1900s that residents decided to take a keen interest in the history of their ancestors.
According to the Butler County Historical Society’s website, residents interested in Butler County history first began meeting to discuss their heritage exactly 100 years ago in 1924.
The group gathered informally in the following decades until 1960 when, under the leadership of J. Campbell Brandon, the Butler County Historical Society became a formal organization.
Jennifer Ford, executive director of the Historical Society, there are no records from those early meetings, but she has an idea what they might have been like.
“I will take an educated guess that those meetings were just people talking about what their grandparents and parents told them about Butler history,” Ford said. “The 1920s meetings were informal conversations among people who were keenly interested in remembering and preserving their county’s heritage.”
Ford believes the Great Depression and World War II may have put a damper on formally forming the organization back in the day.
Today, the Historical Society operates three historic sites: the 1828 Senator Walter Lowrie House Museum, the 1838 Little Red Schoolhouse and the 1810s Cooper Cabin Homestead.
The Lowrie House also serves as the main office of the organization, which is open for tours upon request along with the other two sites.
“The really spectacular thing about it is all the furniture was left by the family that lived here,” Ford said of the Lowrie House.
The Historical Society also hosts many events throughout the year to help raise funds for the organization and to interact with the community it serves.
“The one we are best known for is the Cemetery Walk,” Ford said. “Usually in May, we pick out six people from North Side Cemetery and start researching them. Some people have a great story and it’s publicly accessible. We do months of research, and we write scripts and get actors to portray each person.”
Ford said the Historical Society has around 200 members and that number continues to grow.
She believes any historical society is completely dependent on volunteerism.
“Two staff members cannot maintain this,” Ford said. “For example, if it were not for Jeff Double, this place would not be fabulously decorated. He makes it happen. Most board members pitch in to their best ability.”
Another secret to the Historical Society’s success is how it keeps people engaged in the county’s history, which is why hosting events is so important.
“There are some younger people who adore history,” Ford said. “The population is aging out, so we better figure out a way to engage the coming generations.”
Another local organization with a keen focus on history is the Maridon Museum, which was founded 20 years ago by Mary Phillips.
Located in Butler at 322 N. McKean St., the museum has a specific focus on Asian art and culture, along with German Meissen porcelain.
Ken Bronder, Maridon Museum board president, said Phillips, who died in 2009, began collecting Asian artifacts on her own and kept them in her house.
“A lot of everything in here was in her house,” Bronder said. “(Phillips) had a nice-sized house, but you wouldn’t expect it to have all this stuff in it. She thought she should do something with it.”
Roxann Booser, executive director, said the museum also has some German artwork that came from Phillips’ family.
“It does mesh together when you talk about East meets West,” Booser said.
The museum draws a little over 1,000 visitors a year and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
There are a few events throughout the year that take place at the museum Booser said, such as its Chinese New Year in February, along with film series and children’s programs.
“Our education committee is working on generating new children’s programs,” Booser said. “This is how we can target a younger audience. About 12 people show up regularly for the film series, with 20 members. You don’t want to get much bigger than that so people have the chance to talk.”
Booser believes having a museum such as the Maridon is important in every community because it improves the quality of life of everyone, whether directly or indirectly.
“It has economic impact because guests don’t just come here,” Booser said. “They stop to eat, get gas and look at other stores.”
Bronder, Booser and Nancy Hile, manager of arts and exhibits, believe the lifeblood of the museum is its volunteers, including its board members and docents who give tours.
“We have been blessed at the Maridon from the very beginning with a phenomenal board of trustees who have really taken Mary’s dream and have kept it alive,” Hile said. “The members of the board all work together.”
