Milt Swedberg-The Greatest Accomplishment
, Jack Chivers Realty
Published Monday, November 30, 2009
Milt Swedberg—The Greatest Accomplishment
It was a cloudy cool afternoon and Jack and I were off to visit with whom he called, “The Father of Detroit Lakes,” Milt Swedberg. The two of them have spent years doing business together, but these days the two of them focus on the friendship that has developed over the decades. Jack stops in at least once a month to visit his 93 year old friend. “Milt’s an old history buff so I’ll bring him a bottle of wine and we’ll visit and talk about everything.” So, on this November’s day, I was a mouse in the corner that had the privilege of listening in as two businessmen talked about old times and Milt’s great accomplishments.
Milt was born and raised in Wheaton, MN. As a young man, he worked for the DuPont Corporation as an engineer on the reactor of the atomic bomb. During WWII he was drafted into the US Army and sent to Europe. When he returned to the states, he went to work for his father who was a commercial builder. While working for him, he spent some time in Detroit Lakes. “I was living in St. Paul at the time, but I wanted to raise my family in a small town. I really liked it here and I could see opportunity for commercial development.” Milt recalled.
Develop he did. Milt built Rossman & Roosevelt Elementary Schools, the Minnesota Highway Department and the JC Penny’s Store as well as 20 other stores for the Penny’s Corporation in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota. Milt didn’t just build commercially in Detroit Lakes but also made substantial real estate investments here. Jack laughed as he remembered, “I use to go and see Milt when I’d sell something for him and ask for the tax statement on the property. He’d hand me a stack of statements four inches thick! So I would go through them and—jeeze, I didn’t know you had this, or that...” The two friends laughed then Milt interjected, “And I think you sold most of my stuff for me.”
How did these two meet? “I cold called him,” Jack said. “Milt was the mover and shaker in town and I just kept getting in front of him. Then I sold him the property where Villa Lane is located. After that I sold a warehouse property of his on the north side to DL Newspapers for their present offices, and it just went from there.” Milt interjected, “Jack is SO capable and knowledgeable of the area. He knew of all the things going on in the area.” This led to the discussion on what advice he would give to those looking to invest in real estate. Laughing and looking at his friend of almost four decades Milt said, “Get a good realtor!” He went on to say, “Look for areas that are growing. Pay attention to the other development going on in the community. That will let you know if it’s worth investing in. Detroit Lakes continues to grow.”
The stories of past deals continued and then the question was posed, ‘What is your greatest accomplishment Milt?’ Without the slightest of hesitation he said, “Marrying my wife.” Ethel and Milt were married in 1940 and she worked side by side with him from day one.
It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to interview so many interesting people who know and have worked with Jack. All of the interviews to date have made an impression, but none as much as this one. At the end of the day the greatest accomplishment was not an impressive building, but rather the building of a marriage and a lifelong partnership. Another is the preservation of a relationship between two strangers who developed a business relationship that grew into a lasting friendship. As the two friends sit in Milt’s sunroom and enjoy a glass of wine those are the accomplishments worth toasting. “Cheers!”
.jpg)
