Slayton Pizza Ranch Welcomes New Owners Trevor & Maddie Holm

By Jenny Kirk A year ago, Trevor Holm could never have predicted that he and his wife, Maddie, would consider leaving their dream home and become business owners, but as of Oct. 1, the couple are the new owners of the local Pizza Ranch.

The Holms purchased the Pizza Ranch, located at 2306 Broadway Avenue in Slayton, from former owners Lori and Randy Pankonen. “I never anticipated this a year ago, but here we are,” Trevor Holm said.

“On Sunday, we officially took over from Randy and Lori, and we’re learning on the go as best we can. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”

Holm said they were able to strike a deal with the assurance that the former owners would still help out here and there.

“Luckily, we’re keeping them around,” he said. “I think they want to live the retired life, like when it gets cold and snowy around here, and they’re going to do some vacationing, but when they’re around, they’re more than willing to help out.

That’s super important to us and we love it.”

The two families developed a bond over the years based on Holm’s Murray County Speedway racing passion as well as his dedicated patronage to Pizza Ranch. “My relationship with Pizza Ranch progressed with racing,” Holm said. “They are longtime supporters of that program. Lori and Randy have been good to me over the years.”

Holm has spent half of his life — he’s completed 16 racing ago. “The relationship just continues to grow every time we are in there,” Holm said. “We live out of town, so we eat at Pizza Ranch a lot. My kids actually call Randy and Lori Grandpa and Grandma Pizza Ranch.”

Trevor and Maddie Holm have four children. Their three daughters include 8-yearold Lincoln, 6-year-old Logyn and 4-year-old London. Their 2-year-old son Dason completes the family. “I went in there this spring, the day after they listed it, and one thing led to another,” Trevor said. “I always envisioned our kids going down there working after school. Things just kept falling into place. We’re excited to serve the community. Pizza Ranch has always been a staple in town, so we couldn’t let that go.”

Holm said all of the employees are staying, with Darla continuing in the manager role, and the hours of operation will also be the same. Trevor will keep his day job as district sales manager for Wyffels Hybrids, while Maddie will also continue working her job as the network manager for Paradigm. “We’ll be around mornings, evenings and a few weekends, but not as much during the day,” Trevor said. “I’ll be more in the public eye than Maddie — she’s more behind the scenes with the bookwork — but we’ll be in and out of there. What better way to get involved in the community and meet people.”

Currently, the Holms live south of Chandler but are looking for an acreage on the outskirts of Slayton. Trevor said he wouldn’t mind living within city limits but that they have five horses they’d like to keep. “We want to sell our dream home to the right people and for the right price,” he said. “We feel it’s important for us and for the business to be closer. Our kids go to MCC, so we’ve already made a lot of good friends here. We’re super pumped to be a part of the community.”