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funeral she called me up and said she want- ed to attend an upcoming corporate meet- ing in Milwaukee. She told me she wanted to become the designated dealer in Sauk City, and she wanted to tell management that day. At that time it was unheard of for a person who had not spent time in a dealership to become a dealer, much less a woman,” Mack adds. “But she did it.” Despite her outward strength, the pain of losing her husband was still fresh. “We cried all the way to Milwaukee and back, reminiscing about Danny,” Mack recalls. “But she still knew what she want- ed to do.” Ballweg stood in a room full of corporate leaders, businessmen with years of expe- rience behind them, and announced her plan. “I was the only woman in the room,” says Ballweg. Undeterred, Ballweg charged ahead. It’s never easy to pick up the pieces after a personal tragedy, but it can be even harder to use them to forge a new direction in life. Through everything, family and friends have helped keep Ballweg centered and strong—even when pain came again after she lost her two sons in separate incidents. Quick to remember the good moments with her departed sons and husband, Ball- weg isn’t one to get lost. Instead, she fo- cuses on treasuring even more deeply the relationships she has with the people sur- rounding her. From Mack to her daughter At a midpoint in her life, Ballweg was in a place she never thought she’d be, teaching herself the finer aspects of run- ning a business, of- ten spending sleepless nights worrying about inventory and profit and loss statements, subjects foreign to her until then. Despite the challenges, Ballweg persevered. Not only did she learn the ropes of their current dealerships, she used her business acumen to add several more, including a state-of-the-art facility in Middleton, and boosted corporate revenues from $10 million in 1984, the year Danny died, to more than $150 million today. And the corporate dealership world that once was cautious of having a woman in its midst embraced her, showering her with accolades such as the 2007 Wisconsin Auto and Truck Dealers Association’s Dealer of the Year. Today, nearly 27 years after making the decision to step into the business world, Ballweg is not just a figurehead—she stays involved in her business in personal and unique ways. “I think it’s really important for me to be on the scene,” she says. “Every two weeks I go to Sauk Prairie and Middleton and hand the employees their paychecks personally.” Her personal touch also extends to her relationship with her cus- tomers, to whom she writes thank you notes after a purchase, and to the ways she keeps the dealerships up to her high standards. “The wind at the dealership in Middleton is terrible and really tatters our flags,” she notes. “I sew the flags when they need re- pair. I keep a sewing machine in the service manager’s office just for that reason.” 36 BRAVA Magazine June 2011 Dana, former General Manager Dave Pederson and now Ballweg's Vice President Jason Brickl—another son of the company who start- ed working for the Ballwegs when he was just 14—Ballweg main- tains close ties with those involved in the company. And as for family, Ballweg says, “Home is everything to me. My life is very family-oriented. Everyone gathered here [at the farm] for Easter and Mother’s Day instead of going out. Home is a little piece of heaven for me.” Ballweg has also found a source of comfort and community in an active volunteer life, supporting local charities including Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital and Clinics, Tripp Memorial Museum and Hope House. Her donations also were instrumental in making the River Arts Center in Sauk Prairie a reality. On the day we spoke, Ballweg was planning to attend a variety show at the Center where her 12-year- old granddaughter would be performing. “With the political situation and the schools getting crunched, I want to make sure children like my granddaughter have the op- portunity to participate in the arts,” she says. “I’ve always been very interested in music and the arts,” Ballweg continues. “When my husband died, I joined Cripple Creek Clog- gers out of Madison and was with them for 21 years. It was a way to dance without a partner.” Throughout all that life has handed her, she’s found her own way to keep moving forward, ticking down a list of life lessons. “Keep busy. Don’t sit home and feel sorry for yourself. There are so many people who are worse off than you are, even if it doesn’t feel like it,” she says. Each ultimately goes back to that little mantra found on a magnet in her kitchen: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Ballweg has, time and time again. ••• Call them smart business moves or shows of Midwestern niceties—but ask those who know Ballweg and they agree, these are choices that are just her, through and through.