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September 29, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextMs. ERNST. Madam President, as chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize and outstanding Iowa small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize North Lumber & Home Center of Decatur County, IA, as Senate Small Business of the Week.
provide the materials and supplies that keep homes, farms, and businesses across southern Iowa running. Sally Dykes and her family purchased North Lumber from its previous owners in 1980. The family has since grown North Lumber into North Lumber & Home Center, expanding its inventory and operations to better serve customers throughout Decatur County and the surrounding communities.
Today, Sally runs the business alongside her son Tony Dykes. The mother and son duo and their five North Lumber employees have continued to find ways to expand the business under Sally's ownership. North Lumber moved into a larger building 5 years ago, remodeling the space while keeping the original building for additional storage. In 2025, the business expanded again with the construction of 60-by-104 storage building to accommodate its growing inventory. In 2002, the family opened Southern Iowa Building Center in Lamoni, which also employs five people. In recognition of their contribution to the area, the two businesses were jointly named the Decatur County Business of the Year in 2023.
lumberyard. North Lumber & Home Center supports local school basketball, football, and baseball programs, as well as Central Trail Future Farmers of America, the Boy Scouts, performing arts boosters, after-prom events, Little League, and career and technology education at Central Decatur Schools. The business has also supported the Decatur County Sheriff's National Night Out, the Leon and Grand River rodeos, the Leon Queen Contest, local cancer fundraising efforts, and Friends of Decatur County Hospital. Their generosity has even reached beyond Iowa, including a donation supporting a Lamoni livestock relief effort bound for Oklahoma in March 2026.
& Home Center and Southern Iowa Building Center for their generosity and commitment to helping Decatur County grow. I look forward to their continued success and wish them the very best in the years ahead.