DETROIT LAKES
— Foltz Trucking may be synonymous with hard-working people who transport commodities across miles of black tar, but in Detroit Lakes, they are also one vertebra in the backbone of a philanthropic community.
The trucking business has an impressive list of donations that include the capital building campaign for the Boys and Girls Club in Detroit Lakes, Detroit Mountain Recreation Area, DLCCC and Becker County Museum, but just about every noted donation elicited the same reminder Ken Foltz, who runs the business with his brothers Frank and Tom.
“A lot of people donated to make those projects happen,” Foltz said.
Foltz Trucking has also donated to Essentia’s helicopter pad. Provided financial assistance to the Humane Society, Patriot Assistance Dogs, Lakes Crisis Resource Center, helped foster kids go to camp, and every year for more than a decade, they have a toy drive to purchase Christmas presents for children who otherwise would go without, and year-round presents for kids who have to stay in the hospital.
Before the list could be completed by the reporter, Foltz stopped the conversation.
“I don’t want this to sound like we’re bragging, or anything like that,” he said. “It’s not just us doing this; Detroit Lakes is a great community. There’s a lot of things going on and there’s so many generous people, not just the business folks, but other people that buy in to the community and roll up their sleeves. There’s a lot of communities that don’t have that hometown spirit.”
Giving heart was grown at home

Contributed / Foltz Trucking
The late Clem Foltz grew up in New England and served in the Army during WWII. After returning stateside, he moved to a dairy farm in Callaway with his sweetheart and they started a family that would include 14 children.
In addition to daily duties of milking and tending to a herd of dairy cows, the parents took care of the cows, pigs and chickens and assigned chores to the children who were old enough to help.
At some point, Foltz said his father realized to feed his growing family, he needed a second job. His skillset afforded him the opportunity to haul gravel and grinding feed for his neighbors, and in 1958 Foltz Trucking was born. The money, along with the provisions from farming, kept the family afloat.
Barbie Porter / Detroit Lakes Tribune
By the late 1960s, the customer base for his trucking endeavor had grown to include hauling grain from North Dakota to ports in Duluth, Minnesota. A decade later, Foltz Trucking hired a few drivers to meet customer demand.
“Where we kind of took off was in the mid-’80s,” Foltz said. “That is when we started going to Canada.”
Through the years several of the Foltz children have worked for the company. While some took the accounting route, Ken and his brothers began driving trucks.
“I started driving at 18,” he recalled.
In some ways, being in the truck cab was second nature to Foltz.
Contributed / Foltz Trucking
“When I was a kid, I used to ride with my dad all the time,” he said. “Back in the day, the truck rode really rough. And, they were loud. But my dad, he never had the radio on. We’d sit there and just listen to that engine.”
As a child and teenager, Foltz grew weary of the gear-shifting sounds and hum of the engine mixed with the whistling winds. He held out hope that one day, his father would turn the radio on and fill the drive with man-made melodies.
“Now, I find myself doing the same thing as my dad,” Foltz said. “I drive down the road and have the radio off. Sometimes it’s just nice to have quiet.”
In addition to learning how gratifying silence can be, Foltz said his parents taught their children about the importance of hard work and community. Foltz recalled regardless of how busy chores and life were, his family was faithfully at church on Sundays. Learning about life with the guidance of God left an impression on their children.
Contributed / Foltz Trucking
In addition to one of their sons becoming a priest, Foltz said their parent’s generosity was a good example of caring for others.
“You know, we struggled for many years financially; it wasn’t all roses,” he said. “Everything we have in life is a gift from God. We’re blessed that our business has been successful. And, we want to give back because helping our community makes life better for everyone, including our employees, who live here.”
Foltz added that the only reason the company found the success it has is because of their employees.
“It’s not what we’ve done, it is what our team has done,” he said. “My brothers Frank and Tom, and myself, can only do so much. But, you surround yourself with good people, and that’s what every good business has — people on your team.”
Barbie Porter / Down To Business
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