MudbuM teams up with Tenco

During the recent MudbuM move-in day, Tenco and MudbuM staff paused briefly for a photo. Those pictured are Codie Amason, Tenco Director of Operations; Lorrie Bouchard, Tenco Vocational Services; Dixie Merritt, Tenco Vocational Services Director; MudbuM boy Niles “Willie” Bailey; Bob Merritt, Tenco Maintenance Director; MudbuM boy Blaine “Crash” Garrett; and Seth Hoover, Tenco Centerville Vocational Services. (photo by Mendy McAdams)

Tenco has a 52-year history of working with established businesses and industries to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Organizational employment, as it is referred, is contracted work with the private sector that is conducted within a Tenco facility. For example, Tenco has contracts with John Deere Ottumwa Works, Kness Manufacturing in Albia, Tiger Hawk in Keosauqua, Cequent Consumer Products, Copperfield Chimney, and Sky Factory in Fairfield, and Nypro in Mt. Pleasant, not to mention industries in Ohio, Illinois, and Georgia.

The newest industry to team up with Tenco is a very unique Iowa-based business named MudbuM whose central office is in Urbandale. The MudbuM’s are a crew of five nearly lifetime friends who share a goal to make fishing and camping their work. In 2007, these Iowans with a passion for the outdoors and catching big catfish, began planning the creation of the perfect ditty pole system, known as the Hawg Lawg®. Over a 6-year period and nine ditty pole models later, the team landed a reality TV series, more than half a dozen sponsors, and manufactured more than 1,500 of their patented “Hawg Lawg” ditty poles for distribution across the country.

And that’s where Tenco comes in – the MudbuM’s have recently moved their production equipment to the Tenco site in Ottumwa and the “Hawg Lawg” will be produced by people with disabilities beginning mid-December in Tenco vocational sites in Ottumwa, Fairfield, and Centerville. Codie Amason, Tenco’s Director of Operations, shares “From our first call with MudbuM in August, we could have never imagined the amazing possibilities that were in store for Tenco and our clients. The MudbuM team has been fantastic to work with and share our vision of developing future, integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities. We are all looking forward to a long, successful partnership and can’t wait to start production.”

The MudbuM motto says it all, “We fish for the fish that eat the fish you fish for”. In developing the “Hawg Lawg”, the guys spent lots of time fishing the rivers of southeast Iowa; landing trophy catfish. Their 13-episode reality show, entitled “The MudbuM’s”, will launch season 3 on December 26, at 9:00 PM EST, on the Pursuit Channel; an outdoor television network. This series, mostly shot in Iowa, captures plenty of rivers, impressive campsites, and extraordinary fish. The real draw, is the ability for The MudbuM’s to take you back in time, when life was simpler, hanging out in the woods with your buddies. With the zany personalities of the MudbuM’s, share with them good food, good laughs, and good company.

Their personalities, passion, and innovative visions were what attracted Tenco to the opportunity. Since 2013, Tenco has doubled in geographic and programmatic size and this partnership is sure to foster that continued growth. “All of us here at MudbuM are absolutely pumped about this partnership. The Tenco folks have been a real blessing to us, and we are so thankful that we can produce this product here in our home state of Iowa. How fitting is it that their facility backs right up to the river? It’s just amazing how things come together,” Blaine “Crash” Garrett, MudbuM President explained.

This new partnership will continue to grow the vocational opportunities for individuals served by Tenco. “This is an exciting new opportunity for Tenco and for all our clients. This speaks directly to our mission to provide opportunities for people with disabilities, to develop and maintain independence in all areas of life,” added Cheryl Plank, Tenco’s Executive Director. “We look forward to continued growth and expansion within our organization. The dedication of our staff to add more opportunities is a wonderful asset to Tenco.”