Last week’s part 1 was reprinted from the winter 2019 edition of SEK Living Magazine. Part 2 continues.

Midway through the procedure [brain tumor surgery] in July 2013, it was called to a halt when Nathan did indeed experience vision changes. While subsequent oncology reports verified that the tumor was Stage 2 and pre-cancerous, it was classified in a family of tumors that are generally deadly by their aggressive nature. Though complete removal was recommended as soon as possible, Nathan, in his late 20’s at this time, opted to delay a second procedure and live with the tumor under close monitoring for a period longer, if it meant he could continue life without physical impairment. 

And continue life he did, until in early 2015, he noticed some minor neurological changes that told him the tumor was likely growing and his options were narrowing. As he prepped for his second surgery in Houston, he was told to expect vision deficits and that he would likely never drive again and may experience mobility challenges. “I am very thankful that, by the grace of God, I didn’t lose anything,” Nathan said.

Once recovered from the brain surgery, Nathan and Jamie were married in October 2015.  Nathan still had the persistent but unrelated heart issue, which, after finally receiving an appropriate diagnosis at the Mayo Clinic, was also remedied with another procedure, a cardiac ablation, in December 2015.

A Fresh Start

Nathan’s various health challenges forced him to rethink his career path, steering him out of the oil fields and away from a demanding on-call travel schedule. He began looking into other options that would allow him to be present for the new family he was building with Jamie and children Bella, 10; Cash, 7; and Piper, 3.   

Today [December 2019], he’s branching out in a new direction with the Southeast Kansas sawmill and kiln service company “Berg Reinvigorations” - a fitting name for a company that is bringing new life to fallen trees under the direction of an owner with a new lease on life himself.  

“God called me to do something else,” Nathan said. “I probably work harder now than ever, but at least now it’s on my terms.” 

 Nathan had been working in his own construction and wood manufacturing business for the past few years and, in January, relocated the company a few miles south of Dearing in Montgomery County. He took over an industrial shop and grounds formerly occupied by an oil company and began the process of cleaning up the property and configuring it to fit a sawmill and kiln drying operation, which are the primary areas of focus in the business today.   

Nathan has built a small crew consisting of Jared Gorman, his former Independence High School classmate. Jared was a fellow alum of IHS teacher Jim Hogan’s woodshop class. They have a new recruit, Jeremy Henniger, who moved from Texas just to be part of the Reinvigorations team. There is also a part-time employee, Shawn Yoder, who rounds out the crew. Rain, shine or frigid temps, the team works daily to take native area trees through the full production process, from harvest to delivery of beautiful lumber cut straight and true and ready for a variety of applications. 

Much of the company’s wood is harvested at the Hillcrest Country Club golf course in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Nathan explained, and most has already been downed by age or storms, including some of the 120 trees that the golf course lost in a tornado in the summer of 2018. Nathan and his crew remove the fallen trees and even dig up the stumps to help prevent two dreaded golf course nuisances:  mushrooms and sink holes. “We’re able to save a lot of the material that would otherwise go to waste in a burn pile,” Nathan said.

Determination Rewarded   

 The combination of technology and human muscle, grit and an eye for beautiful wood allow the Reinvigorations team to fulfill orders for customers from all over the country with high-quality products. They work with all types of wood – cedar, maple, ash, red and white oak (the best smelling), pecan, walnut (the most beautiful from Nathan’s perspective), persimmon (very hard but flexible wood) and more. They specialize in live-edge slabs and also produce structural timbers and dimensional lumber. Customers include other sawmills, furniture makers, construction companies, cabinet shops, cutting board fabricators and individuals, and while the company routinely ships in the four-state area, it also has fulfilled orders to both the east and west coasts, everywhere in between and as far north as upper Michigan. With any spare time, they also still offer some custom manufactured furniture, and their current passion is epoxy-river filled tabletops. “We’ve learned a lot in a year and a half and now know some of the pitfalls,” Nathan said. “I’ve really gained in my confidence within the industry.

 “I love seeing our customers’ reactions, and I love knowing that we started as guys cutting trees with a chainsaw to now producing wood comparable with the best mills in the country.  

“Sometimes I get discouraged or hit a stumbling block, then I remember just what hurdles in life we’ve risen above by the grace of God Himself.  It’s almost unreal what I’m capable of doing when considering some of the deficits faced, and I’m humbled all over again.” 

Jamie, who’s been beside Nathan through the most recent medical challenges and development of the business, described the transformation she’s witnessed, “Just seeing your partner be so passionate about it. He has a new take on life. People don’t understand how much goes into it. The days are long, and he’s exhausted at times, but at the end of the day, he’s accomplishing big things.”

With his new venture, Nathan said, he’s happy to be home at night with Jamie and the kids and thrilled to be back in Southeast Kansas, where it all began for him.

Late 2021 Update

In the time since the article appeared in SEK Living magazine in late 2019, the business has grown rapidly, even through the pandemic. Nathan has added capability to make custom moldings and he’s adding 12,000 square feet of building and covered storage. New heavy timber equipment allows him to handle and process timbers greater than 30 feet long. You can see images of some of the beautiful and massive projects at their Facebook page; search “Berg Reinvigorations.”

Jim Correll can be reached at (620) 252-5349 or by email at jcorrell@indycc.edu. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of Fab Lab ICC or Independence Community College. Archive columns and podcasts at www.fablabicc.org.