We had the good fortune of connecting with Deanna Lamoreaux and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Deanna, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’m not a big risk taker! I typically follow the path of safe and secure decisions! Luckily I’m married to a man who sees the bigger picture and is willing to take risks that have the possibility to really pay off! Together we are a great balance and this has served us well. We farmed for the first 17 years of our marriage. When my husband was approached with a deal to buy two feed stores he jumped at the deal! It made perfect sense to own stores where we could sell the products that we produced (alfalfa and bermuda hay). I was super nervous about it because it was a big purchase and we hadn’t ever owned or ran retail stores previous to this. With his vision we made the leap and bought the stores. My attention to details with the books, it made a scary decision manageable. Risk is a must! Calculated risk is preferred!

What should our readers know about your business?
Triple L Feed & Supply is a small, locally owed and run business. We started out farming. Our family is the 4th generation of farmers. We have sold our alfalfa and bermuda hay out of our barn for years. When purchasing a feed store was presented to us it seemed like the next step to better marketing and selling our products. Not knowing anything about owning stores, we jumped in with both feet! My husband ran the farm and I ran the stores. It was a lot to learn right at first and I feel like I never stop learning! We sell feed and supplies for farm and backyard animals. We have products for ropers, barrel racers, 4-H participants and much more! We love being part of a community so involved with their families and animals!

For me the best thing about owning the feed stores is the people, the employees and customers. They are also the worst thing about owning the stores too. I can honestly say that seeing my employees succeed is so satisfying. I love to see their growth in my business and in their skills as it pertains to working for me. I also love to see their successes in life. Be it school, hobbies, rodeo or family, I love to see and be a part of their success! For me the hardest thing was to learn how to deal with social media. As most business owners do, I try hard to put out good products and to be fair and honest in my dealing with customers. Unfortunately not every customer is happy and on occasion I’ve been the target of their unhappiness on social media. It is painful no matter what! I’ve thickened up my skin, as they say, and have learned how to handle social media a bit better. But those customers who are so loyal and kind far out way the negative!

We are super proud of our business. In the last six and a half years we have nearly tripled our sales. We’ve gone from 7 employees to 25 employees. The growth has been the result of long hours, smart business practice and a lot of good old fashion work!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Marana, Arizona is in a great spot in the southern part of the state. If you like to hike there are countless trails! Starting at Picacho Peak State Park and then on down to Mt. Lemon you have trails for whichever level of difficulty you are wanting. In the winter you can be snow skiing within about 90 minutes. In the summer time you can be water skiing within 2 hours. During rodeo season there are rodeos nearly every weekend.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I absolutely have to give a shout out to the fantastic employees that work for me. I could not physically do what they do! Working in this industry is a lot of work! Loading and delivering 100lb hay bales all day, all year is quite an accomplishment! And that’s not all they do! Most of them are in school, whether that is high school or college. They balance their studies with their work and succeed at both. These young adults are simply amazing!

Website: TripleLFeed.com

Instagram: triple_l_feed

Facebook: Triple L Feed & Supply

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.