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Writer's pictureSamantha Alcaraz

Bud Helpenstel from Regent Court Senior Living

Updated: Mar 30, 2020



Bud Helpenstel - Bud’s Wonderful Life


Interviewer: You’ve led a wonderful life


Bud: Oh it is a wonderful life


Interviewer: Yeah, yeah and I just wanted to ask a few questions about your life


Bud: Go ahead


Interviewer: How did you become a businessman?


Bud: Oh I don’t know I just, you had to do something. It was the depression and everybody was scrambling and I went to work and I got my Pepsi-Cola business. At one time we sold ice and cola. So, we’d take 400 pounds block of ice and cut it up into ice cubes.


Interviewer: How would you transport all that ice?


Bud: Oh at one time by horse and wagon but then we got into trucks and the early trucks were actually chain drive. That was you know there was no automatic transmission. It was chain driven


Interviewer: And as a young man what kind of jobs did you have?


Bud: Oh, everything shoveled coal, sold ice.



Bud Helpenstel - Bud’s Schooling and Love at First Sight


Interviewer: Did you go to school or college or?


Bud: Yeah I went to school in Rock Island, Illinois and then I went to Grinnell college in Iowa and got my bachelors degree and then I went to university of Iowa and Iowa city and got my MBA


Interviewer: That’s impressive!


Bud: Served two years in the service and I’m glad it’s behind me.


Interviewer: What area of service did you do?


Bud: Army


Interviewer: And so later on how did you meet your wife?


Bud: A blind date. You know it was honestly love at first sight.


Interviewer: And you guys were together for a while or did you get married right away?


Bud: We got married I guess right before I went into the service.



Bud Helpenstel - Bud the Entrepreneur


Interviewer: And you had one company of Pepsi Cola?


Bud: Yeah we had a franchise.


Interviewer: Oh you had a franchise!


But: We had a franchise for 14 counties in Western Illinois.


Interviewer: Did you travel much?


Bud: In business?


Interviewer: Well either in business or pleasure but did you get to travel?


Bud: Oh pleasure yeah Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, Estonia one trip to Alaska love Kawai.


Interviewer: What would you say is one of the biggest lessons that you’ve learned in life?


Bud: Take each day as it comes and be thankful that you’re here.


Interviewer: Yeah I think you’ve said that a lot around here and I think you’ve definitely lived that message.


Bud: Well I try to.



Bud Helpenstel - Bud’s Advice


Interviewer: What kind of advice would you give someone, I’m curious, to someone that was looking, maybe they’re young, they want to do well for themselves in life. What kind of advice would you give them?


Bud: Work hard. Take each day as it comes. Be thankful for each day.




Transcription and Audio Edit by Ileana Chavez.

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