Submitted photo. Dee Johnson (left) and Jon Jeseritz (right) become new owners of Cottonwood’s Leroy’s Bar and Grill. The two took over the beginning of July and are originally from the area.

COTTONWOOD – Two longtime southwest Minnesota business people have taken over ownership of LeRoy’s Bar and Grill.

Dee Johnson and Jon Jeseritz have been together for 10 years and will jointly take on the business venture. Jeseritz is originally from the area and runs Jeseritz Electric, while Johnson is from Canby and has worked around the area for a while. Managing restaurants is familiar territory for Johnson, who previously used to work in banking in Marshall.

“I’ve been in this business,” Johnson said. “Before I worked at U.S. Bank, I managed (restaurants and bars) for almost 30 years.”

Located on First street in Cottonwood, Leroy’s first opened its doors in January of 2010, serving food, drinks and events. Previously owned by Tom Handeland.“They’re great people,” Handeland said. “I’ve known them all for years … I’m confident that they’ll do a very good job.”

The relationship between Johnson and Jeseritz with Handeland began over two decades ago. Jeseritz and his electrical company helped Handeland with the original remodel of LeRoy’s.

“The fact that Jon is from Cottonwood himself carries a lot of impact,” Handeland said. “Dee’s been in the business for many years. I’ve known her for probably 20-25 years, and she’s been in food service as long as I have. Very well, experienced and very efficient.”

Handeland also owned the Hitching Post in both Annandale and Marshall, but has now sold all three.

“I bought a business that needed to be revamped,” Handeland said about the start of LeRoy’s. “My down payment was the remodel of the restaurant. We totally redid the entire place. Scraped the walls down to studs or blocks, but all new plumbing, new electrical …. And the electrical contractor was Jon Jeseritz.”

Johnson and Jeseritz already have plans to keep the business going strong, which often holds events like karaoke, drawings for prizes, live music and street dances outside.

“We are going to change up the menu,” Johnson said. “We’re going to run some monthly specials.”

Johnson and Jeseritz have already begun to feel the support from their community.

“Customers have been very welcoming,” Johnson said. “They are excited for us, because we are locals.”

Taking the next step up in the restaurant business has been a goal of Johnson’s, and it’s now made a reality. “This has always been my dream, to own one,” Johnson said. “We said we would go for it, so that’s what we are doing … For a small town, I just love it.”

Johnson and Jeseritz officially signed the ownership papers on July 1.

“The customers have been very good. It’s amazing.” Johnson said. “We’re learning, but the community has been very, very supportive.

Leroy’s can be found on Facebook, where they post regular news and updates.

“They’re great people, like I said,” Handeland said. “I’m convinced and truly believe that they’ll do a fantastic job at LeRoy’s.”