Kentland Community Supporter: Kory Shufflebarger

I was born in Pensacola, Florida. My dad was in the Navy down there. From there, we moved to Texas, just south of Houston, then to Twin Lakes, Wisconsin in 1975. I started high school the same year and graduated in 1980. Then, my parents decided to move to Indiana– my dad had a job lined up. I hadn’t quite decided what I wanted to do, whether to go to college or not. In the end, I decided to start making money. So, I moved with my mom and dad to Goodland, Indiana, which is just seven miles east of Kentland, and I’ve been here ever since.

I spent quite a few years at a big corporation just north of town. I ran a multicolor printing press there for 18 years. Then, I landed a job with the Town of Kentland as a street sanitation worker and spent about 12 years with the town. I enjoyed it very much, and I loved getting to know lots of different people. Next, I spent over five years at Newton County Stone Quarry as a heavy equipment operator. I also worked at a nursing facility as a maintenance supervisor. Finally, I decided to start a business of my own.

Many people in town know me and know that I’m a very meticulous guy; I like to keep things nice and neat. I wanted to be able to put that into other people’s vehicles. My wife and I started The Detail Garage, a detail business in the heart of downtown. We enjoyed renovating the building and have had a really great response so far!

We have four different full-service packages at the garage, and we cater to each customer’s needs. Someone might just want exterior work like a wash, waxing, windows cleaned, tires, debug, and more. Or, they might want interior work done, such as cleaning carpets or wiping out door jams. We also have add-on services like the clay bar treatment, which takes all the contaminants off the paint or clear coat. You apply a lubricant to the car before covering it with clay and then you wax the vehicle. The car feels brand new afterward. It’s great to be able to offer these services and serve the town in this way!

Kentland is a really tight-knit community, and everyone’s friendly. We’re kind of tucked away, out in the middle of the country, but we’ve got about everything in this small town that we need. We have our own grocery store. We have our local restaurants like the Old Colonial Inn, Good Table Family Restaurant, Downtown Lounge & Trattoria, and other various dining venues. Anytime I go outside this town, it’s like you’re leaving your comfort zone. In the big cities, it’s too much hustle and bustle and traffic. We don’t have that around here. It’s more calming.

As for town activities, we used to have an Oktoberfest in Kentland that I helped with every year for about 13 years. It was every Fall and had live entertainment, food vendors, and all kinds of events for people of all ages. I also enjoyed last year’s Christmas in the Sky event in Cast Park. I volunteered by walking around with some of the characters, and I know they brought so much joy to the attendees of the event. I’m excited to be a part of Kentland’s story, and look forward to what lies ahead for me, my family, friends and residents!