Making something great from a simple start is a prominent theme in the lifetimes of Carol and Fred Holtz. They worked as a team and brought their two daughters, Heidi and Holly, along in their quest to always put family, and the Chippewa Falls community, first.  

Heidi and Holly unpack the dynamic story of their parents while sitting on the sun porch in the house they grew up in. Their father, Fred, sitting nearby, chimed in to emphasize the important details.

This home, built in the 1800s, sits in what is now known as the Colonial Estates neighborhood near beautiful Lake Wissota. Carol was drawn by the home's history and architecture, while Fred could see the full potential of the neighboring land. 

Colonial Estates was just one of many development projects in the Chippewa Falls area that Fred spearheaded in his lifetime. As a young man, Fred began his studies at the University of River Falls and then transferred to the University of Eau Claire. After two years in college, he enlisted in the Army and served with the Corps of Engineers. "It's what we did. We all wanted to serve our country. I felt it was my duty," said Fred. 

When he returned home from his final deployment during the Cuban Missile Crisis, he asked Carol to marry him. "I asked many times, actually," Fred smirked.  After returning home from duty, Fred founded Holtz Lumber and Construction in north Chippewa Falls.

"He had a very creative mind and was an excellent carpenter.  He prided himself in the character and quality of his homes and drew all his own designs…the old pencil-and-paper way, and never built a cookie-cutter house," explained Holly.

"He maximized the contour of the landscape and customized every design, making it look like it belonged," she added. Through a half-hidden smile, Fred admits, "The carpenters would bark at me, 'Why can't you just design a 4-square house, Fred?'."   Heidi said, "Mom and Dad were quite a team.

Dad drew the homes and mom added her two cents when it came to additional detail and the interior design.  Dad is colorblind, and mom had an eye for design, so he needed her!" Carol was strong, dedicated to family, and extremely creative. She taught school in Jim Falls and Hillcrest while her daughters, Heidi and Holly, were young.

Carol's strength was the foundational support for Fred's endeavors.  Soon, she inherited work from Fred's endeavors. She used Fred's construction drawings to design the interior of the homes and businesses he built. Carol added details like textiles, fixtures, and soft treatments to compliment the space. Together, their talents made a beautiful match. It is well known that if you have a Fred & Carol Holtz home, you have an unmatched treasure.  

While family always came first for Fred and Carol, the Chippewa Falls community was just as important.  Fred was always coming up with new projects and envisioning new ideas that he felt would enhance and benefit the community.  The girls were brought in on the projects their father got into, such as chairing charitable fundraisers, hosting dinners, and organizing holiday celebrations.

"We shuttered to think of what project or event he was going to come up with next.  He was a visionary, which meant BIG ideas and a LOT of work!" Heidi said. "We had to sell a lot of raffle tickets to help support Dad's Rotary and Elks projects," Holly resounded. The two recall how Fred implemented the expansion of the Elks Club and its 9-hole golf course into what is the 18-hole, Lake Wissota Golf Club today.

They said they can see signs of Fred's work as they drive throughout the Chippewa Valley not only in countless homes he has built, but also on work he has done on various commercial buildings throughout the area.

He developed the North Ridge Development in Chippewa Falls, and his homes have been featured in Parade of Homes events. "There were so many! Every time we go for a drive he can point to one of his projects and explain it in detail.

There is history of mom and dad wherever we go," said Holly.  "I'm very proud of my girls for helping, and I'm very glad they got to stay in Chippewa." Fred reflects. Holly interjects with a pat on his knee, "And he thanks us all the time!"