Built from the Ground Up: Will Poppie’s Story of Grit, Risk & Resilience

Jared England: The Fight to Preserve Farming in the Lake Chelan Valley

Welcome back to Small Towns Unscripted. I’m Russ McClellan, alongside Nicole Turner, and today’s conversation may be one of the most important we’ve had yet because the apple industry truly is the heart and soul of our valley. Today we sit down with Jared England, President of Manson Growers and a fifth-generation member of a family whose roots in the Lake Chelan Valley date back to the late 1800s. Jared grew up in Manson, graduated from Manson High School in 1990, and comes from a family deeply connected to the history of farming in North Central Washington. His family helped build parts of the original irrigation ditch systems on the north shore of Lake Chelan using horses, dynamite, and wooden flumes. His father, Doug England, spent roughly 45 years at Manson Growers and also served as President before Jared eventually stepped into that same role. Jared and his wife are raising five kids, with their oldest now 22 and their youngest 14, and we talk about why he still believes it’s important for kids to grow up getting their hands dirty in the orchards, learning responsibility, work ethic, and character in a world increasingly dominated by screens and social media. In this episode, we dive deep into the history and future of the apple industry in North Central Washington. We discuss growing up in a small farming town where packed gyms, fierce rivalries, and strong community ties shaped generations of families. Jared shares insight into how the industry has evolved from traditional Red Delicious orchards to high-density Honeycrisp plantings with modern color-sorting technology, controlled atmosphere storage, and data-driven farming practices. We also talk about the enormous challenges facing growers today, including rising labor costs, seasonal overtime regulations, housing shortages, H-2A worker programs, increasing operational expenses, and the difficult economics of modern farming. Jared explains how orchard development can now cost up to $80,000 per acre and why economies of scale have become critical for survival. After spending nearly 20 years in corporate America following graduation from BYU, Jared eventually returned home to the valley and realized many orchardists were aging out of the business without enough operational support to continue farming. Through Manco, the orchard management company he operates alongside Manson Growers, Jared has helped provide labor coordination, housing, equipment access, chemical purchasing power, and operational efficiencies that have helped many small growers remain in business who otherwise may have been forced to remove orchards entirely. We also discuss consolidation in agriculture, the impact of international ownership, direct-to-consumer opportunities, heirloom apples, and how preserving orchards helps preserve the beauty, identity, and culture of the Lake Chelan Valley itself. This conversation goes far beyond apples. It’s about legacy, family, hard work, small towns, resilience, and adapting to change while trying to protect the communities and traditions that built this valley over generations. If you care about farming, the future of small towns, agriculture, entrepreneurship, or simply understanding the people behind one of America’s most iconic apple-growing regions, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Don & Judy Phelps: A Story of Family, Farming, Winemaking & Reinvention

From East Coast roots to the vineyards of the Lake Chelan Valley, Don and Judy Phelps have lived a life shaped by hard work, reinvention, family, science, and a willingness to adapt through changing times. Don grew up in rural New Hampshire in a large family of ten children, with 24 years separating the oldest and youngest siblings. His parents carried the mindset and work ethic forged during the Great Depression and World War II era, and that mentality shaped the household he was raised in. Childhood wasn’t centered around endless free time—it was about responsibility, contributing to the family, and learning the value of hard work early in life. Raised on a farm where his father logged timber, Don developed a deep connection to the outdoors and dreamed of becoming a forester. After earning a forestry degree from the University of New Hampshire, he headed west toward Alaska with just $180 in his pocket, convinced it would be enough when gas cost 30 cents a gallon. He made it as far as Washington before running out of money, unknowingly beginning a lifelong connection to the Pacific Northwest. Judy’s upbringing was a completely different world. Raised in Hartford, Connecticut, she grew up surrounded by the diversity and culture of East Coast immigrant communities. A proud University of Connecticut Husky—“Go Huskies!”—Judy pursued biology before earning her master’s degree in Zoology, along with advanced studies in statistics and computer programming long before those skills became mainstream. Her research focused heavily on fish biology, including groundbreaking work studying how temperature impacts sex determination in fish populations during the 1980s. While science was her passion, statistics and computer programming became highly valuable skills that shaped much of her professional career. Long before they became husband and wife, their families were already connected. Don’s sister married Judy’s brother, and Judy actually knew Don’s children before she truly knew Don himself. Both had previous marriages, children, careers, and full lives before eventually finding each other later in life. Together, they blended two families into one after marrying in 2000. This episode explores the contrast between East Coast and West Coast life, from Judy’s memories of Hartford’s historic melting pot of cultures to Don arriving in the Chelan area in 1971 to work for the Forest Service out of Entiat. He shares stories of staying in a camper in Jerry Risley’s yard and renting a tiny lakeview place connected to Dave Hale’s family for just $400 per year—a version of Chelan almost impossible to imagine today. Over the years, Don’s career evolved from forestry to teaching to helping lead Hammond, Collier & Wade, one of the region’s prominent civil engineering firms. After the tragic plane crash that took Larry Wade’s life in Mexico, Don once again found himself navigating a major life transition. Then came wine. The first grapes in the Lake Chelan Valley were planted in the late 1990s, and the Phelps family became part of the early foundation of what would eventually become the Lake Chelan AVA. Judy took early retirement from Pfizer, studied winemaking through UC Davis, and together they transformed former orchard ground into vineyards. Their winery officially opened in the mid-2000s as the 9th winery in the Lake Chelan Valley. Their original winery name, Balsamroot, honored the iconic yellow flower covering Chelan hillsides each spring, but after a few years they realized the branding wasn’t resonating with visitors. Embracing the philosophy “differentiate or die,” they made the bold decision to rebrand with a name rooted deeply in the history and lore of Lake Chelan. Today, the family operates vineyards in the Lake Chelan Valley, a winery in Chelan, and an additional tasting room in Leavenworth. Their vineyards are now officially organic, and their son Julian, now the winemaker, is working on a proof of concept to potentially expand from organic vineyards into fully organic wine production as well. Through it all, Don and Judy have remained grounded in one simple belief: it takes great grapes to make great wine. Farming has always been Don’s true passion, and that passion helped shape not only their vineyards, but part of the story of the modern Lake Chelan wine industry itself. This episode is about far more than wine. It’s about family history, second chances, science, farming, forestry, entrepreneurship, and the evolution of the Lake Chelan Valley itself. This is Don and Judy Phelps on Small Towns Unscripted.

Marty Morris: 74 Years in Manson | Farming, Family & Changing Times

Marty Morris’ story is deeply tied to the history and transformation of Manson and the Lake Chelan Valley. Born in Chelan in 1949, Marty came from humble beginnings rooted in the old “fruit tramp” era of the American West. His father, a fur trapper from Nebraska, and his mother from South Dakota traveled the country following seasonal agricultural work before eventually settling in the Chelan Valley. Marty’s mother once rode horseback to school on the South Dakota plains — a reminder of how much life changed within a single generation. The Morris family moved to Manson in 1952 when Marty was just three years old. Alongside his family, Marty helped operate the Rocking M Chinchilla Farm, raising hundreds of chinchillas during the height of the luxury fur era. He attended Manson High School where he played football and baseball, and at just 15 years old was hired by Roger and Lydia Skeet to manage an apple orchard — property now known as Four Lakes Winery. That opportunity launched what would become a lifelong career in agriculture. Marty later studied horticulture at Wenatchee Valley College before farming more than 100 acres of apples and operating 11 wind machines during the peak of his orchard operation. He remembers a very different Lake Chelan — when a day at the beach cost 50 cents, when he learned to water ski on the Chelan side of the bay, and when Wapato Point had no homes at all. Years later, Marty would teach both his wife Rita and their children to water ski on those same waters. Marty met Rita when she was 21 and he was 23, beginning a partnership that would span decades. Together they adopted a son and daughter, raised horses and exotic parrots, and built countless memories tied to the valley. One of Marty and Rita’s horses, Scout — a gentle Paint horse perfect for children — became part of Russ McClellan’s childhood after Russ’ father bought Scout from the Morris family. Later, when Russ moved on to rodeo horses, Rita lovingly bought Scout back and cared for him until the end of his life. Service and leadership became defining themes throughout Marty’s life. Marty served seven years in the Army Reserves while his brother served ten. He also dedicated decades to the community, serving 12 years on the Pest Control Board, 9 years on the Lake Chelan Reclamation Board, and 6 to 7 years on the Manson Community Council. Marty became known as someone willing to volunteer his time and help shape the future of the valley he loved. Long before affordable housing became one of the valley’s biggest issues, Marty developed one of Manson’s earliest workforce housing projects known as “The Blue Cabins,” a 16-unit housing development created for local workers despite pushback from parts of the community at the time. Marty’s life also carried significant hardship. When he was just 13 years old, his father died from a heart attack at only 52 years old — a loss that forced Marty to grow up quickly and take on responsibility at a young age. Later in life, he endured another tragedy when his stepfather passed away following a hospital blood transfusion mistake during heart surgery in Seattle. Marty also spent 17 years caring for his mother until her passing, while continuing to build a life, family, business, and legacy in the valley. Like many longtime orchardists, Marty eventually faced the difficult economics of modern farming as orchards slowly transitioned into development property throughout the region. After decades in agriculture, changing economics and development pressures forced many growers — including Marty — to gradually sell portions of their orchard ground to sustain operations. Today, after a lifetime of farming, family, leadership, resilience, and change, Marty splits his time between Manson and Mazatlán while still carrying the memories, friendships, stories, and spirit of old Manson with him. His story is not just the story of one ma

Built from the Ground Up: Will Poppie’s Story of Grit, Risk & Resilience

Today on Small Towns Unscripted, we’ve got Will Poppie. Will’s story starts in Montana and Pullman, Washington. His dad was a civil engineer, his mom a veterinarian and cattle rancher—so from the beginning, he was raised around both precision and grit. After his parents divorced, he split time between Pullman and Arizona before eventually landing in East Wenatchee. And this is where things really started to take shape. By the time he was just 8 years old, Will wasn’t watching from the sidelines—he was already climbing onto a D8 dozer, working alongside his dad in the family construction business. That early exposure turned into a lifelong passion for equipment and excavation. He carried that path forward, even spending time in Alaska where his dad had moved the construction company. Back in East Wenatchee, he was also just a hardworking kid—working at the Cove Marina and at 7-Eleven, doing whatever it took. That work ethic showed up early. When his dad moved to Alaska, Will had a choice to make. At 16 years old, leaving behind his friends and life in the Chelan Valley wasn’t something he was ready to do. So he made a decision most people don’t make at that age—he emancipated himself and went out on his own. That independence shaped him. Over time, Will branched out on his own—working in different roles from employee to owner, managing everything from small excavation jobs to large-scale projects. He eventually spent about 18 years in Covington, where he not only built his career, but also raised two kids—a son and a daughter. Today, his son Billy works alongside him in the excavation business as a leader and foreman, and both of his kids have built impressive careers of their own. But that connection to the Chelan Valley never left. An opportunity eventually brought him back to North Central Washington, where he stepped into development—first partnering with family, and then launching his own project, The Ridge at Haystack. Since the mid-2000s, he’s been part of shaping the Lake Chelan Valley through excavation, development, and infrastructure work. Today, Will runs Central Services Inc., has expanded into owning a rock quarry, and has opened a gravel pit right here in Chelan—creating real advantages for the people he works with in land development. But what really defines Will’s story isn’t just the work—it’s the mindset. Like many of us, his path has been full of ups, downs, and steep learning curves. And at one point, it nearly ended. Will survived a devastating equipment accident—trapped between machines, suffering massive internal injuries, losing half his liver, and experiencing severe blood loss. Experiences like that change you. And in Will’s case, it built something deeper—gratitude, resilience, and a perspective on life that’s hard to shake. He leads with enthusiasm and optimism, believes life should be fun, and doesn’t take himself too seriously—which might be one of his greatest strengths. Will, really glad to have you on today.

Real Life to Real Impact. The Christy Sloan Story of Helping Others Heal and Grow

On this episode of Small Towns: Unscripted - Russ and Nicole are sitting down today with someone whose story really captures what it means to grow up in a small town, live through real life, and turn those experiences into something that helps other people. For those of you tuning in on Small Towns Unscripted, hosted by Russ McClellan and Nicole Turner with KW Frontline Real Estate, where we connect with people across the Lake Chelan Valley and beyond to share real stories, real journeys, and real conversations that bring our community closer together. As local real estate professionals in Chelan and Wenatchee, we’ve always believed that understanding people and their stories is at the core of what we do, and this podcast is an extension of that mission. Christy Sloan is a Chelan native, a 2001 graduate who grew up right here playing volleyball, golf, and cheerleading, experiencing both the fun and the challenges that come with small town life. She had a lot of great times growing up here, and like many of us, found herself in a little trouble along the way. Those moments, both good and difficult, ended up shaping the path she’s on today. She’s also a single mother of four and an entrepreneur, balancing real life responsibilities while building something meaningful out of her own experiences. Christy is a registered nurse, a nurse life coach, and the creator of the Sovereign Embodiment Method. Her work is deeply rooted in her own life experience, including her sobriety journey and the grief of losing her father to cancer. Through that, she came face to face with things like self-worth, self-abandonment, and feeling disconnected from who she really was. What she discovered is something simple, but powerful. Healing is not about fixing yourself. It is about learning how to understand your story, feel what is underneath it, and ultimately embrace all parts of who you are. She never lost sight of her vision or her calling, and today she approaches coaching from a holistic perspective, offering transformative work that helps people navigate life’s challenges, break free from patterns like people pleasing and over giving, and reconnect with their truth. Please check out her website and support her mission: https://www.christybrooke.com/ This is a conversation about growth, about ownership of your story, and about what it really looks like to come home to yourself.