About Us

I am a business owner…

When I was younger, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.  All I kept hearing was that if you go to college and get a degree, the job is yours.  I, of course, believed every word of that story.  I loved sports, enjoyed watching them, playing them, and appreciated every aspect of the competition and the camaraderie that came with playing the game.  How incredible would life be if I had a health science degree and could work with athletes for the rest of my life?  My friends were all going to school to “be something”: a social worker, a doctor, a financial advisor; this was a great idea for my “something”.  

I paid for college by working the night shift at Seneca Foods and went to school during the day.  It was challenging, and my parents’ financial situation disqualified me from receiving school loans or grants.  I was almost done with school and realized the myth.  Getting a job just because you went to college wasn’t exactly how it worked.   There had to be a position open, and I had to be the most qualified candidate who applied.  It soon became clear that my health science degree would not be enough in the real world.  So I started taking business classes.  I still had no idea what industry was right for me, but that degree taught me how to think, how to plan, and how to make sound financial decisions.  

By this time, I was working the night shift driving a spotter truck to make it through school.  I had no extra money and lived on Ramen noodle soup for weeks.  While moving trailers in and out of dock doors, I started to see the needs of carriers, companies, and drivers.  They were always talking about their need for equipment and storage.  Always looking for creative ways to remedy the same old problem.  So, in 2006, I took a chance and dove in headfirst.  I purchased four reefer trailers (once the bank finally agreed to give me the loan).  I repaired the trailers and offered them to customers as an on-site storage option.  Soon thereafter, they needed more trailers, and I ended up renting from another company to meet the need.  Every cent of profit was reinvested in this new trailer rental endeavor.  I soon found that I was unable to continue moving trailers around in the yard and facilitate rental trailers for customers, so I ended up focusing solely on my new company, Bartels Trailer Rental and Storage Company.  

Two years into the trailer rental business, I watched a warehouse in my hometown close.  The building was being sold in foreclosure.  I knew nothing about the warehousing business, had no customers or contracts, but saw this as an opportunity to potentially address the storage needs of my current customers.  In 2008, I returned to the bank, begging for funding to purchase 100,000 square feet of storage space.  It was a deteriorated building in need of significant repairs.  I chose to make it a refrigerated storage unit, and soon I had my first customer, followed by my second, and then my third.  I was now the owner of Minnesota Reload and Freight Warehousing.

All of a sudden, I was driving a forklift, managing storage contracts, obtaining organic certifications, overseeing inventory, and handling invoicing— all of which demanded my time.  I solicited a few friends to help me with some of the warehouse work.  I was single, working fourteen to twenty-hour days, and had no idea what I would be doing from one day to the next.  My head was spinning, and I had no time for extracurricular activities.  My friends, who are now employees at the warehouse, invited me over to their homes from time to time for barbecues or bonfires. I rarely went, but sometimes it was nice to get away.  In 2010, I attended a birthday party at their house and met Amy.  She was kind, and something about her intrigued me.  Over the next year, she and I ran into each other at a few more events and finally decided to see a hockey game together in 2011.  She turned out to be the best decision of my life.  Soon thereafter, she started to help me and truly cared about this small business and its constant demands.

Meanwhile, a truck wash and repair shop was being constructed in Gaylord on land that already featured a diesel fuel island and a state-certified scale.   After agreeing to build, they soon realized a new business was all-consuming, and in November of 2013, I bought the shell of a building and turned it into Minnesota 19 Truck Wash & Repair. I purchased the new building, as well as the existing Highway 19 Scale and Fuel Company.  At this point, I am working twenty-hour days again.  This time, as the owner of 4 small businesses that all revolve around the trucking industry.  

It may sound glorious, fun, or maybe like the “easy life” to be in my position.  It may look good at my class reunion to say, “I did that.”  However, I can honestly tell you that these businesses would have failed if it were not for our dedicated and hard-working staff.  Our people care deeply about what they do and the drivers they serve.  Being open 24 hours a day, even on holidays, is a whole new world for us.  We joked about putting up cots in the parts room because we almost lived there.  Our customers have come to trust us, and our employees are like family to us.  We consider ourselves truly blessed to have such a fantastic group of people around us every day.  

To us, it’s simple: we want to do what’s right and take care of people’s needs.  We want you to experience our warm and inviting atmosphere when you visit us.  Rome wasn’t built in a day; we are still making changes, but we pledge to continue working hard to make that happen

With more than 15 years of relentless dedication, Amy Hill is the powerhouse COO behind PMB Holding—a dynamic umbrella company managing nine diversified subsidiaries. She is well known for her unwavering work ethic and hands-on leadership style. Amy is the kind of executive who doesn’t hesitate to roll up her sleeves—literally. Whether she’s fielding customer calls at midnight or stepping into a trailer in high heels to help out, she does whatever it takes to keep operations running smoothly and clients satisfied.

Amy’s background is in law, and it has laid a strong foundation for her business acumen. But it was her passion for people, problem-solving, and day-to-day operations that led her to make a bold career shift. Since then, she’s become the heart and engine of PMB Holdings, leading with passion, knowledge, and a genuine love for the work.

Customers know her as the friendly voice on the other end of the phone—day or night—while employees know her as a fair, respectful, and down-to-earth leader who treats her team like family. From logistics to leadership, Amy is all-in, all the time, making sure that excellence is never optional—it’s the unwavering standard.

Amy is an influential figure whose impact resonates across various fields, She will tell you about growing up middle class with really strict parents, or about the Judge who treated her like a daughter and gave her opportunities she did not deserve or earn (defending her theory that everyone just needs someone who is willing to help you out a little). She will tell you how her faith is the only way she makes it through a day, keeping her focused and sane, and then tell you her role with PMB is a gift from God and she will do everything in her power to defend and protect it. She will tell you how she is going to make time for herself, and then the very next day come in with all the financials she ran before she fell asleep the night before. Her favorite phrases are “words matter” and “details matter”.  Every time she talks about Minnesota 19 Truck Wash and Repair it is always “we” and never an “I”. She is respected and inspirational, but mostly, what you see is what you get.

Our shop specializes in Preventative Maintenance.  Many large carriers have equipment that rotates through our service area regularly without the opportunity to get back to a terminal for upkeep.  We complete PM and DOT inspections while equipment is waiting to be loaded.  Our team will watch for overdue reefer services, expired PM stickers, and expired DOTs.  We just reach out with the information and you call the shots on the services.

Not just reefer units and air lines! While most of our work is done on reefers, dry vans, tankers, & trucks, we have the capability to repair exterior trailer panels, insulation on reefers, interior skin, aluminum flooring & kick plate, trailer frames & suspensions, recharging reefer units, computer diagnostics,  derates, and much more.  When it comes to large equipment, you name it, we do it!.

We wash virtually any type of vehicle:

* Semi Trucks
* Semi Trailers (inside and outside)
* Tankers
* Hoppers (inside and outside)
*ATVs / Snowmobiles
*Cars
*Pickups
*RVs
*Farm Equipment
*Buses 
*Construction Vehicles
*Fire Trucks

Who you gonna call…? No, not the ghostbusters, this group of talented individuals stay on top of many details and constant correspondence. They are texting and emailing all day to keep you informed and to make the gears move in the shop and the wash bay. Not only that, but they manage all the offsite fueling requests, they arrange for all the reefer and dry van rentals, they ensure the refrigerated warehouse is running smooth, and all the lawns gets mowed. This is no ordinary office team, this is a power team pushing through to the finish line every day.