When Myron Yoder was a teenager, he spent a lot of time with his grandpa Olen in his nursery selling shrubs, trees, and bushes. Customers would often come in slightly confused. They would explain that they had a landscaped area, but they felt that it needed something more. Grandpa listened to the person and then said, “Step this way, I know exactly what you need.”
“I always shadowed him,” Myron said, “and just loved the aspect of having the knowledge of something and selling it to a person and having that person be 100% satisfied with what he’s getting.”
Years later, Myron was running his primary business, General Store of Middlebury, when he noticed RV factory workers, often frustrated, looking for shoes. Like Grandpa he wanted to provide a solution.
The factory workers reported that their company contracted with a shoe trailer from a somewhat distant urban area. The employees received a voucher to help pay for the cost of the shoes. But after buying shoes from the shoe trailer or an online portal, some of the workers were unsatisfied, leading them to the General Store.
As he considered the situation, an idea formed. Why not start a local shoe trailer, one that understood the mindset and work ethic of the area?
Lacing up a New Company
Myron’s brother-in-law was looking for a new line of work in 2023, so the two men brainstormed the shoe trailer idea together, launching it in August of that year. They filled the trailer with 650-700 pairs of shoes in a variety of brands. They chose the name Midwest Utility Source.
With the trailer set up and stocked, they started by visiting four local businesses and explaining their vision. Ideally, the business would pay for the shoes, giving them to the employees as a gift under the Premium Plan offered by Midwest Utility Source. This plan offered discounts to the company after the first year. Businesses could also choose the Voucher Plan, where they provide employees with money toward the purchase of shoes.
The first four companies they reached out to all invited them to come. Some went with the Premium Plan and footed the entire bill, offering their employees a free pair of shoes each year as a birthday gift or a yearly bonus. Others chose the “Voucher Plan” and provided vouchers toward new shoes, which could be purchased from Midwest Utility Source.
At the Job Site
After the business owners decide on a plan, they pick a date. Depending on the weather, Myron will ask if they have an area where the shoe trailer can be pulled inside.
The shoe trailer has a small “store” area at the front where customers can look at brands and try on shoes. For small companies, they might bring employees into this area one at a time. But most companies need more space, so the shoe store is expanded with folding tables outside the trailer and folding benches for people to sit on.
Although it isn’t always possible, Myron loves to get every customer into the perfect shoe for them. But employees in local factories often don’t have much time to pick out shoes, because they want to get back to work.
“I’m in the work environment on the trailer,” Myron says. “Everybody is, go, go, go, go, go. You get in there, and you set up. Everybody wants their shoe, and get back to work. So I struggle with not spending the time with them to properly get them in their shoe. Even though with what I provide I feel comfortable with each shoe that they’re picking.”
Myron’s top favorite shoe brands are Keen and Steel Blue. Both brands feature tough shoes, but not more shoe than is needed. Both offer a wide toe box, good heel support, and a low rising foot bed, making them healthy for feet.
“I see a lot of people spend a lot of money on insoles, and then they wear those custom insoles for the rest of their lives,” Myron says. “Not healthy. Your insoles are designed to fix problems, and then you should get back out of it and walk naturally again.”
Steel Blue is an Australian company with a blue heeler cattle dog as their logo. The blue heeler logo symbolizes the toughness and resilience found in these dogs. Like the dogs, the boots are built tough and ready for any working environment. Midwest Utility Source also carries other brands including Reebok, Wolverine, and Rocky.
The shoe trailer inventory is based on the industry they are going to visit. Depending on the need, they will take mostly hard-toed shoes or mostly soft-toed shoes. Myron also is very sensitive to the kind of industry and knows what will work best for a finishing shop, for example, versus a welding shop.
Some workplaces require hard-toed shoes, such as the local machine shop that welds tire grinders and handles heavy steel beams. Some RV factories require hard toes even though not all their roles involve welding or heavy objects.
However, many shops do not require hard-toed shoes. Since hard-toed shoes tend to be less comfortable, employees often don’t buy them if they don’t have to. So, Myron has a full display of soft toe shoes for these employees, but then will switch out to a hard toe display for other stops. Switching the trailer between the two styles can take up to six hours.
Myron’s brother-in-law provided the space to store the shoe trailer and the extra inventory. At any time, Midwest Utility Source might have several thousand pairs of shoes on hand. He also did the ordering and took care of most of the details, often picking up Myron to go out to a job site.
Midwest Utility Source does not require a minimum company size within the local region, defined as being within an hour and a half of Middlebury. Myron enjoys smaller companies, because there is time for socializing. For more distant locations, they might require several businesses to schedule on the same day to offset the cost of travel.
When he talks to business owners, Myron encourages them to think of a gift of shoes as more than just a foot safety measure. For most employees, getting free shoes creates buy-in, or at least a sense of being valued.
The Sole Operator
About a year after the shoe trailer started, Myron’s brother-in-law realized the job wasn’t a fit for him. He accepted another full-time job opportunity and then the responsibilities were all up to Myron.
The shoe trailer business was growing, and Myron was sure it had much more potential. But at the same time, he had to take care of the General Store. The entire year of 2025 was busy. Besides keeping the General Store afloat, business for the shoe trailer doubled from the previous year.
Myron’s wife Luann wanted to help, but she was already doing the accounting for the General Store and the shoe trailer, along with homeschooling their seven children (ages 2-14) and all the daily duties of being a mom. Myron found a building within walking distance of the General Store where he could store inventory and keep the trailer inside. This way, when he needs to spend time ordering or preparing for an on-site visit, Myron can take care of the shoe trailer and then walk over to the General Store. He also accepts walk-in clients at this building each Monday from 11:00 – 3:00 or by appointment.
In the fall of 2025, the General Store was busy and the shoe trailer was busy. Myron was exhausted by the time he got home, but his mind was often still on the next steps at work. His wife helped him realize that they were too busy. They decided to delegate more responsibilities at the General Store and also hired a warehouse manager for Midwest Utility Source.
“Am I spending quality time with my family? That is number 1,” Myron says. “Am I actually at home when I’m at home? That’s the biggest question. Last fall, that was my problem. I was not at home. When I was at home, I was trying to figure out how I’m going to work the next job.”
He doesn’t want to get so busy “making a living” and providing good products to the local community that he isn’t able to contribute quality time at home. He and Luann have debated selling Midwest Utility Source. This may still happen, although Myron’s hope is that they can hire the right people and keep the company. Either way, he is confident the vision of Midwest Utility Source will go on.
The Foot Adviser Suffers Foot Trouble
Plantar fasciitis was a problem that Myron heard about a lot. He found it hard to help others with this condition, although he helped them the best he could. In plantar fasciitis the thick connective tissue called the plantar fascia on the bottom of the foot becomes inflamed. Generally, it is most painful first thing in the morning, or after a rest.
Unfortunately, after counseling others, plantar fasciitis hit Myron too. In the evening, when he sat down in the rocking chair to rock his son, his foot felt fine. But when he got up, stabbing pain shot through his foot. It got to be so painful that he could barely walk, to the point that Luann had to carry their son upstairs to bed.
Myron read a book about runners who run barefoot and got the idea to use barefoot shoes. For three weeks, his foot hurt like crazy. Then, it started getting better. He could run. He found himself wearing barefoot shoes as much as possible and recommending them to others. He feels that barefoot shoes are beneficial for the same reason that foot rubs are so therapeutic: the many nerve endings in the foot are massaged and stimulated. Walking with barefoot shoes, he can feel rocks pressing against his feet.
While he endorses barefoot shoes, there are situations they are not suited for, especially some work conditions with safety requirements.
The Right Fit
Myron reads books about feet and studies diagrams of the human foot. He is eager to help customers solve their shoe problems, whether in the shoe trailer or at the General Store. Myron makes a point of asking customers what job they do so he can help them to the right shoe.
Sometimes he can deduce from a worker’s shoes what kind of work he does. A milling machine worker is almost certain to have destroyed the soles of his shoes from stepping on curls of metal. A welder’s shoes have characteristic burn marks on them, likely along with burn marks on his pants legs.
Even though pleasing his customers is his goal when he sells shoes, Myron also has learned to not allow himself to be rattled by people who can’t be pleased. Some people are sure they won’t find what they want on the trailer before they even look.
One man came to the trailer and asked for a specific kind of shoe that Myron did not carry. When Myron offered a similar kind, the man declined. He had found what he wanted and didn’t want to change. Myron honestly agreed with him.
“Customer satisfaction takes priority over making the sale,” Myron says.
There’s always the chance that the shoe trailer will run out of a particular kind or size and have to send the right pair to the business later. On one particularly great day, the shoe trailer sold 137 pairs in about six hours and only had to order one pair to be sent later. But that was an unusually successful morning.
“It is a challenge,” Myron says, “to navigate the schedule between the General Store and Midwest. And doing switch over from hard toe to soft toe, sometimes up to two times a week.” This should be relieved by mid-summer with another trailer joining the company, so there can be one for hard toe and one for soft. They also expect the busyness to ease up now that they have a warehouse manager to take care of the restocking.
Myron’s biggest highlight is to run across happy customers. Sometimes an employee will walk past Myron, point to his shoes and give a thumbs up. Other times a business owner will call and say how happy they were with the shoe trailer visit and how useful it is to their employees.
“My second biggest highlight of this job is experiencing the culture of each unique business that I go to,” Myron says. He’s noticed that the culture generally reflects the owner, resonating through the business from the sweeper boys all the way up. He feels blessed to have the opportunity to visit the huge diversity of businesses big and small in the area.
Like workplaces, feet are unique. But with the right attention and advice, it’s possible to find the right fit, even for the busy industrial workers of northern Indiana. With Midwest Utility Source, Myron uses his expertise and inventory to solve foot problems just as his grandpa solved landscaping problems.
To bring the shoe trailer to your workplace, or with other questions, contact Midwest Utility Source at 574.822.7535 or email [email protected]. Or visit the website: midwestutilitysource.com. Midwest Utility Source is also open on Monday from 11:00 to 3:00 for walk in shoe fitting at 209 W Spring Street, Middlebury, IN, 46540.
Katrina is the author of eighteen books, most recently the Brady Street Boys adventure series. She lives with her husband Marnell and their daughter in Elkhart, Indiana.