Owner and Web Developer, Joan L Thorne

I grew up on Herrington Ranch in the Sandhill's of North Central Nebraska a Commercial Hereford operation, with my parents, Ray and Wanda and two brothers. Growing up on a Cattle Ranch we had cattle buyers visit during the year and I has a clear vision of what buying cattle should be like and how marketing should be done with honesty and integrity.  We sold pot loads of steers on the ranch and weighed them on our own Fairbanks scales.  We drove 32 miles one way to high school and were part of the ranch crew.   We helped feed, hay, and work cattle.  Wrestling and roping calves and dragging them to the crew was required on this ranch.  I spent many countless hours on my horses and trained on some of the neighbors horses.  In 1969 I graduated from high school with my major love of art, literature and business courses. I married my high school sweetheart and we raised four great girls that were in everything; School Activities, 4-H Club, Roping Club and Sports.  We were married for twenty eight years.  I was Office Manager for a major livestock auction and I also started a marketing firm before it's time called; Nebraska Ranchers Registry and offered yearly subscriptions to a computer service to buy and sell.  This was way before anyone had home computers or cell phones, so it was a tad early for the times, but I always remember how excited subscribers got when they could list unlimited items to sell for a one time yearly fee.  Especially the banks, equipment dealers and farm and ranch organizations.  The biggest dilemma was getting the guy on the computer to understand the lingo of the American Farmer and Rancher.  I spent most of my time hooking up buyers with sellers, myself.  So it inevitably failed, but what it taught me was there would someday be a need for internet marketing, thus I became determined to learn some code and the system of internet marketing.

I set up several small business accounts using Quick Books for local businesses.  I took some accounting classes from Northeast Tech College and worked with several area accountants.   Which eventually led me to Lincoln Nebraska in 1995, where I thought I would go back to school to get a accounting degree.   Little did I know that I would use all those business and typing skills that I learned in high school.  I went to work for a small Cattle Association named Braunvieh Association of America,  where I managed the accounts payable and receivables, plus registering and transferring of the members cattle.