Join us this Saturday, April 3rd, 9:00 PM at Dixie’s on Grand in St. Paul where Tony Winkler and The Last Ride Band will be putting on a free benefit show to promote the Big Trade Up. In addition to enjoying some great country music, we will be announcing Trade #15.

We have been invited to promote the Big Trade Up and this event on KSTP channel 5 at 8:10 AM that morning (Sat, April 3rd), so be sure to tune in…

UPDATE: Watch Big Trade Up on KSTP Channel 5

Trade #14 and what happened today was nothing less than amazing. When we posted Puppy a week ago, my first call was to my friend Stacy Dvorak who is not only one of the most well connected hunters I know but she is also extremely charitable. When I emailed Stacy about Puppy, she immediately called and told me about a Pheasants Forever military appreciation event where she would be honoring 50 war veterans who love to hunt. She said “we have to find a way to give Puppy away to one of the vets!” I agreed it was a great idea but I also reminded her we would need something to trade. So here’s what happened…

Stacy got off the phone with me and send an email to the President of the Minnesota Twins, David St. Peter with the message “call me”. Within 10 minutes, she received a call from David and she pitched him on the idea of him trading a “personal lunch with him” and tour of Target Field to make it possible for the Puppy to be given away to a deserving war veteran. He loved the idea and agreed to help! We did too. So we gave Stacy the green light to help us find a deserving veteran that could provide the perfect home for Puppy. Stacy broadcast the puppy opportunity to the 50 veterans and received 5 heartfelt letters from veterans on why they would like to be considered. Stacy shared the letters with me and we couldn’t believe it. She personally interviewed each of them and we realized we had found 5 perfect homes for one pup. How could we ever choose just one? With less than a week to the big event, the idea of getting more puppies seemed farfetched but we also knew there was no way we could send the other 4 heroes home entirely empty-handed.

I couldn’t resist and made a call to local breeder Kruchek Retrievers. It was a long shot but I pitched the idea to owner J.J. Kruchek. To my amazement, I learned that J.J. is also a military veteran and happened to have 4 nine-week old black lab puppies left in his litter (almost spooky!). Like Puppy #1, these 4 come from field champion bloodlines and are highly valuable. J.J. was all over the idea of surprising the other 4 veterans and offered a significant discount to make it possible.

As we broke this news to many of you, the donations poured in. We received over $1,400 in 4 days and it set up one of the most remarkable surprises I’ve ever been a part of. Today in room full of 50+ war veterans along with friends, family we honored Colonel Dirk Kloss and his family with Puppy #1. Colonel Kloss just returned in February to his wife Morgan and 3 year old son Max after his 1 year deployment in Basra, Iraq. Colonel Kloss lost his 8 year-old lab just before their son was born and has looked forward to the day he would settle down with his family and a new puppy. Today was that day.

As the other 4 soldiers sat through the Thank you video, they were blind-sided when Chad, Frank, Stacy, J.J. and I rolled into the room today with 4 more puppies. It played out perfectly and reactions from everyone were overwhelming. Many tears as we saw the joy brought to these brave men that have sacrificed so much. It was a small gesture in light of what they have given to us but it was one I don’t think anyone in that room will ever forget.

Below is the video of Puppy #1 being awarded followed by the “Thank you” video and then the surprise…

WCCO channel 4 news covered the event and it will air on the 10:00 PM news tonight and likely again 10:00 AM tomorrow. There are endless people to thank for making this happen but especially Stacy Dvorak and David St. Peter who are at the top of the list. It is so interesting how 1 phone call can impact so many lives.

So now available for trade…. a personal lunch with the President of the Minnesota Twins, David St. Peter and a tour of Target Field. How timely with the season opener days away!

Announcing the youngest member of the Big Trade Up family and the most loveable trade #13 we could imagine…. Puppy. We were so fortunate to meet Justin Micek of Isanti, an avid hunter and single guy who had his life consumed when his AKC certified purebred champion labs decided to have 10 puppies. The good thing for Justin is that based on their bloodlines, they bring in $800-$1000 per dog. Justin quickly sold 7 of the 10 with very little marketing but being a single guy with a full-time job, two months of raising puppies can wear a guy down, especially when you’re as selective as Justin in choosing the owners for his dogs. Justin was excited to hear about the Big Trade Up and saw it as a great way to maximize exposure to find a perfect home for one of his little buddies. Not to mention with one less dog we get him one step close to the freedom he remembers.

So with much assurance that one of his favorite pups would be in good hands, we introduce you to Puppy. In addition to champion hunting bloodlines, this 61 day old (8 ½ weeks) male black lab would be the perfect family dog. He is fluffy like a little bear cub, extremely mellow with a gentle personality but don’t get me wrong… very playful too. He has all of his shots, dew claws and vet examination taken care of. We have all of AKC paperwork, vet exam info and registration that will make it easy for the new owner.

So where is Puppy you might ask? Much of the appeal to Justin was one less puppy in the Justin house, that means Puppy’s very temporary playpen has become the DelDotto house. While it is fun to have a little buddy for our own lab and kids to play with, dad has picked up many chores like cleaning accidents, unlocking the puppy jaws of life from screaming kids, picking up broken glass and of course trying to get Puppy to go to the bathroom outside in the middle of the night. So help us find this guy a perfect home where these puppy chores can be enjoyed as a long-term investment going towards the best pet you’ll ever own. Plus Puppy needs a name, we’re saving that for you!

If you are interested please send us your offer but more importantly tell us about the home he would be going to, do you own other pets, have you had pets in the past, ect. While I joke about the extra chores, there will be no rush to find Puppy a new home and we will be very selective to make sure he finds the perfect home with his rightful owner. Puppy comes with a new 24″ kennel, a 15 lb bag of food, his blaze orange collar and a toy to get you started!

Lift off for trade #12… Betsy Strachota of Shenehon Company was generous with an eleventh hour trade of a custom made gold cross necklace for the two hours of flight time. Betsy loves flying so much that at times she has considered getting her pilot’s license. She is a big supporter of the Big Trade Up and has been waiting for the right opportunity to make an offer. So when the private flight time came up, she jumped at the chance to support the cause and further explore her passion for flying.



Betsy thought hard about what to trade and came up with something all girls love – Jewelry. She had this amazing cross necklace hand crafted specifically for this trade. It is especially meaningful to her as the original design came from her loving father who has given all of his girls their own uniquely crafted cross. So we celebrate a cool family tradition, help fuel her passion for flying and knock down trade #12 of the Big Trade up.

Thanks to Betsy for this thoughtful trade!

We’re pleased to announce trade #11 took place today with former commercial-pilot turned commercial real estate broker Ronn Thomas. Ronn has over 21 years experience as a former commercial airline captain and remains an avid pilot and flight instructor. He loves to fly so it made perfect sense for him to offer 2 hours flight time for sightseeing within a 100 mile radius of the Twin Cities.

We agreed and thought what a cool opportunity that doesn’t come around every day. Not to mention, Ronn is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet! So here you go… You and another adult (possibly additional children) can map out a trip and pick a time to depart with Ronn from Crystal Airport in the Cessna 185 seen below. Ronn is also an experienced aerial photographer so bring your camera for a once in a lifetime chance to capture your home, office, or even wait for the leaves in the fall.

Not only does this give Ronn another excuse to fly, the trade wins him the signed Minnesota Gophers hockey jersey & stick. So here’s your chance to jump in and soar the skies. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to email your idea for the next trade to mytrade@bigtradeup.com. Thanks to Ronn and everyone for your ongoing support!

We were welcomed to Mariucci Arena today by the Minnesota Gophers hockey team for trade #10.  Our friend Josh Budish recently talked to his brother Zach Budish (6′ 3″, 220 lb, Forward, #24) about the Big Trade Up and together they came up with a great trade.  They invited us to swing by the Mariucci locker rooms following today’s practice and we were fortunate to have the entire team sign an authentic game jersey and throw in a game stick to support the cause!

                 Tony, Josh, Zach & Chad

So it was a great day for the Big Trade Up but was also a good win for Josh Budish who so generously put this together.  Josh is in commercial real estate development and leasing with Liberty Property Trust and has long wanted to take golf lessons.   With the snow melting and the season just around the corner, now he is set up with a pro to help him work on that swing.

So thanks to Josh Budish, Zach Budish and the entire Minnesota Gopher’s Hockey team for making such a cool trade!

Now’s your chance to jump in on the action!  If you have an idea for a trade, email us at mytrade@bigtradeup.com.

Today we visited golf pro Brian Geraty at The Golf Zone in Chaska to make trade #9 and of course hit a few balls on this beautiful 42˚ day. We traded the 6th row Minnesota Wild tickets to Brian for his 3-session Private Lesson Package at The Golf Zone that is guaranteed to improve even worst Minnesota golfer.

Brian turned professional in 2006 and has competed against many of the greatest golfers in the world. Brian began instructing after an PGA Apprenticeship with Golf Magazine Top 100 instructor, Rod Lidenberg, and has since enjoyed coaching everyone from juniors to amateurs and professionals. He offices out of The Golf Zone in Chaska which is a year-round facility with 40 heated driving ranges, a beautiful 18-hole indoor mini putt course and indoor/outdoor putting greens with a full bar to boot. You can learn more about The Golf Zone and this Private Lesson Package ($224.00 value) at www.briangeratygolf.com.

Minnesota golf in March

Spring is around the corner so now is the time to get ready for the golf season ahead. If you are interested in the Private Lesson Package, please email us at mytrade@bigtradeup.com. Thanks!