Meet Tehl Keslar, Owner of Central State Hydraulics (cshydraulics.com).
Tell us a little about your business. – Central States Hydraulics is a full-service machine shop that specializes in repairs of hydraulic cylinders, pumps, motors and heavy equipment.
How did you get started in the business? – My wife and I purchased the business in September 2022. I have 15 years of manufacturing operational experience and most recently prior to owning this was the COO of Rocket Car Wash, where I helped expand it from three locations to seven locations between Omaha and Lincoln.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – The first two to three years of owning a business are really the toughest to make work. There’s a different mindset to owning and running a business, but my experience in my previous roles helped me become resilient and capable of changes and challenges.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Now that I own a business, I’m able to finally work for myself and I enjoy that very much!
Tell us a little about your family. – My wife, Kelsey, and I are high school sweethearts. We’ve been married for 16 years and together for 23 years. We have three busy kids, Alayna-11, Patrick-nine, and Tate-four. My wife is a CFO at a company in Omaha, and we spend a ton of time supporting our kids at the different sports they play.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – Probably when I bought my business and my decision to go into business ownership.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – Hunting or golfing are always going to be my go-tos on my days off, and spending time with my family.
Who inspires you? – My wife, my team, and my close friends. I love watching and seeing them have success professionally, in family and life.
What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – My dad always said “Never be content with average because it’s just as close to the top as it is to the bottom”. I’m not sure where he got that from, but it’s a piece of wisdom I always carry with me.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Passionate.
What local nonprofit organization are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why? – I’m involved with the Nebraska One Box Pheasant Hunt in Broken Bow, NE. They support hunting, shooting and habitat conservation and I’m proud to be the past shooter chairman of the event this year.
What is your favorite book or the last good book you read? – The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. It totally opened my eyes to a different lens of how to approach your ideal running of a business and your life.
What is your favorite local Lincoln restaurant? – Misty’s.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – The most interesting right now is probably Donald Trump.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – They can contact our main office at (402) 438-5900; visit our website at cshydraulics.com or by email at office@cshydraulics.com.