Greg Wilson, the 2025 grand marshal of the Park County Fair Parade, drove down Bent Street in a Kubota tractor followed by his wife Jen and their family.

Greg and Jen have long been associated with agriculture in the community, the former being the general manager of Heart Mountain Equipment  and employee of the company for the past 26 years. 

Jen’s father Terry Swenson started the company in 1982 and Terry’s father worked for an International Harvester dealership back in 1965. 

And while equipment, ag, construction or otherwise is consistently being purchased, the Wilsons are also turning on the lights at Uncommon Grounds each day. 

The couple purchased the long running coffee house June 13 with their first full day of operation June 14.

Jen loves her coffee, she joked.

Their daughter Elle is a common sight serving up drinks and dishes at Uncommon and while Greg questions his barista skills he can “mix up a mean Red Bull.”

“We’d kind of been talking about something like that, a place in Powell, for people to come together, have a very comfortable place to meet friends and enjoy a little bit of social time and a relaxed atmosphere,” Greg added.

The idea had “been kicked around” by the couple for a few years. In October Jen began working on Uncommon Grounds outreach for the previous owners who live in Cody. In May, Jen mentioned she and Greg had thought a coffee house would be fun to operate, and while the business hadn’t been up for sale it was offered to the Wilson’s to purchase.

“So with lots of prayer and consideration, here we are,” Jen said. 

The staff at Uncommon are a big part of what made the transition quick, Greg said, “They’re all great young women that we’re proud to have work for us.”

The keys to the popular coffee shop were handed over within five to six weeks, and thanks to prelaid plans Uncommon Grounds and its new owners were serving customers throughout fair week. The transition has been smooth considering how fast it happened, Greg added.

And while some of Uncommon’s customers are associated with ag, Greg doesn’t attribute that to carryover from the Heart Mountain Equipment customer base.

“There’s a few of our customers in that group,” he said. “But not because of us, maybe that speaks more to ag’s integration in the community more than anything … that you find ag people everywhere.”

The Wilson’s aren’t looking to change much. Jen has expanded the food menu some, to provide options and draw people in. There are a few other things in the works including online ordering, deliveries and a loyalty program.

The patio has received some upgrades, including a ceiling fan for the hot summer months, “just things to enhance what’s already happening. We don’t see it becoming something else, but more of making it more comfortable and just be a place for people to want to be at,” Greg said. 

A regular customer shared with Jen, that Uncommon is her “place of respite.” Her son had passed away and it’s where she went to be rejuvenated.

“I just want people to feel like it’s a place that they can rest, more their weary heart than anything,” Jen said.