Family business touts custom-made cornhole products

APPLETON, Wis. — A farmer and his family switched professions. Together, they hope to grow the sport of cornhole and their business. 

At Skilled Cornhole, it’s not all fun and games. The owners said employees must be willing to get your hands dirty for a quality product. 

That’s not a problem for former emergency medical technician Stephanie Bishell. Before leaving the medical field, she learned a thing or two about paying attention to detail and caring about the little things. 

“The quality of the boards is a big deal. So, us doing everything by hand gives us a chance to, you know, make sure that, you know, everything is to the correct specs and people are going to get the quality that they pay for,” Stephanie Bishell said.

Stephanie Bishell makes cornhole boards, bags and other various equipment. 

Her father, Howie Wood, first found out about the sport of cornhole while trying to sell horse equipment. 

“When we were looking, we saw cornhole as well. ‘Whoa. What’s that?’ I said, ‘I can do that.’ So, I started making cornhole boards, and then it grew,” Wood said.

Stephanie Bishell’s husband, Tony Bishell, also works for the family business.

(Spectrum News 1/Geno Perez)

He explained that they have to put a number of screws in each board to prevent the bags from bouncing when thrown. 

“Technically, the more the merrier, but you [can] add on too many. So, it actually holds your frame sturdily well enough to the actual board itself. So, nothing wiggles,” Tony Bishell said.

(Spectrum News 1/Geno Perez)

Keeping customers happy is on the forefront of Stephanie Bishell’s mind, as shse works to keep the family business growing. 

“We really try to get the smoothest possible surface because that makes a difference in our finish, it makes a difference in how the bags throw, makes a difference in the quality. People really pay attention to that,” she said.