For most people, early evening would signal the end of the working day. But on busy weekends, it’s not unusual to see Nick Goral and his dedicated employees going straight from a job laying concrete to setting up tables and chairs at Goral’s newest business, Brickyard Events.
Goral, a graduate of Denmark High School, has been working hard since he could ride a bike to the family farm. It was there that he learned an array of skills that have come in handy as he embarked on several businesses.
And so far, despite never taking any business classes, he is succeeding beyond his expectations. He bought foreclosed homes that he renovated and sold, started a concrete business named Curb Pioneers (the name is being changed to Top Tier Concrete to reflect expanded services), started a maple syrup company named Sticky Business, and most recently, opened Brickyard Events, 3051 S. Brown County T, Eaton.
He said, “The building had been a church and a school, and the Goral family had strong family ties to the church. When the building was offered for sale by the Green Bay diocese, I didn’t want to see someone buy it and tear it down to build apartments. The same week it was listed, I made an offer and bought it.”
Goral had a vision for the building, originally built in 1966. He wanted to preserve the architecture and convert it to a unique event venue. After purchasing the building in 2021, he spent more than four years renovating it.
“I decided to try to convert it, but it was a big learning curve to bring it up to new state standards,” he said. “It was a slow process. Ninety percent of the work was done by me, family, and friends. The only contractors used were for electrical and heating and cooling where I needed to have licensed people.”
The goal of the renovation was to preserve the character of the historic brick building while updating it with modern amenities and a newer, refined design. The result was a space that he says could be characterized as “industrial chic.”
It is perfectly located next to a church that is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay and can be leased for weddings. A link to information is available on the website, brickyardevents.com.
Amenities were added like a private bridal suite for getting ready and relaxing before the big event. A full bar was built featuring a natural wood bar top and brick accents. To create more flow for guests to circulate, the bar is standing-only. Other additions include a large outside patio, area for caterers, audio/visual system, jukebox, and the protentional for multiple room configurations.
The website describes the finished venue as, “Brickyard Events blends timeless architecture with contemporary comfort, offering a beautifully renewed space where couples and families can celebrate life’s most meaningful moments.”
It has seating for 300, but with the ability to divide into smaller areas, it can accommodate almost any size event. In addition to weddings, it has become popular for birthday parties, family reunions, showers, and corporate events.
Goral said that flexibility has been key.
“It is a place where people can do their own thing,” he said. “We really try to tailor the space to create a unique experience for every event. It is not a one-size-fits-all venue. So far, we haven’t seen anything that is just like another event.”
Recommendations for caterers, wedding planners, bakers, florists, or any other businesses are not made for the purpose of earning a commission. For Brickyard Events, the income comes from rental fees and running the bar. He has a liquor license and credits the Town of Eaton with making the process easy. The major challenge in developing the project has been trying to do everything himself.
He said, “I am involved in every event and will be for the next year or so. I have a manager in training, Amber Watzka, (soon to be Hafeman). She came at the right time. I have been doing the accounting myself and there have been late nights. It has been very stressful.”
Goral said he realized he needed help with bookkeeping after working on taxes this year with his accountant. It isn’t an area he is comfortable with, and with three different business entities, everything needs to be documented separately. Another area he says is a weakness is social media. Amber will be taking that over, as well, and will also be doing showings of the space and working with scheduling.
“My skills are best at working with people and doing hands-on stuff. I deliver a finished product,” he said.
He also sets up for events; often with the help of his Top Tier Concrete employees. Tables and chairs and table coverings are provided and put in place for the event. In addition, he works as a bartender and credits the owner of nearby Topher’s Tap for offering additional help and training.
The community has been a great support, he said.
“I know members of the Town of Eaton Board and we work together. The Town Hall is adjacent and we share parking lots when needed. The Green Bay Diocese is also great. The pond behind me is an ‘umbilical cord lot’ that the Diocese owns, and they are allowing me to work on it and clean it up and add a fountain and Koi fish.”
The pond is just one of the improvements he has on his bucket list to create. Long term, he’d like to remodel the second floor of the Brickyard as a more traditional space with “a different feel for two separate vibes.’’ He’d like to pave the parking lot and build an addition for storage.
Goral isn’t bothered by the long hours, and said that he and his employees have a mantra when they are tired and want to complain. “Nobody cares, work harder,” they say.
“They say that a lot when the going gets tough because no one cares that you are tired; they just want the job done,” he said.
And that hard work has paid off. He hesitates to promote his concrete company, because he is so busy that he is booking jobs more than a month out. He made over 1,100 gallons of maple syrup this spring and it all sold out. It seems that everything he decides to do is working.
Goral said, “I didn’t know what to expect, but so far, it is doing better than anticipated. We had our first wedding in August and weekends are booked for the most part for the next few months. With every event, it seems to turn into another event. I’d like to do two weddings a month this year and then pick up more in 2027.”
There will also be all of the other events including a vendor fair in the fall. He says that he doesn’t see other venues as competition because they are all unique in some way. With each event, Goral pays attention to detail and makes changes to make each one better. The one change he hasn’t made is his work ethic.
“If you want to succeed, be willing to put in the hours. You gotta put the hours in,” he said.
Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Hard work paying off for Brickyard Events owner Nick Goral
Reporting by Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt, For Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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