Lawrence Business Magazine 2017 Q1

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2017 Q1

Publisher: Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC Editor-in-Chief: Ann Frame Hertzog Chief Photographer: Steven Hertzog Featured Writers: Anne Brockhoff Julie Dunlap Emily Mulligan Bob Luder On the Cover Patricia A. Michaelis, Ph.D. Ernst & Son 1951 - Phillip Ernst Tara Trenary Sr., with customers. The boy is a 6th generation member of the Cox Family with his grandfather.

Copy Editor: Tara Trenary Contributing Writers: Hank Booth Lauren Cunningham Rebeka Luttinger

Contributing Photographers: Patrick Connor INQUIRIES & ADVERTISING INFORMATION CONTACT:

info@LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com www.LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com

Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC 3514 Clinton Parkway, Suite A-113 Lawrence, KS 66047 Lawrence Business Magazine, is published quarterly by Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC and is distributed by direct mail to over 3000 businesses in the Lawrence & Douglas County Community. It is also distributed at key retail locations throughout the area and mailed to individual subscribers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reprinted or reproduced without the publisher’s permission. Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Statements and opinions printed in the Lawrence Business Magazine are the those of the author or advertiser and are not necessarily the opinion of Lawrence Business Magazine.

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Whenever we do an issue, we try to look at our topic from various angles and unique perspectives.

Unfortunately we can’t get every business that fits our topic into an issue. That is particularly true with this issue. We just do not have enough room in the printed version of the Lawrence Business Magazine to tell the stories of every business in Lawrence and Douglas Co. that have been handed down from one generation to the next.

With that in mind, we’d like to expand our Generations coverage in the on-line version of the magazine at LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com to include more of our local generational businesses. We would like to invite any business that is a generational business to send in to us their own 300 word story. Detail your business, how it was passed on from generation to generation, what your business is and does, contact info for the business including website, phone number, and address, and a photo or two to go with your story.

Email your story to info@lawrencebusinessmagazine.com.

We look forward to reading your story and publishing it on-line at LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com.

Sincerely, Ann Frame Hertzog & Steven Hertzog Publishers

2017 Q1

Dear Readers,

Contents Features:

22 Non-Profit:

Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence

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Lawrence Business Magazine & CadreLawrence

Foundation Awards

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Small Town Gems

Local Hardware Stores

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Farm in the Family

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Welcome Home

Local Real Estate Builds Families

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Family Power

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Printing, Paper

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All in the Retail Family

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KLWN : Adding FM

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Changing Trends

Keep HVAC, Flooring Companies Busy

Electric, Oil & Hydro

Two of the Oldest Businesses in Town

Departments: 9

Lawrence in Perspective:

Geneology of Buildings

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Business on the Hill

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City of Lawrence

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Lawrence Memorial Hospital

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Professional Spotlight

Jason Edmonds

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Local Scene

75 Newsmakers Mission:

Lawrence Business Magazine: Telling the stories of people and businesses making a postive impact on Lawrence & Douglas County. /lawrencebusinessmagazine

@LawrenceBizMag

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com/SUBSCRIPTIONS

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LAWRENCE & DOUGLAS CO [IN PERSPECTIVE]

Lucy Hobbs Taylor and her office building at 908 Vermont Street currently home to BZAR

The Genealogy of Buildings

by Patricia A. Michaelis, Ph.D., Historical Research & Archival Consulting Photos from the Kansas State Historical Society, kansasmemory.org

Just as individuals can trace their families back multiple generations, so can a historic building’s owners and uses be discovered. Sometimes, specific locations have had multiple buildings on the site. This is true for several downtown locations, given the propensity for fire in frame structures and, of course, the fact that most buildings on Massachusetts Street in Lawrence were destroyed during Quantrill’s raid in 1863. Lawrence has more than 60 structures listed on the National or State Register of Historic Places. Structures can be listed for architectural significance and/or their historical significance. Most of the buildings listed are residential properties or are located on the University of Kansas campus. The Kansas State Historical Society website has a searchable database of National and State Register of Historical Places properties.

Surprisingly, only a few “historical places” are business structures.

The Watkins Bank building, built in 1887, started life as the offices of Jabez Watkins, who operated a land mortgage company on the

second floor and later opened the Watkins National Bank on the first floor. The building later served as the Lawrence City Hall and now is the home of the Douglas County Historical Society. The industrial structure at 546 New Hampshire housed the Consolidated Barb Wire Company and later the Lawrence Paper Company. The stone and brick three-story House Building, another historic structure located at 729-731 Massachusetts St., was built by Josiah Miller in two stages that were completed in 1858 and 1860. The post office was located in the building, briefly, during the territorial period. By 1862, Jacob House operated a men’s clothing store in the south building. Numerous businesses have been located on the site, including House Clothing, a “Dry Goods and Groceries,” a billiards parlor with offices for lawyers and a dentist on the second floor. An extensive renovation by Mr. House’s daughter-in-law removed the third floor.

This article will focus on two of the structures on the National Register with great historical significance for their association with Bleeding Kansas, the Civil War, and women’s history.

The building at 809 Vermont St. served as the home and office of Lucy Hobbs Taylor, the first woman in the United States to

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The Eldridge Hotel 1867

graduate from a dental college as a “Doctor of Dental Surgery.”

Lucy Beamon Hobbs was born in upstate New York on March 14, 1833. After graduation from Franklin Academy, she taught school in Brooklyn, Michigan, for approximately 10 years. While in Brooklyn, she boarded with a physician and began reading medical textbooks in her free time. This lead her to pursue a career in medicine at a time when medical schools of any sort rarely accepted female students. She applied to the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, but as she arrived, the school decided it would not accept female applicants. The founder of the college, Dr. Charles Cleaveland, suggested that Lucy consider a career in dentistry, which he viewed as an easier road to success.

Even this route was challenging. While still in Cincinnati, she was accepted to study part-time by Dr. Jonathan Taft, a physician, surgeon and dentist. He helped her arrange a one-year apprenticeship with Dr. Samuel Wardle. After unsuccessfully applying to attend the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, she opened her own practice in Cincinnati in 1861. Having difficulty acquiring patients, she moved to Iowa in 1861 and practiced for a short time in Bellevue and McGregor. Lucy became the first woman to receive full membership in a professional dental association when she became a member of the Iowa Dental Society in 1865. This was in spite of her lack of formal training. The Society also nominated her as one of their representatives to the American Dentists convention in Chicago. The Iowa Society passed a resolution that Lucy Hobbs should be admitted to the next class of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery or they would withdraw from membership in the convention.

The resolution was successful because, after being examined by the college’s professors, she was placed in the senior class as the only woman of the 19 students. Lucy was 32 years of age and had been practicing dentistry for five years. She had the highest grades in her class, and, after graduation, in February 1866, she set up practice in Chicago, Illinois. There, she met her future husband, James Taylor, and they were married in 1867. After moving to Law-

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rence, Kansas, that same year, they announced the opening of a new office in April, 1871, at 49 (now 809) Vermont St.. It also served as their home until 1881. They moved the dental practice to a commercial building at 8th and Massachusetts streets. James Taylor died in 1886, and Lucy retired in 1887, selling the Vermont Street building and closing the Massachusetts Street office. In 1895, Lucy repurchased the 809 Vermont St. building and practiced there on a part-time basis until her death on Oct. 3, 1910. Not surprisingly, after retirement, she was active in the women’s rights movement in Kansas.

Today, it is difficult to understand all the obstacles Lucy Hobbs Taylor encountered while pursuing the education necessary for her career as a dentist and in practicing dentistry. She was a pioneer and a woman of perseverance.

The structure at 809 Vermont has served as a veterinary hospital and a hair salon. The exterior structure is virtually intact, though renovations have been made to the interior.

Perhaps more than any other business in Lawrence, the Eldridge House is associated with the early history of the community. The site of the current building, 733 Massachusetts St., which was constructed between 1925 and 1928, was the site of three previous structures—the Free State Hotel and two Eldridge House hotels.

The earliest buildings seem to have been called both the Eldridge House and the Free State Hotel.

The Eldridge House (1855-56) was built under the auspices of the New England Emigrant Aid Company by Shalor Eldridge. It was a boarding house as well as a hotel, and the “Rules and Regulations” printed May 10, 1956, included information that rooms were to be locked when residents left and their keys left at the office, anyone staying less than a week had to pay in advance, all gambling was prohibited and the House closed at 11 p.m.

The Eldridge House was destroyed in May 1856 by proslavery forces led by Sam Jones, the sheriff of Douglas County. It was rebuilt and reopened in late 1858. John J. Ingalls, writing to Elias

Ingalls on Jan. 2,1859, included this description in the letter: There are some good residences in the town, some fair business block, and the best hotel west of the Ohio. It is called the “Eldridge House,” after its proprietor, and was opened on Friday Evg. by a New Year’s inauguration ball. It is built of brick with all the appointments of a first class house and cost $75,000.

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Various social events were held at the hotel including the ball mentioned by Ingalls and one to benefit the Lawrence Fire Department held on the anniversary of the destruction of the hotel in 1856.

This incarnation of the Eldridge House was destroyed during Quantrill’s proslavery raid of Lawrence on Aug. 21, 1863.

Much of Lawrence was damaged or destroyed, and 150 people were killed. In September 1863, leading citizens of Lawrence signed a petition stating the following: The Free State Hotel is again in ruins by the hands of Proslavery fiends. We your neighbors and friends appeal to You not to be discouraged but arouse Yourself to action and rebuild the noble structure as near as possible as it was. We will aid you to the utmost of our ability and firmly believe the friends of freedom throughout the land will aid You. We respectfully urge You to visit those friends throughout the States & give them the opportunity of contributing. We know they will aid in the erection of such a monument to Freedom.

A second petition urged the City of Lawrence to provide $10,000 in bonds to assist in the rebuilding of the hotel.

The rebuilt three-story Eldridge House opened in 1866 and remained a fixture in Lawrence until 1925, when it was demolished to be replaced by a new hotel structure. Many in Lawrence were opposed to the destruction of the 1866 structure, but the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce promoted the new hotel with slogans like “Every citizen a stockholder, every citizen a ‘booster’ ” and ‘The modern hotel of any city is the organized host of the community.’ ” The stock prospectus stated that, “Lawrence would no longer be shunned by travelling salesmen.” The new Eldridge Hotel had 150 guest rooms, all of which had toilets and sinks, and about half had baths.

The National Register nomination form described room furnishings.

The typical guest room included a walnut finished steel bed with double deck springs and a spring cushion mattress a night stand with a reading lamp attached to it, and a five-ply walnut dresser designed by [William] Hutson. To make the hotel more desirable to salesmen, there were eight combination sample rooms of the second floor of the northern unit.

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The current Eldridge Hotel building, a five-story, brick, eclectic Second Renaissance Revival structure, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its historical and architectural significance and for its association with William Groh Hutson, a Lawrence native who achieved national prominence in the hotel industry.

Visit www.kshs.org/p/register-database/14638 for more information. p

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BUSINESS on the [ HILL ]

by Lauren Cunningham, Communications Director, KU Business School

Business School’s RedTire Program Preserves Rural Businesses For the last five years, a University of Kansas (KU) School of Business program has been keeping open the doors of rural businesses across Kansas.

The RedTire program, short for Redefine Your Retirement, works to sustain businesses by linking retiring business owners to alumni of Kansas Regents institutions. The program also provides financial projections and valuations for the businesses, helps negotiate a fair transaction for both parties and delivers post-transaction counseling to better ensure business success and job preservation.

RedTire is an initiative of the KU Center for Entrepreneurship, housed within the KU School of Business.

Recognizing the need to address the shuttering of smalland medium-sized businesses because of a lack of successor management, the center launched the program in 2012, though it’s been in the planning stages since 2009.

“Without the RedTire program, regional communities would lose essential services, tax bases and diminish the quality of life, particularly in rural areas,” says Wally Meyer, director of the RedTire program and entrepreneurship programs at the KU School of Business.

Since its launch, RedTire has received national attention, including from Forbes.com, which referred to the program as a model for sustaining small businesses across the U.S. Last October, RedTire received a 2016 Award of Excellence from the University Economic Development (UEDA) during its Annual Summit, in Roanoke, Virginia.

The program earned the honor in the UEDA’s Place category, one of five categories recognized by the Awards of Excellence program. The awards recognize organizations focused on developing economic prosperity in their communities and beyond.

Initiatives were judged on factors of sustainability, replicability, originality and effect of the program or initiative. Leading entries were selected by attendees of the summit after going through a six-month process that included application, peer review and live presentations.

“We were thrilled to be recognized as a nationwide best practice but equally pleased to be able to assist in preserving employment and the quality of life in communities in Kansas and the Midwest,” Meyer says.

The RedTire program currently is assisting 91 busi-

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nesses. Since its inception, it has closed 27 transactions, saving more than 200 jobs in Kansas.

Some of RedTire matches in Kansas communities completed in recent years include: • Funk Pharmacy: Concordia • Yates Center Dental LLC: Yates Center • Duis Meat Processing Inc.: Salina and Concordia Retiring Funk Pharmacy owners Kathy and Doug Funk (left) found successors for their business, Robb and Meredith Rosenbaum (right), through KU’s RedTire program in 2016.

Photo courtesy: Jay Lowell, Concordia Blade-Empire Dr. Matthew Standridge (left) currently owns Yates Center Dental LLC, formerly Epler DDS, which formerly was owned by Dr. Steven Epler (right). Standridge took ownership of the business in 2015 as part of RedTire, an initiative of the KU Center for Entrepreneurship that matches qualified graduates with retiring business owners.

• Atchison Animal Clinic: Atchison • Hoisington Veterinary Hospital: Hoisington • Flint Hills Veterinary Hospital: Junction City • Kansas Publishing Ventures: Hillsboro The program is a free service and is financed by the KU School of Business and grant support from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

To learn more about the program, visit www.redtire.org. p

Public Service - A Family Tradition

By Hank Booth, Contributor

Mike Cobb

David Co

bb

tions like Dad did. I’m sure my buddies who ended up in the family business swore the same thing during their earlier years. Later, doing the news and selling advertising were added to the DJ work.

Interviewing people was something folks said I was really good at doing. You know what, I still do that today, 55 years later at the age of 70.

Family businesses are passed down from generation to generation, and while this can be challenging, Lawrence has a number of locally owned businesses that have stayed under one family roof. Changes occur in technology and delivery systems, and even product lines change dramatically; but there’s still the same folksy hometown feel to those doing business from grandfather to father to son, and perhaps later on to the little ones running around the business waiting for Daddy or Mommy to head home for dinner at the end of the day.

My own longtime business in Douglas County, at KLWN-AM and later KLZR (now KISS-FM), gave me the experience of hands-on work where my Dad went to work everyday. That’s when my duties began as a part-time staff announcer around the age of 10. Actually, dumping the trash and sweeping the floors were probably my first duties. I think I was paid a dime, which I immediately deposited in the pop machine for a bottle of Pepsi. Later, I graduated to disc-jockey duties on my own Top 40 afternoon music show. My pay went up from a buck an hour to $1.25. Pretty big money for an early-’60s teenager. When I was in junior high, I did the other usual part-time jobs, such as lawn-mowing and dish-washing at a restaurant near where we lived, but there wasn’t anything like that radio work … and the die was cast.

I always swore I would never end up in radio and running sta-

My important memories of my Dad involved community service, giving back and, when it came to weather coverage, keeping people safe in severe-weather situations. In Lawrence and other communities, no one personifies the concept of giving back better than men and women working in public safety, police, sheriff’s officers, firefighters and ambulance attendants. Our own public-safety folks in Lawrence through the years have many notable family connections.

A young man by the name of Bill Cox joined the Lawrence Police Department (LPD) right after World War II, achieved the rank of captain and served as acting chief of police in 1957, then four years as chief in the 1960s. It was his grandson, David Cobb, who followed granddad with a 30-year career at the LPD, achieving the rank of captain. David’s son Mike continues the family legacy of service, joining the force in 2006 and now serving as a patrol sergeant.

There are father/daughter traditions of service, as well. H.C. “Mike” Murphree was a police officer in Lawrence in the early 1950s and later an investigator at Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant. His daughter Pam Byrne served on the KU Police Department in the late l970s, and a younger daughter Kim Murphree started serving as a civilian manager at the LPD in 2002 and is still on the job. Pam’s son Michael Byrne joined the Lawrence force in 1998 and serves today as an LPD patrol sergeant. Their family tradition of community service extends to other communities, as well.

A grandson of Mike Murphree, the son of his daughter Jan, Shawn Swisher, has been with the Eudora Police and Tribal Police.

The beat goes on with the family of another Lawrence police officer, Leo Souders Jr., who will retire this year after nearly 30 years

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of service between the LPD and the Lawrence Fire Department. Leo’s daughter Callee Hotzman is a department crime analyst serving since 2012.

There are similar stories of family tradition in the Lawrence Fire Department. Joe Hardy, a captain now, watched his dad, Robert, serve while he was a kid growing up in Lawrence. Duane Biggerstaff fought fires and covered emergencies of all kinds in our community; and his little boy Charlie followed his Dad into service, helping to protect others in a dangerous business. The Knight family father and son also served, with each reaching the rank of captain—and the list goes on.

There’s not room for the Sheriff’s Department, Highway Patrol and so many others to be named. Let’s just say we all owe a great deal to the men and women who have given their careers to community service. Let’s add a special “Thank You” to the families who carry on that tradition. p

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LMH Unveils Destination Health as Guide to Healthy Future

By Janice Early, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, Lawrence Memorial Hospital

During the last several months, a Strategic Planning Task Force made up of representatives from the Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) Board of Trustees, medical staff, management staff and employees has engaged in an intensive strategic planning process known as Destination Health. Recently, the LMH Board of Trustees approved a new strategic plan that maps the hospital’s journey to a healthy future during the next three to seven years.

LMH President and Chief Executive Officer Russ Johnson says, “Destination Health guides who we are, what we stand for and how we deliver care.”

At the core of this new plan are three strategic imperatives that Johnson says are fundamental to the hospital’s success going forward:

• People First: We will make it easy for patients, fami-

lies and consumers to access care when, where and how -sim they want it. nois • Provider Engagement: We will cultivate strongd n a value-based alliances with providers and create an out-- i v standing practice environment that encourages physi-n o i s cian leadership and collaboration.

• Clinical Integration and Excellence: We will address the continuum of health care needs in an excellent, coordinated manner.

The strategic imperatives are the long-term themes that set the direction for the next five to seven years. The Strategic Planning Task Force also developed 12 to 15 milestones representing initiatives to support each imperative. The plan is to accomplish the 39 milestones within one to three years, and each year, the milestones will be revisited, adjusted and added as progress occurs.

The next phase of the planning will include the development of specific tactics, metrics and responsibilities.

Underpinning the strategic plan is a strong foundation of concepts that Johnson shared are key to the success of the plan.

They are: • • • • • •

Cultural Beliefs Workforce Excellence Learning and Innovation Information Excellence Financial Stewardship Community Leadership

Part of the strategic planning process involved revisiting the hospital’s

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statements. The task force and a subcommittee spent many hours discussing and ultimately recommended a simple statement of purpose to encompass “why do we exist” and “to what do we aspire.” The LMH Board approved as the purpose: “A Partner for Lifelong Health.”

Johnson says, “We want our patients, their families and everyone in our local communities to consider us an ally—a knowledgeable and trusted companion to guide and support them through their health-care journeys. Our commitment to patients and the entire community is built on our purpose: Your lifelong health is our priority.”

What does this mean? With lifelong health at the center of LMH goals, we are empowering healthy decisions, promoting healthy lifestyles and providing guidance and support for every health-care journey.

To deliver health services when and where they are needed, we are forming community partnerships and working together for a seamless experience, both inside and outside our facilities.

Through collaborative efforts with one another—as well as our leaders, physicians and community stakeholders—we are creating healthy people, healthy communities and a healthy future for everyone.

Johnson says, “We really do want to continue to grow and be seen in this community as a really great partner. We may not be the end-all solution to everything, but we want to be an engaged partner in this journey for health.

“We’re a health-care organization that also has a hospital.

Providing ‘hospital services’ is still maybe the nucleus of who we are, but we are so much more. As you think about health and prevention, and wellness and post-acute care, and education and access, and behavioral health, we want to have a broader definition of what it means to be engaged in health care.” p

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PROFESSIONAL [ SPOTLIGHT ]

JASON EDMONDS PRINCIPAL EDMONDS DUNCAN REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISORS What is your business’s most important commodity or service?

What have been some of the most important aspects of your success?

What is your business’s most important priority?

My business partner, Don Duncan, also deserves a great deal of credit for the success of our business today.

Don’s attention to detail and entrepreneurial vision for the future of our firm and industry have helped advance us to a level that I would not have achieved alone. Through many years of practice, we have developed a method of approaching challenges from our unique perspectives, which seems to result in better overall decision-making.

Given enough time, we are confident we can arrive at the right answers together.

We provide a wide array of services for our clients, including financial planning, investment management, retirement income management, estate planning and settlement, and all related services. That said, our most valuable commodity may be sound advice based on experience spanning five decades. In a complex and constantly changing industry, though, we still encounter something new just about every week.

Integrity. Our clients honor us with their trust, and we are dedicated to remaining worthy of it. This means complete honesty, confidentiality and prompt, personal service. Additionally, we are obligated to stay on top of any information that will be of benefit to our clients. While no one can consistently predict the future, paying close attention to the details does increase the odds of being prepared for it.

Personally, I have many people to thank for my success, but my father is certainly at the top of that list, as he built the solid foundation that our firm stands on top of today. In addition to being an expert at his profession, he is also a genuinely nice man who keeps his commitments through dedication, hard work and honesty. I can’t imagine a better role model, and I strive to live up to his example every day.

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TRANSFORMING IDEAS INTO COMMERCE

Facilities Guidance Connections

785.832-2110 Learn more at btbcku.com

How many people do you work with, serve, interact with on a daily basis and are responsible to? Or for?

That’s an interesting question to think about. We serve approximately 500 client families, which translates to more than 1000 individuals. These are the people we are responsible to. I would estimate that between personal meetings, email and phone calls, we interact personally with 20 to 30 clients each day on average. We have a dedicated back-office team at our custodian in Texas and our broker dealer in New Jersey, with whom we speak throughout the business day. We contract with an institutional research firm in Chicago that we communicate with weekly. Finally, we hear from a seemingly limitless number of representatives from various investment, research and technology companies that are interested in developing relationships with us.

How do you and your industry make a positive impact on the Lawrence community?

Our objective is to improve our client’s personal economies. So, to the extent they are better off, I would expect that to be good for Lawrence’s economy, too. As a locally owned business, we are also proud of the impact we have by doing business and providing employment opportunities locally. Finally, we contribute volunteer time as well as sponsorship and direct contributions to local organizations.

What do you see as your personal responsibility and the industry’s responsibility to the community?

As a fourth-generation native of Lawrence, I feel a strong sense of gratitude and an obligation to support the community that has been so great to my family. I attempt to honor this commitment by volunteering a significant amount of my time to community organizations and efforts. I am pleased that the financial-services industry as a whole is a consistent source of sponsorship and volunteer energy in Lawrence. Of course, we can always do more.

Why did you become involved or what inspires you? Is there a specific thing, person or incident?

We are in a people business, so when Machaela and I came back to Lawrence after living in San Diego for a few years after college, my Dad encouraged me to look for ways to get involved in the community. I joined the Chamber and then the Envoy Committee, and I remember Gary Toebben telling new members that they would “get out of it what they put into it.” That stuck with me, and I have certainly found it to be true. Along the way, I have met some wonderful people who clearly share that belief, and they have become great friends. I am inspired by people who contribute their time, talent and treasure to making our community a better place for everyone.

I am also inspired by optimism and the people who practice it. I believe that optimism is a habit—a choice we make over and over again, which actually shapes our future. It’s a choice that requires active effort and reinvestment though—just like exercise. Pessimism requires far less effort …

What would you change about doing business (or working with businesses) in Lawrence?

The Lawrence businesses we work with are fantastic. My only wish is that there were more of them. Lawrence is a wonderful community, and I believe we can grow and prosper if we continue to say yes to new opportunities. More local businesses would mean more and better employment opportunities, more professional and volunteer leadership, and a more vibrant economy in general.

What is the biggest challenge you feel your industry faces?

My greatest concern is that people, in general, are just not saving enough money to be able to retire or support themselves in the future. Involuntary plans such as pensions, which allowed current and past generations to retire, are not going to be there for future retirees. Even people with good employer-sponsored retirement plans tend to save only the amount needed to get the employer match. Experience tells us that most young people will need to save 10-plus percent of their income in order to successfully fund retirement. And for every year they wait to start, that percentage grows. We do our best to educate our clients and their children about this issue, and are looking for ways to do more. Our industry needs to take the lead on this issue and educate young people about the importance of saving and investing in their own future. p

NON- [ PROFIT ]

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF LAWRENCE

by Colby Wilson, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence

Year Award, which recognizes high school members for overcoming adversity, being successful academically, giving back to Club and community, and demonstrating character and leadership. In 2014, the Club opened a site at Sunset Hill Elementary, accomplishing a goal of operating a Club in all 14 elementary schools in the Lawrence school district. In 2015, the Club launched the Great Futures campaign to build a new teen center that will serve five times as many middle- and high-school members.

1974

The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence has been serving youth in Lawrence, Kansas, since the first Boys Club opened in 1974. The need for the Club was spotlighted by the civil rights unrest that reached Lawrence in 1970. Incidents involving racial tension included riots at Lawrence High School, the Kansas University Union being set on fire and shootings involving police that resulted in the death of two teenagers, one black and one white.

The violence of this time inspired a young University of Kansas plumber, Bobby Lee, to establish a local Boys Club chapter aimed at providing a safe, positive place for teenagers after school. After several years of recruiting board members and raising funds, the first Boys Club opened at 10th and Massachusetts streets on the third floor of the building that is now Ingredient Restaurant on the bottom floor.

Since that day, the Club has continued to grow and meet the needs of more and more young people in Lawrence. In 1988, the Club changed its name to Boys and Girls Club to officially include girls in membership. In 1999, the Club opened its first on-site elementary program at Cordley Elementary School. In 2012, Trei Dudley won the Boys and Girls Clubs of America National Youth of the

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During the years, the Club has impacted several generations of youth and families. One of those families is the mother/daughter team of Taryn Steward and Amiyah Sanders. Amiyah is currently a sixth-grader at South Middle School who attends the Teen Center, at 1520 Haskell Ave., everyday after school. Amiyah also attended the Club at Schwegler Elementary School daily from kindergarten through fifth grade. Amiyah enjoys coming to the Club for the mentorship she receives from staff members such as Ms. Ruthie and the cooking programs and art activities provided. She also understands the importance of succeeding in school, and she participates in the homework help and tutoring program “Power Hour” everyday. When she doesn’t have homework, Amiyah uses Power Hour to practice her clarinet. When asked why she likes the Club so much, she says, “Because I get hang out with my friends Jada, Kishi and Kira. Mr. Ben helps me with my homework that sometimes my Mom can’t help with. Ms. Ruthie is smart and funny.” Ms. Ruthie says, “Amiyah is a ray of sunshine wherever she goes. Her smile makes others happy, and she is always kind to the other members and the staff.”

Amiyah’s mother, Taryn, a certified medication aid in Eudora, who works until 5:30 p.m. everyday, appreciates the Club for two reasons: the impact the Club had on her when she was young and what the Club does for Amiyah. Taryn is an alumni of the Club.

She attended the Club in the mid-1990s during her elementaryand middle-school years. In 1997, Taryn received the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence Junior Youth of the Year award. She was the president of the Torch Club, a program focused on community service and developing leadership skills. She has fond memories of attending the Club, spending time with her friends, jumping rope and playing pool. Looking back, Taryn understands how important the Club was in helping her stay away from negative influences.

“At the time, we didn’t realize how important it was. For us, it was a place where we could hang out and have fun. Now, I realize how the Club kept us safe. If I hadn’t gone to the Club, I don’t know where I would be today”.

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Taryn is also grateful for the impact the Club in having on Amiyah. As a working single mother, Taryn knows that if weren’t for the Club, Amiyah would be on her own until 6 p.m. everyday after school. Knowing Amiyah is in a safe, positive environment makes it possible for Taryn to work full-time and earn the money needed to make ends meet. She also appreciates the focus Club staff have on academics. This is a positive change that Taryn sees from the time she attended the Club.

“The focus on school was something that wasn’t pushed as much when I went to the Club. If I could go back, I would work harder in school. This is what I tell Amiyah, and I like to see the Club helping her with school.”

Taryn and Amiyah’s story highlights the impact the Club has had on the Lawrence community for more than 40 years. The data also demonstrates the impact the Club is having: ● 64% of elementary students (approximately 3,000 kids) in Lawrence are members of the Boys and Girls Club. ● 56% of Club members achieved more than the expected gain on standardized reading and math tests. ● 25% of Club members improved behavior in the classroom according to teacher surveys. ● Based on test data collected, The Club’s six-week summer academic enrichment program eliminates the learning loss that occurs during summer. ● 83% of Club members are active at least five days per week. ● A University of Michigan study found that for every dollar invested in the Boys and Girls Club, $8 is returned to the local economy in Kansas.

Still, there are thousands of middle- and high-school students such as Amiyah that the Club cannot reach. The current Teen Center is too small and outdated to meet the needs of these teens. The Club has a plan to expand on the partnership with the local school district, building a new facility next to the College and Career Center, which will reach five times as many teens as the Club currently serves. On this site, Boys and Girls Club mentors will provide academic support, career exploration, college preparation and healthy-lifestyle programs. The facility will include a gymnasium, a performing arts space, video and sound production rooms, a culinary and commercial kitchen, design/build workspaces, a computer lab, a games room and lots of multipurpose classrooms and gathering spaces. For the past two years, Club leaders have been working hard to secure the $4,000,000 needed to build the new Teen Center. Lawrence businessman Harry Herington, CEO of NIC Inc., kicked off the campaign with a leadership of $250,000, honoring Don and Beverly Gardner. With just $750,000 left to raise, the campaign is on track to meet the goal and break ground on the new facility this summer.

The mission of the Boys and Girls Club is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. The new Teen Center is the next step in a 45-year history of moving closer to achieving this mission, each success building on the previous one. This next step would not be possible without the unwavering support the Lawrence community has given to the Club since it’s doors opened in 1974. During the years, board members, staff members, individual donors and local businesses have all contributed so much to the ongoing growth and success of the Club and its members. On behalf of Taryn, Amiyah and the thousands of members who have been impacted by these contributions, the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence says thank you! p

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(Top to Bottom) Amiya with mentor Ms. Ruthie Taryn and Amiya at the Boys & Girls Club Amiya in “Power Hours” with Mr. Ben and friends.

photos by Patrick Conner

Hall of Fame Broadcaster, Bob Davis

On March 1, the Lawrence Business Magazine and Cadre Lawrence Foundation Awards with presenting sponsor INTRUST Bank were celebrated at the Six Mile Chop House in Lawrence.

This year marks the fourth year Lawrence Business Magazine and Cadre Lawrence have partnered to honor locally owned or franchised for-profit businesses that have been open for at least three years and have shown growth in jobs (adding at least 20% or a total 20 new jobs) within the year.

The mission of the magazine,” says Ann Frame Hertzog, publisher and editor-in-chief of Lawrence Business Magazine, “is to cover people and businesses making a positive impact on our community, and what better way to show that than to support the Foundation Awards.”

“A key fact is that 80 percent of local job growth is done by existing businesses in a community, not new businesses,” Hertzog says.

“And the Lawrence Business Magazine and Cadre Lawrence want to honor those established companies and celebrate their contributions to our local community.”

“Cadre Lawrence was formed in 2013,” says Zak Bolick, co-founder of Cadre Lawrence, and commercial relationship manager of presenting sponsor INTRUST Bank, “with the mission to support and actively promote economic development in Lawrence and Douglas County. We look for opportunities to support job creation, sales, and property tax generation, and provide balanced and thoughtful feedback to our elected and appointed officials in that regard.”

It’s not only about adding jobs and opportunities within the community; it’s also about making a commitment to stay local by col-

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LaVerne Epp, Executive Chairman, BTBC laborating with other businesses and buying locally. The Footprint Impact Award recognizes a business that has made a significant community impact by making a conscious business decision to work and interact locally—a business that not only focuses on the growth and success of its company but also on giving back to the community. This year, John and Cathy Ross of Laser Logic were recognized for its dedication to the Lawrence community.

“We think it is important to not only think about what a business does but how they do business,” Hertzog says. “Businesses committed to impacting our community and creating a local footprint of mutually beneficial relationships. That strengthens our community.

Our Local businesses, supporting our local businesses—keeping it local.”

The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was the living legend, the renowned voice of the Jayhawks for over 35 years, Bob Davis. A fourteen-time winner of the Kansas Sportscaster of the year award, he was inducted into the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2006 and was named to Dick Vitale’s “Sweet Sixteen” list of best college basketball broadcasters.

“Bob knocked it out of the park,” claimed John Ross, who along with his wife Cathy are owners of Laser Logic and winner of the 2017 Footprint Impact Award. “His sense of humor and stories he told about learning the business of radio when he started at a small radio station in western Kansas, still ring true today - hard work and dedication to learning all aspects of the business. And then, of course, just hearing Bob Davis announce your name is a quite a thrill.”

The keynote speaker for the evening was Laverne Epp, Executive Chairman of the BioScience & Technology Business Center at KU (BTBC). He is currently a Trustee of the Kansas University Center for Research as well as a director of KU Innovation and Collaboration. He serves as an Advisory Board member of the Entrepreneurial Council of the KU School of Business where he is also a lecturer.

“Mr. Epp’s speech resonated with me,” stated Darin Lutz, owner Alpha Roofing, a 2-time Foundation Award Honoree. “He was so on target when he talked about how important it is for a growing business to have employees that you trust. I wouldn’t be here without the great employees I have.”

LaVerne Epp (Keynote Speaker), Doug Gaumer (Presenting Sponsor) and Bob Davis (MC)

“Congratulations to all the 2017 Foundation Award recipients. This year, we recognized the growth of 13 businesses in Lawrence adding jobs in our community,” Bolick said during the ceremony. “In four short years, the Foundation Awards has recognized local businesses and celebrated more than 405 jobs they have added to Douglas County. Their work and dedication are examples of the strength and importance of our small business sector.”

2017 Foundation Award Winners

Alpha Roofing - A Two-Time Winner

It specializes in residential/commercial tear-off and reroofs. Alpha Roofing LLC is a reputable company and has maintained excellent standing with its customers, suppliers and the Better Business Bureau of Northeast Kansas. It is registered with the State of Kansas, licensed in many jurisdictions and is required to maintain licensing status through continuing education each year. Alpha Roofing LLC is insured with both workers compensation and general liability, and has been in business in Douglas County for 12 years.

Customers include but are not limited to homeowners, insurance companies, city municipalities, contractors, historic societies, apartment/management companies and real estate professionals.

It maintains a permanent, fully staffed office to help provide customers with the highest level of customer service.

DEW- Hilary’s Drink Eat Well

In 2005, founder Hilary created her original veggie burger recipe for her restaurant Local Burger, in Lawrence. She wanted it to taste great and be free of all common food allergens and artificial ingredients. She met all of her goals with that recipe, and customers soon named it “The World’s Best Veggie Burger.” Hilary’s considers long-term sustainability in its business practices. It also cares about the health of customers, employees and the ecosystem.

Hilary’s has been in business for seven years and has 42 employees. The products are easy to prepare at home, and the company currently offers more than 20 products, including veggie burgers, veggie bites, veggie sausage and salad dressings.

Last year, the company grew from 42 employees to 52.

Last year, the company grew from five employees to seven.

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Local Business Growth is the Foundation of a Healthy Economy, Congratulations to the 2017 Foundation Award Recipients Alpha Roofing • Essential Goods • Hilary’s Eat Well Laser Logic • Lawrence Sign Up • Love Grub Dog Food M Cubed Technologies • PixNinja LLC • Ramen Bowls Rainbow International Restoration of NE Kansas Summers, Spencer & Company • TherapyWorks • Wonder Fair

LASER LOGIC

Thank you to our sponsors:

For more information: www.LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com

Laser Logic 2017

Laser Logic Inc. is a full-service Xerox sales, service and supplies dealer founded by John and Cathy Ross in February 1991.

It has been serving the Lawrence business community for the past 26 years. Isn’t it GREAT to see a company in business for 26 years and adding jobs?

Laser Logic achieved Platinum Level sales the last two years and Gold Level in 2014 and 2015. Its employees have served the Lawrence/Douglas County community in many various ways during the past quarter-century. John and Cathy are proud to call Lawrence their home. It has been an awesome place to grow their business and raise their kids, where they continue to appreciate their love for Kansas and Kansans.

Last year, the company grew from four employees to six.

Essential Goods LLC

Essential Goods began more than four years ago in downtown Lawrence, sharing space with another retailer in a second-story space off of Massachusetts Street. It carried about 30 local artists’ works, featuring a monthly rotating gallery for Final Fridays.

Shortly after opening, it moved to space below Phoenix Gallery, building its artist base to more than 160 artists’ works, with around 75% of them being local or from Kansas. At the end of 2016, Essential Goods was able to move to a ground-level location along Mass Street, providing its artists with much more visibility and foot traffic, and consequently increased sales of their works.

The business remains active with Final Fridays, and it looks forward to hosting even more events that feature artists’ work in its new, larger space.

Last year, the company grew from three employees to five.

Love Grub Dog Food

Rexroad Foods, the makers of Love Grub Pet Food, is proud to be Lawrence’s locally owned pet food company. Now in its fourth year, the company has grown a presence in more than 50 retailers in the Lawrence, Topeka and Kansas City markets. As the only locally owned pet food company in the area, Love Grub aims to provide consumers a true choice, offering superior products at a good value. When you feed your dog Love Grub, not only does your pet benefit, but you are also supporting a local company that pays local taxes and hires local employees.

The company acknowledges its growth would not be possible without its customers, and company members are thankful for the communities’ continued support.

Last year, the company grew from two employees to three.

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Lawrence Sign Up

Lawrence Sign Up is a graphics, signage and wrap company located in North Lawrence. It has built a reputation by creating and installing various types of advertising signage. As one of only three 3M Certified Installation companies in the state of Kansas, its growth has been in wrap and mural printing, and installation for clients in many different industries.

Its expertise in wrapping has allowed the company to grow employees while increasing revenues every year it has been in business.

Company members are proud to be based in Lawrence and look forward to continuing to grow their product offerings and serve the Lawrence business community. It has been in business since 2010.

Last year, the company grew from five employees to nine.

PixNinja

It is a full-service un-agency specializing in design, web, marketing, branding, advertising, multimedia development, art and fun. It has been in business in Lawrence for three years and, just the other week, had its ribbon-cutting to open new offices in downtown Lawrence in the historic Standard Mutual Life Building (800 Vermont St.).

The company believes in creative and accessible design, budget conscious solutions and holding its employees accountable to its clients. PixNinja prides itself on versatility and accessibility. No titles or job positions exist, as none of its three full-time employees fit into any box or category. They refer to themselves as “sneaky awesome ninjas� who are great at what they love and love what they do.

Last year, the company grew from one employee to three.

M Cubed Technologies

The philosophy at M Cubed Technologies is that if you monitor, maintain and manage your entire network from your server to your workstation, you will prevent costly downtime some companies face and avoid loss of revenue. The majority of all computer errors can be prevented, and M Cubed’s system makes sure of that. It provides preventative IT every minute and hour every day of the year. It believes its M techs will already know of potential problems and will have already fixed them. Monitor, maintain and manage for peace of mind in your network. M Cubed Tech has been in business since 2014.

Last year, the company grew from one employee to four.

17 e 20 d s h t n ar of tio ulato all ion Awnts t a t e gr nda Recipi Con Fou 785.865.0505 laserlogic.com Local Lawrence solutions for over 26 years

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Rainbow International Restoration of NE Kansas A Two-Time Winner

Rainbow International Restoration is a locally owned 24/7/365 emergency-services company that specializes in fire, water, smoke and mold damage mitigation and reconstruction. It helps residential and commercial property owners restore their properties to pre-loss condition as quickly as possible after a devastating event. Rainbow operates in Lawrence, Topeka, Eudora, Baldwin City and the surrounding communities. It has been in business for five years. Rainbow International works closely with individuals and insurance adjusters to ensure that property and contents are restored quickly in an effort to keep claim costs to a minimum. Nick and Raegann Berger, franchise owners, are preparing to construct a new 10,000-square-foot facility to use as their operating headquarters in early 2017.

Last year, the company grew from seven employees to nine.

Ramen Bowls

Ramen Bowls noodle shop was founded 3½ years ago and was inspired by the ramen and saimin of Honolulu’s Chinatown. After living on the island of O’ahu for four years, owners Tim and Shantel Grace decided to bring their newborn child and their noodle concept back home to Kansas, and boy was that a good idea!

Today, their menu is part “Hawaii” and part “Lawrence,” and every year, it evolves further beyond the owners’ original vision.

The future for Ramen Bowls is infinite and includes a rooftop bar, a second shop in Overland Park and a new cold-pressed juice concept in downtown Lawrence called Lucky Berry. Stay tuned for more on that!

Last year, the company grew from 32 employees to 48.

TherapyWorks

The company provides physical therapy, aqua therapy, massage therapy, personal training and a wellness center. The locally owned orthopedic outpatient clinic serves every age and physical therapy need, from infants to hip-replacement cases to women’s health needs. It offers a functionally based, hands-on, individualized rehabilitation program that includes patient education, exercises and pain-relieving modalities as needed without the use of drugs. By fully understanding each client’s individual goals, the company’s goal is for its caring professionals to be able to return each client to vibrant health.

TherapyWorks is committed to its patients and to making Lawrence the best city in America. It has been in business in Douglas County for 24 years.

Last year, the company grew from 36 employees to 46.

Summers, Spencer and Company P.A. A Two-Time Winner

Wonder Fair

In Northeast Kansas, SS&C employs 70 professionals.

The spirit of Wonder Fair lies in the conviction that creativity is essential for the well-being of individuals and their communities. Wonder Fair believes in the power of the handmade, the connecting and transformative properties of art and the importance of shared experience. Its practical commitment to these beliefs is to maintain a gallery, a site for social dialogue and creative exchange. Through the gallery and its rigorous exhibition schedule, as well as a diverse range of special events, the company has formed a hub of interconnectivity, a link between family, friends and like-minded strangers within Lawrence and beyond. Through its shop, it approaches these beliefs with entrepreneurial verve, empowering artists and enriching the community. Founded in 2008.

Last year in Lawrence alone, the company grew from 16 employees to 24.

Last year, the company grew from one employee to seven. p

When you look at SS&C, you will see it is not your typical CPA firm. It goes beyond the expected to help you prosper today while strengthening your plans for tomorrow. It is small enough to offer highly personalized service but also large enough to offer unmatched versatility and expertise.

The company goes beyond tax planning, filling out forms and auditing. Its employees advise clients about their current financial situation and prepare them for a better future, helping them retain more of their earnings along the way.

It continually embraces the latest technologies for the security and convenience of its clients.

Small-Town Gems The days of downtowns and mom-and-pop shops may be numbered, but Lawrence still has a few businesses that have lasted through generations.

by Tara Trenary, photos by Steven Hertzog

In this vibrant college town, small businesses are welcomed with open arms and nurtured. Although less common, family-owned small businesses are held as treasures, especially those that have stood the test of time.

Although small businesses in the United States remain lucrative on the whole, these days, the multigenerational family-owned small business may be waning.

According to a 2016 family business survey by PwC, a service designed to help family firms develop solutions in multiple areas of business, only about half of family businesses surveyed that expected an ownership change in the next five years planned to pass the business on to the next generation, down from 74 percent of companies surveyed just two years ago. Nearly one-third had no succession plan at all, and only 23 percent had a plan in writing that’s been communicated to key stakeholders. (Firms with a longer timeline for ownership change were also down from 79 to 69 percent.)

This drop may be because businesses are becoming increasingly complex, as is the U.S. business landscape overall, or because business owners are increasingly moving toward outside buyers for one reason or another, according to the survey. The good news is that 83 percent of family businesses surveyed don’t plan to change hands within the next five years.

In Lawrence, we are lucky to still have a few generational gems that have been around for quite some time and, hopefully, will be for years to come. But why have these businesses remained successful in such a tough local market?

“The businesses that make it do so because they offer an excellent

product and an exceptional experience that creates return business,” says Sally Monahan Zogry, executive director, Downtown Lawrence. “They also offer a terrific atmosphere that is welcoming and makes you want to come back.”

Among those Lawrence businesses that have been around for a awhile and plan to stick are a few of our local favorite hardware and glass companies, all family-owned and operated by Lawrence residents who feel being involved in the community is an asset to maintaining a strong business.

Linda Cottin, of Cottin’s Hardware and Rental, agrees. Cottin’s, 1832 Massachusetts St., is a local hardware store that has been in operation in Lawrence since 1946. Linda and her husband, Tom, bought the store in 1992 from the Zimmerman family, who owned the multigenerational hardware store since its inception. The Zimmerman’s had been looking for a buyer for years and were about to liquidate the business when the Cottins heard about the opportunity from a friend. Both Linda and Tom’s fathers had owned hardware stores back in Sturgis, Michigan, so this was not a new venture for them. The Zimmermans were ecstatic the business was going to stay within a family, Linda says.

“It was a non-blood-related family type of feeling,” she says. “And the whole town rolled out the red carpet for us.”

Tom lived with the Zimmermans for awhile learning the business, and the two families remained close after the transition.

Cottin’s services Lawrence and its surrounding communities, and stocks a full line of hardware, paint, tools, lawn and garden, housewares, plumbing, electrical and more.

Linda says that customer service is their “No. 1 job,” and they

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Gary, Marty & John of Kennedy Glass like hers. They try to work with all the other businesses in town. “If we don’t have something, we like to know where to send our customers to find what they need, and other businesses send people our way on a regular basis, too.”

think of themselves as a “community hub,” committed to supporting their customers in the same manner their customers support them. “We go way beyond hardware when it comes to helping people,” she says. “There are many other locally owned businesses who feel the same way and consistently contribute to our community. We work hand in hand with them as often as we can.”

The Cottins’ Thursday farmers’ market came about from a need of some customers to sell food and neighbors who wanted to purchase fresh produce. “So we offered them a space to do it in,” Linda says. “And we continue to support the efforts as a service to the community.”

Cottin’s also serves as a drop-off or pick-up point for certain things within Lawrence, shares information and resources with the community, facilitates networking among community members, offers ideas and support, and has even given customers rides home, helped people find jobs and housing, repaired toys for children, sheltered lost pets and opened the store late at night for emergency hardware needs, Linda explains.

She says competition is not an issue with the local stores

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Linda says she and her staff can offer a level of customer service that others can’t because they have been in the business so long and are able to share that knowledge with their employees and customers. “We are also able to gear our inventory specifically to meet the needs of our customers,” she says. “There are a lot of unique products we stock that no one else does, and many of those items are stocked because someone asked us to order it at some point.”

Linda says she and her employees are very in tune with the Lawrence community. “We stock as many locally made products as we can,” she says. “We are conscious of our community and of our environment, and we strive to be as sustainable as possible in everything we do.”

Although Cottin’s may not remain within the Cottin family for generations to come, Linda says the hope is that it will stay with people who are as “close to family as you can get.”

Marty Kennedy, general manager of Kennedy Glass, a Lawrence business for 67 years that was started by his father, Richard, and is now owned by Marty and his brothers, Gary and John, believes his company would not be in business if it weren’t for the Lawrence community.

He says though Lawrence has a large population, it’s still a “small town” when you look at the businesses who continue to support Lawrence.

“It is always the same core of local businesses and individuals who have been here the longest. What a nice group to be associated with,” he says. “We are always willing to step up and do whatever it takes for our customers to get the job done or assist the community in any way we can.”

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Kennedy Glass, 730 New Jersey St., not only services the community with glass services related to automotive, residential, commercial and showers, it also offers 24-hour emergency service as well supporting neighboring local businesses through lawn maintenance and snow removal.

Marty doesn’t see the “big-box” stores or other similar local stores as competition but rather an incentive to work harder. “Several of the bigbox stores send customers to us, and we do the same,” he says. “The big-box stores have always made our family business perform at a competitive edge to meet or exceed our quality of work.

The staff is always up to change and challenges.”

However, Marty does think his business is unique: “I believe our business is set apart from others because of our ability to work as a family unit [and] provide a high quality of customer service to our customers and community by providing good products,” he says.

As far as the business remaining a part of the Kennedy family, Marty says the brothers have no plans for an ownership change of the business in the near future.

Another unique local Lawrence favorite is Ernst and Sons Hardware, Brewing Supply, 826 Massachusetts St. Started by Phillip Ernst and a partner in 1905, now-owner Rod Ernst, Phillip’s grandson, began working for the hardware store at 12 and took over ownership in 1973.

Gregg Anderson, early employee and longtime friend of the local downtown hardware store, believes giving back to the community is essential to the longevity of generational businesses.

Rod has been doing it for years, though in other ways while also providing a quality business to the community. “His employees are almost exclusively college kids who need income,” Anderson says. “I was the first guy he ever hired as a college kid, which led to an eventual career in sales management in the hardware industry.”

Although Ernst brushes it off casually, “Well, they’re usually the ones coming in for work,” Anderson considers him an “unsung hero” who continually supports young college students who need a hand making their way through school.

“Rod is generous by nature,” Anderson says of his friend.

A staple in the community for more than 100 years, Ernst and Sons hasn’t changed a whole lot over the years. Although the town has gotten bigger and things have changed, older merchandise still sells, Rod explains. “We have a lot of repeat customers. A lot of times, I have what they’re looking for.

“I suspect I carry some old stuff they [big-box stores] don’t carry,” he continues. “I’m an old-

fashioned hardware store; box stores just carry stuff that moves. Sometimes I can give them more help than going to a big-box store. Those big stores, that’s a big walk.”

But older items are not the only things Ernst and Sons carries these days. Trying to get Ernst to branch out and expand the business, Anderson convinced him to begin selling beer- and winemaking supplies in 2015. “It’s become a nice part of his business,” Anderson says.

Turns out, Ernst and Sons is currently the only store in town to carry these supplies. “Beer and wine make it a destination store,” Anderson says.

“People drive there specifically for that. It’s kind of a cool market, not an immediate-gratification crowd.”

Rod has also added kitchen supplies and housewares to his repertoire, and he’s widely known as the “last-resort spot” for stuff no one else has because he’s been around for so long. Ernst and Sons has drawers full of old parts, old-school hardware pieces and old door trim and finishes, among many other things.

And Rod is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to getting old hardware no one else can get. “Rod finds stuff other people can’t get,” Anderson says.

“It’s a lot different than it was years ago, demographics have changed,” Rod laments. “We’re fortunate to have a viable downtown, which is unique in the country. There are no hardware stores in downtown anymore.”

And Ernst and Sons is the last one in downtown Lawrence. “It’s a treasure for the city to have something that’s seen so much history,” Anderson says.

Rod says he has no plans to hand over the reins to a younger generation or to retire anytime soon.

“I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I retired,” he laughs.

Indeed, doing business in this country has dramatically changed in the last 100 years. Big-box stores have all but taken over. But Lawrence is still unique, with its quaint downtown atmosphere and small-town charm. So what is it that keeps this town’s small-business climate intact, at least for now?

“Interacting directly with the owner gives a feeling of security that the business is in good hands and that, should any issues arise, they will be addressed to your satisfaction,” Downtown Lawrence’s Zogry explains. “Longevity also means a larger, more loyal customer base and probably less debt for these business owners so that they can weather any downturns in the economy. Starting up a mom-and-pop shop is tougher every year as rent and property taxes increase.” p

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Succession Plan Vital to Keeping

Farm in Family Families must have conversations, make tough decisions to keep businesses on track.

by Anne Brockhoff, new photos by Steven Hertzog

The story of Nunemaker-Ross Inc., like that of many area farms, hews closely to Douglas County’s history. Telling it, Mary Ross folds in bits about Bismarck Grove, the flood of ’51, the 1980s farm crisis and the current agricultural downturn.

Her tale spans five generations, from Mary’s great-grandfather to the niece and nephew whose families are now taking over. Their children will perhaps make a sixth, although Mary knows there are no guarantees.

tional connection than is typical in many industries. Balancing competing interests isn’t just financial, it’s personal.

There’s only one way to create a successful plan: communicate. Discussing a farm’s direction with all potential heirs might be difficult, but it’s essential, says Roberta Wyckoff, the Douglas County Extension Agent for agriculture.

“Eighty-five percent of all succession plans in ag businesses fail for reasons other than estate issues,” she says. “People have different visions of the future.”

That’s why she and the other shareholders in NunemakerRoss—her husband, Pat Ross, and brother and sister-in-law, Kent and Debbie Nunemaker—crafted a succession plan that ensures the farm stays in the family after they retire.

It was through family discussions that the Rosses learned their two daughters loved the farm but didn’t want to farm.

And that the Nunemakers’ kids and spouses—Lowell and Krystale Neitzel, and Lyle and Shelly Nunemaker—did.

“Pat and I aren’t getting any younger. We aren’t going to be able to farm forever,” Mary acknowledges. “So we developed a plan to try to continue the farm.”

With that in mind, Mary and other family members attended workshops and consulted their banker, attorney and friends.

They folded that advice into a 10-year plan to gradually transfer Nunemaker-Ross’s assets to Bismarck Farms Inc., a corporation owned by the Neitzels and younger Nunemakers.

Not that it was easy. Farming and ranching are capital intensive, and each operation has its own mix of land, equipment, livestock and other assets. Debt, contractual obligations, taxes and organizational structure all come into play, as do family dynamics.

Farms and ranches often double as family homes, and it’s not unusual for farm kids to start doing chores before they start kindergarten. That gives everyone involved a deeper emo-

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“It takes so much capital to farm,” Mary says. “A combine might be worth three-quarters of a million dollars, and nobody has that just laying around. You really have to figure it out.”

Their plan will hopefully allow Bismarck Farms to continue a tradition that traces back to when Mary’s great-grandfather

began farming near what is now the Lawrence Municipal Airport more than a century ago. Mary’s grandparents farmed, too, and her parents, Pauline and Gene Nunemaker, followed in their footsteps.

Pauline and Gene bought Bismarck Grove, a fairgrounds famous for hosting temperance meetings in the 1870s that sat near where E. Lyon Street dead-ends at Ninth. They had established a feedyard, but that was all lost when what has been called the costliest flood in Kansas history swept through the Kaw River Valley in July 1951.

“It was devastating, both financially and emotionally, but they survived it,” Mary says.

The family rebuilt the feedlot and returned to growing row crops. Mary’s grandparents retired, and she and Pat started farming with her parents. Kent and Debbie joined them in 1980, and the couples formed Nunemaker-Ross just as rising interest rates, drought and shrinking grain exports created an agricultural recession that eventually forced thousands of family farms nationwide into foreclosure.

Nunemaker-Ross held on. They diversified their income by planting a u-pick strawberry patch in 1982 but, within a few years, switched to sweet corn. It was a hit, and hundreds of customers still flock to their garden, located on N. 1700 Road, just east of Nunemaker-Ross’s headquarters. The operation is now controlled by Bismarck Farms, which will

also eventually gain control of Nunemaker-Ross’s 6,000 acres of crop ground and pasture (some of which is owned, some rented) and its 800-head cattle feedlot. The recent slump in grain and cattle prices, however, has forced transfer of those assets to slow.

“We had a plan where Bismarck Farms would be farming all the farmland after 10 years,” Mary says. “With the downturn in the economy, that’s not possible.”

Still, the plan remains in place, and Mary says all the families are determined to do what they can to see their farming heritage continue.

“We need to make sure that both Nunemaker-Ross and Bismarck Farms are able to succeed,” she says.

Succeeding at farming is getting harder, though. Prices remain low, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service forecasts a 5.2 percent rise in farm debt in 2017. Farm sector equity (the net measure of assets and debt) and financial liquidity measures such as working capital are also weakening, the agency says.

Land values add to the challenges. Nonirrigated farm ground sells for an average of $6,640 an acre and pasture for $4,000 an acre in Douglas County, Wyckoff says. That’s significantly higher than in neighboring Jefferson and Franklin counties because of greater demand from both farmers and urban development.

“There’s huge competition for land in our county,” she says. “There’s really no issue with people wanting to come back and get that ground, it’s just a matter of somebody being able to afford it.”

All that makes succession planning critical, but it’s the most important conversation families aren’t having, Dr. Gregg Hadley, assistant director with Kansas State (KSU) Research and Extension said in January during the first in a series of succession planning workshops co-hosted by KSU and Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services. “(Succession planning) is about transferring assets to the next generation, but it’s also about transferring management,” Hadley says. “I like to call this training the next farm CEO.” But that’s easier said than done after a lifetime as the sole decision maker, says Larry Schaake, of Schaake Farms Inc. “I’ve always done it myself and didn’t have to think about it,” Larry says. “That’s the hardest part.”

Larry’s grandfather began farming along the Kansas River east of Lawrence in the 1880s, and his parents followed the same path. When Larry was about 10, his folks moved to a farm on E. 1500 Road; when he was 17, his father died, and he took over.

Larry and his wife, Janet, raised four children on the farm and expanded it from what he calls “not a lot of ground” to 1,000 owned and rented acres of corn and soybeans, 300 acres of pasture and 60 Simmental-Angus cows.

Most Lawrence residents don’t know anything about that, though. What they do know is that the Schaake family also grows 30 acres of pumpkins.

What began as a 4-H horticulture project in 1975 is today a u-pick operation complete with a hay ride, games and activities. Many longtime visitors even bring their own children and grandchildren out to what’s become one of the region’s biggest autumnal attractions.

“It’s nothing to have 2,000 or 3,000 people here on a weekend,” Janet says.

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Although the pumpkin patch is open only in October, it is a year-round enterprise. Janet orders seed for the 100 different varieties of pumpkins they plant, as well as ornamental gourds and Indian corn, in January. Planting begins in mid-June, followed by managing all the things that can go wrong, from too much or too little rain, to diseases like powdery mildew and pests.

And then there are the weeds. Once the plants are established, Larry and Janet, their children and all 10 grandchildren begin hoeing them. Three of the families are nearby— Sheila and Dan Lynch, Shari Schaake and Sharla and Rusty Dressler all live within a mile or two of the farm. Scott and Kandi Schaake drive over from Westmoreland, Kansas.

Theirs is more than sweat equity. The family formed Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch LC about five years ago, giving Larry and Janet each a 10 percent stake in the corporation and 20 percent to each of their kids. As for the rest of the farm? They’re still figuring that out, Larry says.

They’ve been working with their accountant, and they’ve drawn up a will. Rusty helps on the farm in the spring and fall, and one of their grandsons is also interested in getting into the business after he graduates from KSU this year.

But actually planning for who will take over, when and how is a discussion they still need to have with their children.

“The kids have a hard time sitting down and talking to us about it, because they don’t want to think about it,” Janet says.

Succession planning typically assumes that a farm will stay in the family. What happens when the family doesn’t want it? You make different plans, say John and Karen Pendleton, the sole proprietors of Pendleton’s Country Market, on the southeast side of Lawrence.

“We’re not going out of business or quitting, but (the farm) is always for sale,” Karen explains.

John grew up on the farm, and, after graduating from college and marrying Karen, the couple returned to it. They helped his folks manage a cattle feedlot and 1,000 acres of row crops until the farm crisis, which hit the Pendletons as hard as it did their neighbors.

They persevered and diversified, adding a half-acre of asparagus and then hydroponic tomatoes. By the 1990s, they’d cut down on rented crop ground and closed the feedlot to grow more vegetables, bedding plants, flowers and perennials for their on-farm store and the Lawrence Farmers’ Market. Then, in March 2006, a powerful microburst leveled two silos and damaged or destroyed almost every building, vehicle and piece of equipment they owned. They considered quitting all together, but when some 300 people arrived to help clean up, they knew they couldn’t.

“The community would not let us quit,” John says.

“That is something we take seriously and that we really appreciate.”

They rented out the remainder of their crop ground and focused on garden and market ventures. Their farm now includes 20 acres of u-pick asparagus and another 20 of vegetables and flowers for their own store, their farmers’ market stall, 160 CSA (community-supported agriculture) customers, a handful of restaurants and Karen’s wedding florals business. When their customers hear that none of the Pendletons’ three children plan to take over, “people are surprised we aren’t distraught,” John says.

“The fact that our kids aren’t coming back isn’t a problem,” he says.

Instead, the Pendletons are looking for the right buyer, and there’s tremendous freedom in that, John says.

“I am so glad we are not a Century Farm,” he says, referring to a Kansas Farm Bureau program that recognizes farms whose current owner or operator is related to the owner of 100 years earlier. “If my grandfather and greatgrandfather were farmers, the pressure for me continuing the farm would be incredible.”

That’s a freedom shared by Roger and Flory Family Farms. Roger spent time ther’s farm while growing up; when he they knew that’s how they wanted to

Teresa Flory, of on his grandfamarried Teresa, raise their own

family. They began farming on a small scale and then got into hogs in 1988, when one of their three sons decided to show them in 4-H. The boys are all grown, married and have offfarm jobs, but everyone, including the five grandchildren, remains involved.

“What’s really nice about it is that all three of my sons are up here virtually every night,” Roger says. “What one can’t do, the other one picks up the difference. It’s a full-time deal, but we divide it four ways.”

Tim and Jana Flory raise Boer goats for meat, breeding and 4-H projects. Brian and Julie Flory, and Mark and Jessica Flory are partners in the family’s farrow-to-finish hog operation.

They and Roger each own their own hogs, between them raising purebred Yorkshire, Spots, Hampshire and Duroc hogs, plus crossbreds. Their 20 sows farrow twice a year, producing between 150 to 200 pigs they sell as breeding stock, as projects for 4-Hers or to supply meat to customers at the Lawrence, Clinton Parkway and Merriam farmers’ markets.

Revenue from the market pigs goes back into the farm to pay shared expenses.

“If there was anything left over, we’d divide it,” Roger jokes when asked about how they split any profits.

Dividing assets equally is also their plan for the future, although that sounds more complicated than it is, Teresa says.

The couple owns the farm’s 75 acres, its facilities and a handful of equipment, and both work full-time in Lawrence. Each of their sons owns his own livestock, vehicles and other assets.

“Our situation is different” from a family whose entire income is derived from the farm, Teresa says. “We own our own places, our own land. Those things aren’t tied up.”

The goal was never to build and protect a farming legacy.

Rather, it was to share a love of farm life with their families.

“This is all about our family and the kids, and our grandkids being able to experience this lifestyle,” Roger says. “They may not choose to do it or be able to do it, but at least they got to experience it.” p

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Welcome Home

PERSONAL SIDE OF REAL ESTATE MAKES FOR PERFECT FAMILY BUSINESSES

by Bob Luder, photos by Steven Hertzog

It could be argued that real estate is among the most personal of businesses. It’s helping people find and secure the places where they’ll live, maybe for just a year or two, perhaps for the rest of their lives.

The dwellings real estate agents show, buy and sell likely will someday serve as homes where kids grow up and are raised into young, productive adults. They might be where couples begin their married lives. Where older people live out theirs to the end. Where memories are made and stored. Stories created, and love shared.

It’s home. And it’s personal.

All of which makes real estate companies especially well-suited to the family-owned business. Realty agencies handed down through generations not only pass along decades and thousands of homes’ and clients’ worth of expertise, they pass down an attitude. A way of doing business. Of nurturing clients and leading them to the homes of their dreams.

Of getting personal.

Lawrence is fortunate to have three such family-owned real estate companies.

McGrew Real Estate was established in 1951 when Conrad McGrew started McGrew Investment Company at 806 Massachusetts St. That year, three agents produced a total of $100,000 in sales. Today, Conrad’s grandson, Mike, is chairman and chief executive officer of McGrew Real Estate. The company has three offices serving the greater Douglas County area (two in Lawrence, one in Eudora) and is home to nearly 100 agents and support staff.

Charles “Chuck” Hedges founded Hedges Real Estate in 1972 at the corner of Ninth and Vermont streets. Six years later, he built his own building two blocks away at 11th and Vermont streets. Chuck’s son, Bryan, spent much of his youth working odd jobs around the company’s offices. After working there part-time through college,

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Conrad McGrew

he started full-time in 1993 and took over operations six years later when his father grew ill. He’s still going strong in that role today.

When Bob Stephens opened Stephens Real Estate in 1978, he had a simple vision in mind—stay true to the company’s independence and to the community. From those humble beginnings in the old Douglas County Bank building on Kentucky Street with 28 agents and a small support staff nearly 40 years ago, that vision remains. Unlike McGrew and Hedges, a member of the Stephens family no longer owns nor operates the business. But current co-owners Pat McCandless and Chris Earl were mentored and groomed for their current roles

by Bob and his son, Doug. And, they have their own vision— never lose sight of the values that have led to the company’s success.

McGrew Tragically, Conrad McGrew never got to see his creation come to its full fruition. He died suddenly in 1953 at age 48, just two years after opening the company. His widow, Viola, took over and kept the business afloat for the next seven years until their son, John, graduated from college and was ready to assume the duties of president and managing broker.

“It’s always been very humbling to me,” says John McGrew, who would remain in his role for the next 47 years. “Dad was highly respected in Lawrence. His death was tragic and felt like the end of the world to me.

“Taking over the company was an opportunity and obligation to keep this experiment going. It was more than making a living. It was a way of life,” he says.

While in college at the University of Kansas (KU), John got to know the man who would greatly impact his life and business.

“I was lucky to get to know Bob Billings,” he says. “He asked me to find land to build a public golf course.”

That golf course development turned out to be Alvamar, which started as a 400-acre golf course and today encompasses 3,000 acres in West Lawrence.

McGrew Real Estate grew steadily through the latter part of the 20th century and into the 21st. The Bicentennial year of 1976 was especially exciting, as 20 agents produced $10 million in sales, and the company moved into a new building at 15th Street and Kasold Drive, on what then was the western fringe of the city. Ten years later, it constructed the building at 1501 Kasold, where it still resides to this day.

On July 1, 2007, John McGrew stepped down from management of the company, and a third-generation McGrew, son Mike, succeeded him.

“You can’t imagine what a blessing it was that he wanted to get in the real estate business,” says John, who is still an agent with the company. “When he was a young boy, he told me he’d never go into real estate. He thought working 70 hours a week and not being sure whether he was going to be paid … he wasn’t sure he wanted to do that.”

Since buying his dad out about nine years ago, Mike hasn’t looked back.

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“The company’s changed a lot since even dad’s owned it,” he says.

“When I got into it, I felt the fear of messing it up. But, we have a great team. I’ve felt a lot less pressure as the years have gone on.”

The Internet/digital age has unlocked information in ways no one could’ve ever expected, and it’s changed the real estate business drastically. But, Mike McGrew says, “it’s still a relationship game.”

That’s what helped McGrew Real Estate weather the economic downturn in 2008.

“In all the years my dad owned the business, he never saw a reversal in the market,” Mike says. “Then, we bought it and had a few years there where we saw significant reversals.

“As a company, we try to be innovative and stay ahead of the curve,” he says.

Mike also has served as treasurer for the National Association of Realtors, at 1.25 million members, the largest trade association in the world. He also has a son and daughter who have worked in administrative duties for the company.

an says, “so my first job with the company was wiping coffee stains off tables and emptying ash trays.”

A self-motivated IT (information technology) whiz as a young man, Bryan worked with the company’s technology during summers while he was in college at KU, where he majored in business administration while minoring in advertising.

He achieved his insurance license and served an internship with Northwestern Mutual Life, where he learned a lot about that business. But, it wasn’t long before he realized where his future was.

“I found that most people in their early 20s thought they were going to live forever and didn’t need life insurance,” he says. “They were more interested in real estate.”

Could there be a fourth generation of McGrew Real Estate leadership?

Bryan started working full-time with his dad in 1993. Six years later, Chuck was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It was a blessing that the future of the family business was one area he didn’t have to worry about.

“That’s not the plan, but it’s certainly an option,” says Mike, who, when in his office, sits at the desk his grandfather had back in the ’50s. “I certainly wouldn’t be against it, but I’m not pushing it.”

“I felt the responsibility, but I loved it,” Bryan says. “It was a smooth transition. We had some long-time employees who stayed with us.

We upgraded technology. The business has changed a bunch.”

Hedges

Bryan, 47, and wife, Laura, are parents of two children—a 14-yearold daughter and 12-year-old son. But when it comes to predicting the future of his family’s business, he’s as noncommittal as his friend and competitor, Mike McGrew.

After graduating from KU’s School of Law, Chuck Hedges went to work for Moore Bros. Real Estate and bought into his first company in 1964, when he became a partner in Haverty/Hedges/Hatfield Real Estate and Insurance. He peeled off from that company after eight years there and started Hedges Real Estate in 1972.

Around that time, his son, Bryan, was just getting old enough to start helping dad around the office.

“Back then, realtors were heavy coffee drinkers and smoked,” Bry-

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“I’d say it’s too early to tell,” he says of the prospects of one of his offspring taking over the company someday. “I want to give them the opportunity to pursue what they want out of life. I’m not pushing the business right now, but we’ll see.

“It’s probably better to own real estate than run a real estate company. But, if you can do both … .”

Let Hedges help you find a

you love to live in.

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Bob & Doug Stephens

Stephens Before there was Stephens, there was Mitchell-Stephens, a real estate company headquartered in downtown Lawrence. Bob Stephens peeled off from partner Warren Mitchell and founded Stephens Real Estate in 1978. For years, under Bob’s leadership, the business was well thought of, fostering a culture of independence while staying closely connected to the community.

Bob Stephens’ wife, Mary Kay, was active in the agency, and their son, Doug, ran the agency in the latter years of the 20th century and early this century.

Chris Earl moved to the agency in 2000. Pat McCandless followed in ’07. The two purchased the company from the Stephens family on Jan. 1, 2013.

“Doug had the foresight to see something in Chris and me,” McCandless says. “He started to mentor us. He was very instrumental in us buying the agency.

“Bob did not want to sell to just anybody. He had opportunities to sell to franchises. But, he stuck to his independent roots.”

Earl got into real estate in his 20s and likes to tell people he’s never worked a real job. He says he feels a great responsibility to fulfill the values Bob Stephens built.

There are no plans to change the company’s name.

“It’s never been about our name, it’s about Stephens,” he says. “It’s a very powerful brand in Lawrence. We’re totally invested in the history of the company and the culture of the company.”

Culture is king in just about every family business, certainly no more than in real estate, where business between agents and clients can be about as personal as any transaction outside of clan. And, the leaders of these family-owned real estate companies firmly believe it’s good for business in a family-oriented community like Lawrence.

That goes for any business in town, John McGrew says.

“It certainly seems to be a very positive thing from my point of view,” he says. “You look at the Simons family and The World Company (which was owned by the family for 125 years before recently selling to Ogden Newspapers Inc.). They realized early on that what was good for Lawrence was good for his company. They gave back to their community, and we all have done the same in real estate.

“I think it’s just a very special thing,” he says.

p

FAMILY POWER

electric • oil•hydro

by Rebecca Luttinger, new photos by Steven Hertzog

Typically, hand-me-downs are not that exciting to receive.

Granted, there are some things such as a passed-down car that would be hard to say no to, but after all, why would someone want something that already saw its glory days?

Well, for three particular business owners in Lawrence, receiving the passed-down family business was nothing at all like receiving worn out hand-me-downs.

Patchen Electric and Industrial Supply Inc. Patchen Electric and Industrial Supply Inc. has been around since 1948, when Tom Patchen Sr. had a dollar and a dream. Since then, the company has been passed down to Tom Patchen Jr., who works tirelessly alongside his son, David Patchen, to keep the success alive. Working mainly in the industrial supply world, this third-generation business sells and repairs electric motors and pumps. These repairs include everything from simply replacing bearings or seals to completely rewinding motors, if needed.

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For example, Patchen fixes industrial equipment for local farmers, mend heating and air motors for the University of Kansas and repair the generators for Bowersock Hydropower in Lawrence.

Patchen Electric also sells parts from its shop on 9th Street, which they moved into back in 1968.

As they grew up, and especially throughout high school, both David and his dad started putting in hours at Patchen. It was never forced upon them; in fact, both of them really wanted to work for the family business.

“I majored in general studies in college, and I worked at some different places afterwards, but I always kind of knew in the back of my mind that I’d end up at Patchen. It just seemed to be the best fit for me. It’s always exciting since no two days are exactly the same in this business,” David says.

Since Patchen first opened, it has been providing a service to the Lawrence community that no other company offers when it comes to repairing motors and pumps. Because of the unique niche, there are always different types of things that need to be done. And Patchen provides excellent service to its dedicated customers, at least 80% of whom are repeat business.

“We always try to take care of the customer. We deal with a lot of good people: professors, farmers, factory people—all types of folks from the surrounding areas. And we are proud to say that we get along well with everyone.”

Oftentimes, planning for succession in a family business is a difficult challenge. The Family Business Institute is an organization that “assists family-owned businesses in multigenerational planning.” The Institute highlighted a study on its website that showed the likelihood of family-owned businesses getting passed down per generation. The results of the study show that about 30% of family businesses survive into the second generation, 12% make it to the third generation and only about 3% get passed down through four generations or beyond.

Clarice Patchen, wife of Tom Patchen Jr., shares her pride for having a business that has made it to a third generation. But, when talk about the future of Patchen comes up, both Tom Jr. and Clarice agree they hope to continue passing it down, but say, “who knows if the grandkids will be interested, plus, we don’t want to force anything.”

On an individual level, the couple has their health to worry about as they get older; but their son David notes his parents are “much needed” to keep the business going the way it is. Clarice agrees with her son, saying: “Tom is a workaholic and will be taken out of here on a gurney.”

Zarco Stan Zaremba started the original Zaremba Oil Company back in 1968. Today, Scott Zaremba, Stans’s son, is in charge of the family-owned company. Although Stan is still involved with the business, he likes more of the physical things, such as landscaping.

The Zaremba Oil Company got the name Zarco by taking the “ZAR” from Zaremba, the “O” from Oil and the “CO” from Company. Zaroco Inc. was the wholesale company that sold to power plants, but the name was shortened to Zarco when it started a retail side of the business in 1986.

Scott, a second-generation business owner, was able to look at the company’s growth and understand that the financial success came from the convenient store part of the station, not from the gas itself. Without recognizing this, Zarco could’ve failed, and there wouldn’t be the business that stands today. When Scott took over his father’s role, he put some serious thought and planning into the future of the company.

“It is looking at the vision and being able to determine what the next version of business is going to look like. As we evolve, it’s always the same business, we are just evolving to match the consumer need,” Scott says.

Over the last 40 years, business has grown drastically, Scott explains. Besides changing from full-service gas stations to self-service gas stations, Scott recently launched the next big gas station trend, SIRIS. This touch-screen display, located right on the fuel dispenser, is used to order products from both inside the gas station and from places in the surrounding area.

Currently, there are three Zarco gas stations in operation, but soon, there will only be two as Scott focuses on changing the scope of the business.

However, through all of these changes, one thing has remained the same: putting the needs of the customers comes first.

“Our customers are the best because they are local and loyal. You can’t do any better,” Scott says.

Scott remembers being inside the business “as soon as we could walk,” he says.

It is obviously important for the next generation to get involved as early as possible so they have time to learn the ropes. On the other hand, by getting involved so early, it gives the next generation a chance to determine if they even want to run the business full-time once they’re older.

Scott attended Kansas State University and discovered what the outside world was like. Since he had always worked for his parents, it was eye-opening to see how the rest of the world operated.

Although he encourages anyone to do that, he ultimately decided to work for his dad.

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Since starting after college, Scott has realized that “being the second-generation in a family business requires a great deal of patience and compromise.”

is the pressure I put on myself to make sure my parents are proud of what I do. In this aspect, I can relate to how my children feel,” he says.

In 2012, Zarco became the first gas station to sell E15 fuel. E15 fuel is 15 percent ethanol and is a big deal not only because it is better for the environment, it also gives a second alternative to transportation energy.

Since the company’s focus right now is on the success of both the convenient stores and the SIRIS touch-screen display, the future is in Lawrence. Scott’s children both have interest in working for the company, but they have to see where life takes them. In the meantime, since a lot of big-name competitors have come to town, Zarco will concentrate on retaining its success while thinking about the next move.

Like Scott says, “You can’t be a strong country unless you have strong energy.”

Among other firsts, Zarco was one of the first gas stations to have card readers in the Midwest, and it operated the first fuel bank of Kansas. Originally, customers would line up at the central card reader, located in the middle of the property, to swipe their card.

Now, each pump has its own card reader. The fuel bank gave the consumer the option to buy between 100 to 10,000 gallons of gas.

The gas would be credited on your card, and it could be used when needed.

Scott is very happy with the company’s growth, as well as with the community in which his company thrives.

“Lawrence is the best place to have a business because it is a tight-knit community but also a community with boundless energy that encompasses all walks of life, which enables us to have a unique perspective,” Scott says proudly.

The succession of Zarco was something Stan Zaremba had to worry about, and now Scott is having similar thoughts as he thinks about his children.

Scott knows the best part about a family business is there is always someone to rely on for the truth, but he also knows that when working with relatives, the bar is set so much higher, which is burdening.

“Sometimes you just have to be realistic. I always make sure my expectations for my kids are realistic. The biggest pressure I have

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Bowersock Hydropower Bowersock Hydropower produces clean, renewable energy for Kansans. Its dam, located near South Powerhouse Road in the Kansas River, borrows the weight of the water to create clean electricity. And, it is the only operating hydroelectric plant in Kansas.

As a unique company, it is not surprising it has quite the history, as well. Stephen Hill, CEO of Bowersock up until 2013, had a smart great-grandfather, James Gower. Gower recognized the Kansas River had very rich soil and was a promising agricultural area, so he bought the land. Not only did he have his family’s future in mind when he purchased this land, he also had an emotional connection to the land since his family used to own it. From its inception in 1874, Bowersock was involved in many things before it found its utmost success in the waterpower industry.

Sarah Hill-Nelson, CEO of Bowersock Hydropower, has a lot of pride in her family business. Hill-Nelson is just one of three women in the U.S. who is a chief executive officer of a hydropower company.

Although not in charge anymore, former CEO Stephen Hill has stayed very involved in the company and loves working with his daughter Sarah. The two of them spend hours bouncing different ideas around, which creates healthy competition and shows just how collaborative they can be.

“We’ve only ever had one conflict,” Sarah says, “and we decided to test both options out and let the best one win. That just shows me how lucky I am to have such healthy competition.”

In 2010, Bowersock expanded its operations across the river, and the new building went into operation in 2012, right before Sarah took over. She immediately had a lot of work to do.

“Although the changes in the business have really been about improvement, we’ve had some pretty dramatic changes,” Sarah says.

Along with their success, Nelson-Hill and her dad are thankful to the Lawrence community: “The people are so supportive of us.”

“They will always do what they say they are going to do,” says David Corliss the former Lawrence city manager.

JEWELRY, GIFTS, ACCESSORIES FOR HOME, OFFICE AND WARDROBE.

To give back to the Lawrence community, Bowersock spends a lot of time educating students and adults about the river and waterpower. And during the recession, when the new building opened, the company provided about a hundred jobs to locals in construction and engineering. By teaching others, they spread knowledge about creating and utilizing clean electricity.

Right now, Kansas City Board of Public Utilities is Bowersock’s only customer, and it is a relationship that keep evolving.. Being fair and having integrity are values Bowersock stands for and upholds. This has worked out well, as Kansas City Board of Public Utilities has stood by them and pushed them to improve.

“Kansas City Board of Public Utilities has been a great business partner. We could not ask for a better partner to sell our power to,” Sarah says.

The future looks bright for Bowersock, and that future will definitely be in Lawrence—particularly because a dam doesn’t move very far.

With tears in her eyes, Sarah gratefully says, “What a gift it is to work for my dad. Not very many people get an opportunity to work for their parents in this way, and it is so special.” p

Antiques & Collectables Upstairs at 928.

928 Massachusetts Lawrence, Kansas 66044 785-843-0611

www.theetcshop.com 53

Printing, Paper Two of the Oldest Businesses in Town

Inside Lawrence Paper Company

Lawrence Paper Company

by Emily Mulligan, photos by Steven Hertzog

Lawrence Paper Company and Allen Press are two longstanding multigenerational companies that rarely get their due locally. As industrial companies, they are not as visible as businesses in Downtown Lawrence, yet they both have a national scope—and, of course, they provide a livelihood for hundreds of Lawrence families.

One of the oldest companies in Lawrence, incorporated in 1882, Lawrence Paper Company was the first paper mill west of the Mississippi River. Built along the Kansas River, where it was a fixture for more than 85 years, in 1971, it moved to its current location north of I-70 just west of Iowa Street. Now run by its fourth generation of owners, boxes and packing materials have always been the core of the business, and it continues to evolve with changing times and demands.

Allen Press was initially named after Harold Allen, who bought the letter shop business from Seewir Printing in 1935, where he had previously worked as an apprentice. Located below what is now Merchants Pub and Plate restaurant, at 8th and Massachusetts streets, the business moved to a much larger facility at 11th and Mass. in 1946, where it operated for 40 years until moving to a former bean-canning facility in East Lawrence, near what is now the Warehouse Arts District. Now a nationwide publisher of academic journals and books, Harold’s son, Rand Allen, is Allen Press’s president.

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Justin DeWitt (J.D.) Bowersock was a true entrepreneur. The mill’s first business was producing straw paper for wrapping whiskey bottles and for egg-case fillers. When Bowersock was elected to the United States Congress in 1898—for the first of what would be four terms—he turned over management of the business to his son-in-law, Irving Hill.

Hill had the mill begin producing corrugated boxes, called Jayhawk boxes, which he sold to large companies such as Ball Brothers Co., of Indiana, makers of the famous mason jars used in food canning. He also helped start a revolution in the food-canning industry by building a box sealer that made cardboard box production more efficient—and he shared the patent so that food-canning facilities could create production lines.

The company survived the Great Depression by inventing Freezurboard, which was a moisture-resistant cardboard used for shipping meat and even baby chicks. During World War II, the company sold boxes to the armed forces.

In 1957, Irving’s son, Justin Hill Sr., became the company’s president and continued to provide food industries with packaging. His third-oldest son, Alan, joined the family business in the late 1960s and began plans to relocate and expand the production facilities for the company, which, by this time, was less about paper and more about corrugated packaging. In 1971, the box manufacturing plant moved to its current location, while the mill continued to produce paper until it closed down in 1975.

Alan Hill assumed the helm in 1978 after bringing his younger brother, Justin Hill Jr., onboard a few years earlier, planning to capitalize on Justin’s financial and computer expertise.

When Alan died suddenly in 2004, Justin became president of the company, which was ever expanding its reach in the global economy. Justin has led the company in investing $20 million into manufacturing equipment, making it a state-of-the-art production facility.

Justin’s impact on the business dates back to long before he became president, however. He received his MBA from Stanford in 1972 and was poised to launch a banking career at First National Bank in Topeka, which his family owned. Various circumstances led him to come back to Lawrence Paper Company, which he says he did enthusiastically.

He advised Alan, then CEO, on financial aspects of the business while he sought to implement more computer automation, something he had studied as part of his degree.

“It was almost a put off at business school if you someday might be working for a family business,” Justin says. “Who was going to be able to afford computers? But fortunately, the cost curve came down, and I was able to do all kinds of things. My big deal was to bring everything online [on an internal computer network] so that people had computer terminals and could enter the data themselves.”

Lawrence Paper Company continues to produce cardboard boxes, but it has adapted its capabilities to the constantly changing needs of its customers. Now, the company produces custom-printed boxes that display its customers’ logo and marketing information. The company has also carved a niche in producing, designing and printing boxes that both ship and display products, such as in retail stores, where they can be opened and easily folded into a stand-up display.

“Being a family business is a two-edged sword. A family-owned business typically has more continuity and culture the way they do things. But most family businesses don’t usually make it past the second generation and rarely past the third. You are only as good as your current management,” Justin says.

Economic challenges have affected the business, but thanks to conservative management and reinvestment, Justin says Lawrence Paper Company has weathered them.

“In the late 1990s and at the turn of 2000, we probably lost 40 percent of our business, because it all went overseas, and our customers closed their plants. That’s why we went from 325 employees to 200 employees. The economy wasn’t bad, but that was gut-wrenching,” he says.

Because the company was more streamlined and efficient, the housing market crash and recession in 2008 did not have as big of an impact on the company as it could have. Even with the reduction in workforce, Lawrence Paper Company still boasts many second- and third-generation employees from families.

“The people who work here, their jobs are more secure than they were 20 years ago, because they become more important the fewer people you get,” Justin says. “The best thing you can do for the employees is create a profitable, thriving business.”

As to whether the company will move on to another generation of the Hill family one day, Justin says, “I don’t have a crystal ball.”

“The same thing we were doing then, we are doing today, which is making a lightweight box to be delivered for distribution. The difference is that there is a higher value on promoting the brand on the box today, a lot more visual on the box to help sell the product.

But other than selling on the box, what we do hasn’t changed a lot,” Justin explains.

Two of his three daughters live out of state, and his local daughter is well established in her career—although his son-in-law works for the company. He doesn’t know if his daughters will someday be involved.

Justin and Alan’s two oldest brothers, Steven and David, pursued their own careers as a stockbroker and lawyer, respectively, and were never involved with Lawrence Paper Company.

The company is viable and prepared for the future, Justin says: “We have one of the state-of-the-art plants literally in the world.

That has allowed us to be extremely competitive.”

“They need to do what they want to do. If they want to come work here, they’re welcome to, but that’s not been their choice,” he says.

Allen Press Harold Allen bought Allen Press 82 years ago as a letter shop that specialized in printing such things as stationary and invoices.

He saw the opportunity to grow the business as the economy improved after the war, expanding his operations to print things like sun visors for the University of Kansas (KU) Athletic Department, and even publishing the company’s first book, a collection of sports stories written by basketball coach Phog Allen (no relation).

Allen Press’s relationship with KU extended to the academic side, as well, when a professor at KU asked Harold to bid on printing a scientific journal called The Wilson Bulletin in 1952. That relationship began what would become a significant connection for Allen Press with the academic publication community, not just at KU but nationwide and internationally.

After half of the company’s business grew to come from academic publishing in the 1960s, Harold’s son Arly became involved in the business. Soon, the building at 11th and Mass. could no longer contain the storage and press equipment required to service its customers. Harold and Arly oversaw the conversion of a former bean-canning factory in East Lawrence into a modern printing and publishing facility. Computer programmers continued to develop networks and press technology unique to Allen Press that gave the company capabilities unlike other academic printers and publishers.

Harold passed away in 1987, and Arly became president. In 1994, Arly’s brother and Harold’s son, Rand Allen, became president.

“While not seeking a leadership position, circumstances occurred that led to changes, including my involvement. I was living overseas at the time but moved back to ensure that my father’s legacy survived and prospered,” Rand says.

Although he had been away for some time, Allen Press had been a part of Rand’s upbringing and life for as long as he could remember.

“As an 8- or 9-year-old, I had to earn spending money for the movies and the like by mopping floors and sopping up oil from presses on Saturdays,” Rand says. “I started learning skills in the bindery in my late teens.”

A great deal has changed in the world of printing since the mid-90s when Rand took the helm, so his tenure has marked change for Allen Press, as well.

In his time, the company transitioned to four-color printing capabilities, increased production volume, created an online publishing platform and other software that allow both for internal job tracking and networking among and with academic associations.

“He is a low-key guy who lives frugally. He has made so many sacrifices for the company—you just don’t see that level of dedication to a company anymore. I look at Rand like a father, he’s that special,” CEO Randy Radosevich says.

Radosevich has overseen a large capital outlay in the past year to replace aging and outdated equipment, as well as training the company’s 200 employees to the new technologies. Allen Press weathered the mid-2000s recession because of low debt and a dedicated customer base, particularly in the company’s academic

publishing and networking groups. But Rand and his staff avoid complacency.

“Content moving from print to digital remains a continuing challenge. Newspapers are an obvious example of print having to adapt through service offerings rather than selling ink on paper.

Allen Press offers a variety of other services such as editing, composition, publishing and association management that complement our manufacturing,” Rand explains.

Rand has overseen non-family CEOs during his tenure as president, but it still operates like a family company.

“Allen Press has never lost the founder’s mentality,” Radosevich says. “Being a family-owned business helps us care for our employees and customers. It also allows us to be quicker and respond to change faster.”

Will there be future generations of the Allen family at the helm of Allen Press?

“As Yogi Berra said, ‘The future is hard to predict—but it ain’t what it used to be.’ My desire would be that family would continue to respect the contributions of those that came before and maintain family ownership participation. In order to thrive, experienced and professional resources outside of family will also be necessary to keep up with the many changes in our industries,” Rand says. p

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Downtown Lawrence: 10 E. 9th Street Inside & Drive-thru Service: 1800 E. 23rd & 2351 W. 31st Street All Locations - Open 7 days per Week

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All in the

RetailFamily Tough Retail Market Makes Longevity Hard to Achieve.

by Julie Dunlap, photos by Steven Hertzog

Familiar faces have lined the streets of downtown Lawrence for generations, though few—if any—with quite the lineage of longtime downtown flagship Weaver’s Department Store.

The story of Weaver’s begins in 1857, when founder Lathrop Bullene first opened his dry goods store at 723 Massachusetts St. Bullene kept the store in the family, selling it to his daughter, Gertrude, and her husband, A.D. Weaver, who changed the store’s name to reflect the new owner but kept the Bullene family tradition alive, eventually selling the department store to their son, Art Weaver.

Art made a fortuitous hire in 1950 when he brought Larry Flannery on as a general manager.

In 1962, after three generations of Bullene-Weaver family ownership, Larry purchased Weavers, now located at 901 Massachusetts St., setting up his own family for three generations of ownership, as well.

Larry’s son, Joe, grew up working in the family business, joining Weaver’s full-time fresh out of college in 1972 with the intent to “try it out for a couple of years,” he laughs nearly 45 years later.

The last living link to the Bullene-Weaver legacy, Joe shared his first office with the late Art Weaver after Larry bought the department store.

“I learned so much from Art,” he says with deeply rooted respect of his predecessor.

Joe and his two brothers all worked at Weaver’s throughout high school and college, learning every facet of the business, from the physical upkeep of the store to following fashion and shopping trends to building relationships with customers and employees.

While Joe’s brothers ended up taking those life lessons on to different career paths, Joe has passed these same traditions and lessons on to his own children since taking over as president of Weaver’s Inc. Top to Bottom: Lathrop Bullene, A.D. Weaver, A. B. Weaver, Larry Flannery

Brady Flannery and his sister, Christina, followed in their father, Joe’s, footsteps, working at Weaver’s through high school and college in every possible position, learning the business inside and out in the same hands-on way their dad did. Christina has taken her training to Macy’s in New York as a plan-

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ner for the retailer, but Brady now works in the same office his dad once shared with Art Weaver.

“I learned from my dad how to make it work,” Joe shares of the family’s legacy. “It worked well with him, and it works great with Brady.”

Brady rejoined the company in 2012 after working in Seattle right out of college. “There was an attraction to move back to Lawrence,” he says of seizing the opportunity to work with his father at a thriving business and to be close to family again. “Lawrence is a strong community, and I was excited about the future of Weaver’s.”

Shifting into the role of mentoring father from apprentice son came relatively easily for Joe. “I learned early the father-son relationship is different than employer-manager,” he says, adding, “it’s OK to talk work outside of work, just don’t work outside of work.”

Brady has appreciated the opportunity to learn the business from a mentor he calls “Dad” and cites strong communication as vital to their successful duo.

“Communication is key, having shared values, knowing where you are and where you’re going,” he shares of the dynamic. “We can bounce ideas off of each other, which has always been very easy to do and is beneficial to the store, bringing different approaches.”

One approach has remained steady in the family, however. “We share a 100% commitment to the customer,” Brady beams.

The Flannerys aren’t the only set of multiple generations working at Weaver’s. Joe and Brady both take pride in staffing many employees over the years from the same family trees, adding to the familial fellowship that makes Weaver’s feel like home to many.

And with the newest Flannery, Brady’s 18-month-old daughter Margaret Flannery, now in the wait, the Flannery family may have yet another generation to lead the team at Weaver’s down the road.

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Like Brady, Ken Campbell, owner of Winfield House, down the street at 647 Massachusetts, is the third generation in his downtown retail-owning family, as well. His grandparents, Ralph and Ruth Campbell, and his parents, Win and Linda Campbell, founded Campbell’s Clothing Store in 1964. Win and Linda went on to open Winfield House in 1995, closing Campbell’s five years later.

Ken grew up in the retail business working for his parents and grandparents at the clothing store, and observing the family patriarch’s keen business sense along the way.

“I heard stories about my grandfather in his heyday,” Ken recalls.

“It was fun to watch him work.”

Ken says Ralph had a special knack for keeping the supply rotating, a trade secret he passed on to his grandson. “Even when he only worked at the store a couple of days a week, he knew the inventory well. His goal was to always move the oldest thing first to keep the inventory fresh,” Ken explains.

Win instilled the value of being conservative with inventory purchases, advice Ken still draws upon today.

“Going to market is one of the most challenging things to do as a family,” Ken says with a grin. “After our first big argument, we learned that when one person says ‘no,’ move on.”

After spending his younger years working in the family business, Ken branched out on his own for a bit before buying Winfield House from his parents in 2008. But his parents aren’t too far away.

“They work part-time for me now,” he smiles, “and I’m so glad they still want to. They still have a big part in what goes on here.”

Linda wouldn’t have it any other way. “It is a blessing to have somebody want the business,” she says with a smile, “to see your joy become their joy.”

The joy continues now through the fourth generation, as Ken’s daughter, Samantha Campbell, is well on her way to being able to take over the company. A true family affair, Ken’s wife, Robin, was

also instrumental in the store, working in home consultation before her death one year ago.

“It’s fun,” Ken says of his family business. “We’re really fortunate to all get along.” Echoing his mother, Ken adds, “It’s a joy.”

After 32 years of retail ownership, Mark Swanson, proprietor of Hobbs (700 Massachusetts) and Spectator’s (710 Massachusetts), is happy to say the same thing.

“We’re fortunate to get along as well as we do,” Mark states. Mark and his wife, Kathleen Swanson, opened Spectator’s in 1982 with the hope of capitalizing on the specialty retail boom happening downtown at the time, unaware of the path they had just set for themselves, their young daughter, Shauna, and her sister, Alex, who would arrive nearly a decade later.

“I never thought I’d be doing this for 35 years,” Mark laughs, emphasizing their initial goal of simply making a living. “Kathleen and I had the passion for it, and it naturally evolved for the kids to work here, too.”

The Swansons’ gamble on specialty retail paid off due, in large part, to their attention to an underexposed niche for East Coast labels, particularly Jones New York.

Stocking the racks with the right style wasn’t their only key to success, however, as Mark and Kathleen realized early on that connecting with customers on a personal level was vital to longevity in the business.

“We’ve never been a company that expected a customer to walk in the door,” Mark says with both recollection and immediacy. “We realize we owe our customers everything, and I’ve imposed that upon Shauna since she was in the womb.”

While most of their peers were performing household chores at home, Shauna and Alex grew up in the retail industry doing “store chores.” From the time they could each walk and talk, the two sisters have learned to talk with customers, display merchandise

and keep the stores clean and organized. They have traveled to market with their parents for as long as they could remember, even taking on purchasing responsibilities as teenagers.

The dynamic wasn’t always easy, though, and some lessons were learned the hard way.

“My dad is the only person to fire me!” Shauna exclaims. All of 13 years old, Shauna had to work her way back into paid chores at the store, something she eagerly and successfully managed to do.

The memory was never far from either of their minds, though, as Shauna recalls one evening as an adult when her dad, recognizing she was tired from the holiday setup and needed a break, told her to go home and rest. “I didn’t want to leave, but my dad told me, ‘I fired your (rear end) once, I’ll do it again!’ ” she laughs.

Mark only beams with pride, however, when he reviews her work now, stating, “Shauna is the best I have ever seen, and I am so proud of her.”

Shauna spends her days floating between Spectator’s and Hobbs, a specialty clothing and novelty store the Swansons opened in 1997, starting and ending her day at Hobbs, where Mark offices.

Alex spends most of her time with Kathleen at Spectator’s, though the two put in time at both locations, as well. The family of four looks forward to all of their days together, but Christmas Eve has a special place in their hearts.

“Christmas Eve, it’s just me and my dad at Hobbs and Alex and my mom at Spectator’s,” Shauna says with a smile. “It’s a moment to be had, for sure.”

Kathleen smiles describing the family’s Christmas Eve. The Swansons hit their sales floors to help customers with their last-minute shopping, greeting many who have made shopping downtown on Christmas Eve their own family tradition. After closing the stores, the family of four makes its way home for a night of dinner, giftwrapping and much laughing.

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“It is the greatest joy and benefit to have them around me all the time,” Kathleen says, emphasizing, “I am honored to work with them.”

Down the street, mother-daughter duo Carolyn Richmond and Ellie Ruby run one of Lawrence’s relatively newer multigenerational shops, Fortuity (809 Massachusetts).

Richmond opened Fortuity with her daughter in 2011 after visiting Lawrence from Kansas City for her daughter’s sorority moms’ weekend. Richmond, the daughter of a long line of boutique retailers in the Kansas City area, saw room in the downtown Lawrence market for a shop mothers and daughters could both enjoy.

“We have one customer who calls it the ‘three generations store’ because mom, grandma and daughter can all find something here,” Richmond laughs.

To ensure an inventory with that kind of wide appeal, Richmond and Ruby share the buying duties.

“I buy for the older crowd, (Ruby) buys for the younger,” Richmond explains.

Ruby, who also maintains a fashion blog at www.EllieRuby.com, has been buying for the store since her sophomore year at the University of Kansas, getting an early lesson on the inner workings of running a retail business while also teaching her mom a few things, including how to incorporate social media into their store.

“I’ve been counting change back to customers since I was little,” Ruby recalls of life in retail family. “I learned early on how to calculate percentages, how to talk to people and how to treat customers.”

Richmond is happy to both learn from her daughter and pass on the lessons learned from growing up in a retail family. “My dad taught me that everybody will take your money, but nobody wants to help you once they have it,” she says. Like her dad, Richmond explains, “We want customers to be happy with their purchases and will help them with an exchange as much as we will their original purchase.”

This customer-oriented practice has helped Richmond carry on the family legacy of service through her own business, which now has stores in Lawrence, Kansas City and Manhattan, as well as online.

“I love working with my daughter,” Richmond smiles. “It has been fun to grow this business with her.”

A testament to the city of Lawrence and to the strength of family ties, the families committed to keeping downtown thriving seem to be on course for generations of shopping to come. p

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KLWN Expanding to

FM!

by Tim Robisch, GM of KLWN & Great Plains Media Stations Lawrence photos by Steven Hertzog

Great Plains Media operates four radio properties in Northeast Kansas. 1320 KLWN AM and its new sister station, 101.7 FM (simulcast), 105.9 KISS FM and 92.9 The Bull.

Our primary mission is to provide locally based content including news, information, sports coverage and entertainment to the Northeast Kansas region, focusing on Douglas County, the City of Lawrence and the surrounding areas, including Topeka, Ottawa, Baldwin and Osage City.

Radio reaches 94% of Americans on a weekly basis, and we spend more time engaged with radio than any other form of media.

The KU School of Business recently conducted a media-usage study showing that our three brands (KLWN, The Bull and KISS) reaches two out of three northeast Kansas residents on a weekly basis. That’s almost 70% of more than 140,000 people. Radio is the best advertising medium to generate frequency, which is critical to motivating customers to action.

Adding KLWN’s programming to the FM dial provided a vital service to the community and us. Not only does it improve the audio quality of the signal, the move exposes the programming to a much broader audience, as many people, particularly those

younger than 40, never or rarely utilized the AM dial. Broadcasting on the FM dial provides a “cleaner” signal subject to much less interference from other radio signals.

This improved reach is so valuable as we commit so much of our content on each of our stations to this area and region. We are the voice of the community. Local personalities, local news, local music and, of course, local sports. That includes extensive coverage of the Jayhawks, including Women’s Basketball, Olympic sports like volleyball, soccer and baseball. And, of course, the two big sports, basketball and football, which get the most attention.

Our commitment is also huge to high school sports, as we air both Lawrence and Free State High School games and, on Thursday evenings, a High School Sports Weekly program.

What is the reason a listener would choose AM over FM radio or vice versa? Ultimately, it is the programming. AM is better suited to the spoken word and often sports play-by-play coverage. So, the programming is focused on news, sports, information and a variety of different positions or topics on which a station chooses to concentrate. For KLWN, it’s the local community, and that means community issues and our sports teams. FM radio tends to be more music oriented and serves a diverse variety of musical tastes.

Other factors include where one lives, his or her commuting pat-

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terns and, in some cases, the type of device on which the person receives his or her radio signal. The beauty of radio is that it is free—no subscriptions necessary and it doesn’t burn up data plans or batteries on mobile devices.

For our advertisers, there are two major benefits: much greater exposure and enhanced coverage. From a marketing perspective, the advantages to being on AM or FM radio is about reaching prospective customers. So, buying AM or FM stations or both should be more about the kind of customer an advertiser wants to attract to his or her business. It’s not about personal preferences but rather the preferences of the customers they want to persuade to patronize their business.

Why is it important for KLWN and its listeners that KLWN be on both FM and AM? Because of greater access to a larger population base and the evolution of technology. A much greater percentage of the population regularly uses the FM ban, in particular, younger listeners; and they now can discover and have access to the programming. From a technological perspective, urban sprawl and interference from other radio signals and the environment have a greater impact on the AM signal.p

(top to bottom, left to right) Stuart Boley, Hank Booth, Tim Robish & John Flood switch on the FM. Stuart Boley, Tim Robish & John Flood Eric Holcomb and Brian Haney Nick Schwartz, Ted Hendricks, Brian Haney

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CHANGING TRENDS Keep HVAC, Flooring Companies on Their Toes

by Emily Mulligan

Scott Temperature and Kring’s Interiors both bear the family names of their founders. And it is only fitting for these home-service businesses, because nothing goes together quite like families and homes.

Scott Temperature is run by Sarahjane Scott, the company’s vice president and third generation. Her grandfather, Emory Scott, founded the company, and her father, Roger, is Scott Temperature’s president.

The 82-year-old business sells and services both residential and commercial HVAC systems. Scott is a Carrier Authorized Dealer and service provider for traditional air conditioners and furnaces, and also specializes in selling, installing and servicing geothermal heat pumps and ductless climate-control systems.

Kring’s Interiors, now at 634 Massachusetts St., is run by Brit Kring. The store began 55 years ago as a mobile floor installation business operated by Brit’s father, Dale Kring, and Lou Parsons. Today, Kring’s still sells and installs all types of flooring, including tile, hardwood and carpet, and also provides interiordesign services for homes and businesses.

Scott Temperature Early Days Emory Scott, an electrician by trade, started what would become Scott Temperature in 1945, when he and a friend began a mobile repair service. At first, he rode the city bus with his tools to make repairs. Then, he brought on a partner who had a truck—whom he eventually bought out, along with the truck. In 1946, the business became a Carrier dealer. Emory’s brother Vern joined the business, with Emory taking on sales and Vern doing the repairs.

Residential air conditioning was a new technology, so business took off quickly after the war.

“We always had air conditioning in our house in the spring,” Roger Scott says.

“But my dad took it out and sold it to a customer every year. So by summer, when it was hot, we didn’t have air conditioning anymore. We were like the cobbler’s kids with no shoes.”

By the mid-1960s, the business outgrew its New Hampshire Street locations downtown, so Emory, whose son Roger began working for him in 1963, built the current building at 1815 Bullene Ave. Emory’s wife, Dutch, did all of the bookkeeping for the business, as well. Roger began working for Emory after college, became a sheet metal tenor and specialized in troubleshooting and repairs.

“My dad said, ‘Whatever you want to do, go do it. But I found I really enjoyed fixing things and working with my hands,” Roger says.

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Kring’s Interiors Early Days He began running the business in the late 1960s, and Emory stayed around and helped out, as needed, regularly driving to Kansas City for parts and equipment.

Roger had three daughters, Sherry, Stacey and Sarahjane. Sherry and Stacey pursued their own schooling and career options. After she graduated from the University of Kansas, Sarahjane approached Roger and offered to come work for him.

“My dad said ‘no.’ There were never any other options for him, so he wanted to make sure all of us had the option to do something else,” Sarajane Scott says.

In 1961, Dale Kring and his Baldwin City high school classmate’s husband, Lou Parsons, pooled their money and bought a truck to start a flooring installation business in Lawrence. Parsons had done floor installing in Texas, so he had tools, and they were on their way. Three years later, the partners opened a storefront, Parsons and Kring, at 1035 Massachusetts St. (now Papa Keno’s Pizzeria).

Lou’s wife, Cindy, and Brit’s mom, Wanda, ran the showroom and even helped transport flooring materials to Lawrence from Kansas City. As the business grew, Dale and Lou took turns working two weeks in the office and two weeks on the job sites.

“They both hated to work in the office,” Brit says. “Eventually, it got to the point that they both always had to be in the office.”

She went to work for Radio Shack for 10 years—a male-dominated, mechanically oriented company, much like Scott Temperature—and then she asked Roger again if she could work for him.

In 1975, the store moved to its current location, but only the south half of the building existed at that point, which had previously been a motorcycle dealership and car dealership.

At that time, Roger was in his 60s and was looking into options for how to keep the business going when he retired.

Brit started helping with flooring installations in the summers when he was 14. When Lou retired in 1981, Brit began working in the showroom.

“I was talking to consolidators about selling the business. I didn’t want to close the front doors, and that would be it,” he says.

So when he realized Sarahjane was serious, he dropped all the sale negotiations.

“In high school and college, I also sold shoes at Gordon’s. That’s what made me like selling. I enjoyed selling, and I knew something about flooring, so it seemed like a really natural fit,” he explains.

“He said, ‘I hire kids out of the training program at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), so go there,’ ” she says.

The store doubled in size with an expansion in 1990 and became the current space.

Sarahjane studied HVAC for the three-semester program at JCCC 12 years ago, while still working at Radio Shack and raising a daughter. When she finished the program, she ran service calls and did sales and bookkeeping.

Dale retired in 1994, and Brit took over the business upon his retirement.

Roger is still the president of Scott Temperature, and Sarahjane is the vice president, but about five years ago, Roger handed over the day-to-day operations to Sarahjane, the third-generation Scott.

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“As Dad neared retirement, and we had discussion of whether I wanted to take over, I couldn’t think of anything else that I’d rather go do,” Brit says. “Before I was in any position of making decisions, I had done everything there was to be done.”

For about five years after he retired, Brit says, Dale helped out at the store or on jobs as needed.

Other Family Members Sarahjane Scott’s two sisters have part ownership in the business and still live in the area, but they have respective careers in public relations and IT (information technology).

“My sisters probably don’t even know how to set their thermostats,” Sarahjane jokes. “I go over and change their filters for them.”

Brit’s sister, Kayla Kring, has a law degree and lives in Lawrence, and has only worked at Kring’s short-term in the office.

Wanda, his mom—after running the showroom for Parsons and Kring in the early days—worked at the Douglas County Courthouse as the clerk of the district court.

Evolving Businesses Sarahjane says business has really increased in sales since the recent recession because of new residential construction, commercial new construction and commercial remodeling.

“The recession affected us because people repaired their equipment instead of replacing it. Now, they are replacing it,” she says.

Scott has also aimed to keep up with trends in the HVAC industry, in particular the energy-saving and “green” options now available, such as variable refrigerant flow (VRF), which are ductless systems with multiple units in one building or residence.

“We are an elite dealer for Mitsubishi in northeast Kansas. We are a small company, and we sell more than the bigger companies,” Sarahjane says.

With the growth and business expansion, however, one of the challenges facing HVAC companies nationwide has affected Scott.

“My labor force is the hardest commodity to find and manage.

They don’t stay as HVAC techs for 20 to 30 years; they look

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for changing roles and the opportunity to transition to the next level,” she says.

Many baby boomers chose to retire during the recent recession, as well, leaving a gap in the trained HVAC workforce.

With the increase in business, Scott has hired several people to oversee and manage different aspects of the business.

“As we continue to grow, my focus is on putting people in key positions. We’re putting a responsibility chart together so we can grow at a manageable speed. We’re actively going after emerging markets, moving from a small shop to a medium shop,” Sarahjane says.

She recently hired a residential salesperson, front office manager and operations coordinator, and she has established an installation manager position so she can focus on the growth and direction of the business.

Kring’s is also benefitting from improvements in the housing and construction markets. Brit says the store is also navigating its role in the home-improvement market in Lawrence.

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The Lawrence Rotary Club.

Mondays - noon to 1:00 p.m. at Maceli's, 1031 New Hampshire Street For more information: rotarylawrence@gmail.com www.LawrenceRotaryClub.org facebook.com/LawrenceRotary 70

“We’re part of a national cooperative that buys more floor covering than Home Depot and Lowe’s combined. I choose not to sell inexpensive commodity products. Home centers fill a niche for a do-it-yourselfer, but if you need help, like design or installation, they don’t do it well,” Brit says.

Kring’s has five staff members with degrees in design, and the store provides ongoing training to its staff about products and installation. But Brit’s favorite part of the work is getting to meet and interact with his customers.

“I still think there are a lot of people who want to know the people they’re buying from and have that point of contact. When you deal with a local business, you get to deal with the people who make the decisions and whose name is attached to the business,” he says.

Brit says some people have the impression that Kring’s must be expensive, because it’s a specialty business located downtown, but because of the cooperative and other efficiencies in addition to the expertise, Kring’s offers a good value. He has looked into moving from downtown Lawrence but says he would miss all the people and especially events like the annual Mass. St. Mosey.

Next Generation?

Neither Scott nor Kring’s is close to moving on to the next generation just yet, so there’s no way to tell just how multigenerational each business will become.

Sarahjane has two daughters, one in her early 20s and the other in elementary school, so she has some time to plan for the future. In the meantime, she says she and Roger still run the business well together, implementing her strategic plans.

Brit has four children—two sons in their 20s and two daughters in elementary school.

“Do I think the kids might take it over? My oldest son, maybe, but I want him to work a few years away from the business so he can learn about other management styles, both good and bad,” he says. “The business will continue to run. Will it be Kring’s or Parsons? That remains to be seen.” p

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THE LOCAL

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Lawrence Business Magazine & CadreLawrence FOUNDATION AWARDS

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Lawrence Memorial Hospital Endowment ANNUAL MEETING

THE LOCAL

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GREAT PLAINS MEDIA KLWN Launches on FM dial

NEWS [MAKERS] PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Good Energy Solutions Gives Away a Solar Energy System to Van Go, Inc.

Good Energy Solutions, Inc., a Lawrence-based solar energy and electrical company, has awarded a solar energy system to Van Go, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Douglas County, KS as part of the Good Energy Solutions “Solar Giveaway” program.

“We are excited to install a 2 kilowatt solar electric system on the roof top of the Van Go building to help the organization pursue their ‘green dream’. The solar system and additional LED lights will assist the organization to lower their electric use by more than 250 kilowatt hours per month so that they may put more money toward helping kids and teens in our community” said, Kevin Good, Owner and President of Good Energy Solutions.

The Solar Giveaway program was introduced in November of 2016 as a way to thank local non-profit organizations and to give back to the community of Douglas County. Ten applications for the Solar Giveaway program were received and reviewed in December. “We expect to continue our Solar Giveaway program for years to come in order to help non-profits in our community,” said Good. “It was difficult to pick a winner, but everyone that submitted an application will be considered for future giveaways.”

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NEWS [MAKERS] PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Sean Dawson, CPA and Abram Chrislip, CPA Named Shareholders at Mize Houser & Co., PA Mize Houser & Company P.A., a regional accounting, payroll, tax and audit firm with offices in Topeka, Lawrence and Overland Park, Kansas is pleased to announce that Abram Chrislip, CPA and Sean Dawson, CPA have been admitted as shareholders in the firm.

Chrislip joined Mize Houser in 2003 as a manager in Mize Houser’s Lawrence, Kansas office. His practice focuses on providing audit services to governmental entities, as well as tax planning and preparation for individuals. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a BS in Accounting and Business Administration. Chrislip is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Government Finance Officers Association.

Abram Chrislip, CPA

Dawson has over 20 years of experience in both public and private accountSean Dawson, CPA ing, having worked in the consulting, tax and audit areas of public accounting firms as well as serving as a controller and CFO for private companies. His practice focuses on providing accounting, payroll and consulting services to a variety of industries. Sean is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri with a BS in Business Administration. He is a member of the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants, and serves on the board of the South Metro Fire Protection District.

TreanorHL Dedicates Valentine’s Day to Community Service

TreanorHL, a nationwide architecture firm, is giving new relevance to Valentine’s Day with a staffled, fully paid volunteer day of service they’re calling “Love Connects”. This company-wide initiative gave employees an opportunity to offer their time and talents to benefit local charity partners simultaneously across their nine U.S offices on Tuesday, February 14th.

“Making people’s lives better is an integral part of why we do what we do. On February 14th, our whole company is heading out there to give back and help strengthen the communities we live and work in,” said Dan Rowe, TreanorHL president. “We’re calling this our “Love Connects” volunteer initiative. We plan to do this annually moving forward to spread goodwill, to connect with our communities, and hopefully help people who could use a little kindness,” Rowe added. TreanorHL has more than 150 employees nationwide.

As part of the day of service, TreanorHL employees will spend their regular work day at a local nonprofit of their choice in their community.

Treanor volunteers at Ballard Center (left) and at Just Foods (above)

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WH OSE D ESK? Be the first to correctly guess which local business figure works behind this desk. Winner receives a $50 gift card to 23rd Street Brewery. facebook.com/lawrencebusinessmagazine

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