Lawrence Business Magazine 2022 Q2 by Lawrence Business Magazine

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Publisher:

2021 Q2 2022 Q3

& DOUGLAS COUNTY

Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC Ann Frame Hertzog & Steven Hertzog Editor-in-Chief:

Ann Frame Hertzog

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERS

Chief Photographer:

Steven Hertzog

When we celebrated our 10th Anniversary of the Lawrence Business Magazine last fall, we thought about what it means to be part of the community for ten years. But what about those that have been part of our community for 20, 30, 50, or more? We are very proud and impressed by the number of highly successful businesses that have been around for multiple decades and generations. We are only able to showcase a few of those in this issue, but we try to give you something to think about and celebrate as you work with these and others in our community. Businesses that have made a positive impact on our community for many, many decades and continue to be leaders today and hopefully in our future. When we spoke to these business owners regarding long-term success, a question we wanted to hear from them on was, “How do you maintain a successful business through changing times, evolving expectations, and never-ending competition?” One answer was a consistent clue for their success “Our Reputation.” The reputation for consistently providing (through the decades and generations) a quality product or service and putting their clients/customers first - customer service is paramount to their mission. Another essential element to their ongoing success is giving back to the community. A fun fact: more than half of the companies mentioned in this issue have been long-standing members of The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce. Many are actively involved in supporting events that help raise money for the nonprofit agencies that assist those in our community in need. These businesses bring up the community; let’s celebrate their success, their big hearts in helping others, and all the other intangibles they give back to our community. Unfortunately, as we stated above, we could not cover all businesses that thrived and survived in Lawrence and Douglas County for many decades. Still, we tried to highlight various sectors and showcase the history of long-time businesses within our community, enriching our community. Remember, when we Shop Local - Shop Baldwin, Eudora, Lecompton, and Lawrence (and use Local Services). We are not just supporting those businesses but giving back to our community and building a future together. PROTECT AND PRESERVE OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES. Sincerely,

Ann Frame Hertzog Editor-in-Chief/Publisher

Steven Hertzog Chief Photographer/Publisher

www.LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com

Featured Writers:

Mike Anderson, Ph.D. Anne Brockhoff Bob Luder Patricia A. Michaelis, Ph.D. Emily Mulligan Tara Trenary Darin M. White Copy Editor:

LEFT TO RIGHT: Tom Liebl, Kristin Spacek, Grant Lechtenberg, Bruce Barlow, Ann Peuser & Jeff Hamm.

Tara Trenary Contributing Writers:

Jessica Thomas Contributing Photographers:

Jeff Burkhead Ann Dean Carter Gaskins Special thank you to Monica Davis, Research Services Coordinator and Watkins Museum of History for researching and providing archived photographs INQUIRIES & ADVERTISING INFORMATION CONTACT: info@LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com

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 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.

2021 Q2 2022 Q3

& DOUGLAS COUNTY

CONTENTS Features: 8

Lawrence in Perspective: High Above the Golden Valley by Patricia Michaelis, Ph.D.

20 Non-Profit:

Lawrence Public Library by Mike Anderson, Ph.D.

28 Rolling with the Punches by Bob Luder

36 Blossoming Business by Emily Mulligan

44 Aging Well by Anne Brockhoff

52 A Flavor of Its Own by Darin White

58 Talkin’ to the Animals by Tara Trenary

66 From Ideas to Icon by Bob Luder

Departments: 5 14 17

Letter From the Publishers LMH Health Care: A Foundation Professional Spotlight:

72 80 82

Local Scene Newsmakers Whose Desk?

Standard Beverage Corporation

Our Mission: We are dedicated to telling the

stories of people and businesses making a positive impact on Lawrence & Douglas County. /lawrencebusinessmagazine

@LawrenceBizMag

TO UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS OR FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com/subscriptions/

LAWRENCE & DOUGLAS CO [ IN PERSPECTIVE ]

High Above the Golden Valley

The City of Lawrence and the University of Kansas are forever entwined because of the way the City and its early residents came together and created a state university in this town. by Patricia A. Michaelis, Ph.D., Historical Research & Archival Consulting photos Douglas County Historical Society, Watkins Museum of History

On Sept. 12, 1866, Solon O. Thacher, a Kansas district court judge, gave an eloquent speech dedicating the first building, known as North College, at the State University in Lawrence. He opened his remarks with the following: Every enterprise has its epochs—resting points where the past with its triumph and defeat may be contemplated, and the future, bright or shadowy, may be dwelt upon. The completion of this building—the first fair edifice among more pretentious and commodious, but only visible today in the eye of faith—is such a point in the history of the State University. In whatever light we consider it, there can be but one feeling. We rejoice in so goodly a structure, so firm on its foundation, so solidly constructed that the fiercest storm thatever sweeps over Mount Oread fails to jar it walls, and so con8

spicuously located above the markets of trade, barter, commerce, as first to attract the eye of the visitor to our city—proclaiming by it exalted position the immeasurable hight [sic] there is in the unfolding and expansion of the mind above the ordinary avocations of life, too often summed up in the scriptural language, wherewithal shall we eat, shall we drink, shall we clothed—and I may add, though not canonically, get money. The dimensions of the building are satisfactory, its proportions symmetrical, its outlines commanding, its workmanship and finish we believe to be unexcelled. Mechanics, faithful and trusty, have performed their part, working by the day, thus removing the encouragement to slight their work, which doing it by the job might have incited. No pains have been spared, as far as the labor has progressed, to make the building enduring. It has been constantly supervised by a mechanic of

View of Lawrence looking northeast from Mt. Oread. Old North College is in upper right. Mills and elevators visible near the center

intelligence and more than ordinary care. To this statement of the fidelity of the workmen should be coupled the untiring watchfulness and assiduity of the building committee, consisting of Gen. G. W. Deitzler, E. M. Bartholow, Esq., and Gov. Charles Robinson; though in this case, as is usual in committees, the laboring oar has been held by its chairman. To these gentlemen, to their earnest and daily attention, we owe our warmest thanks. He continued talking about the contributions of the City of Lawrence and its residents in making the building and the university a reality. He also referenced the fact that women would be admitted on an equal basis to men, and that women should ultimately have the right to vote, the first state university in the United States to be coeducational. (In fact, the University of Kansas was the first state institution in the United States to enroll women.) Thacher closed his remarks with the following: These and kindred thoughts crowd upon the allotted hour. The Regents believe that in the character of the men they have chosen to conduct the institution, they have secured those who will fully meet the requirements of the age, and will carry the University from this humble yet broad and solid stepping stone, up the height of an enduring and beneficent

prosperity. And so we devote this building to the used of an impartial, patriotic, Christian education. However, securing the State University for the city of Lawrence was not an easy task. A great deal of political activity preceded the eventual decision to locate the State University in Lawrence. During the territorial period, the founders of Lawrence had expressed interest in establishing a private college. However, in 1858, Blue Mont Central College, a private Methodist institution, was founded in Manhattan. On Feb. 11, 1859, the territorial legislature passed an act to “incorporate a university at Lawrence,” but no action on establishing the university occurred. In 1861, the directors of Blue Mont offered the school’s three-story building and 120 acres to the State of Kansas to become the state’s university. A bill accepting this offer easily passed the Kansas Legislature in 1861 but was vetoed by Gov. Charles L. Robinson, who supported the idea of a state university in his hometown of Lawrence. The legislature attempted to override the veto but failed by two votes. In 1862, another bill to accept the Manhattan offer failed by one vote. At the end of the first session of the state legislature in 1861, several bills relating to higher education had been passed. One was to accept an act of Congress giving land for an agricultural college in Riley County, providing 9

North side of Old Fraser Hall

the trustees of Blue Mont College ceded its land to the state. It provided for a State Normal School in Emporia as well as a state university in Lawrence. However, Lawrence met the conditions imposed by the legislature by donating 40 acres of land and $10,000 in interest from a fund created by Amos Lawrence. With the dedication of North College on Sept. 12, 1866, the state university opened as a preparatory school with a total of 55 students—26 males and 29 females enrolled for the 1866-1867 school year. The tuition was $331 per session. Only 39 of the 55 students paid this tuition; orphans of deceased soldiers and Quantrill’s raid received free admission. The first faculty members included Elial J. Rice, chair of mental and moral science and belles lettres; David H. Robinson, chair of languages; and Frank F. Snow, chair of mathematics and natural sciences. These professors received a salary of $1,600 per year. Albert Newman, M.D., was appointed lecturer on hygiene and medical science. The first Chancellor was the Rev. R. W. Oliver. The university soon needed more space, and Fraser Hall was constructed with an appropriation of $50,000 from the 1872 state legislature, along with $100,000 from the City of Lawrence. These funds were sufficient to plaster the rooms and to finish those in the north wing on the first and second floors. Equipment for heating the building with steam 10

Portrait of Charles Robinson

Old North College

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The connection between Lawrence and the university has and is mutually beneficial, and is part of the culture of the community. An example of this is the fact that University students celebrate the winning of a national championship by the men’s basketball team by flooding Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence rather than on campus. Going back to the dedicatory remarks by Solon Thacher, the University of Kansas was on a hill overlooking the Kansas River Valley and the city of Lawrence. Though he could not have anticipated the language of the school’s alma mater, its initial lyrics—high above the golden valley / glorious to view / stands our noble alma mater / towering toward the blue—fulfill Thacher’s vision for the State University in Lawrence. p

A Foundation by Jessica Thomas, LMH Health, photo by Jeff Burkhead

After 100 years in Lawrence, LMH Health continues to grow and serve the community in the way in which it was intended by its founders, leaving no one without the option of medical care.

For over 100 years, Lawrence Memorial Hospital has been serving the Lawrence community. It was founded with the purpose to serve all members of the community with the belief that all people deserve a place of comfort and safety to receive medical care. 14

How It Began Before 1921, there was no public-owned hospital in the Lawrence area. If you needed medical care, your only option was to visit a private medical provider, who usually only had a handful of beds for patients. As the community continued to grow, the availability of those hospital beds became scarce.

for Health When a man suffered a seizure while walking down Massachusetts Street in the early 1900s, there was no public hospital for him to be sent to. Dr. Ralph E. Barnes attended to the man and traveled around the community in search of a private medical provider with an open bed to treat him, but there was nothing available. Without access to immediate medical treatment, the man passed away in Barnes’ car that day. This tragic event sparked the idea of creating a public-owned hospital in Lawrence, Kansas. Barnes had decided he was going to make it his business to create a place where a friendless old man could at least have a place to die, and he called attention to the fact that there was no publicly owned hospital in Lawrence where needy poor could be taken for treatment and care. He took action by visiting the Social Service League, which was a group that tried to help the poor and needy. The Social Service League agreed to install a bed in a

room that was formerly a cell house at 546 Vermont St. This single bed was attended to by The Metropolitan Insurance visiting nurse, who dedicated her time to helping patients who needed care. With the beginning of the community hospital in Lawrence, the demand for beds increased rapidly. The hospital went from one to five beds, but it needed many more. With the end of World War I in 1918, the Douglas County Chapter of the American Red Cross found itself in possession of a large sum of money that did not have an objective for its use. Red Cross would not allow the money to be put toward a hospital, so the money was put toward the Lawrence Public Health Nursing Association instead. This organization allowed Lawrence to set up a first-class health department and endowed more funds that it could use. The Public Health Nursing Association donated $2,500 to the Social Service League to buy a frame house at Third 15

and Maine streets, which was named the city hospital. This hospital was known as Lawrence Memorial Hospital and was created to benefit all inhabitants of the city of Lawrence and anyone sick or injured within its city limits. The original Lawrence Memorial Hospital opened to the public on Jan. 17, 1921. The hospital underwent normal operations until Elizabeth Miller Watkins, a philanthropist who supported the city of Lawrence in many ways, generously offered to donate money to build a new modern hospital building. With her $200,000 donation, Watkins paid for the construction costs of Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s new 50-bed hospital building, which opened in 1929. Watkins continued to make donations to the hospital, allowing it to further expand and help more patients.

Shaping the Future Because of Barnes’ caring and innovative mindset, Lawrence Memorial Hospital has become what it is today. Lawrence Memorial Hospital, now LMH Health, has continued to grow with a passion since its opening in 1921. The organization now consists of a 174-bed hospital, an outpatient care center—LMH Health West—and numerous clinics throughout the Douglas County area.

The organization is home to nearly 2,000 employees, physicians and advanced practice providers who strive to deliver patient-first care that is innovative, diverse and meaningful to both patients and employees. The workforce is full of generations of families and couples who work to shape the future of health care in the Lawrence community. Some employees at LMH Health have personal connections to the organization, including themselves, their parents or their children having been born at the hospital. LMH Health continues to be a community-owned, notfor-profit, safety-net hospital that serves the health-care needs of the community regardless of an individual’s ability to pay. Dedicated to improving the health of the community, LMH Health invests all excess revenues in services, equipment and facilities, which further that mission. Even after 100 years, LMH Health is proud to have stuck with Barnes’ founding mission: to increase access to primary care and specialty services that would not normally be available to the Lawrence community. p

PROFESSIONAL [ SPOTLIGHT ]

Ryan Thurlow

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

STANDARD BEVERAGE CORPORATION What is your company’s most important commodity or service?

Standard Beverage (SBC) distributes spirits, beer, wine and nonalcoholic items to licensed retailers throughout the state of Kansas.

Other than monetary, what is your company’s most important priority?

Our top priorities are delivering world-class customer service to our retailers, activating on and accomplishing our supplier goals, while being a preferred employer for our team members. We truly believe as we grow our people and we grow our reputation in the marketplace, our business will also continue to grow.

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

Success at Standard Beverage is predicated on a couple of key points: Never settle, always continuously improve; prioritize the customer, the employees and our supplier partners; have a vision beyond today, do not make decisions that will have positive short-term results and negative long-term impacts. 17

Ribbon cutting for the Standard Beverage Corporation’s expansion in Lawrence. From left David Toland, Ryan Thurlow, Paul Davis and Bonnie Lowe

How many people does your business employ?

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

SBC has taken our employee count from 300 in 2018 to 420 in 2022. This increase has been driven by the need to service all of the grocery and convenience stores in Kansas. In April 2019, grocery and convenience stores began to sell strong beer (up to 6% alcohol by volume). In order to sell and deliver to these accounts in an effective manner, we needed to add a significant amount of employees and new trucks.

One of our core values is community. We believe it is our responsibility to be a good corporate citizen in all Kansas communities. In total over the last several years, Standard has participated in an average of 150 philanthropic events statewide. Having said that, in Lawrence specifically, we support Cottonwood through our Salute Winefest sponsorship, SBC partners with the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce on a number of events, and we also support KU Athletics as a preferred vendor of wine and spirits. In addition, we strongly encourage our employees to be active in the Lawrence community through support of local businesses. Each week, we select a winner of a $100 gift card to a local restaurant from a group of employees who have turned in receipts supporting local bars and restaurants personally.

With new technologies and changing expectations, how have you managed to remain relevant and profitable? Or how has your business changed over the years to remain relevant? We believe agility is extremely important. The Rudd family, who still operates SBC today, has been in business in Kansas for 72 years. Through that time, we have seen many changes. As our business evolves, we believe that it is not only important to adjust with it but to be proactive in our approach. We need to see the change coming and evolve in advance. Again, this may mean in how we take care of our employees, how we support a customer or in how we physically load or deliver cases. A recent example, as mentioned above, is our recent overhaul of our warehouse, which included drastically upgrading our technology and our equipment. We expect that this will help us meet the needs of the market for years to come.

How do you manage your day-to-day stress of business? We attempt to not take ourselves too seriously. We believe that we should work hard, accomplish our goals and celebrate our success. If we do those things, our company culture will be positive, and we will continue to be an attractive employer in Kansas and in Lawrence specifically.

How do you reward excellent work performance? We celebrate success at Standard Beverage. We work to fairly compensate all of our employees but specifically our top performers. Additionally, on an annual basis, we host a company banquet called the Superior Performance Awards. We celebrate our overall company success as well as those that stand out from their peer group. All employees and significant others are invited to celebrate.

What would you change about doing business in Lawrence? We would not change anything about doing business in Lawrence. We have had our primary warehouse in Lawrence since 1991. We feel very supported by the community. In fact, as we completed a major expansion in the Lawrence community over the last 24 months, we had great experiences with the Chamber and the City.

What is the biggest challenge you feel your company faces? The biggest challenge we face is remaining agile in a changing marketplace and continuing to avoid complacency. Change will always occur, adjusting successfully will breed success. Similarly, people who have success will consistently need to find ways to improve. We know, as an organization, that what got us here will not get us to where we need to be in the future. As such, we will seek constant improvement. p

NON [ PROFIT ]

THE HUB OF KNOWLEDGE by Mike Anderson, photos by Steven Hertzog

Staff, increased resources and digital innovation are the pillars that have led to the success and longevity of the Lawrence Public Library. Former Mayor John Nalbandian once told me that one of the main roles of a city commissioner is to ensure the vitality of Lawrence’s societal anchors. He defined societal anchors as places where people can visit to feel a sense of community, especially when they are feeling down and out. The Lawrence Public Library (LPL) is one of those societal anchors. Since its creation in 1854 (only a month after the town was founded), the library has been a staple of the Douglas County community. Brad Allen is the executive director of the library and recently celebrated his 10th anniversary in that role. He, along with the staff, attribute the success and lon20

The Exterior of the Lawrence Public Library

gevity of the library to the people of Lawrence. “The town is built to like libraries. They want it to succeed, so to not do it well is lame. We have an audience wanting us to succeed,” Allen explains. Kathleen Morgan is the director of development and community partnerships for the library. She says that libraries are in the town’s DNA. “The interest and passion for education and reading and libraries was here from the get-go. Our town loves and trusts its public library.” Heather Kearns has been the marketing coordinator for the library since 2015. She argues, “We have an incredibly supportive town that loves our library. A lot of our success is having people talk about us and being a voice box for our efforts.” While we would all love to take credit for our library, the three biggest factors attributed to its success and longevity have been the staff, the growth in resources and the innovation of digital inclusion, Allen explains.

The Staff The Lawrence Public Library staff asks good questions, is naturally curious and cares about the work they are doing. Allen sees authenticity as key to the success of his staff. “I believe in our staff being authentic human beings, and I think people in our community respond to that. I see human beings that care about people when they walk in. I think that human part really matters.” “I work with some of the smartest, funniest, creative people I’ve ever worked with,” Kearns adds. “Libraries have shared common denominators, and it takes people to make libraries interesting and make people aware of what we have.” Goals of the library staff include keeping it interesting and always asking, “What is the next project?” Allen understands there is a middle space between growth and burnout. “LPL’s motto is ‘up for whatever,’ but it isn’t sustainable. We are trying to figure out what our boundaries are. How do you stay in a culture of yes but not rub everyone down to a pencil nub?”

Dottie, the LPL mobile book library - photo by Ann Dean

Growth in Resources The Lawrence Public Library doesn’t take a bare-bones approach to what a public library has to provide. That has led to its longevity. “It’s about relationships and access and equitable service. Anyone that wants our service, what can we do to make it easier for them? That’s what I’m more passionate about than I used to be,” Allen says. The staff at LPL continually makes a conscious effort to ask the community what they want and is responsive to its specific needs. “When the renovation happened in 2014, a lot of people would come up to me and congratulate me on my new library, and my response was, ‘It’s not mine. You paid for it,’” Allen says. “We are here to provide access to all the things that are in this building. I don’t run it. This is a public building that we are stewards for.” The library serves every age group and provides countless services. There is a focus on pre-K kids to help them learn to love reading and become excited about school. For adults, there is a focus on helping them learn new skills and find a new job. Allen sees the Lawrence Public Library as especially important for life transitions. “Retirement is a life transition, having a kid, moving into a new town. We met them in a moment of need and help get them set up,” he explains. The library currently has an information services department and a specialist who knows the ecosystem of Law22

rence. The goal is to connect people with the hyperlocal resources one might not know. “Partnerships is one thing I wanted to do with this building,” Allen says. “Working in partnerships is how you make a town thrive, because everyone is accountable to each other. Our job to shine a light on other nonprofits …. When we have this building, we can bring people in, and they can share that knowledge. There are people doing great things, but they might not have the space to bring people in.” Some nonprofits even have office hours at the library. The Willow Domestic Violence Center has been using the library as a place to meet with clients for the last few years. Will Averill, director of community engagement at Willow, says, “The library has been an invaluable resource the last few years, allowing us to have an advocate available twice a month to meet with clients. For domestic violence survivors whose phones may be monitored by their abuser, this is a safe public place they can come to get help when they may have no other options.” Morgan says the library is a “great community hub. It’s a place people can come and find the help they need with no stigma attached to it.” Coming to the library for a class or to get help with a referral can perhaps be less intimidating than going to a clinic or another building. For example, the library has smart recovery classes for individuals struggling with drug addiction. Some of the most popular programs at LPL surround preK children and retirees. “The people on both ends of the life cycle are the people that can need us the most,” Allen

says. The library continues to help children grow their love of reading. Storytime with Linda Clay is an absolute treat. The library also has developed and advanced programs for recent retirees. The retirement bootcamp program, for example, has been a huge success. With help from Cathy Hamilton and the Friends and Foundation fund, this resource has helped the older adult population with what can be one of the biggest transitions in one’s life. Sample classes have centered on how to stream on your TV, how to write your own obituary and health-related issues. As they do with every resource, the library partners with other organizations so it does not duplicate services. Heather Kearns, Marketing Coordinator

The Friends and Foundation fund plays a role in the success of these programs. As Kearns puts it, “The volunteers and donors help us make the library as great as it is. It’s invaluable to have the generosity of time and money, because people believe in us.” For example, Jeff and Mary Weinberg pay for a streaming service called Kanopy that streams international films and award-winning documentaries (32,000 films are available). Every month, anyone with a library card can stream up to five films. This is just one of several resources that were developed because of the community involvement.

Kathleen Morgan, Director of Development & Community Partnerships

Another part of the success of the library has been the push to make it state of the art. While the pipes may still be 50 years old, the technology is new. The Sound + Vision Studio is an important content-creation station for the library. “Having a place where people could do really good audio/visual work for free with small assistance from the staff was more important for the community than 3D printers and fabrication devices,” Allen says. The Studio is a fully equipped audio and video creation space that caters to solo musicians, entire bands, voiceover artists, filmmakers, photographers, graphic designers and more. Joel Bonner, the Studio specialist, says that “it is the perfect place to learn how to create your own audio and visual art, or serves as a workspace for established creators in the field. All with just a library card.”

Nelson Johnson, Musician & Producer at work in the LPL Sound Studios

The advancements in technology at LPL also extend to the conference and meeting rooms. The meeting rooms at LPL are now fit for more hybrid work, with people physically in the room and others logging in remotely. There are now microphones built into the ceiling and Logitech camera and speaker systems available. The goal is to continue to make the meeting rooms more immersive.

Brad Allen, LPL Executive Director jams on guitar with Kathleen Morgan & Heather Kearns

Digital Inclusion One of the goals of the library in the past couple of years has been digital inclusion. This includes providing digital access to the resources of the library and engaging the public digitally. For example, the staff wants to allow people to access the auditorium digitally if they can’t make an event in person. They want to continue to enhance the user experience on the website. “COVID taught us that there are a variety of ways that people want to engage,” Allen says. With marketing coordinator Kearns at the helm of this digital inclusion, the LPL has revamped its website, enhanced its YouTube channel, created a TikTok channel, grown its Instagram followers and continued to make its digital online presence more creative than ever. LPS uses its YouTube channel for storytime. Facebook Live meetings or live events are now saved to the YouTube channel, as well. The LPL website has also been an area of focus for the staff. Kearns knows she can’t duplicate the in-house experience exactly but is coming close. “We want the website to be something else you weren’t looking for and end up checking out books you weren’t anticipating doing. Our website is really rich with community stories and community resources. One of my goals is to make it more obvious, clear—so one doesn’t have to dig for what they want. We don’t have a staff member there greeting you when you enter the website, so we want to make it as welcoming as possible.”

Perhaps one of the biggest digital success stories has been the new TikTok channel. A teen librarian named Sahara Scott helped start the channel to cater to the teen zone and expose the library to teens. Scott makes videos based on questions she receives about the teen zone. The videos include information about the library’s resources and what it means to be a librarian. One of her TikToks has more than 200,000 likes. Kearns says Scott has kids coming to the teen zone who found LPL on TikTok. “I’ve never had teens say they saw us on social media until now. Holy cow, these people are following us,” Kearns says. Her instructions to Scott are simple: “Just make sure you champion what we do and have fun doing it. Serve brownies but hide some vegetables in them.”

The Future In the most recent strategic plan for the library, the word innovation was replaced by the word growth. That word is important for the future of the library. “When I say growth, I mean actual, literal growth — do we need to do that? How can we grow in a way that we are equitably and accurately serving this town?” Allen asks. “Growth means making sure we are providing library service to everyone in the community. Public libraries need to reflect their community,” director of development and community partnerships’ Morgan explains. 25

For Kearns, outreach services will start to round out what growth means. “Growth for me is what is drilling down to find out what are people using the library for and find a way to respond to community needs.” A large part of that outreach is a new idea called Dottie, which launches in June. The LPL partnered with the KU School of Architecture to retrofit a UPS truck. This truck is similar to an old book mobile that one does not walk into. The books on Dottie are on the outside. Dottie is for people who can’t make it downtown but still want some of the resources the library provides. “How do we get out into the community and make the opportunity for people to get these things for their families? It’s an equity machine. That is its goal,” Allen says of Dottie.

Corner of library from Vermont and 7th. (l to R) Woman searches through books, a computer room for visitors, and a meeting room.

As Morgan explains, “Most communities of this size have one or at least two branches of their library. Using Dottie will help get the information we need on a new branch. It’s a question we need to ask our community [whether we need another branch].” The questions will continue as Dottie starts out on its journey into the streets of Lawrence. For Allen, those questions also involve our dreams and possibly his. “I’m curious to see what this town wants from its library. And I’m curious to see what comes of that. I’m curious to see what people’s dreams are. It’s time for us to ask people to dream about what they really want to invest in.” p

Rolling With the Punches

These Lawrence companies have overcome the challenges through the years and have become iconic staples in the community. by Bob Luder, photos by Steven Hertzog

One of many Hamm owned trucks we see daily in Douglas County

The last two years-plus have been an interesting time for businesses all around the world, the Lawrence area not excepted. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic brought with it unprecedented challenges and obstacles that left countless companies in its wake and out of business. As a business disruption, however, the pandemic was far from unprecedented. Remember the housing crisis and recession of 2008? Another recession nearly as deep in the 1980s? And don’t forget natural disasters such as the great Kaw River flood of 1951. Any and all of these historic and notorious occurrences crumbled many a company, including many in Lawrence, which as a preeminent college town already has its share of short-term restaurants and bars shuffling in and out of the picture.

However, there are survivors. Not only survivors but thrivers—companies that have persevered and powered through the downcycles to become iconic staples as long-standing Lawrence companies. Some date back more than 70 years. Most, if not all, have one thing in common: an unwavering ability to be flexible and make necessary changes during changing, and challenging, times. Long-standing businesses can view

fle

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eks

adjective able to be easily modi ed to respond to altered circum stances or conditions of a person ready and able to change so as to adapt to different circumstances. Source: O

ford Dictionary

Hammtown, circa 1948. Hammtown is what the travelling custom cutting group was called. Jeff Hamm, Vice President, ESG of Hamm

their existence like a 15-round heavyweight prize fight. During difficult rounds, you either take a punch head-on and get knocked out, or you roll with the punches and live to continue fighting. The survivors roll with the punches, shifting focus, narrowing business operations and juggling finances as conditions warrant. HAMM Companies has been in business in its current state since 1954 but actually got its start in the previous decade with an entirely different modus operandi. Kennedy Glass began operating out of what essentially was a two-car garage in 1950, strictly working in auto glass, but today provides not only windshields but windows, shower doors, mirrors, storefronts and all things glass for Lawrence and surrounding areas. ES Lighting incorporated in 1964 in a small tax office at Seventh and Connecticut streets and today continues providing lighting and light fixture solutions to customers throughout the area. And Patchen Electric & Industrial Supply Inc./ Pump & Well Drilling Inc. has been selling and repairing electric motors and pumps since 1948. All of which points to another element each of these veteran companies possess that has enhanced their stability and success: strong familial legacies that have been passed down through several generations. “I think it’s really cool to have a company with this much historical relevance,” says Stefan Garrison, CEO at Kennedy Glass. “But what’s really great is that we continue to have relevance to this day and continue to grow.” The same can be said for all four of the longstanding companies—the survivors—mentioned above.

HAMMing It Up HAMM Companies has been involved in everything from supplying aggregates—in most cases limestone—through its quarries, to asphalt, foundation and road work, to waste-management services since forming in 1954. But Norman Hamm actually started his own company back in the 1940s when he put together a custom cutting crew, hiring out to farmers from Canada to Texas harvesting crops. Norman’s great-grandson, Jeff Hamm, who serves as the company’s vice president of environmental, social and governance, says the transition to construction occurred as a direct result of the ’51 flood. Many of the farmers the Hamm crew cut for had their crops wiped out and fields left unplantable. With ground-moving machinery already in hand, Hamm was hired to bulldoze and plow the fields over. After that, Norman and his son, Gary, were brought on to help dig out and construct Perry Lake and Clinton Lake, along with other 29

flood-control measures, hoping to ensure such a disaster didn’t again occur. “They just took that and ran with it,” Hamm says. “They got heavy into highway construction, parking lots, anything horizontal. They then started selling limestone aggregates out of our quarries.” He says his great-grandfather and grandfather continued the custom cutting business until sometime in the 1960s. In 1981, they started a landfill and began the sanitation and wastemanagement part of the business, which now includes a state-of-the-art materials recovery facility. A decade later, Hamm Companies purchased an asphalt company out of Topeka.

Eric Vail (President) and Stefan Garrison (CEO) Nick Kennedy removes and replaces a windshield

HAMM joined the Summit Materials group in 2009 but continues to operate as HAMM Companies. Today, the company operates the sanitary landfill northwest of Lawrence and not only serves the city but also surrounding cities such as Olathe. The company also has been flexible and made adjustments to continue thriving during the pandemic. Back in January, it divested from its asphalt and construction parts of the business to focus primarily on aggregates and waste management. “One of the main reasons we’ve been so successful is our commitment to safety and the quality of people we have working for us,” Hamm says. “And we’ve been nimble. Whether it’s working on big highway projects or scaling down to smaller work … . My great-grandfather once told me the secret to HAMM is doing it right the first time and focusing on quality and the customer experience.” HAMM is one of the largest employers in the Lawrence area, employing upwards of 550. However, the company hasn’t been immune to the labor shortage, which has affected business nationwide since COVID. To combat that, the HAMM Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating innovation and educational opportunities with the focus on infrastructure and the construction industry.

Smooth as Glass Kennedy Glass is another venerable company with very strong, generational family ties, and although the Kennedys sold the company two years ago to local developers Tony Krsnich and John Stephenson, there remains a strong Kennedy presence in nearly everything the company touches. 30

The Kennedy family moved to Lawrence from Joplin in 1950, and young Marty Kennedy joined his father in the glass business when he returned home from the Vietnam War in 1971. He ran the company as its president for decades before the sale but still comes in to work every day as a consultant to the new owners. “I’m proud they wanted to keep the Kennedy name,” says Kennedy, now 74. The business, originally located at Ninth and Delaware streets, started strictly in auto glass but expanded to other

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Grant Lechtenberg, owner of ES Lighting inside his showroom

areas as customers asked for other types of jobs. And it was very much a family affair, with Marty’s mother serving as the company’s bookkeeper for many years. To this day, Marty’s nephew, Nick Kennedy, who’s hung around the glass shops since he was a young boy, oversees the auto glass division. Now, with 35 employees, 13,000 square feet of shop space and new offices, Kennedy provides customers full service in auto, residential (window repair and new), shower doors, mirrors and commercial work (storefronts). The company delves a bit into selling wholesale products, does some city service work and even has a retail side for door parts, windows, and glass for picture frames and tabletops. It also is able to custom-build vintage glass fixtures used to restore and preserve older homes. “Pretty much whatever people need,” says Eric Vail, company president. Kennedy recently revamped a trophy case at the University of Kansas (KU), installed some mirrors at the KU basketball facility and even installed a side of men’s basketball coach Bill Self’s office that, with the flip of a switch, can turn it from a window overlooking the practice court to a whiteboard. Like other long-standing companies, Kennedy has been 32

able to weather challenging economic periods by being flexible. For instance, one way it made up for lost business during the pandemic was to shift to manufacturing sneeze guards. “Being flexible allows us to pivot to battle some of those downturns,” CEO Garrison says. “Work picked up last year, but there have been supply issues. Instead of talking about jobs in weeks, it’s now in months. The challenge is to keep quality and safety up to snuff.” Marty Kennedy, who’s seen it all over the last 50-plus years, has no doubt the company his family built will endure. “Eric and Stefan have a great rapport and great ability to work these things out,” he says. “We have a great flexibility with the community and involvement with the community. I’m sure we’ll keep doing the same things we’ve been doing but improve. Just like we’ve been doing.”

David & Tom Patchen of Patchen Electrical

Lighting Lawrence Grant Lechtenberg beams when he refers to lighting as “jewelry for the home.” For the last 20 years, he’s been “dressing up” residences and businesses throughout the city and surrounding areas with creative lighting solutions and fixtures he sells out of ES Lighting’s East Lawrence showroom. The company was started by Lechtenberg’s grandfather, an electrician and light fixture sales representative, as an electrical wholesale house. In fact, Lechtenberg’s grandparents lived above one of the business’s early locations, at 10th and Vermont. Shortly after Lechtenberg, who’d worked with his father in the company since he was 5, purchased the company, he decided growth was too slow in wholesale, so shifted out of electrical and into lighting. As he puts it, “anything to do with indoor lighting. “What we really sell are services,” Lechtenberg says. “The art of lighting, lighting design. We inform customers of technologies. There are a lot of options today.” He says the public’s perception and attitudes toward lighting have changed mightily the last five to 10 years because of the advent of home design TV shows and the internet. That’s led to ES Lighting being flexible and adapting with the changing times, which, in turn, has taught Lechtenberg to be equally nimble in dealing with economic downturns. Lechtenberg says the pandemic didn’t slow his business; the last three years have been strong. But supply-chain 34

issues, which he says began well before COVID, as well as the labor shortage caused him to begin serving customers one-on-one, by appointment only. “We spend most of our time chasing down product so we can keep customers on schedule,” he explains. “We’re focused on getting each product done with each customer the best we can. “We’re adapting the best we can to what’s available,” Lechtenberg continues. “There’s no quick fix to the challenges we face. So we just keep things small and tight like we have been for 58 years.” ES Lighting has four employees, including Lechtenberg’s sister, Michelle Mailand, showroom manager.

Remaining Essential During Tough Times Tom Patchen started Patchen Electrical & Industrial Supply Inc. in 1948 across the street from its current location at New Jersey and 9th streets. The company began as a repair shop for electric motors and pumps of all sizes and for all uses. Later, it expanded into sales of electric motors and parts. More recently, it expanded its business to include repairs and parts for water wells and pumps. Today, the company employs six. David Patchen, grandson of the company’s founder who runs it with his father, also Tom, says the company has never had to shut down because of economic downturns,

Patchen employees Al & Dan working on a 350 motor for J.M. Smucker

natural disasters, recessions or pandemics. It’s too essential, he says. “We’ve never had to shut down, even one day,” he explains. “We sell critical parts to machinery used to run hospitals and things like that.” Patchen sells parts for and repairs things from as small as a motor in a typical residential air-conditioner to large, industrial-sized air-conditioners. If you’re in need of a part or repair on a working piece of machinery, chances are Patchen has a solution, from water well drilling and pump service, to transmission service, to dynamic balancing of rotors, impellers and blowers, to hose fabrication and assemblies, to services of drive belts and chains. The company offers emergency repair service in the shop or on-site 24/7 and same-day or next-day delivery of parts. Supply-chain issues have come into play recently, especially for special builds, which can take up to four to five months to get in parts, Patchen says. And prices have spiked upward in just about everything the company does. Otherwise, he says it’s business as usual at Patchen. In fact, he says business has been steady as ever. “We try different things sometimes to keep the business going,” Patchen says. “We’re just here every day and work it out from there.” p 35

Buckets of flowers at Englewood Flowers

A Blossoming Business by Emily Muliligan, photos by Steven Hertzog

Nothing, not even a pandemic, could keep these flower and plant shops from flourishing. As the saying goes: Bloom where you’re planted. Two florists and a plant nursery have done just that for decades now. Englewood Florist, Owens Flower Shop and Clinton Parkway Nursery are some of Douglas County’s long-established businesses. And their success stems from each business’ priority to be expert at what they do and to use that expertise to serve the customer well. Englewood Florist opened on Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence in 1993. Owens Flower Shop was established in 1946 and has thrived through four different owners for more than 75 years. Clinton Parkway Nursery was built “out in the country” at the corner of Clinton Parkway and Wakarusa Drive in 1981. All three businesses have found success in balancing two distinct attributes that Lawrence possesses: a demanding and progressive local community, and transitory university communities. 36

Establishing Roots in the Business In many ways, the field of flowers and plants has not changed for decades. Special occasions like weddings, funerals and Valentine’s Day still demand flower arrangements as part of the tradition. Those flower arrangements must still be designed and created by a person and delivered in a vehicle. That part of the operation really hasn’t changed much. However, technology like online ordering and social media have had gigantic impacts on the flower business—and for so many hometown florists in the U.S., those have spelled the end to their longtime businesses. So read on for how Englewood and Owens have maintained their footholds through invisible competitors and even a pandemic. In the early 1990s, Cary Engle was living in Lawrence and commuting to his job at JC Penney in Topeka. A friend near his home in Missouri was running a floral shop and needed help with deliveries for Valentine’s Day, so Engle went and helped him for the holiday. Working in that store planted a seed, so to speak. Back in Lawrence, Engle scouted the market for local flower shops and saw that he had a chance to succeed here. He and his wife, Susan, scoured every storefront on Mass Street, and just before they were going to sign a contract farther west, they spotted a “for rent” sign in the window at 939 Mass. “We opened there and did well. Mass. Street Deli was next door at the time, so there was already foot traffic for that,” Engle says.

Left: Cary and Susan Engle of Englewood Flowers with staff Right: Emily Basinger creating a wreath at Englewood

Three years later, Engle bought out a florist at the corner of 11th and Mass, and moved Englewood Florist there, where it remained for 20 years until 2015, when the building was sold. Rent increased, and the building needed extensive renovations that took almost two years. So Engle set out to find a new location. He landed at 923 N. Second St. in North Lawrence, just south of I-70. “It took me four years to build the business back up, but this location allowed me to do some things differently than before. I was able to set this building up the way I worked, with a workstation in the center, so things would be more streamlined to work and interact with customers at the same time,” he says. Owens Flower Shop also has made a location change, but that was so many decades ago, it predates most Lawrencians’ memories. Jim and Laura Owens opened the shop in 1946 at 931 Mass. St., which had been Ward’s Flower Shop. Owens Flower Shop remained on Mass. Street until 1963, when the Owenses moved it to its current location at 846 Indiana St. Though it has been in the same spot, multiple owners have operated it there since. Don and Carol Randall purchased the business from the Owenses, and Sharon and Bill Reynolds subsequently purchased from the Randalls.

Owens’ owner Kristin Spacek has been at the helm since early 2012 as its fourth owner. She came to Lawrence 19 years ago and landed a job at Owens after scanning the phone book for businesses where she thought she could work. Spacek started working in the back room, answering phones and processing orders. At one point, she left for a year but then came back, and she attended Johnson County Community College for interior design while she worked at Owens. Then, in 2010, working as a designer in the shop, Spacek had an unexpected opportunity arise. “My previous employers were ready to retire, and they asked in-house first if anyone was interested in taking over the business. I never saw myself as a business owner, so I was like, ‘Huh. Could I?’ I was scared out of my mind at first,” she says. Spacek has now owned the business for more than 10 years, and she oversaw an expansion into the space next door in 2016, after Jensen Liquor closed. Both Engle and Spacek say their floral businesses are as good as ever. As it works out, weddings, funerals and special occasions of all sorts occur year-round—and even in a pandemic—so business is constant and reliable. Spacek says that ironically, despite a drastic decline in the 37

Top to Bottom: Corner of Owen’s Flower Shop Owner Kristin Spacek creating a sunflower bouquet Hannah creating a bouquet for a wedding

their families during that time,” she adds. Engle says working with flowers entails being involved in the full gamut of people’s lives. “We see both extremes of emotions, the best times and catastrophic times. Some days, as much as anything, we are counselors, and we let people talk it out,” he says.

Taking It Online Of course, every industry has undergone transformations because of and alongside of the internet. But potentially none more so than the floral industry. Spacek and Engle have worked proactively to thwart third-party services and keep most of their business both local and directly between their shops and the customers.

number of events, her business held steady during the shutdowns and roller coaster of 2020 and 2021. “People couldn’t visit their families, and they would just order flowers instead. It was amazing to help people reach 38

Englewood and Owens built up their stores’ websites with their own in-house floral designs for every occasion, so customers can still have the convenience of online ordering, but the business stays 100% local and is not funneled through a third party that takes a big cut. National services like Teleflora and 1-800-FLOWERS process orders all over the country and send the orders to local participating florists, but the services keep 25 to 30% of the costs, so the floral arrangement is worth much less than the cus-

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Left (top to bottom) Clinton Parkway Nursery & Garden Store Owner Ann Peuser carrying box of plants for a customer Jack & Daryl Bell with their daughter Berkley choosing a Peach tree Customer looking for the plants they want to purchase Right: Fernanda Raney selecting plants for her families home garden

tomer pays through those services, Engle says. And obviously, it’s much less profitable to the florists themselves. “We try to educate people why to buy local. The ‘order gatherer’ services charge fees that don’t go to the florist. Use a local florist, and keep the dollars local. We are hiring local people, paying taxes and spending our money here,” he says. Spacek also has ramped up Owens’ social media presence by posting the shop’s designs and engaging on social media platforms, particularly Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. She says she knows her posts have had an impact because she receives orders through the direct-message function on those platforms in addition to traditional online channels. Engle says that especially with the move to North Lawrence, he has put a great deal of effort into staying connected with Lawrence and with his customer base. He thinks his floral designs have built and maintained his following. “People that know flowers know quality,” he says. “We built a good reputation behind our name, and I think we do really good customer service.” Spacek says the familiarity of the Owens name always helps, but new people come to Lawrence every year, so she can’t rest firmly on the shop’s history. “We have to keep doing new things and not get stuck in tunnel vision. We have to listen to what people are saying they want and take that into consideration,” she says. 40

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Finding the Lay of the Land “People have rediscovered their yards,” says Clinton Parkway Nursery owner, Ann Peuser. The pandemic turned into a boon for garden centers nationwide. Already a destination for outdoor gardeners of all sorts and landscapers, professional and amateur, Clinton Parkway Nursery has powered through supply-chain challenges and had two really good years in 2020 and 2021, she explains. So far, 2022 shows no signs of slowing down. Peuser bought Clinton Parkway Nursery in 1986 from Hank and Bev North, who had opened it in 1981. Prior to her time in Lawrence, Peuser worked at a nursery in Ottawa and then teamed with investors to launch and manage a garden center in Pratt. She moved back to Lawrence to be closer to home and found out about the Norths’ impending retirement. She bought the business and then bought the land. “It’s unreal to see how the town has grown. When I came to work here, you could see one house from here. Now, you can’t even count how many houses we can see,” Peuser says. By the time she bought the nursery, Peuser had worked in garden centers for many years, but she had to prove her experience and knowledge here in order to grow the business. “It didn’t take me long to develop a reputation. The way you develop a reputation is that you know what you’re talking about, and you’re honest,” she says. Through more than four decades of technological advances, and with electronics now integrated into people’s entire existence, Peuser says that ironically, not a lot has changed about managing and operating her nursery. “It’s still about what plants to buy and how much help to have,” she says. Now, technology allows her to track inventory through her point-of-sale system and to learn year-over-year how much of each type of inventory to carry. “The more information you have, the smarter you can buy. We carry close to 1,000 different plants, including annuals and bedding plants,” she says. The pandemic has brought more new customers than ever and has encouraged existing customers to do more with plants than before. But Peuser cautions that the impacts of the past two years are not all about increased sales and revenues. “Our industry is going to be affected by the pandemic longer than anyone else,” she says. She explains that trees take about 10 years to grow, and shrubs take about five years. As the supply chains contracted in 2020 and 2021, many nurseries started pulling trees and shrubs that were not yet fully mature in order to have inventory available. That means that in a few years, there will be gaps and potential shortages in tree and shrub stock nationwide. It’s something to watch in the mid- to late 2020s. So how has Clinton Parkway Nursery weathered the decades to become a longtime Douglas County business? “The best advertising is word of mouth, but that’s also very scary advertising, because you have to perform,” Peuser says. “My philosophy is that you take care of customers and know what you’re talking about.” p

Aging Well by Anne Brockhoff, photos by Steven Hertzog

These four iconic Lawrence watering holes weathered a legislative storm 35 years, landing them in a good economic position today.

When Rick Renfro bought Johnny’s Tavern in 1978, he didn’t see the need to change much. College kids still flocked to the North Lawrence bar to quaff beer and have fun, just as they had for decades. Then Kansas bumped its legal drinking age up to 21 in 1985, forcing Renfro and other business owners to rethink their party plans. “That moment’s seared into my brain,” Renfro says of the law, which the Kansas Legislature phased in over three years. “That was my whole business model—college kids between 18 and 21.” It wasn’t the only law to change around that time. Farm wineries and microbreweries were legalized, giving rise to businesses like Free State Brewing Company. Liquor-by-the-drink got a thumbs-up, but the state later banned smoking inside public spaces. The changes proved painful for Lawrence bars, but mainstays such as Johnny’s, The Wheel and West Coast Saloon persevered while creating jobs, generating tax revenue and adding to the city’s unique character. “I think it’s more than the money and the jobs, and the economic side of things that these places bring,” Renfro says. “They bring a personality to Lawrence. They’re all diverse, and you can count on them.” 44

Tap beers at Johnny’s Tavern in North Lawrence with owner Rick Renfro behind the bar

A Dry History John Wilson opened Johnny’s in 1953 at the corner of North Second and Locust streets, so next year will be its 70th in continuous operation in the same location. Renfro bought it from Wilson at a time when anyone over the age of 18 could come in and order 3.2% beer. Why just 3.2 beer? The answer lies in the state’s dry history. In 1880, Kansas became the first state to prohibit the sale of alcohol. It followed up in 1917 by outlawing even the possession of it, according to a Kansas Department of Revenue history of the state’s liquor laws. Prohibition went national in 1920 with the implementation of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution but was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933. Kansas, however, didn’t relax its laws until 1937. That’s when the state allowed adults over the age of 18 to purchase cereal malt beverages (CMB) that were 3.2% alcohol by weight (as opposed to the alcohol by volume metric used now). Debates about how to tax and regulate alcohol remained contentious over subsequent decades, and enforcement was problematic. Gradually, the statutes evolved: Packaged liquor sales were allowed in 1948 (but the open saloon “forever prohibited”). The Liquor Control Act passed a year later, establishing a system of regulating, licensing and taxing package sales, and setting the drinking age at 21 for anything stronger than 3.2 beer.

Private clubs were established in 1965, allowing people to drink on the premises but only after applying for a membership and paying a fee. Private club rules were tweaked in 1979, but just ordering a drink at a bar or restaurant the way folks do now? Still illegal. Then came the ’80s. Societal concern about impaired driving was growing, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was lobbying for change. Congress in 1984 approved the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which required states to raise the minimum age for purchasing or possessing alcohol to 21. States that didn’t comply would lose federal highway funds. So Kansas complied in 1985. (Interestingly, the state also voted to allow happy hours that same year.) In 1986, Kansas voters approved a constitutional amendment enabling sales of liquor-by-thedrink, which meant bars and restaurants could, for the first time since 1880, legally sell liquor to the public. Counties then voted on whether to adopt the measure and whether to tie liquor sales to food sales. That yielded a patchwork of laws across the state. As of 2021, Douglas County and 38 others allow liquor-by-the-drink with no minimum food sales requirement (although cities can still impose their own). Sixty-three counties allow liquor-by-the-drink but only in establishments that generate 30% of their gross sales from food. Three still prohibit it entirely. 45

Rob “Knobbie” Farha in front of The Wheel Photo from March, 1987, with John “Dr. Woo” Wooden (in center) and a young “Knobbie” (bottom right)

Surviving 21 at Johnny’s Businesses could hold onto their 3.2% beer licenses and private clubs, but why bother? That was Renfro’s thinking when he combined his downstairs beer bar and separate upstairs private club into a single entity after the shift. But that didn’t solve his main problem: Johnny’s lost three-quarters of its business and 50% of its revenue after the drinking age went to 21. “That was far and away the biggest gamechanger,” Renfro says. Renfro installed a kitchen and began serving lunch and dinner to attract more customers, and food now accounts for more than 70% of sales. He also began expanding in 1992; there are now a dozen Johnny’s locations in Lawrence, Topeka and the Kansas City metro area. The company is a closed corporation with 15 members, each of whom own varying percentages of the taverns—except for the original North Lawrence location. Renfro owned 100% of that one until recently selling 10% to his son, Spencer Renfro. That doesn’t mean Rick Renfro is going anywhere, though. “I mainly stay here because I enjoy it,” he says. “There’s a sense of community with the building, the local people, the staff and customers. I feel like a caretaker. I can’t just walk away from it.”

The Legacy of The Wheel Rob “Knobbie” Farha oversees a similar legacy at The Wheel, on 14th Street at the edge of the University of Kansas. Jim Large opened what was then called The Wagon Wheel Café in 1955 and sold it to John “Dr. Woo” Wooden in the 1960s. When Wooden died in 1997, Farha bought it (Wooden’s daughter still owns the building). What does continuing an institution that Kansas Alumni magazine once listed among “Mount Oread’s hallowed sites” mean to him? “The world,” Farha says simply. Not that it’s been easy. Money was tight when Farha quit his job as a customer service representative at American Century Mutual Funds in Kansas City to take over The Wheel. He needed to establish local residency in order to apply for a liquor license but couldn’t find a place to live, so he moved into his accountant’s basement. Wooden’s widow had to help finance his first inventory purchases. Still, The Wheel was exactly where he wanted to be. “I came up so often to watch football games or have breakfast with Woo” after graduating from KU in 1989, says Farha, who considered Wooden a mentor and confidant. “I didn’t miss a beat.”

Shaun Trenholm, co-owner of West Coast Saloon and sole owner of S&S Artisan Pub & Coffeehouse. The original sand box at The West Coast Saloon

Farha knew how precarious the bar business could be, especially when it depended so heavily on college students. He was working at The Wheel when the drinking age went to 21 and saw business drop by half. The bar survived mostly because of the fans who flocked there after the KU men’s basketball team won the national championship in 1988, he says. It’s perfectly positioned to benefit from such celebrations—when the team won this year’s championship, crowds flowed past on their way from Allen Fieldhouse to Massachusetts Street. Even on regular weekends, The Wheel’s walkability gives students a responsible choice when they want to meet friends for drinks. Farha says his staff “cards hard” to keep the clientele over 21 and regularly welcomes visiting alumni. The bar has returned to full capacity now that COVID rates in the county have dropped, and it’s open six days a week when KU is in session. Farha scales back to just Friday and Saturday evenings when it’s not. Burgers, chicken tenders and chicken sandwiches feature on the lunch menu, and the Wheel Pizza Co. downstairs fills people up at night. Events like fraternity and sorority parent weekends and homecoming parties have again picked up. “We’re almost back to a lot of the traditions and routines we had before (COVID),” Farha says. 48

Finding Tradition at the West Coast Saloon When it comes to Lawrence’s iconic bars, those traditions often intersect. Take the 41-year-old West Coast Saloon, which was conceived while owner Shaun Trenholm, Jim Groninger and Kendall Smith were sipping beer at Johnny’s. “One of the guys looked around and said, ‘Oh man, we could do this,’ ” Trenholm recalls. They scraped together $8,000 to buy another local bar. When the deal fell through, they leased a property near the intersection of Iowa and 23rd streets, hauled lumber there in Trenholm’s Datsun hatchback and proceeded to build one. The framing hammers they bought (they were cheaper than claw hammers) left waffle prints in the bar top, and they had to add a platform under the barstools because they’d built it too high. Four tons of sand and a boardwalk added a “West Coast vibe,” but Trenholm removed that after spending the next two years raking cigarette butts out of the sand. “It was all harder than we realized, but we were so young and dumb,” Trenholm says with a smile. Trenholm and his partners opened the bar in 1981, and he bought Groninger and Smith out a year later. The West Coast Saloon weathered the drinking age update in part because it had evolved into more of a local bar. Trenholm added a kitchen, bought a used grill from The Wheel (he calls Wooden his unofficial mentor) and began selling burgers. Not just any burgers, though. He wanted them to be as good as the ones at Johnny’s, made with one-third pound

lean Angus beef on a grill that’s angled toward the door so customers would smell the aroma as they walked in. “I thought, ‘Everybody’s got ice cold beer.’ The only thing we could really promote was burgers, so we went for it,” says Trenholm, who recently retired as a physical education teacher at Woodlawn Elementary School. (A school, he notes, that has long enjoyed strong support from Rick Renfro and Johnny’s.) Bob Gruenwald became a partner in West Coast Saloon in 1988; managing partner Dave Dick bought in in 2004. That July, Lawrence banned indoor smoking in public spaces. West Coast Saloon’s business dropped 25% the following day. “It was horrible. I asked Dave, ‘Do you want your money back?’ ” Trenholm says. “People were protesting by not coming in.”

Dick demurred. The partners added a patio where customers could smoke, and then the Kansas Indoor Clean Air Act went into effect in July 2010. The combination “took the sting out of it, and business came back, but those were a couple of lean years,” says Trenholm, whose other Lawrence businesses include S&S Artisan Pub and Coffeehouse (set to reopen early this summer) and Booster Print & Embroidery.

Good News for Wine and Craft Beer Raising the drinking age to 21 and implementing an indoor smoking ban achieved their goals—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the first reduces motor vehicle crashes by 16%, and the second improves community health—but they were undeniably hard on local bars. Other changes to state laws in the 1980s had a more positive effect. 49

Looking down at the bar from the second floor of The Free State Brewery Outdoor patio dining at Free State

Kansas legalized farm wineries in the early 1980s, paving the way for the six in Douglas County that are registered with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, as well as for Crescent Moon Winery, a Leavenworth County winery that last year opened a tasting room in downtown Lawrence. The state followed by legalizing microbreweries in 1987, largely thanks to the efforts of Chuck Magerl, the founder and proprietor of Free State Brewing. Magerl helped craft the legislation and lobbied for its passage with the help of leaders like Sen. Wint Winter Jr., of Lawrence. Magerl opened Free State Brewery in 1989, selling just three beers to an eager public: Ad Astra Ale, Wheat State Golden and what he calls a hybrid version of a German Bock beer. “It was a giddy response,” he says. “When we opened the door, there was a line of people waiting to get in.” The timing was right. Home brewing was on the rise in the 1970s, and San Francisco’s Anchor Steam had staged a resurgence by the 1980s. A handful of microbreweries and brewpubs popped up over the next decade, then the floodgates opened. By 2021, the country’s 9,247 small, independent brewers (including 66 in Kansas) accounted for more than 13% of the overall beer market, according to the Brewers Association. Free State initially focused on selling beer at the restaurant, where food has consistently accounted for about two-thirds of sales. An early collaboration with 50

locally owned Grandstand Glassware and Apparel led to branded growlers customers could get filled to go; Free State now distributes beer throughout Kansas and in parts of Missouri. The business includes its 6,000-square-foot restaurant on Massachusetts Street and a 20,000-squarefoot production facility in East Lawrence. The two locations combined have about 100 full- and part-time employees. Is Magerl surprised by that? “It was beyond my initial imagination of a small pub location,” he says. Magerl notes growth hasn’t come without challenges. COVID, of course, followed by supply chain shortages and inflation. But his decades of business experience lends itself to pragmatism. “I’ve been around long enough that I was involved in management of businesses in the late ’70s, when inflation was previously at this point,” Magerl says. “It doesn’t come as a visceral shock to me, because I’ve experienced it. At the same time, it’s not easy to manage.”

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Boosting Lawrence’s Bottom Line Managing such challenges is essential not only to the survival of individual businesses but also to the city’s fiscal health. Liquor taxes alone are expected to generate $2.45 million in revenue during the current fiscal year, according to the 2022 City of Lawrence budget. That doesn’t include property, sales and other taxes these bars pay to the city, county and state, or the economic impact of the jobs they create.

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Food service—which includes everything from cooks and dishwashers to servers, bartenders and baristas in all types of food venues—employs 5,390 people in Lawrence, according to a May 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. That includes about 25 mostly KU students who work at The Wheel, 11 staff at West Coast Saloon and the combined 210 Lawrence employees at Johnny’s North (the original), Johnny’s West and J. Wilson’s (an upscale eatery also owned by Renfro and his wife, Nancy Renfro). And then there are the more intangible benefits, such as the sense of community that connects people locally and draws out-of-towners back time and again. They’re just part of what makes Lawrence unique, Farha says. “Businesses like these come and go all the time,” he adds. “But when people come back to a college town, they like seeing the same things and visiting the places they went to when they were in college. These places have history.” p 51

A Flavor of Its Own

The uniqueness of North Lawrence and its community sets it apart and provides local businesses the opportunity to not only survive but thrive long term. by Darin White, photos by Steven Hertzog

North Lawrence has been around since 1867. A rudimentary ferry was used to cross the Kaw River until 1863, when a toll bridge was built. Before settling on the name of North Lawrence, the location was an independent city originally named Jefferson (most likely because, at the time, it was in Jefferson County). This city had its own government, stores and more. After the area boundaries were redrawn, and it became part of Douglas County, the name was changed to North Lawrence. The independently incorporated North Lawrence didn’t exist for long; it was annexed into Lawrence in 1870. North Lawrence has always had its own flavor, and some from the area have described it as a large family living in different houses. The term “sandrat” was initially a derogatory term to describe North Lawrencians. However, this moniker was embraced and is celebrated by the community as its own. Elden Tefft created a sculpture lovingly titled, “Sandy the Sandrat.” A number of businesses have been located in North Lawrence during the years, but there are a few that have maintained various levels of longevity and consider it their home. 52

Front entry way to BKB Leather at 815 Elm St. Bruce Barlow, owner of BKB with some of the staff inside his eclectic studio

BKB Leather BKB Leather, 815 Elm St., began out of the need to find work when construction worker Bruce Barlow was at home in North Lawrence recovering from an injury. He read books from the library and looked at many potential options for a career as he was crafting his future. He remembers, “Glass-bending and plastic-welding were a couple of my first interests at the time. I called the business BKB Artificer,” he explains. “An Artificer is an archaic term for a skilled craftsman. Leather, wood and glass are materials I was familiar working with.” He had already done some leatherwork, and friends began to ask him to make and fix tool belts, saddles or couch cushions. Eventually, the name was changed to BKB Leather, which officially opened for business in 1987. North Lawrence was a natural business location for Barlow and his wife, Kris, who moved into their home in 1985,

where the laundry room became the workshop. As the business grew, it was relocated to the southwest corner of Second and Locust streets, where an old gas station currently houses The Gaslight Tavern. Like a chess game, the business again moved catty-corner to the Union Pacific Depot, on the northeast corner of Second and Locust streets. After the building was torn down, they relocated back to the southwest corner and eventually expanded to a shared space with Barlow’s mother, who ran the What-Not-Shop in the southwest corner next to Johnny’s Tavern. The business remained in this location until the 5000-square-foot building was sold, so they moved the 53

business back to their 500-square-foot garage on Elm Street, which was a challenge but was supported by the city, neighbors and clients. “By then, we as a family had expanded into what we like to call the ‘Barlow Family Compound,’ four connecting properties consisting of four homes and four generations and two family businesses,” Barlow reminisces. They also added a second home business to the family compound, Hand to Hand Studio, Long Arm Quilting by Kris Barlow.

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Barlow’s credo: “I fix things, and I make things.” As a company, he handles a wide variety of different projects, including custom leatherwork and repair, shoe repair, orthopedic buildups, saddles and tack, upholstery and more, but the goal is to try and repair anything that walks in the door. Family is very important to the couple. They work hard and play hard. “Making mistakes and finding solutions,” Barlow says. “In April 1999, I quit drinking, and that allowed me a clearer vision and practice in my business. Research. Sobriety. Tenacity. Knowing there is always a solution.” These are all elements of the success and longevity of his business. BKB Leather has grown exponentially because Barlow continued to strive to learn. The more he learned, the more opportunities he discovered. The majority of his new clients come from word-of-mouth referrals and repeat clients. If people keep breaking things, he will repair what he can.

Lynn Electric Lynn Electric has been in business since 1977 and has been located in North Lawrence for 15 years. The original idea to move from 23rd Street to North Lawrence was due to affordability and the close proximity to I-70. The bonus of being located right on the main road, North Second Street, has increased the company’s exposure. Coowner George Grieb explains, “… our favorite thing about North Lawrence is the close-knit community and the businesses that have been here for many years. Johnny’s and La Tropicana are two longtime businesses that come to mind.” During the years, the company has chosen to focus on commercial work to become a larger electrical contractor. One change was getting out of single-family newconstruction work in the early 2000s. Taking care of dedicated employees and providing good pay and benefits has allowed Lynn Electric to, in turn, provide excellent customer service to its clients, all part of the company’s success and growth to more than 50 employees in the last 20 years. In addition to providing residential, commer-

Lynn Electric technicians installing new lights for a remodel on Mass St.

cial and industrial new construction and electrical service work in Kansas City and the surrounding areas, its sister company, Freedom Excavating & Trenching, provides underground utility installations for the fiber optic, electrical, gas and water industries. In business, change can cause growing pains, and one of the challenges of growing can be expanding too quickly. At one point, this was the case for Lynn Electric. In hindsight, Grieb wishes he would have listened more carefully to the concerns of his network of advisors. Thankfully, the company was able to work through this challenge. He believes one key to success is perseverance during good times and bad. The company pushed through its challenges and became smarter and stronger. Another thing Grieb thinks has helped Lynn’s longevity is being able to change with the times and adjust. Including the use of technology to manage the business is one example of this flexibility. Technology has completely changed the way Lynn transacts business. Grieb says he wouldn’t change his experience working in Lawrence and surrounding areas during the last 30 years. Lynn Electric has worked with almost every community over a 100-mile radius from Lawrence. “Lawrence has been a great community to live and work,” he says. Grieb believes the City of Lawrence can be challenging to work with, and not just because of the codes. However, he is hopeful the City’s customer service will become a “state of mind” rather than just a department in a building. There is always room for growth.

Reed Smith LLC – Cordova Motors The owners of Reed Smith LLC DBA Cordova Motors are three local businessmen, Allen Reed, Wes Smith and Michael Cordova. All of the partners have lived and worked in Lawrence, and called it their homes for much of their lives. Smith is a local attorney and car aficionado. Reed has owned and operated SuperShed Kansas in Lawrence, Topeka, Hutchinson and many other Kansas locations. The DBA’s namesake, Cordova, has been in the auto business for 53 years and has sold thousands of cars and trucks. Smith says, “We are really just always doing business with our friends. It’s a rare customer who lives in Lawrence that doesn’t know one of the three owners.” Kaw Valley Homes, which was owned by the Reed family, was located in North Lawrence. The Reeds provided Cordova Motors a generous price to rent the location as this collective venture was starting out. The location has been a convenient proximity to Topeka, Kansas City and the Kansas City International Airport (MCI). Having had a number of clients fly in from outside of the area and drive new vehicles home, being close to MCI has been ideal. North Lawrence is also a great location for travelers to see the car lot from I-70 or the busy thoroughfare of North Third Street, which is accessed by commuters, shoppers, vacationers and a high number of vehicles. Many customers come from Leavenworth and Jefferson County, and it is an easy drive from Johnson County, Kansas City, Missouri, or Topeka. One of the more unique purchases was a railroad engineer from Arkansas who stopped by the dealership after seeing it from his locomotive. Cordova Motors has made North Lawrence its home, and it has no plans to leave. “Our bread and butter used to be $5000 to $10,000 cars. It has evolved into $10,000 to $15,000 vehicles, specializing in Japanese SUVs, Jeeps, work trucks and pickup trucks. 55

Michael Cordova, one of the three owners of Cordova Motors in their office and on the lot

However, it has sold a number of classics, as well as some high-end cars, over the years,” Smith explains. “We just try to provide quality product at a fair price.” Cordova Motors sells many “school cars” for local high-schoolers, as well as vehicles for their kids to take to college. It also sells a lot of daily driver cars. Smith enjoys refurbishing and marketing classic cars and pickup trucks, which has been a nice niche market for the dealership. Cordova has a family photo with his descendants, their spouses and children on the wall inside Cordova Motors. With Cordova’s longevity in the auto sales industry, and with the family’s history in Lawrence, there is rarely a customer who doesn’t know one of them. Coach Max Cordova may have taught or coached them at West Middle School. Perhaps they were one of the Cordova family member’s classmates in school or sports, or were involved in other community activities. Lorrie Cordova, MD, may be their doctor. Having a familiar face or name can help build trust and eliminate some of the fear of buying a vehicle. “The most important choice that I’ve made in business is not to sacrifice my reputation over a dollar,” Cordova says. Smith agrees. “Michael’s reputation is second to none, and it’s one of the reasons that not only he has thrived but Cordova Motors has thrived.” As a business, the men try to relieve any concerns and risk of buying a used car by including a rigorous inspection and refurbishment program. “Any of our cars for sale could be driven on a long trip the day it is purchased,” Smith adds. More than 1000 feet north across the bridge over the mighty Kaw River, Massachusetts Street ends where North Lawrence begins at North Second Street. The majority of the commercial companies in the area line this street, which is also Highway 40 and Highway 59 en route to the I-70 bypass and beyond to neighboring towns. The unique and diverse community continues to grow and develop, overcoming adversity and challenges through its character and close-knit ties, the neighborhood and its investment into the lives of its community members. While businesses will continue to come and go, a number of them will survive and thrive—places such as Cordova Motors, BKB Leatherwork and Lynn Electric. Each looks forward to maintaining its longevity in North Lawrence. p

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Dr. Mathew Coles, Animal Hospital of Lawrence, holds his patient before an exam

Talkin’ to the Animals: A Passion for Pets by Tara Trenary, photos by Steven Hertzog

Being a veterinarian can be a stressful profession, but the devotion of these local vets helps to ensure that our community’s animals are healthy and happy. 58

In May 1969, during a time of social upheaval in our country and in Lawrence, Dr. Herschel Lewis moved his family from El Dorado, Kansas, to Lawrence. The four years prior he’d spent in a large clinic learning the basics of running a veterinary practice. Here, he purchased a practice at Eighth and Vermont streets, which had been in service since 1932. The veterinarian changed the name, and the Lewis Veterinary Clinic was born. That same year, the phone rang in his clinic, and the frantic wife of another veterinarian in town was on the line. Thirty minutes before, during a routine cat spay, her husband had died. The new widow asked Lewis if he could quickly get across town to finish the surgery.

Entrance to Animal Hospital of Lawrence. While Dr. Coles conducts an exam, a staffer prepares medication for another client

Though things have changed quite a bit in Lawrence since the year the first man landed on the moon, the Beatles recorded their last album together and close to 400,000 gathered for Woodstock, some things haven’t changed: the longevity of some of Lawrence’s best veterinary clinics, the camaraderie among the local vets—and Lewis’s phone number. So how have these veterinary clinics endured throughout all of the changes in the world and in Lawrence in the last 50 years?

With a Little Help From My Friends “I don’t know that it’s as much competition [but] probably more camaraderie,” explains Dr. Matthew Coles, veterinarian at Animal Hospital of Lawrence (AHL). “We have shared medications or vaccines with other clinics when they’ve been out or needed something, and they’ve shared with us when needed. We’ve also sent clients to other clinics when we can’t accommodate them or if their needs matched better elsewhere, such as wanting acupuncture.” Lewis agrees. “Lawrence has a lot of clinics for clients to choose from. We all get along and trade information and services.” He believes his willingness to listen serves his clients well, and “if we cannot help them, we try to find someone who can.” Although Lewis warns veterinary medicine can be quite an expensive endeavor, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects the need for veterinarians will continue to rise by 18% from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for job growth of all occupations. Overall employment of animal care and service workers is projected to grow 22 percent from 2019 to 2029, also faster than the average. The increase in consumers’ petrelated spending is the driving force behind these statistics. The following three Lawrence veterinary clinics have stood the test of time and continue to thrive in the growing and ever-changing world of veterinary medicine. 59

Lewis Veterinary Clinic In 1972, Lewis left his Vermont Street location and built his current clinic on West Sixth Street. He has been there ever since. In the early days, he provided services for both large and small animals, even working with the Lawrence livestock sales company. He also boarded animals at his clinic. Lewis has one trusted employee, his receptionist of 30 years. Before that, he had another receptionist who was with him for 20 years. Since the clinic does not employ computers, his secretary has a big job not only handling clients and patients, but also keeping the books. “We have an understanding: She quits, I quit and vice versa,” Lewis says. Though he rarely treats large animals these days and no longer offers boarding (he says both are labor intensive, and he’s grown too old), the Lewis clinic does accept walk-ins and offers health exams, vaccinations, 24-hour emergency care, antibiotics, heartworm preventatives, specialty pet food and spaying and neutering, among other offerings. It also has a varied client base, from college students to businesspeople to second-and third-generation clients. “It amazes me the distance people will travel to come to 60

Lewis Veterinary Clinic Dr Herschel Lewis and his assistant of 30 years Brenda Newell

the veterinarian they like,” Lewis says. “Many tell me they came with their grandparents and parents, and they bring me their new baby or spouse to show off.” Lewis supports the 4-H of Douglas County when he can and says it’s always good to have a day off now and again. “But three days or more makes me nervous,” he quips. Though his family arrived in Lawrence during a tumultuous time in history, he says the town has grown and lot and continues to do so while retaining its endearing smalltown feel. It’s “a growing community—close enough to big-city service but not too close,” Lewis explains. “Lawrence is a wonderful place, and I still enjoy my work.” 61

Clinton Parkway Animal Hospital Top to bottom Dr. Tom Liebl examines a patient, a dog is getting a teeth cleaning, Dr. Rena Heimsoth examines a cat, Dr. Rhiannon Harris examines a very large dog

Clinton Parkway Animal Hospital After graduating from vet school in 1972 from Kansas State University, Dr. Gary Olson, veterinarian, and his wife moved to Elkhart, Indiana. “This area was one of the best in the country to practice quality veterinary medicine,” Olson says. “This exposure created a foundation on how I wanted to practice veterinary medicine.” Soon after moving, the couple realized how special Kansas was. The family relocated to Lawrence in 1974 and opened Clinton Parkway Animal Hospital (CPAH) on 23rd Street (soon to be Clinton Parkway), at the time a narrow, two-lane asphalt road. The only other properties west of the clinic, at 4340 Clinton Pkwy., were a Montessori school and Clinton Parkway nursery. “The clinic was surrounded by pastures,” says Olson, who retired in 2021. “One day during construction, the painters left the doors open for ventilation. I discovered the next morning that a steer with long horns had entered the building, walking around different rooms. Lots of manure but luckily no significant damage.” A few years later, construction began on Clinton Parkway, obstructing access to the clinic. Clients had to take Sixth Street to Wakarusa (a gravel road used as a drag strip at the time) and then a couple miles back on other gravel roads just to get to the clinic, he explains. “It would end up being almost a five-mile trip. I remember a potential client calling with an emergency who needed to come to the clinic right away. He became so frustrated with my directions that he decided to go to another clinic.” Another well-dressed female client ended up getting chains from the contractor wrapped around her tires trying to make it to the clinic, Olson says. “She was covered in mud. We sent her flowers, and she remained a great client for many years. That’s loyalty.” Luckily, CPAH had then and still has to this day very loyal clients. Olson says he chose Lawrence because it’s a college community, has a larger population and was experiencing significant growth at that time. “Lawrence is a great asset for new employees. ... [And] an educated client base is helpful. 62

“Downtown was vibrant with multiple specialty stores. We had many business leaders who could get things done for the best of Lawrence,” he continues. Having been named Best of Lawrence for six years, the foundation of the practice was based on decisions made by Olson in 1974. The clinic had state-of-the-art equipment, Olson explains, and the goals of the practice were based on his experience in Indiana. Today, Dr. Tom Liebl, veterinarian, runs the show. The clinic “has a staff that takes a keen interest in the ‘whole’ (gets to know and understand the client, takes an interest in the clientele, knows the needs of the pet and wants to do everything possible to make that pet feel comfortable, happy and healthy).” Its mission: considering its clients and their pets a part of the CPAH family with a staff that provides a standard of care founded on compassion and a deep commitment to providing the best care and value possible. He says his staff “are truly warriors that hold the goal of providing top medical care to our clients’ pets near and dear.” The clinic has about 25 employees including the practice manager, receptionist, technicians, technician assistants and kennel staff who oversee client interactions, prepare paperwork, handle financial interactions, assist the doctors in evaluating patients and preparing samples for submission to labs, administer vaccines/ medications and perform diagnostic tests required for patient care, Liebl explains. It offers everything from health checks, dental health care, overweight and pain management, senior pet care, vaccinations, spay and neutering, and other types of surgeries, among other services. Recently, the clinic worked with the local pet food pantry, giving a portion of the money collected from every office call to the pantry to buy food for the pets of those who were down on their luck. “We also provide the opportunity for school children who have an interest in the profession of veterinary medicine to come and spend time with us as a shadowing opportunity,” he says. “It has been rewarding to see some of those young ones go on to fulfill their dreams and let us know that we played a role in their decision.”

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Dr. Miranda Lyon performs surgery in the CPAH operating room

Animal Hospital of Lawrence Founded around 1972 as the Animal Hospital of Old West Lawrence, Dr. William Bayouth, veterinarian, purchased the practice, located at 701 Michigan St., in 1977 and shortened the name to Animal Hospital of Lawrence (AHL). He had been living and practicing in Colorado, and decided to move to Lawrence to be closer to family and friends. Before he bought the clinic, Seventh Street was a main thoroughfare through town from east to west. “That’s likely why the clinic is where it is now. … Over time, Sixth Street became the main east/west street from downtown,” explains Coles, current owner of AHL. “The west wasn’t there,” Bayouth says. “Wakarusa was pastureland. Kasold was the edge of town.” Today, Coles adds, Lawrence is just bigger and more complicated. The secret to AHL’s success seems to be its ability to form and retain relationships with clients. “We don’t really advertise, and we aren’t on a main street. Just word of mouth and building relationships with people who have referred others,” Coles explains. “We have people who have been coming here since before Bill bought the clinic—a handful of clients for over 45 years and still others over 40 years. We have 20 or so clients that have moved away and still drive over from the KC area for appointments.” He says they strive to be affordable and honest, and just focus on helping pets and people. The clinic has about 15 staff including kennel, reception, veterinarians, technicians and assistants. It has had some employees remain with the clinic for 20 to 25 years. It offers wellness care such as dentistry, vaccinations, checkups, spay and neuter surgeries; specialty care such as allergy, emergency, end of life, lab and radiology treat64

ments; and additional care such as boarding, food and treats, and pet-care supplies. Coles says the advantage of running a clinic in Lawrence is the small-town feel and being in a neighborhood setting where people can walk to the clinic. The disadvantage, he says, is not having an emergency clinic or a closer referral for specialists. Bayouth and Coles both give back to the community in their own ways. Bayouth volunteers with various groups and was on the board of the Ballard Center for many years. Coles has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels for about 14 years. The clinic’s ultimate goal: “Put simply, to keep people and their pets together,” Coles explains. “Or more traditionally, furthering the relationship between pets and their people through improved pet health. “We seem to develop relationships that last,” he adds.

Power of Community Today’s veterinarians are the only doctors educated to protect the health of both animals and people (zoonotically), according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). “They work hard to address the health and welfare needs of every species of animal. Veterinarians also play critical roles in environmental protection, research, food safety and public health,” the AVMA states. As such an integral part of the community, performing such a challenging and emotional service, working together for the greater good and supporting one another during the process is key. “We are in a service industry that sees some very stressful, sad situations and also some situations that fill the heart with a warm glow. … We rely on each other to help carry the burden.” p

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These local businesses have adapted and thrived through the years thanks to hard work and generations of smart business practices. “Jayhawk is basically a company that resulted from a weekend hobby that got out of control.” –John Hardman, owner, Jayhawk Bowling Supply & Equipment Inc. Call them happy accidents. Chance successes. Finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Whatever the axiom or cliché, the world is full of entities that began with a kernel of an idea and, be it through fate, luck or a lot of elbow grease and persistence—and probably a combination of all of that—grew into long-standing, even iconic, companies. Lawrence certainly isn’t immune from having many such businesses that call it home. They can be found in nearly every corner of town, businesses that have weathered up to seven decades of economic downturns, natural disasters and, most recently, worldwide pandemics. They’ve survived them with dizzying degrees of adaptability, to change with changing times, ebb with the ebbs and go with the flow. And they’ve done so with strong family ties 66

and business processes passed down through generations of ownership. Call them the happiest of accidents. Companies such as Jayhawk Bowling Supply & Equipment Inc., which started in the early 1960s when Chuck Hardman arrived in Lawrence to be a night manager at Hillcrest Bowl and found there was no one there who could drill finger holes in bowling balls. Or Anderson Rentals & Equipment, which was birthed in 1946 when used furniture salesman Raymond “Andy” Anderson loaned the Eldridge Hotel folding chairs for a convention it was hosting. And there’s Cottin’s Hardware & Rental down on 18th and Massachusetts streets. Also founded in 1946, it got started in the early ’90s when Michigan natives Linda and Tom Cottin took the advice of a friend in Lawrence and chose to buy a hardware store here. All three icons of Lawrence business survived and thrived over the decades through hard work, smart and flexible business decisions, and consistency of family lines and principles that hold up well to life’s curveballs.

Bowling pins in a showcase at Jayhawk Bowling Supply & Equipment A drill press to put holes into a bowling ball John Harman (center)with his sons (L-R) Nathan and Alex

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They have another thing in common: a love for their businesses and what they do to keep them successful. “I love what I do,” says John Hardman. “It’s hard for me to go on vacation, because I can’t think of anywhere else that’s as much fun as being (at Jayhawk Bowling Supply).” Mary Anderson, second-generation owner of Anderson Rentals, who bought out her parents in the early ’80s, says, “This is such a great job. It’s different every day. It’s so much problem-solving. “As a single mother, we would make the business place our family home. The kids would ride their bikes around the showroom. You learn so much every day about people, work, diplomacy,” she continues. “For me, it’s the perfect job.”

Chuck Hardman actually arrived in Lawrence from his hometown of Osborne, Kansas, in 1959 to work at Hillcrest Bowl, which today is called Royal Crest Lanes. When he discovered the bowling alley had no shop to drill out finger holes in balls, he asked the owner if he could start drilling bowling balls during his time off. He did just that in a tiny shed behind his mobile home until he incorporated in ’61 as Jayhawk Bowling Supply & Equipment Inc. The company has resided at several Lawrence locations before moving to its current spot on North Iowa in 1994. Hardman created an original drill press that became so popular with bowling centers, the company eventually began manufacturing equipment. The Jayhawk Measuring Ball became the company’s first patent and was instrumental in building the business. Today, Jayhawk Bowling Supply & Equipment Inc. is the largest manufacturer of bowling ball drilling equipment in the world, with 71 countries served. Success didn’t come without some bumps along the way. “The business was started with borrowed money,” says John Hardman, who started hanging around his father’s 67

Top-Bottom: Anderson rentals at their new location, the original Anderson Rentals at 812 New Hampshire, Christopher Golden, Mary Anderson, Andy Anderson and Rita Holland stand with portraits of the Matriarch and Patriarch of Anderson Rentals, and different power tools to rent

shop when he was about 7 and today leads the company with two sons working alongside him. “One of the hardest times came during the interest rate spikes in the early 1980s. Back then, it was all we could do to pay interest. We didn’t pay down any principal for years. “We had to adapt a lot,” he adds. When Jayhawk started, it sold balls, bags and shoes. In 1977, it got into surfacing—sanding, waxing and polishing bowling lanes. “When lanes are well-oiled, scores go up,” Hardman says. “We got a good reputation.” Jayhawk was one of four companies nationwide to get a parts contract from bowling industry behemoth, Brunswick, in 1981. It got out of the balls, bags and shoes business in 1994. “The smartest thing we ever did was get out of balls, bags and shoes,” Hardman says. “When we started, there were 90 distributors, all selling the same ball. There was a contest to sell the cheapest. That’s a hard contest to win.” Hardman says his business today is three-fold: a core business of manufacturing and selling specialty parts, supplies, lane machines for bowling centers, etc.; pro shop equipment (house balls and rental shoes, etc.); and capital equipment and service, such as remodeling bowling centers and installing pin-setting machines and automatic score-keeping. He says there’s even been an uptick in business one wouldn’t normally think about. “We’ve built a lot of bowling centers in homes, which has been an interesting thing,” he says. “Bowling used to be a leaguedriven business, but it’s hard to find bowlers wanting to invest that much time anymore. The trend now is toward shorter leagues, family-friendly activities.” Hardman also has enjoyed a stable employee base over the years and decades. In addition to his sons, Jerry Bailey, the company’s business manager, and his brother Terry Bailey, 68

installation crew foreman, each have been with Jayhawk about 30 years. If Jayhawk were to find itself in financial difficulties in the future, Hardman could consider selling some or all of his impressive bowling memorabilia. His office is filled with historic bowling pins, wooden bowling balls from the 1800s, 300 game rings and a watch engraved with bowling Hall of Famer Dick Weber’s name, among other things. But he’s probably not sweating the future too much. He and the company celebrated 50 years of business back in 2011 with 170 customers from eight states in a huge soiree at the Kansas Speedway. And there are Nathan and Alex, the third generation of Hardmans, working alongside dad in preparation to take the company further forward.

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“We Rent Most Anything” Little did her father know when he loaned those folding chairs to the Eldridge in the late ’50s that he had inadvertently invented a new type of business: the rental company. After the Eldridge job was complete, Mary Anderson says, he soon began renting furniture to dormitories at the University of Kansas then moved on to renting ladders and lawn mowers to local residents. “There was the culture back then of buy and borrow,” Mary explains. “(Starting a rental business) solved a lot of issues.” She says her father helped found and form the American Rental Association, today the largest international trade association for owners of equipment and event rental operations, and manufacturers and suppliers of rental equipment, with nearly $68 billion of business worldwide. 69

“Rental has become everyone’s emergency resource,” Mary says. “We have an interesting business because of the town we’re in. The young people at the university keep it that way. “Our motto is: We rent most anything.” Indeed, it might be an easier exercise to list what Anderson doesn’t rent as opposed to what it does. There are no NASA rocket ships, nuclear centrifuges or Noah’s Ark. Just about everything else you can find: dishes, tables, tablecloths, yard equipment, park benches, tools, even stranger items like bottle cappers and Old West wagon wheels. And, oh yes, Porta Johns and hand-washing stations, which Mary’s son, Andy, says were business life preservers during the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the pandemic, the thing that saved us was portable restrooms,” he says. “That, and hospitals needed hand-washing stations. “Just the fact we have a little of everything helped us get through,” Andy adds. The diversity of items offered for rent at Andersons has been helpful through all economic downturns during the past 70 years, Mary says. “If the housing market is down, entertainment might be up,” she says. “If another area is hurting, there’s always something else that’s thriving, and we’re able to service that area, too.” 70

Mary says she bought out her parents in the company in 1982 and, in ’87, came on board as its CEO. For years, Anderson Rentals was located at Sixth and Michigan streets, but the need to be closer to a major highway prompted the move to its current 18,000-squarefoot location, at 2206 E. 23rd St., about 18 months ago. Andy, who says he’s the ninth generation of Andersons to be born and raised in Kansas, joins Mary and other relatives in the business. He says there are five “non-Anderson” employees with the company. Mary says Anderson Rentals’ future looks as bright as its past. “People are always going to need tools,” she says.

A Community Hub Before it was Cottin’s Hardware, the company was owned by Bob and Barb Zimmerman. It actually was Bob’s father — Linda Cottin refers to him as “Mr. Zimmerman” — who founded the business in the 1940s as a blacksmith shop. In ’46, Bob and his brother, Lee, split the business into two separate businesses. Bob stayed with the hardware business at 18th and Mass, while Lee opened Zimmerman Steel Fabrication. “That’s a telling story of the hardware industry,” Cottin says. “To survive, you have to change. Constant change is the key to survival.”

Linda and Tom were born a month apart from each other in Chicago, and both of their families bought and operated hardware businesses in the 1970s in Sturgis, Michigan. “After our fourth child was born, Tom and three of his brothers and sisters were running the family hardware store,” Cottin says. “We knew we needed to buy our own store.” The Cottins’ Lawrence friend, Bob Begluin, told them of a couple with a long-standing hardware store on south Mass Street that was looking to sell the business. “We flew out of Midway (in Chicago) on the last flight before the airport shut down because of a blizzard,” Cottin says. “We landed in Lawrence, and it was 70 and sunny. “Driving south on Mass Street, we got to the gazebo at South Park and decided we were going to buy (the hardware store) before even seeing it,” she adds. Cottin says she and Tom took the keys June 1, 1992, and for the last 30 years have enjoyed making it a multiple-needs commerce hub for the Lawrence community. Cottin’s Hardware sells the usual: tools, home supplies, parts, garden supplies, etc. Over the years, they’ve also expanded services to include things like beekeeping and brewing supplies, as well as a weekly farmers’ market. But it goes further than that. “We’re a customer-service store that sells hardware,” says Cottin, who lived within walking distance from the store up until five years ago, when she and Tom moved to the country. “Selling hardware is the second thing we do. The first thing we do is help people. All of our longtime customers have been incredibly helpful and supportive.” Cottin says the business has weathered all the various economic downcycles just fine. It was ahead of the curve on implementing mask-wearing and maintaining social distance at the outset of the pandemic, and also fared well with curbside pickup and telephone service. “One of the beauties of a hardware store is we understood a hardware store is recession-proof,” she says. “If times are bad, people want to fix things. If times are good, people want to buy things.” Most times have been good for the Cottins the last 30 years. But all good things must come to an end. Cottin says she and Tom plan to sell the business in five years. In fact, they already have a buyer, one of their former employees, lined up and ready to continue the legacy established by Zimmerman more than 70 years ago, of a hardware store that serves as a hub for all things community. Cottin’s True Value Hardware om Mass St. 71 Staff at Cottin’s are knowledgeable about their products and they value their customer service

“We’re a neighborhood hardware store,” Cottin says. “But our neighborhood stretches far and wide.” p 71

THE CHAMBER Ribbon Cuttings

THE CHAMBER Member Celebration

VAN GO

May Day - Hey Day, photos by Ann Dean

THE CHAMBER Annual Meeting - photos by Carter Gaston

LMH HEALTH Annual Meeting

NEWS [MAKERS] & PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Secily Rees Joins Envista as Market Development Officer Envista Credit Union is pleased to announce that Secily Rees has joined Envista Credit Union as Market Development Officer in Lawrence, KS. “Secily is a trusted lender, with ten years experience in the industry, who puts quality and excellence above all while working to help our members reach their financial goals. She is also committed to improving the lives of those around her through her community service and dedication to the Lawrence community,” said Ron Smeltzer, president and CEO of Envista. “Secily’s experience and knowledge, paired with her commitment to the success of our members and the growth of the Lawrence community, make her a tremendous asset to Envista.” Rees has a passion for the arts. She is a devoted volunteer for Theatre Lawrence and Topeka Civic Theatre and has been involved with countless productions, everything from being on stage to helping fundraising initiatives and children’s arts programs. Rees is a proud graduate of the Chamber’s Leadership Lawrence Class of 2019.

Meritrust Credit Union welcomes Tim Mock as Business Development Officer for the Lawrence community. As a well-known member of the Lawrence business community, Tim Mock is happy to bring his passion for assisting people on their financial journeys to Meritrust Credit Union as a Business Development Officer for the Lawrence market. In his role, Tim will collaborate with local businesses and nonprofits to uncover opportunities for Meritrust to serve as a financial resource. Meritrust is committed to serving the people of Lawrence and Tim will be an integral component in expanding our outreach throughout the greater Lawrence community. “When it comes to being an active and engaged community member in Lawrence, Tim excels,” says Jamie Harrison, SVP Chief Growth Officer. “He illustrates a profound understanding of local values, interests and concerns, and we’re looking forward to leveraging his knowledge and passion for Lawrence to improve member experiences.” Tim’s prior involvement in the community includes participation in the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, as well as his seat on the Board of Trustees for both Lawrence Schools Foundation and The Cottonwood Foundation. With his insight and passion for local culture, we are excited to develop and offer enhanced service opportunities for Lawrence.

Fussell named Business Development Officer at Truity Credit Union Truity Credit Union is proud to announce and welcome back Audra Fussell as the new Business Development Officer in Lawrence, Kansas. “I am so excited to have Audra Fussell joining our Truity team. With her enthusiasm and commitment to the Lawrence community, I know she will be a great asset to our organization,” Vice President Business Development Sara Freeman said. “Lawrence can look forward to seeing Audra all over town offering financial education, partner benefits and representing Truity at a variety of sponsored events!” Fussell has over 13 years of combined experience in management, networking and marketing. As Business Development Officer, she will work with local businesses to offer credit union membership and services to their employees and family members. She currently serves on the Douglas County CASA Board of Directors and has roles as Lawrence Chamber Envoy Co-Chair and President for the Lawrence Women’s Network. She is also involved in Lawrence One Million Cups and volunteers at Toys for Tots.

Winds Across the Prairie Douglas County CASA is honored to partner with the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble and Presenting Sponsor Edmonds Duncan Registered Investment Advisorsfor our 2nd annual Winds Across the Prairie benefit concert. The event will be held on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. This year’s evening of gorgeous music, gourmet food & natural beauty will be held on a private property in rural Douglas County and will include exclusive farm to table picnic baskets created by Evan Williams Catering. The 60-member University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, conducted by director of bands Paul W. Popiel, will perform a selection of American orchestral favorites. Guests can support CASA’s child advocacy work while they relax, listen & enjoy the golden hour overlooking Clinton Lake on a beautiful fall evening. To donate and more info: www.dccasaks.org/post/ winds-across-the-prairie

National Design Practice Gould Evans Rebrands as Multistudio Expanding on its Collective Strength photo by Steve Hall

After five decades of leadership in architecture, interiors, branding, and planning, Gould Evans is now Multistudio – an impactfocused, multidisciplinary design practice that embraces interconnectedness and celebrates collaborative possibility. Gould Evans’ rebrand as Multistudio reinforces its commitment to building a culture that seeks diverse perspectives, promotes multidisciplinary collaboration, and utilizes design to positively impact the communities and clients they serve. The name change results from discernment of how the studio has evolved and what it aspires to become as a socially responsible design collective. Gould Evans was founded in 1974 by two classmates from the University of Kansas who shared a passion for vernacular architecture and design. From its humble inception, the studio has steadily grown and gained national prominence for architecture that is sensitive to place.

Peaslee Tech Enters Evergy Program To Ensure 100% Of Its Electrical Consumption Is From Renewable Sources Peaslee Tech Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kevin Kelley, announced today that 100 percent of Peaslee’s electrical consumption will be from renewable sources. “The Evergy program gives us a great start towards our goal of being a net negative carbon organization,” said Kelley. “This is one of many strategies we are deploying. Additionally, we have made grant applications to bring wind and solar generation to our campus and are actively involved in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies.” Located at 2920 Haskell Avenue, Peaslee Tech’s mission is to be a catalyst for economic growth by providing access to technical training to a diverse community of learners to meet the current and emerging needs of our communities and employers. Peaslee Tech offers a wide range of technical and technology courses. 81

WH OS E DESK ?

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

Lawrence Business Magazine 2022 Q2

Articles inside

Aging Well

Non-Profit

Rolling with the Punches

Blossoming Business

From Ideas to Icon