Issue 2: MHK Business News - Q2/2019

2019 • Quarter two REGION

The Path to Prosperity Recreational luxury or economic imperative?

ECONOMICS

More Than Moro: The Aggieville of Tomorrow

PEOPLE

Change at the Chamber: Jason Smith Takes the Helm

REGION

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A Note From the Publisher Editor-In-Chief Josh Brewer Managing Editor Ashley Phillips Photo Director Josh Hicks Art Director Jordan Seirer Contributing Writers Josh Brewer Melissa Harstine Sarah McGreer Hoyt Derek Larson Ashley Phillips Brandon Savage Sarah Siders Jacob Zlomke Contributing Photographers Doug Barrett Josh Hicks Blade Mages David Mayes Publisher Blade Mages For subscriptions, advertising information or a current media kit, please contact: editor@mhk.business MHK Business News 103 N. 3rd Street Manhattan, KS 66502 (785) 320-6621

Thank you, Manhattan, for your warm reception of the debut issue of MHK Business News. We have received tremendous feedback from readers, and we have seen the promising impact of the conversation starters that were in the inaugural issue of MHK Business News. Now for Issue 2.

As the seasons turn from winter to spring, a feeling of change naturally falls upon us. Construction cones begin popping up and townies rejoice in the upcoming slow down of summer. With recent regional initiatives becoming operational, key leadership roles transitioning, and long-range planning projects gaining momentum, we cannot help but acknowledge there’s a sense of change in the air that is far greater than the simple pleasures of summer in Manhattan.

Manhattan has experienced many seasons of change throughout the decades. A successful football program, realized in the 1990s, brought new life, business and vigor to our quaint college town. Collective action and efforts throughout the 2000s brought us an expanded, revitalized downtown and secured NBAF, pointing towards a future Manhattan that would be vibrant and highly educated. Changes like these insulated our community during the throws of the Great Recession and have the potential to fuel future growth.

As we approach 2020, we are faced with sobering facts. Despite several years of national economic optimism and growth, our revenues are flat.

Our job creation is stagnant. Our population growth is slowing. University enrollment is trending downwards. Our state continues to battle out-migration trends.

As we consider this pivotal time in Manhattan’s history, we must be open to change. We must begin reconsidering the fundamental ways that Manhattan defines itself in order to preserve what we have built and to enhance our appeal for students and workforce of the future.

The stories in this issue recognize Manhattan’s impending and critical next season of change. We hope that you will be inspired by the individuals and ideas in this issue. We hope that you will become involved in your local spheres in defining the next season of change for our community.

We hope that you will challenge the status quo and think boldly. Our future depends on it.

Thank you,

MHK Business News is published quarterly (February, May, August, November) by 502 Media Group, LLC., 103 N. 3rd Street, Manhattan, KS 66502. MHK Business News considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible, although reporting inaccuracies can occur; consequently, readers using this information do so at their own risk.

Although persons and companies mentioned herein are believed to be reputable, neither 502 Media Group, LLC, nor any of its employees or agents accept any responsibility whatsoever for their activities. MHK Business News is printed in the USA and all rights are reserved. © 2019 by 502 Media Group, LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher. Views and opinions expressed by contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Blade Mages Publisher

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In This Issue 20

The Path to Prosperity Once considered a recreational luxury, interconnected, regional trail systems are increasingly recognized as a requirement for economic development and quality of place.

28 More Than Moro: The Aggieville of Tomorrow If Aggieville receives TIF designation, what improvements become top priorities? Parking? Streetscapes? Aggieville business owners and Manhattan community members may not see eye to eye.

40 Experience Poyntz Downtown Manhattan aims to level up the art and music experience with a second year of Third Thursdays.

Don’t Miss

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44

How Boomers Can Plan to Pass the Baton

Change at the Chamber: Jason Smith Takes the Helm

On Track: Camso Selects Junction City

A Special Thanks to Our Editorial Advisory Committee Trent Armbrust  Lyle Butler  Kent Glasscock  Cheryl Grice  Vern Henricks  Chad Jackson  Donna Logback Mike Matson  Lisa Noble  Gina Scroggs  Wayne Sloan  Daryn Soldan  Mary Vanier  Tim Weddle  Jerrod Westfahl

Article by Josh Brewer

OPINION

The Cost of Noncompetes As the controversy around noncompetes grows, more research shows that noncompete agreements hurt regional economies. How should businesses protect themselves and their shared workforce?

An employment contract is essentially a negotiation of power. In an ideal negotiation, a potential employee has the power to set the price for their labor based on their skills or their ability to acquire the skills necessary to create value for an employer. An employer also has the power to negotiate that price based on a variety of factors including access to capital, existing revenue, a labor force, or technology like an assembly line, a high-end computer, or an industrial kitchen.

The employment contract reflects the negotiation between employer and potential employee by outlining the benefits and responsibilities of a job, in addition to clauses that define expectations for employment, the costs for failure, and how that contract can be terminated by either party. A handful of those clauses can extend beyond the employment contract and three of those, nondisclosure, non-solicitation and noncompete clauses, are very valuable to an employer. In an ideal negotiation, these clauses would also increase the bargaining power of the potential employee, which would typically lead to additional compensation. As nondisclosure and non-solicitation clauses protect information and revenue streams that would remain with an employer following an employee’s tenure, they represent a categorically different value-proposition than a noncompete clause, which would restrict the labor of the employee beyond their tenure with an employer.

In an ideal negotiation, the potential employee could recognize the cost of signing a noncompete agreement, based on future earning potential, and the value of eliminating potential competition to the employer to establish just compensation for the agreement. Practically, an ideal negotiation around noncompetes is impossible because the true cost of a noncompete agreement to the employee and the economy in which that employee participates, has only recently begun to emerge. Further, up to 70 percent of those who sign noncompetes are told of the agreement after receiving a job offer and negotiating compensation.

Forty-seven percent only learn of a noncompete agreement on or after their first day of work, effectively eliminating their bargaining power and transforming a negotiation into a situation known as a “contract of adhesion,” where the options are to take it or leave it, a costly proposition for those who have arrived for their first day of work.

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Modern noncompete agreements were rarely used outside of executive and highly proprietary roles until the late 1980s, when their use grew with the post-industrial economy. Such agreements are regularly included in employment contracts, to restrict an employee from working for a competitor, a client, or from starting a competitive business for a defined period of time within a geographic radius following the termination of an employment contract. These agreements often do not consider whether a past employee quit or was fired and whether termination was for cause.

They are, simply, a restriction on future employment.

Today, 16 to 20 percent of American laborers, up to 30 million people, work under a noncompete agreement, according to multiple estimates on the industry practice, and 40 percent of workers, approximately 60 million people, had signed one in a past job. Up to 45 percent of physicians work under a noncompete agreements, affecting healthcare service in rural areas and in specialty services, and in 2016, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reported that 15 percent of workers without a college degree and 14 percent of workers making less than $40,000 a year were bound by noncompete agreements. Even 12 percent of those with less than $20,000 in annual earnings had signed away their right to employment in their labor market.

While lower wage earners are affected by these agreements across industries, much of the public attention and outrage has focused on the fast food industry, where Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey estimated that last year 80 percent of fast-food workers worked with employment restrictions similar to noncompete agreements after signing contracts, including “no poaching” clauses. While many fast food employers relinquished their restrictions in response to public outrage, other lower wage employers, such as Jiffy Lube and Anytime Fitness still require employees to sign covenants that restrict them from working with competitors.

Some economists, including Princeton University economists Alan B. Krueger and Orley Ashenfelter, have said that these employment restrictions are one reason why average wages remain stagnant in a historically low labor market during a period of robust economic expansion.

To understand this correlation, economists point to the theory of monopsony, a hallmark of the company towns that fueled the Industrial Revolution. Under a monopsony, a single buyer of goods or services can artificially depress prices and deprive the sellers of goods or laborer of their bargaining power. Similar to a monopoly, where there is a single seller, monopsonies fall under the Federal Trade Commision’s (FTC) antitrust division that regulates anti-competitive activities.

While economists continue to debate whether noncompete agreements create a large enough monopsonistic effect to explain the mysterious lack of wage growth, economists have demonstrated that noncompete agreements suppress regional innovation, average wages and job satisfaction. In her study of California’s Silicon Valley, an economy that has become synonymous with innovation, Stanford Professor Anna Lee Saxenian said that Silicon Valley “would probably not be what it is today” if noncompete agreements were

enforced in California. Saxenian’s hypothesis was put to the test in Michigan, when a significant drop in patent filings, a common marker of innovation, followed the legislation that led to an increased use of noncompetes in 1985.

These agreements not only affect those bound by them: economists have shown that as the use and enforcement of noncompete agreements increase, the entire workforce sees lower wages, job mobility and job satisfaction. It’s not surprising, then, that states that enforced noncompete agreements, such as Michigan, saw a higher loss of knowledge workers across state lines, often called “brain drain,” than the four states that generally prohibit noncompete agreements: California, Montana, North Dakota, and Oklahoma.

Employers who use noncompete agreements typically view these covenants as a protection against potential “free-rider” competitors. This employer’s argument is that a competitor should be prohibited from benefiting from that employer’s intangible investment in an employee, such as specialized training, trade secrets and knowledge of potential customers. From this point of view, the information passed to an employee during training constitutes quasi-property rights, similar to patents and copyrights, and a noncompete agreement is the proper way to protect the employer’s investment in employees.

While employers have steadily increased their use of noncompete agreements since the 1980s, many in the legal industry have been surprised by the recent explosion of noncompete lawsuits. One analysis by the Boston-based law firm Beck Reed Riden LLP showed a 61 percent increase in the number of employees sued by former employers from 2002 to 2013. Given the substantial costs associated with defending these lawsuits and the risk of paying the plantiff ’s legal fees, many will choose to stay in a job against their wishes or will leave an economic area rather than risk expensive litigation.

The belief that employers need to protect themselves from competitors who will take, poach or steal business or employees rests on a limited view of the economy in which one employer’s gain must come at another’s expense. Under this perspective, an employer would view an employee’s departure for a competitor as their own loss, equal to their competitor’s gain, but this individual action is one part rather than the total sum of the competitive landscape. In game theory, which analyzes decision making behaviors among interdependent actors, this is called a zero-sum game, where the net benefit from a group of related actions equals zero.

Given that information sharing across an economy likely increases innovation, average wages and average job satisfaction within that economy, it’s unlikely that the net impact of labor movement between competitors is zero-sum. It’s even more unlikely that this sort of action is a negative-sum game, where one competitor must take from the other to simply maintain the status quo, though much of the legal language presupposes that economies are a zero-sum or negative-sum game.

As the issue of noncompete agreements affects the bargaining rights of workers, free market principles, and economic dynamism, reform efforts have brought

together a diverse coalition like few issues can. In March of 2019, over 60 signatories from across the political spectrum, including the Economic Policy Institute, the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, and antitrust and employment law experts submitted a petition to the FTC calling for federal prohibition of the enforcement of noncompete agreements. The petition argued that “[by] binding workers to their current employer, noncompetes reduce wages, depress business formation, and lock workers into discriminatory, hostile, or unsafe workplaces. On top of these harms to workers, dominant firms and other powerful incumbents can also use noncompetes to deprive rivals and new entrants of specialized workers and exclude these competitors from the market.”

In response, six U.S. Senators, including presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, submitted a letter to the FTC calling on the federal body to “use its rulemaking authority along with other tools, in order to combat the scourge of noncompete clauses rigging our economy against workers.” The six senators went on to write that “noncompete clauses harm employees by limiting their ability to find alternate work, which leaves them with little leverage to bargain for better wages or working conditions with their immediate employer.” Republican Sen. Marco Rubio also supports noncompete reform and introduced the “Freedom to Compete Act” in January 2019. While Rubio’s bill would only prevent the use of noncompete agreements for lowwage employees, it demonstrates a growing bipartisan appetite for reform.

For Shanna Goodman, president of Manhattan-based Ampersand Business Solutions, the issue is both complex and personal, as a professional who has been affected by noncompete covenants in a variety of ways over her career.

“I’ve been on multiple sides of the noncompete conversation and it’s a tricky one. Having been an employee and an employer, I can see both sides, but it does seem that noncompetes are no longer relevant in a market like ours. If someone is a skilled landscape laborer and quits or is laid off from one landscape company, I believe that they should be able to apply to work at another landscape company in town. Why is marketing and advertising any different?”

As the issue of noncompetes gains visibility and the lines between traditional competitors blur, professionals like Goodman and politicians across the political spectrum will continue asking whether a particular employer’s desire to indefinitely restrict employment justifies the economic cost to state and regional economies. In the meantime, millions of workers will continue to work under such restrictions, knowingly or unknowingly, and tens of thousands will remain out of key labor markets or will be forced to pay costly settlements to their former employers and remain silent under gag orders, all for the privilege of a day’s work.  Josh Brewer is the agency marketing director at 502, a strategic marketing agency in Manhattan, Kansas. He was the defendant of a lawsuit pertaining to a noncompete agreement. mhk business news

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SUCCESSFUL SUCCESSION WAYNE SLOAN (CENTER) WITH NEW BHS CONSTRUCTION PRESIDENT PATRICK SCHUTTER (LEFT) AND VICE PRESIDENT LEVI SCHNEIDER (RIGHT).

Article by Melissa Harstine Photography by Blade Mages

EDUCATION

How Boomers Can Plan to Pass the Baton

As business owners prepare to retire, succession planning is key to a successful leadership transition.

Wayne Sloan discusses the challenges BHS Construction faced during the process in order to be fully prepared for this new phase in the company’s history.

Wayne Sloan racked up a fulfilling list of accomplishments over his 36 years as president of BHS Construction: building the St. Thomas More sanctuary, updating the Columbian Theater in Wamego and renovating numerous Greek Houses, just to name a few.

But at some point, every business owner begins to contemplate exiting their company. For Sloan, that happened around the time he turned 50.

Retirement was still 15 years away, but he wanted to have options when the time came. Perhaps he would try something else as a career, go on a mission trip, or spend more time volunteering.

He came across an article that broke down the odds of a successful leadership transition by the number of years spent planning. Leaders who started 15 years ahead of time had a very high likelihood of success. The odds were about 50-50 for those who began five years out and dropped from there.

Those statistics inspired Sloan to get started right away.

What is Succession Planning?

Succession planning is an intentional strategy for transitioning from one leader to another. It serves as a compass, preparing business owners to exit the company, whether for retirement, health concerns or a shift in personal priorities. Sometimes that means handing the keys over to a family member. Other times, the next owner is an employee or someone outside the business.

As 74 million Baby Boomers approach retirement, the need for succession planning is greater than ever. Unfortunately, 60 percent of businesses lack a documented succession plan, according to a survey by The Wilmington Trust. Most owners said that they put it off because they enjoyed running their companies.

“A lot of people think that they can wait until they are ready to retire or want to sell the business to start the process,” said Laurie Pieper, a business advisor at the Kansas Small Business Development Center (SBDC). “The reality is that for some mhk business news

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businesses, it might take a number of years to develop and execute a succession plan; and without a plan in place, life’s unexpected events can sometimes present insurmountable hurdles for the business’s continuation.”

There is a strong connection between strategy and succession. By starting the process early, business owners have more time to identify future leaders and maximize the value of their company.

“For many small business owners, the bulk of their net worth is tied up in their business or businesses. In such cases, the ability to maximize and capture that value is critical to their long-term financial health,” Pieper said.

Sloan relied on a peer group from the Associated General Contractors of America to give him objective advice during the transition at BHS Construction. The group visited BHS several times to interview potential leaders and review the company’s financials. With their guidance, Sloan decided to fund the buyout as bonuses from the company’s profits.

“That’s probably the toughest pill to swallow … how do I just give this away?” Sloan said. “A lot of construction company owners don’t want to think about it. People have a hard time letting go. It’s scary, but you need to be willing to do it.”

BHS Construction’s succession plan is already paying for itself. Sloan said that their staff is 3.5 times larger than before the leadership transition, and they are able to regain cash reserves sooner than projected. A key reason for that success is the people.

“That’s probably the toughest pill to swallow … how do I just give this away?”

As business owners prepare their succession plan, they should consider the traits that the next generation of leaders will need. Mark Weddle, a financial advisor at Keating & Associates who helps local businesses with succession planning, suggested recruiting employees with strong values, capability to lead, aptitudes across several disciplines and skill sets that complement the existing team.

Sloan had invested a lot of time into building good relationships with his employees, clients and the community.

It was very important to him that those values continued after he exited the company. With the help of his peer group, he identified two leaders who shared this vision: Patrick Schutter and Levi Schneider.

Patrick Schutter was named president of BHS in January, 2018. He started with the company as an intern in 2003, then transitioned into a project manager role after graduating from K-State with a degree in construction science and management. Young and tech-savvy, he brought new ideas for a changing industry. He was comfortable with CAD drawings and scheduling software. Yet, as an older Millennial, he was equally comfortable with analog tools. He also shared the work ethic of the Baby Boomer generation before him.

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Levi Schneider, now vice president, fell in love with the construction industry during college. He worked as a carpenter on concrete crews during summer breaks. After graduating from K-State in 2005, he travelled the Midwest as a field engineer and foreman. Eventually, Manhattan’s charm lured him back, and he joined BHS Construction as a project manager in 2009.

Sloan said that the management transition was even harder than the financial one because of the generational gap between him and both Schutter and Schneider. When the process started, many of the long-term employees were Sloan’s age. They were accustomed to his leadership style and came to him with questions. Eventually, Sloan realized that he needed to take a step back and started telling his crew, “Go ask Patrick!” or “Go ask Levi!”

With five generations in the American workforce, many companies face this same challenge. Gail Hermesch, an employee development coach with Strategic Impact, said that it’s important to consider the values and behaviors of differing generations when preparing for a leadership transition. The process will be easier if Millennials look at Baby Boomers as trusted advisors and Baby Boomers embrace change eloquently.

“It often feels like we don’t even speak the same language,” Hermesch said. “Yet, when approached with an open mind, technology can bridge the gap between generations and resolve many of the differences it has magnified.”

One way BHS used technology to bridge this generational gap was in their hiring practices. Their succession plan required a steady increase in revenue to fund the bonuses. Yet, the company had to be cautious. If they took on too many projects without enough people, the quality might slip. If they hired more staff, they might need to lay someone off in a few months if there wasn’t enough work.

Hiring was a continual problem and a catch-22.

Schutter, logical and tech-savvy, decided to dig deeper.

He started tracking data on a spreadsheet and discovered it always looked like they wouldn’t have enough work in three months, when in fact, they did. Schutter shared his findings with Sloan, and they adjusted course. Hiring more people and increasing their capacity for work has helped the company grow faster than before the leadership transition.

Consequences of Not Planning It’s important to start the succession planning process sooner rather than later, especially with the low unemployment rate in our community. Businesses are struggling to find employees, and it could take quite a bit of time to identify a candidate with the right combination of skills.

Sloan told a story about a friend who thought he had found the right person to take over the company, but within two to three years, he realized it wasn’t going to work out.

He had to start the process over again. For some businesses in this scenario, the consequences could be greater than a delayed timeline. It could lead to closing their doors.

“Exit planning is not [merely] a nice idea to have rolling around in your head. It is a structured exercise that requires

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a method to follow and discipline to regularly do it,” said Jeff Koenig, a consultant with Open Four Business.

Our entire community is affected when businesses fail to transition to the next generation. Members of the Facebook Group “You know you are from Manhattan if . . .” regularly reminisce about businesses that no longer exist. “Who remembers Me & Eds on North Third Street with the gold dance floor,” Ron Wells wrote. “It was in the old Schmedeman Implement building… I met my wife there. We were married 46 years before she passed away.” In another, Todd Lowe wrote, “Anyone remember Allingham Motors? It was a VW dealership located where the Toyota dealer is today on Seth Child’s. I would love to have [an] Allingham Motors plaque for the back of my 1964 VW Bus.” The memories of a place linger longer than the business’s or owners’ names, and the continuation of a company like BHS Construction impacts more than just the people who work there. Their legacy is woven into the character of our community. What if the historic K-State Greek Houses had been torn down, rather than renovated by BHS? How would Wamego be different if the Columbian Theater didn’t exist? Where would people go to worship if St. Thomas More hadn’t expanded into a new sanctuary?

Succession planning matters because of this close bond between business and community.

Patrick Schutter is only 37, but he’s already thinking about the next generation who will one day take his place 10

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at BHS Construction. He said that it will be tough to relinquish his duties when the time comes to pass the baton.

Thankfully, he has an example to follow.

“I will need to lean on Wayne,” Schutter said.  Melissa Harstine is a freelance writer who believes compelling stories can change lives. She writes personality-infused website copy, articles, bios and email newsletters for small businesses.

Connect with her at kardiacommunications.com

Getting Started with Succession Planning Local businesses without a succession plan may want to consult with the following experts to get started: • Business consultants • Financial advisors • Lawyers • Tax accountants • Industry associations

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KICKIN’ GLASS Article by Sarah Siders

Photography by Blade Mages

In October 2006, Major Anthony Nichols found himself and his small team of Iraqi soldiers on the outskirts of Sabaa Al Bour, Iraq, staring down yet another darkened cinder-block house. After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the violence between Iraqi groups erupted, leaving the city of nearly 30,000 deserted.

Only a handful of people remained, and they were ready to fight. “We were searching every house in the town. We came to a three-story house, and as soon as we kicked the door in, we knew something was wrong.The religious art was Sunni, but the men in the house were wearing Shia rings. We knew they were fighters.”

Nichols looked into the distance, speaking with the urgency of a man describing a scene happening live. “While we detained them on the first floor, I heard gunfire. I ran up to the third floor with my interpreter following behind to get up to high ground and get a better shot.” Sprinting across the roof, Nichols felt the unmistakable crunch of broken glass, shards splintering beneath his boots as he ran. “I see who is on the other side, four men being held by fighters and about to be executed. My rifle comes up.” He motioned with his hands, the ghost of his weapon forming between his fingers. His hands came together and moved toward his face, as if looking through the scope. “I shoot.” Click, click, click. The sound of his weapon discharging. His hands returned to his side. “We kept those men from being killed that day.”

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FROM ARMY TO ARTIST RETIRED LT. COL. NICHOLS DISCOVERED A PASSION THAT NOT ONLY PROVIDED A NEW LIVELIHOOD AND CREATIVE OUTLET, BUT A NEW IDENTITY AS AN ARTIST.

Along a quiet street in downtown Manhattan, Kan., a friendly, 1920s style home with a subtle art deco motif faced an original strip of red brick sidewalk. Open windows on either side of the house welcomed in grey, winter light, and wind chimes clanked a frozen greeting to strangers from the porch. Two colorful glass mosaics in repurposed window frames caught the morning light as they swung from the porch ceiling. Wicker furniture awaited warmer weather, while a stiff American flag shivered over the icy ground.

The front door swung open, and two barking dogs rushed ahead of Nichols into the entry. “This is the welcoming committee,” he laughed as he attempted to shoo them out of the walkway. Hardwood floors striped the length of the first level, with a staircase at the center.

“Come. Come eat some pizza,” he called to the dogs.

Walking to the kitchen counter with the dogs trailing behind, he held out tiny squares of pizza to each of them, which they hungrily consumed. “I ran out of dog food,” he stated, matter-of-fact.

He motioned toward his workshop, tucked into the front corner of the house, and pointed to a yellow glass sunflower taking shape beneath his work lamp. On a nearby table, jars of various colors of broken glass surrounded another piece of art in progress. “This is one of the pieces I’m working on right now. My main customers are military wives. I am getting calls from other bases now though,” he added proudly.

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In a buttoned down cardigan, dark blue jeans and an easy smile, he seemed at home here.

After 23 years in the Army, Nichols now owns a glass mosaic artistry business, Kickin’ Glass Kansas. His work with glass did not start as a business, however. “I did my first mosaic windows in 2005 to decorate a crappy rental we had in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. I discovered I liked it, then I made so many, my wife made me sell them at a craft show the summer before I went to Iraq. After I got out, I couldn’t get a job, and we decided I would do the art and sell it. Then she got a job as a military liaison to Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. She is excellent at her job,” he bragged.

“I’m not a combat veteran.

I’m not a retired Lieutenant Colonel. I’m an artist.”

Nichols, a retired Army officer and former tank commander, refers to himself now only as an artist. “When you leave the Army, you don’t have a sense of purpose. I got out, and people asked me what I do. It took me three years to have an answer. I’m not a combat veteran. I’m not a retired Lieutenant Colonel. I’m an artist. So, my time and my effort and my mind is going to be on something else.”

The son of a celebrated veteran, Nichols recalled the enduring reminders of his father’s accomplishments formed an early drive to impress his father, eventually laying his own path toward the military. “My father was a fighter pilot in the Air Force. Right after the Korean War, he was a reconnaissance pilot and flew over North Korea by himself at 60,000 feet. He didn’t have enough gas to get back, so he shut his engine off and glided into the landing.”

“He won the Distinguished Flying Cross, and I grew up with that on the wall,” Nichols said, referencing the environmental expectations of a successful parent. Yet he smiled proudly as he spoke of his father. “He will be 90 next month. He still walks three miles a day and wears a sport coat every time he leaves the house.”

While a military career may have been an obvious choice for the son of a veteran, Nichols viewed his venture into military life as a course correction. “I was a spoiled country club kid, a bit of a screw up. I was going to college and was engaged to this girl, but I didn’t want to get married. I felt like, ‘I am meant for something else. I need to go swashbuckle.’ So I enlisted in the Army.”

Yet Nichols did not realize his intent to become a fighting soldier would be so quickly realized. “When I got out of basic [training] in August 1990, people were hanging American flags on a bridge as I drove beneath it, and I didn’t know why. It turned out, while I was in basic, Saddam Hussein had just invaded Kuwait. I got deployed right away, and I was a scout on a Bradley [tank].”

After deployment, Nichols decided to spend the rest of his military career as an officer. “After I graduated Officer Candidate School, my dad pinned the Second Lieutenant bars on me. OCS was brutal, but it was worth it.” What meant most to Nichols after graduating OCS was making his father proud. “My dad finally saw me as a man.”

It would be over a decade before Nichols would deploy again, returning to Iraq in 2006. “I was 40 years old the second time I went to Iraq. I was a tank commander, and I was given nine support soldiers, and we had to build an Iraqi unit. I lived with the Iraqis for the entire year I was in Iraq. I had to train them how to do combat everyday, sometimes three times a day,” he recalled. “We became an amazing team.”

He pointed to a framed Bronze Star award on the wall.

“Now I have that on the wall,” he said, a subtle reference to his own accomplishment mirroring his father’s. “That is my Bronze Star medal from Iraq. I got one in Afghanistan too, but this one is my favorite.”

For Nichols, his mosaic artistry is not a divergence from military life but rather a new expression of his experience. “If I ever wrote a book about my time in combat, I would call it ‘The Artist.’ Combat is a problem-solving art. If you don’t have an imagination, you’re going to get into some trouble.”

The sounds of combat still haunt Nichols, but in a surprising way, his art is his redemption. He stood with a piece of glass between his pliers, pulling his fingers

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We believe in spending our personal and professional time and resources to positively grow our region into a quality place that provides value to all.

Inspire Positivity together until the glass snapped in half. “When I am standing here clicking glass with my glass cutters, it is the same rhythm as when a weapon is firing shots. Click, click.

The bullet makes that same sound.”

“In combat, it feels like little pieces of you break off.

You know what you just saw was really fucked up, and you can feel it breaking. Click, click, click.” He compared his own internal shattering to the sound of glass breaking, to the sound of his weapon firing. “Something inside you is breaking, and you will have to deal with it later. You can’t deal with it now.”

We find joy in helping our clients solve problems through design, and we want to pass that joy on to those around us.

Seek Collaborative Solution

We ensure a climate that encourages shared solutions that put the success of the project first, understanding that if our process is not grounded in collaboration we risk leaving the best ideas and outcomes unexplored.

“Fight the fight you are in right now. Right now, I am going to do this.”

Nichols knows for him, the process of piecing together a mosaic is perhaps even more valuable than the finished product, a quiet yet revolutionary act of putting himself together as well. “I process the memories as they come up, but I am working on something while I do it. I live my life 24 hours at a time. Fight the fight you are in right now.

Right now, I am going to do this,” he said of his art. “It keeps me from getting overwhelmed. Little pieces turn into a big piece, but it’s one little piece at a time.”

To commission Tony for work, email tonytanker22@ yahoo.com or visit his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ KickinGlassKansas/  Sarah Siders is a freelance writer, author and coach who specializes in leadership and healthy relationships.

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Article by Jacob Zlomke

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From Camper to Cabernet How one couple raised their glasses and embraced the unknown.

David and Danielle Tegtmeier’s dream came with a view. It was just covered in red cedars when they got there.

Five years later, the couple’s dream is on its way to reality thanks to hard work, an expertise in wine and cider making, and a belief in Flint Hills soil.

David and Danielle’s dream places the Kansas Flint Hills as the epicenter for Midwestern wines and ciders.

The married couple said that they needed a showcase landscape to anchor their new venture, so they were looking in the northern Flint Hills around Manhattan.

But David said when they finally found the spot in 2014, the modest hilltop west of Manhattan where they would open and grow Liquid Art Winery and Estate, it was overtaken with cedar trees, which he calls “the plague of the Flint Hills.”

“We knew there was a view,” he said. “We just had to get rid of the cedar trees.”

Today, visitors who take the long driveway up to Liquid Art from Wildcat Creek Road are rewarded with the views the Tegtmeier’s could only imagine five years ago.

The Flint Hills are a 100 mile-wide corridor of rocky hills capped by tallgrass prairie, stretching from Manhattan into Oklahoma. It’s rarely been seen as ground fit for crops, where chunks of flint fight the plow every step of the way, but David said he saw something else in the land.

He studied winemaking in the French Bordeaux region, and according to him, the limestone-clay soils in the world-renowned wine region were strikingly similar to the soil composition of the Flint Hills.

So when he and Danielle decided, after getting their

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degrees from Fresno State University in California and Kansas State University followed by a few years working in the industry, they were ready to open a winery together, it made sense to do it here, close to home.

David grew up on a farm in northeastern Kansas and planted his first vineyard there when he was 15 years old, and even then, his grandfather told him it would be a waste of time to try it here.

“I had to prove him wrong,” David said with a smile.

If there’s one person in Kansas who can inspire awe and respect winemaking, it might be David. With degrees in enology, the study of wine, and viticulture, the study of grape vines, David speaks about his craft with a broad, almost philosophical perspective.

He noted the, perhaps, hundreds of thousands of variables that characterize a given glass of wine: grape variety, soil type, processing methods, the yeast, the temperature, the oxygen, how you pour it, the style of bottle, the style of glass, how warm it is, how long your hand is in contact with it, what you ate before that, what you eat with it. The list could go on.

“What I taste in a wine isn’t what you taste in a wine,” he said. “I think that’s what’s fascinated people for thousands of years about wine. It’s so complex that we don’t fully understand it now.”

In the years between the hillside thick with invasive cedar trees and what it is now, a refined and relaxed tasting room and event space surrounded by a few dozen acres of vineyards, there were stretches of intense physical, emotional and financial investment.

“If you go into UBT and meet their tellers, you can just tell they care about their customers,” Danielle said. “To us they were very welcoming. They treated us like family.”

“It’s important to surround yourself with people who care as much about your business as you do.”

For Commercial Loan Manager Damen Scheele, supporting business owners’ journey is one the most rewarding part of the job: “It’s amazing to witness a customer’s hard work result in success, to watch their vision come to life, and know that you had a part in it.”

Danielle said working with a bank who has trusted them and supported them all along the way was a major boon to running their business. And the communication has played a big role in that confidence in one another, especially when their phone calls and emails to the bank are always answered right away.

“It’s important to surround yourself with people who care as much about your business as you do,” she said.

Scheele couldn’t agree more. “A lending relationship is a partnership between the customer and the bank. Even though there can be differences of opinions along the way, ultimately both want the business to succeed. Timely communication is key, be it good or bad, communication is the key to a successful relationship.”

David said before long, Liquid Art’s scale of production will outgrow its hilltop origins. With some 90 acres of vineyards, they’re currently producing around a quarter of all grapes grown in Kansas. No matter what, they expect the estate will remain the cornerstone of the business and of a growing Kansan wine scene: a monument to finding the view beyond the cedar trees.

“Don’t be afraid to go above and beyond what people think is possible, because that’s where the opportunity is,” David said. “It’s not in the known, it’s in the unknown.”  Jacob Zlomke is the fundraising and events director at Fly Over Media.

It began in the fall of 2014 with a camper at the bottom of the hill, where David and Danielle lived while they worked on starting the winery. Danielle recalls frigid nights, going to sleep in full winter gear and waking up to frozen water bottles in their fifth-wheel. They spent months just clearing the land to make space for the vineyards and estate.

“We were two kids just playing in the dirt,” Danielle said.

“Nobody had heard about us.”

But when the couple connected with United Bank and Trust (UBT), David said they found someone who believed in their vision of the Flint Hills as a premiere Midwestern winemaking region and wanted to help them see it through.

Damen Scheele

Commercial Loan Officer United Bank & Trust NMLS ID #1552659

United Bank & Trust is here to help your business vision become a reality. Contact Damen today to learn more about our commercial loan offerings.

P: 785.537.4500 | djscheele@ubankonline.com 2000 N Tuttle Creek Blvd. Manhattan, KS 66502 MEMBER FDIC

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the

Path to Prosperity Article by Josh Brewer

Photography by David Mayes

Once considered a recreational luxury, interconnected, regional trail systems are increasingly recognized as a requirement for economic development and quality of place.

Meandering from Junction City to the Kaw Point of Kansas City, Kansas, the Kansas River, or the Kaw, is one of the world’s longest prairie rivers. The river’s origin, the region encompassing Junction City, Manhattan, St. George and Wamego, is the Flint Hills River Region. The Kaw begins in Junction City, where the Republican River and Smoky Hill River form the Kansas River, and continues through Manhattan, where the Big Blue River joins, to St. George and Wamego. This Flint Hills River Region includes parts of Geary, Riley and Pottawatomie counties, a region currently served by the Region Reimagined development initiative.

Juxtaposed by tallgrass prairie and limestone outcroppings, the river was this region’s first trail and has been central to the economy, from the fishing canoes and trade networks of the Kaw Nation and the French fur traders to the steamboats that brought Free State settlers to the Flint Hills. Despite its history of flooding, the river has lent this region a high quality of place. From members of the Kaw Nation, who established the first modern settlement, Manyinkatuhuudje or Blue Earth Village, at the confluence of Big Blue River, to the first white settlers, who formed the community of Canton in the same location, to the passengers of The Hartford steamboat that ran aground nearby, movement on the Kansas River and its three tributaries has been central to a sense of place in the Flint Hills River Region.

While the rivers were foundational to the region, they regularly flooded, which threatened the development of the growing towns and cities along the banks, especially Manhattan. After the Great Flood of 1951, the Army Corps of Engineers built the Tuttle Creek Dam, replacing Blue Valley communities north of Manhattan with a reservoir. At the same time, developments that led to the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 established the interstate and the automobile as the symbol of movement and economic development country wide. With the threat of flood diminished by the dam and levees, the region became disconnected from its rivers and itself.

For decades, the river meandered between the three cities, in sight and tame, largely unvalued for anything other than irrigation and dredging.

Lately, we’re remembering our rivers. We’re remembering our prairies. We’re remembering our regionalism. Perhaps, it was inevitable that we’d remember, like a favorite watch lost and found again, but this recent push for regionalism was spurred by a realization that we’re competing for a labor force who will choose to live in quality places. Lately, we’ve realized that quality movements, not just the fast, flattened straight lines of I-70, are more rare and valuable than ever before, as quality of place takes time to recognize.

Quality of Place Quality of place is an intangible concept that considers the who, what and how of a place. Because tomorrow’s labor force evaluates quality by first searching to see themselves in a place, high quality places are often diverse spaces with racial pluralism, open expression of gender and sexuality, and where many languages are spoken. Next, quality places contain intentionally designed built environments and well-incorporated natural elements, such as forest, grassland and wetland systems. Finally, high quality places are home to vibrant cultures that are often judged on their authenticity and tolerance. As difficult as a quality place is to define, it is even harder to develop, in part because it lacks the hallmark analytic indicators of traditional economic development.

The challenge to develop a high quality of place is bigger than Manhattan, Wamego or Junction City can handle alone, which is why the Region Reimagined Initiative, a tri-county community and economic development effort, identified quality of place as one of its five strategic focus areas. The aim of this sustained regional focus is to “provide quality of place environments and amenities that enhance community, appeal to and attract professionals across all economic sectors, and enhance tourism.” While focused, this goal still lacks the sort of indicators that allow the community to directly evaluate the effectiveness of quality of place campaigns in areas other than tourism. This again, speaks to the difficulty of developing an authentically quality place for tomorrow’s workforce and employers.

In addition to the river, the Flint Hills River Region is a part of the largest intact tallgrass prairie ecosystem in North America. The Flint Hills is criss-crossed by miles of gravel roads, which are home to one of the fastest growing segments of the cycling industry. Because each of these assets are shared by the cities and counties of our economic region, the region is forced to move forward together or not at all, knowing that investments in collective assets will produce sustainable and broad returns for all three communities.

The primary obstacle to realizing the value of these resources in terms of quality of place is access. “Places like Northwest Arkansas have created the opportunity to experience place with bike trails. We simply haven’t done that,” said Aaron Apel, the former owner of Big Poppi Bicycle Co. in Aggieville and the current manager of Gravel City Adventure and Supply Company in Emporia.

“When Manhattan wins an award on Livability we all get excited, but those awards are lagging indicators and reflect investments that we made 10, 15 years ago. Instead of patting ourselves on the back, we should be asking what infrastructure investments will attract a competitive workforce in 10, 15 years, because your economic development depends on your quality of place going forward.”

When we create the access to our region’s natural assets, we improve recognition of our quality of place. Pedestrian, biking and water trails, when properly designed, increase access in a way that is both safe and sustainable and, because they improve the perception of quality of place, 22

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trails are predictive of future success. Also, because it’s easy to measure the distance of new trail installations and the progress of existing trail improvements and because both measures are easily influenced, trails are a primary predictor for future economic development and represent a key opportunity to support the recruitment and retention of a competitive workforce and high-quality employers in the Flint Hills River Region. Finally, because total and average miles ridden and walked are easily surveyed, we can easily track progress toward a more healthful region.

The value of trails is certainly valued in the region. In 2016, surveys conducted for the City of Manhattan Parks and Recreation Strategic Facility Improvement Plan, found that 70 percent of households had used community trails and that 41 percent had identified walking and biking trails as “the most important parks and recreation facility to their family.” Then, in 2017, Manhattan voters approved a 10-year, quarter-percent, “Quality of Life Sales Tax,” which will raise $27.5 million. While over 90 percent of those funds will be used to develop indoor recreation centers at Anthony and Eisenhower Middle Schools, improve the ballfields and tennis courts at CiCo Park, $2 million will go toward filling gaps in existing trail infrastructure.

For Wyatt Thompson, the assistant director of Parks and Recreation, this funding is just the start: “A dedicated funding source is important because the City can more easily pursue grants that require a local match and plan for larger trail projects on a more consistent basis over the next

several years. We have also used this as an opportunity to engage more with the community, in the years leading up to the vote and since, to determine which projects will have the most impact and create the best value for trail users.”

In Pottawatomie County, the 2009 US-24 Corridor Management Plan examined the dramatic growth of the highway running between Wamego, St. George and Manhattan. In evaluating the corridor, 52 percent of respondents gave the availability and accessibility of alternate transportation modes along US-24, such as pedestrian walkways and bicycle infrastructure, a 1 out of 5 or “unacceptable/very poor” and another 25.4 percent ranked the corridor’s active transportation offerings with a 2 out of 5.

In that survey, only 3.6 percent of respondents said that there was “acceptable” accessibility and availability along the corridor.

In response to these survey results and key information on the state of the county’s active transportation infrastructure, the new comprehensive plan, “Plan Pottawatomie 2040,” has considered including a strategic mandate to “expand active transportation options (such as trails) in the county.” Darin Miller, owner of Iron Clad Coworking and an organizer with the proposed WAM-SAG-MAN Trail, welcomes this recommendation. “We are a long way away from diminishing returns in investment of trails for quality of life,” Miller said, “I currently can’t think of a better investment.”

For Clint McAllister, owner of Brew Bros Hops and Sprockets and an organizer with Manhattan Trail Works, increased access is key to developing local and visitor appreciation of our natural resources. “The Flint Hills offer some of the best terrain for hiking and off-road cycling that Kansas has to offer. The rolling hills are rife with captivating scenic vistas and challenging terrain. I think that fact may be lost on some people who typically think of Kansas as flat. Of course, the creation of more trail miles would drive more visitors. At the same time, there is already a good amount of varied experience to be had here and more awareness of what is offered could be very advantageous.”

Trail Development Is Economic Development Trail improvement and development has not only been shown to increase quality of life, investments in trails are investments in a region’s economy and the effect of trails has been measured on three indicators: property values, healthcare related costs, and tourism.

In southwestern Ohio, the Little Miami Scenic trail snakes along the banks of the Little Miami River from Cincinnati to Springfield. At 78.1 miles long, it is the third-longest paved trail in the U.S. and on any given day, you will find joggers, bicyclists, rollerbladers and an occasional horseback rider enjoying the tree-lined trailway.

Glancing at the Lycra-clad patrons lined up outside the small-town ice cream shop in Loveland or the number of bikes and packs piled outside the local diner in Yellow Springs, it would be hard to believe that there was ever op-

position to the Little Miami Scenic Trail, but the success locals enjoy today was the result of a 26-year fight and a visionary group of leaders.

The Little Miami Scenic Trail is a rail-trail or a trail that is built on or along a former railroad right-of-way. While this property can be easier to acquire than large blocks necessary for parks, it usually involves more adjacent landowners who often have concerns about a trail in their backyard. Typical landowner concerns include loss of privacy, the possibility of trespassing and littering, and an increase in noise from the trail. These concerns, if realized, could lead to a less desirable location and a decrease in property values near the trail, which is the reason why Terrace Park, one of the wealthiest Cincinnati suburbs, fought the trail for 26 years.

Homes sold for $7 more for every foot they were closer to the trail within a mile of the trail.

Investigating this concern in 2008 while at the University of Cincinnati School of Planning, Duygu Karadeniz found that the Little Miami Scenic Trail did affect property values, but in a positive manner. By comparing homes of similar square footage and with similar features, such as bathrooms or finished basements, based on their distance from the trail, Karadeniz found that homes sold for $7 more for every foot they were closer to the trail within a mile of the trail. This means that a home adjacent to the trail would sell for $18,612 more than an identical home which was a half mile away.

Other than property value increases, access to bicycle and pedestrian trails has been shown to benefit a regional economy by reducing healthcare costs and promoting a healthier workforce. When the Walton Family Foundation began investing in regional trails more than 10 years ago, many cities in the region lacked sidewalks outside of downtown areas. After more than $74 million in investments in trails over the past decade and a coordinated approach to securing federal transportation grants, the region is home to one of the country’s most surprising bike booms. Today, over 350 miles of shared-use and mountain biking trails link Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville and Rogers to smaller communities and to one another.

While the trail systems have increased tourism to the region, the primary economic return on the investment has been in preventing healthcare related costs. In 2017, the Walton Family Foundation and People For Bikes reported that of the $137 million economic impact to Northwest Arkansas, $86 million was a reduction in healthcare costs.

The key to realizing this value in healthcare costs is the high participation level of cycling in the region. Thanks to its investment in accessible biking infrastructure, a higher percentage of Northwest Arkansas residents cycle daily than those in bike-friendly cities, such as San Francisco, and as a result the region has more pedestrians per capita than heavily populated areas, such as San Diego County.

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been designed for both recreation and transportation, the 2017 report showed that low-to-medium income areas used the trail system at the highest rate.

In Northwest Arkansas, the over 100 percent increase in miles ridden, created an $86 million economic impact and prevented close to 11 lives lost from chronic disease.

Given the high level of participation across the socioeconomic spectrum, the Northwest Arkansas trail system has provided healthcare related benefits to the region as a whole. Using The World Health Organization’s Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT), the report demonstrated that a 10 percent increase in miles ridden by residents prevented one death per year and added $8 million in benefits from reduced mortality and prevention of sedentary diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. With a 60 percent increase in miles ridden, the study showed six deaths prevented per year and a $48 million benefit to the region’s economy. In Northwest Arkansas, the over 100 percent increase in miles ridden, created an $86 million economic impact and prevented close to 11 lives lost from chronic disease.

Remarking on the program’s success, Tom Walton, committee chair of the Walton Family Foundation’s Home Region Program said, “While the energy generated by trails and paved paths is palpable across Northwest Arkansas, these findings validate cycling as a regional economic engine that supports local businesses, attracts tourists and builds healthier communities.” Steuart Walton, who partnered with his brother Tom to develop trails in the region said, “Northwest Arkansas is a shining example of the positive impact cycling can have on a community. We hope to inspire other towns and cities by sharing the lessons and impact we’ve observed, such as the importance of quality miles over quantity of miles, the proximity of trails to downtowns and advocating for female and youth cyclists.”

Increases in tourism dollars are the third primary economic effect of trail infrastructure and those tourism dollars are typically spent on lodging, dining, entertainment and specialty equipment stores, such as outdoor shops. The amount of tourism spend per user depends on whether users are local and the degree of trail speciality, with non-local and specialized users spending more per user than other trail tourists. The greatest impact of trail tourism might not be the size of the impact but the way in which that impact is shared by small rural towns and small cities serving as anchors for rural regions.

This rural support was studied in 2008 along the Great Allegheny Passage, a 141-mile bicycle and hiking trail system from Cumberland, Md. to Homestead, Pa., where 800,000 tourists spent more than $40 million in 2008.

This spend was more than five times the recorded amount six years prior and was directly tied to the net creation of 24

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93 jobs and $7.5 million in annual wages in the region.

Business owners near the trail attributed 25 percent of all revenue to their proximity to the trail.

For regions like Northwest Arkansas, the economic impacts can be even more substantial. In the Walton Family Foundation’s study of the economic impacts of cycling trails in Northwest Arkansas, they found that 90,000 out-of-state mountain biking tourists spent $27 million dollars, or $300 per biker, in 2017 alone. In the mountain biking town of Fruita, Colo., this spend led to a windfall increase in sales tax revenues, which was most pronounced at restaurants and breweries.

While organic tourism will continue to drive economic impact, coordinated events, such as Emporia’s Dirty Konza, Manhattan’s Bleeding Kansas, and the Kandango tour, represent the next opportunity for towns and regions interested in realizing returns on their trail infrastructure.

Susan Rathke, executive director of the Emporia Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) puts the impact of last year’s Dirty Kanza weekend at $2.2 million. While the spend over an event weekend is significant, the annual impact is even larger as the event serves as a community branding and marketing opportunity. “Once the [Dirty Kanza] route has been revealed and run, the route and any others in the Flint Hills is what people are coming here to do any day of the year. The Emporia CVB promotes riding 24-7, 365. Those same people stay here, spend money, tell others, and ride to experience gravel and everything gained by riding in the Flint Hills. Our brand is exemplified by this very sport.”

“At Visit Manhattan, we estimate the economic impact of sports travel as $362.77 per person per room night.”

In Manhattan, Sports and Lesiure Sales Manager Marcia Rozell points to events like the Bleeding Kansas and the Little Apple Paddle as prime examples of economic drivers built on trail infrastructure. “At Visit Manhattan, we estimate the economic impact of sports travel as $362.77 per person per room night. When you have events like the Bleeding Kansas bring in 150 riders in its very first year and the Little Apple Paddle, now in its fifth year, have 368 participants, this is driving real economic impact at hotels, restaurants and retailers like The Pathfinder, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Academy Sports.”

Opportunities for Trail Development Many existing opportunities exist around Manhattan, Wamego and Junction City for trail access and more are in the works. As a result of successful sales tax funding, the City of Manhattan Parks and Recreation has already begun closing gaps in the trail system. “Two million over 10 years is going to connect trails to create a complete loop with the Linear Trail System,” Aaron Apel said, “but

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it’s ironic that only two years after passing the tax, Linear Trail is a mess. Our trail system looks like it’s going backwards.” While Apel and others recognize that damage to the trail was the result of a wetter-than-expected winter, many trail users did note the irony of presenting Linear Trail as the linchpin to Manhattan trails and then restricting access to sections of the trail from 2020 to 2025 while the Army Corps of Engineers raises the levee’s height by close to two feet.

In November of 2018, Manhattan Parks and Recreation celebrated the completion of the Old Blue River Path, which connects Linear Trail to the McCall multi-use path. While only three-quarters of a mile in length, this connection links the Northview neighborhood, which has the city’s lowest average household income, to downtown Manhattan, enabling active transportation opportunities for some of the city’s poorest residents. City Commissioner Jerred McKee, a Northview resident, said, “this really adds a sense of equity for my neighbors in the Northview neighborhood that don’t have transportation, they can walk down this trail instead of having to walk adjacent to a busy highway.” However, like Linear Trail, the Old Blue River Path is not paved, leaving it susceptible to damage in wet conditions and leaving many Northview commuters without an active transportation opportunity during wet and winter weather.

In addition to new trail connectors, Manhattan Parks and Recreation is hoping to improve Manhattan’s trail system by filling sidewalk gaps near trailheads, improving drainage in low-lying areas, and improving wayfinding 26

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with signage, benches and an emergency wayfinding system. Other planned initiatives would improve connectivity within the city by adding additional trails within city parks and filling sidewalk gaps near parks and indoor recreation centers to enable active transportation when travelling to those locations.

In Wamego and St. George, a proposed pedestrian and bicycle trail that would link the communities to Manhattan, is one of the most sustained pushes for regional trail infrastructure. First conceptualized in 2001, this trail would connect to Manhattan’s Linear Trail, which, when combined, would provide over 25 miles of uninterrupted trail for bikers and pedestrians. Given the work to close existing trail gaps and to link existing parks with bicycle and pedestrian trails in Manhattan, the WAM-SAG-MAN Trail represents a significant opportunity for developing regional trail infrastructure. It’s Achilles Heel, according to Aaron Apel, is its private status. “A privately funded trail: How do you maintain? How do you clean? How do you scoop? How do you do all these things? The ideation was 1,000 percent correct, but we did not have the regional infrastructure in place to work cross-county, through multiple municipalities.”

This reality of trail maintenance is also felt by volunteers with Manhattan Trail Works and the Kansas Trails Council who have built and maintained miles of singletrack in and around Manhattan for decades. Apel said, “Look at the Riverfront Trail. That trail rocks, and the city hasn’t paid a dime for it! It was totally rogue, and it’s some of the

best singletrack in the area. Look at the Zoo Trails. They’re some of the best hills you’re going to ride in this area. Our singletrack projects are building, but we’re doing it in this really piecemeal, volunteerism-heavy way, and it isn’t 100 percent sustainable.”

Clint McAllister believes that by highlighting the investment already placed in trails, trail advocates can increase their perceived value. “Some people look at trails as things that get created as if by magic. Someone that doesn’t know the amount of planning and labor involved in making single track trails may tend to take them for granted. Recognizing that there is a vast cooperation of community members of different backgrounds and local government could make it easier for people to understand that these trails are being developed for the betterment of all. This may help some local landowners to see the advantages of allowing the use of small parts of their property to be used by the public so that the trail system can be more interconnected.”

Apel’s hope is that community value will develop into a direct funding model for future trail development and maintenance. “You have to start paying for trails at some point as a municipality to get it done professionally and right and to make sure it’s done quickly in order to keep up with demand. The pieces are in place, but we are not keeping up with demand. We are getting overrun by every other community.”

Whether a funding model is developed or not, McAllister believes that we should double down on developing a volunteer network. “It needs to be made clearer why and how our community’s single track trails are being created and maintained. Especially since the majority of single track in Manhattan and at Fancy Creek has been created and maintained by volunteer groups and individual residents. Over decades, numerous people have donated vast amounts of time and effort for something they are very passionate about. Respect and participation in the volunteer process needs to be fostered for a better trail system.”

Trails for Tomorrow With growing discussion around potential riverfront development in Manhattan and increased interest in regional economic development, many in the region have begun discussing whether a riverfront trail system could link Junction City to Wamego through Manhattan and St. George. As the river has historically linked these communities, a “blue and green” trail on the Kansas River would be a natural addition to the existing Kansas River Trail, a part of the National Water Trails System, and an extension of Manhattan’s River Trails and Linear Trail. Such a trail, would not only serve to link the region’s primary communities, it would serve as the backbone for a multi-use, connected trail system.

For Clint McAllister, those elements, connectivity and broad usability, are key. “I would like to see new trail systems that connect to one another and existing trails,” McAllister said. “A successful trail system would expand

the singletrack experience at the same time connecting that experience with paths such as Linear Trail. This would allow people from all over Manhattan to access both other neighborhoods and adventurous trail systems readily.”

Tracy Anderson agrees, while urging planners to think of connectivity in local, regional and inter-regional terms.

“My dream would be that Linear Trail becomes the hub of a regional multi-use trail system with spokes that connect Manhattan to the Prairie Spirit Trail in eastern Kansas, the Pony Express in Marysville and K-234 north to Nebraska, Council Grove to Emporia in the south, and, in the west, to Salina.” For Darin Miller, blue-green trails are no brainers. “The Flint Hill prairies and rivers are our natural resources. I think all of the rivers should have hiking and biking trails alongside of them. Long-term I see a trail system connecting all of our communities, helping people be healthy, not only physically but mentally.”

“Long-term I see a trail system connecting all of our communities, helping people be healthy, not only physically but mentally.”

For Wyatt Thompson, many opportunities remain for regional collaborations. “Conversations about regional trail connectivity are exciting, but still in their infancy in Manhattan. There are certainly great trails in and surrounding Manhattan, but our region is not well connected by trails yet. The WAM-SAG-MAN Trail and a trail to the Tuttle Creek State Park are two important regional connections that would create opportunities for recreation and bring new visitors to Manhattan. Large, regional trails take time to develop. I think connections to Blue Township, or even Wamego, and to the State Park are possibilities in the next 5 to 10 years. There are advocates for those projects and some elements necessary for those trails are already in place. If one or more sections of those trails are built and open, I think a lot of people will be happy. Partnerships between local and county governments, the Kansas Trails Council and local trail blazers will be essential for these projects to occur.”

While there are many challenges to developing world class regional trail infrastructure in the Flint Hills River Region, including funding, regional cooperation and NIMBYism, it is increasingly understood that innaction around active transportation infrastructure is a failure for economic development when primary employers follow a workforce that can go anywhere. Luckily, this region has an unfair advantage in recruiting the workforce of tomorrow.

This region has rivers that run through the prairies of the Flint Hills. This region has miles of gravel and singletrack linking welcoming rural communities. This region has a passionate volunteer network and a young, active population. As regional leaders envision a future as a part of the Region Reimagined initiative, it’s vital that we remember what our Flint Hills River Region has always been.  Josh Brewer is the agency marketing director at 502, a strategic marketing agency in Manhattan. mhk business news

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MORE THAN MORO THE AGGIEVILLE OF TOMORROW

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If Aggieville receives TIF designation, what improvements become top priorities? Parking? Streetscapes? Aggieville business owners and Manhattan community members may not see eye to eye.

Article by Derek Larson

Photography by Josh Hicks

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What will Aggieville look like in 2040? Although it may seem far-fetched, in 20 years, the overall value of Aggieville could more than double. Projections of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) provided to the City of Manhattan by Darsey Advisory Services show the appraised value of Aggieville climbing from $61 million in 2018 to over $138 million in 2038.

But what would a $138 million Aggieville district even look like?

Imagine it’s 2040, and you’re strolling down Moro Street in the heart of Aggieville on a picturesque fall day. The sun shines through a thick canopy of auburn leaves overhead, and a hint of a breeze snakes through your hair. As you pass couples enjoying coffee at bistro tables in front of a new café, you check out the latest styles through a never-ending cascade of shop windows. Your wearable buzzes on your wrist. It’s a holo-message — texting is so 2010s — from a coworker who, conveniently, lives on the next block in a loft apartment above the small market that just opened. The prevalence of five-story, mixed-use developments has really transformed the area. He asks if you’re free to grab a bite to eat before you head to the concert at Triangle Park. You are, but you realize you left your hat in your car that’s charging in the parking deck. You holo-message back, “See you in five minutes,” marveling at the speed of your phone’s public Wi-Fi connection.

That hypothetical may sound like a dream, but it’s part of a plan that stakeholders from across Manhattan have set for the district called the Aggieville Community Vision. The plan, formed in the spring of 2017, lays the groundwork for establishing Aggieville as “a vibrant, historic, pedestrian-oriented urban district that offers diverse shopping, dining, entertainment and residential opportunities to students, visitors and the broader community.”

Where’s the Money?

The Aggieville Community Vision plan is seen as the future, and the City is looking at ways to finance it. A TIF designation for Aggieville is the first step. TIF is a relatively common real estate redevelopment tool that uses increases in real estate tax revenues and local sales tax revenues to fund eligible redevelopment project costs.

In Aggieville, the TIF would capture any increase in real estate taxes over an established baseline for a 20-year period. TIFs have been implemented for several Manhattan projects, including downtown redevelopment, streetscape improvements, sidewalks, lighting and more.

The current plan is for TIF proceeds to help fund enhancements in Aggieville in three main areas: parking; streetscape, roads, utilities, and amenities; and electrical and public Wi-Fi. “We have been talking about a parking garage for a long time, it has been in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) from the planning board for over 15 years, and the mid-1980s was the last time there was a streetscape project done in Aggieville,” said Jason Hilgers, deputy city manager. “And so, both of those points led us to considering a TIF district to make public improvements within the Aggieville area.”

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AGGIEVILLE ACCOMMODATIONS IN 10 YEARS, HOTEL ROOMS ARE SET TO TRIPLE IN ADDITION TO INCREASED RETAIL, RESTAURANT, OFFICE AND RESIDENTIAL SPACE.

According to Darsey’s projections, with TIF support, Aggieville will see significant growth across its residential, retail/restaurant, office and hotel land usage over the next 20 years. They project Aggieville multi-family apartment units to climb from 173 to 411, restaurant square footage to increase from 286,670 to 402,250, office square footage to more than double, and hotel rooms to more than triple from a new hotel, in addition to the already-planned Courtyard by Marriot.

While the TIF would help support the vision for Aggieville, TIF funds are not expected to fund the project in its entirety. Current estimates show that the TIF would generate $15.2 million to $20.5 million over 20 years.

Meanwhile, the proposed improvements to the district are estimated to range from $23.3 million to $30 million. Although this poses a challenge, it’s not an unexpected one.

“TIF only goes so far,” Hilgers said. “We leveraged just around $21 million in TIF for our downtown. That was only 10 percent of the total public and private investment that was made in the district.”

“Long-range plans usually have a variety of funding strategies that involve both public and private investment,” said Trent Armbrust, director of economic development for the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. “The TIF is just one funding tool option to help move the needle. As with most long-range plans, the Aggieville Community Vision improvements will not all happen at one time, but instead be implemented in a methodical, phased approach based on funding availability.”

While several additional funding options exist, Hilgers said it’s likely that the City will propose a sales tax initiative to fund a variety of projects in the community, including major infrastructure projects for the levee along the Kansas River, airport runway reconstruction, and a “much needed” joint maintenance facility, in addition to the Aggieville developments. “If we’re going to move forward with these projects,” Hilgers said, “a majority will more than likely fall either on the side of a sales tax initiative or a mill levy increase for property tax.”

While the mere thought of a tax increase is enough to have some shaking their heads in disapproval, Aggieville business leaders are quick to point out the value of the investment. “The important thing to remember is that

PARKING PROBLEMS STUDIES SHOW THAT IN ANY SCENARIO, THE EXISTING PUBLIC PARKING WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THE GROWTH EXPECTED IN AGGIEVILLE.

Aggieville is a special and coveted element of our community,” said JJ Kuntz, general manager of the Bluemont Hotel, on the corner of Bluemont and Manhattan Avenue.

“This unique asset is in need of attention, and we should consider a number of funding options. Local business and property owners must take care of their assets, and the City should ensure we have the proper infrastructure to encourage growth and stability. Aggieville is not only for our student population, it is a place where people in all stages of life can relax and celebrate.”

The Parking/Streetscape Problem Much of the discussion around improvements to Aggieville focus on one topic — a topic discussed, and vented over, for years: parking. Many who have attempted to find a parking spot in the district on a football Saturday can relate. An online community survey conducted by the City in the summer of 2018 showed that 70 percent of respondents felt that Aggieville has a parking problem. State of the Ville, a background report prepared for the Aggieville Community Vision in 2015, noted, “... if the businesses in the Aggieville area were required to provide the amount of on-site private parking required in a suburban commercial district, roughly 1,603 spaces would be required, compared to the 530 private spaces and the 596 public spaces that exist in the area today. Not counting public spaces on streets or lots, the district would be two-thirds short (1,073

spaces) of standard suburban commercial requirements.” “[The parking discussion] is everything. Parking is our livelihood,” said Dennis Cook, director of the Aggieville Business Association and sales manager at Flint Hills Beverage. “We have to figure out how to get more parking.”

An Aggieville Infrastructure Analysis produced by Olsson Associates in January, 2018 measured the district’s parking demands at two peak periods: a weekday at noon and a weekend night. The weekday at noon measured at 82 percent utilization of public parking capacity, while the weekend night measured at 77 percent utilization. While those figures are not maxed out, the report concluded that, in any scenario, the existing public parking will not be able to accommodate the growth expected in Aggieville.

“Aggieville has been parking constrained for decades during peak hours,” Armbrust said. “As we grow vertically and density increases, the parking problem is only exacerbated and becomes an issue during all business hours. We have had multiple developers of non-residential commercial properties look at Aggieville with each commenting they would like to invest in the district, but without additional parking, they do not want to move forward with their project.”

Public opinion clearly shows that parking is a felt need in Aggieville, but does that mean a parking garage is a “build it and they will come” solution for district? Many community business leaders argue that it is. “Parking is key to moving the district forward,” said Kuntz. “Community members often comment about avoiding Aggieville mhk business news

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because the district is busy and parking is limited. In reality, a lot of parking is being utilized for long periods of time by people visiting the university.”

The current plan would place a parking garage in the public lot south of Rally House, at the corner of Laramie Street and North Manhattan Avenue. It would serve as a catalyst-type project at the onset of the TIF, which Hilgers said, is highly encouraged to get the most out of the potential of the district. If the garage can spur Aggieville’s growth, causing property values to rise faster, Aggieville will then benefit further, as more funds are generated through the TIF. Cameron Ward, broker/partner for The Alms Group, agrees that the garage is the most crucial element of the Aggieville plan. “It’s incredibly hard to keep business going and attract new businesses when your customers don’t have access to your business,” Ward said. “Retail and restaurant businesses suffer the most when potential customers keep driving by and end up at a chain or big box store because they couldn’t find anywhere to park. We need to support quick, efficient and cost-effective construction of this parking garage.”

The concern about parking in Aggieville isn’t limited to Manhattan residents and visitors. Hilgers said that often the first question he receives from developers interested in bringing a business to Aggieville is about parking. “It’s a reality,” Hilgers said. “A lot of people want to say it’s a chicken or an egg, but if you don’t supply the parking, and you put it back on the private developer to have to do that in such a tight-quarter district, more than likely they’re going to find there are cheaper options in the community.”

“It’s hard to quantify a sense of place, but study after study shows that when cities build human-scaled environments, with people-first design and materials, those locations attract more people...”

Despite those views, not all stakeholders are convinced that focusing on parking should be the top priority for Aggieville. Jared Tremblay, project manager at Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization, thinks that the updates to Aggieville’s streetscapes should top the list. Small sidewalks with missing, broken and uneven pavers serve as reminders to residents that Aggieville’s streetscape has not seen an improvement effort in over 30 years. “By improving the streetscape,” Tremblay said, “Aggieville would become more inviting and enjoyable for all. It’s hard to quantify a sense of place, but study after study shows that when cities build human-scaled environments, with people-first design and materials, those locations attract more people, which leads to better business and more tax revenues.”

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What does Tremblay’s streetscape vision include?

Wider sidewalks to allow restaurants to extend seating, more benches and small seating plazas, large shade-providing trees, and efforts to emphasize walking and biking over motorized vehicles. He’s not alone. Surveys conducted as background for the Aggieville Community Vision indicated that over 80 percent of community members and Aggieville business owners are in favor of more pedestrian amenities “even if it reduced the number of on-street parking spaces.”

Noting that Aggieville’s importance to Manhattan cannot be overstated, Tremblay does not ignore the parking concerns, but questions whether they merit immediate focus of TIF and other funds. “I will say that every great place has a parking problem,” Tremblay said. “There is a sliding scale in terms of people’s perception of parking availability. At what point would someone rather walk two or three blocks to an on-street parking spot versus walking one block to a garage, climb stairs, and have to wait to exit single file? I can see the value of a parking garage for longterm parking—not running to a coffee shop or to dinner, but multi-hour parking.”

As preferences for transportation evolve, the need for additional parking could as well. The Aggieville Infrastructure Analysis considers the potential impact of autonomous vehicles (AVs), car-sharing programs, and Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft, noting that parking demand could be reduced by as much as 40 percent over the next 30 years. That section of the analysis concludes, “However, since parking structures have an expected life of 50 years or longer, developers and parking owners should be thinking about tomorrow’s possibilities, today. Ultimately, parking should be planned with flexibility and the capability to accommodate the potential increase in the number of AVs, as well as infrastructure to support TNCs.” Cook said the evolution of transportation needs has been studied and discussed in the course of planning Aggieville’s future, and while the trend is clear, Aggieville may not see as great of an impact. “Nobody is Ubering into Manhattan. They’ve still got to get here,” Cook said.

“We are a hub or an attraction for a lot of western Kansas and all over. Those people are going to drive in, and this parking is for businesses and retail.”

Growth and the Future Regardless of direction, changes are coming to Aggieville. The Aggieville Community Vision focuses on steering improvements in parking, walkability, and aesthetics to promote additional development, but questions remain.

While these improvements have been proposed, the final plan has not yet been approved by the City Commission, and some potential elements of the plan have drawn ire from business owners.

“During recent Aggieville Business Association meetings, as well as public informational and design meetings, it was clear that officials at the City of Manhattan plan to implement significant changes in Aggieville, whether

“EVEN WHEN THE STREETS AND SIDEWALKS ARE TORN UP DURING CONSTRUCTION, PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUPPORT THESE LOCAL BUSINESSES.” - ALMS GROUP BROKER/PARTNER CAMERON WARD

business owners want these changes or not,” Ward said.

“This was especially clear when the city design team presented a plan to the City Commission that suggested a full or partial closure of 12th Street, which many business owners strongly opposed.” Ward expressed concern about support for Aggieville businesses waning in the midst of significant construction, offering one suggestion for the community in the midst of the changes. “Even when the streets and sidewalks are torn up during construction, please remember to support these local businesses.”

Another hanging question surrounds future development: will it center on retail, dining, bar-hopping, or living? Opportunities are wide-open, and as Hilgers noted, those decisions will be developer-driven. “There are a lot of surveys and public data and just reaction to what people would like to see,” Hilgers said. “On certain City tracts of land, we will have the opportunity to negotiate for certain development, otherwise it will be driven by the private sector. This has also encouraged the City to talk about constructing the parking garage early in the process, to allow the potential development companies and property owners to consider other opportunities that may otherwise could not be afforded.”

“I think, in the future, we’ll see a better mix of retail and residential,” Cook said. “It’s going to be a real target for people who want to come into town and go places and do things, or for people thinking about bringing people in, I would think Aggieville’s a place you’re going to look for.”

Business diversity will be key as development occurs, Kuntz noted, as the district became bar-heavy when liquor laws changed to allow more bars without food service.

She sees potential for co-living structures, grocery and pharmacy services, spaces for start-up businesses, as well

as music and theatre entertainment venues to expand the nightlife offerings. “It is imperative we encourage different varieties of live, work, and play in the district,” Kuntz said.

The vision for Aggieville is in place, the quest for funding is underway, and the potential for growth is considerable. What many have long considered “a bar district” is, and will continue to be, so much more. As Ward noted, “Businesses like mine are starting to discover that there’s no better place in Manhattan to operate. Aggieville is just as vibrant when the sun is up as it is late at night.”

What’s next?

On May 7, the second reading of the TIF ordinance, including boundary establishment, will occur. If approved, TIF revenues will begin to be collected.

If the TIF is approved, consideration of the TIF Redevelopment Plan will occur this summer. Once approved, TIF revenues will be able to be used to fund improvements.

For more information about the Aggieville Community Vision plan, visit https://cityofmhk.com/2714/Aggieville-Community-Vision.  Born and raised in Riley County, Derek Larson has written about everything from an athlete’s PB&J diet to nuclear power. Larson graduated from Kansas State University, and when he is not working, he can often be found having in-depth discussions about baby sharks with a toddler. Derek and his wife are raising a family in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he wears purple as often as possible. mhk business news

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CHANGE AT THE CHAMBER

Jason Smith Takes the Helm

With a strong foundation set, Chamber President Jason Smith is prepared to focus on regionalism, entrepreneurship, and the recruitment and retainment of talent to keep Manhattan moving forward.

Article by Sarah Siders

Photography by Doug Barrett and Josh Hicks

On a Thursday afternoon in the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce office, it didn’t take long for the newly hired Chamber president, Jason Smith, to get comfortable. “I have that same mug,” he said with a grin while pointing to a coffee cup bearing the 1 Million Cups logo.

“We started a 1 Million Cups in Norman and have about 50 to 60 people who attend every month. I love going to those events; they’re great.”

Dressed in a requisite gray suit and tie, Smith settled into his chair and placed his coffee cup on the conference table in front of him. Smoothing his tie, he crossed his hands in his lap and took a breath. Transitioning from his role as president of the Norman Economic Development Coalition, a meeting with Smith was hard to come by during his two-day itinerary of non-stop meetings with future colleagues and community leaders. It seemed everyone wanted a moment to greet the new Chamber president.

While Smith joins the Manhattan Area Chamber with nearly 22 years of economic development experience, he recalls that this career path was not his original plan. “I’m a journalist by education, and after college, I took a job as a writer and managing editor at a small daily paper in McAlester, Oklahoma. My plan then was to work my way into public administration.”

After editing the newspaper for a year, in April 1997, an opportunity emerged for Smith that initiated his change of course. “The economic development position in McAlester was open, and I stumbled into that job. Since I was already part of the community, they liked the idea of having someone they knew and trusted. At first, I thought, ‘This a good entrée into public administration.’ But once I got into it and understood what and why we did what we did, I was hooked by economic development and the positive impact it makes on all people.”

Smith leaned forward, emphasizing the value he identified in his work. “The Gallup Corporation discovered that people value a good job more than their basic needs because in their minds, a good job will provide them with their basic needs. It’s that important in everyone’s life.”

After nearly seven years in McAlester, Smith received a phone call. “A friend of mine got a job as president of the Chamber in Lincoln, Nebraska. They were rebuilding their program, starting from scratch with a strategic plan. He asked me to come up and run their economic development program.”

Smith recalled one particular moment which defined the challenge ahead of him. “After accepting the role, I attended my first national economic development meeting. The keynote speaker, who had worked with dozens of cities, said everywhere he worked was easy, except Lincoln.” A confident smile spread across his face. “We were able to turn that around, and the city won national awards.

The effort was a collaboration of a big group of people, and it was fun to be on the ground floor and watch the impact our work had on the community. How it helped the community feel about itself, and seeing engagement from young people and the business community increase, it was exhilarating to be a part of that.”

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The awards speak for Smith’s work. He took the role of vice president of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce in 2004, and only six years later, the International Economic Development Council ranked Lincoln first in business retention and expansion in the U.S. for cities with populations between 250,000 to 500,000 people. “I am really proud of that recognition. Business retention and expansion was something we really focused on for the first time ever. We also launched a branding strategy in Lincoln to help us attract and retain talent. Our efforts paid off. We took a program with a reputation as one of the worst in the country to being identified as a great entrepreneurial ecosystem only a few years later.”

Wayne Sloan, Chamber Board chair and CEO of BHS Construction, recalled that Smith’s development work in Lincoln elevated his reputation going into the hiring process. “A number of us [on the Chamber Board] were familiar with the excellent work that happened under his leadership in Lincoln, Nebraska, the arena and the redevelopment of downtown, and we felt these were really great things that would transfer to our region.”

After nearly 10 years in Lincoln, the first of several difficult career decisions presented itself to Smith in 2013.

“I found Lincoln people to be great, and I loved the city.

We were about to open a new arena, and we saw all this vibrancy going on in Lincoln. And then I got the opportunity to work on a Chamber in Abilene, Texas.”

A family man at heart, Smith knew the role in Abilene would bring him closer to his extended family in Norman, Oklahoma. Smith moved his family to Abilene, accepting the position of Chamber of Commerce president, where he immediately got to work. Within two years, he led several initiatives, including the development of a young professionals program, a broadened military affairs program and a Chamber marketing and communications redesign. “I loved Abilene. I was closer to my family. I would’ve stayed there a long time.” He paused. “And then Norman opened.”

Historically, Smith stayed in one city for several years to see it grow and develop. Obviously nostalgic, Smith’s subtle Oklahoma drawl explained itself as he shared his decision to leave Abilene for Norman in 2015. “That was my hometown. A wing of the middle school is named after my dad.

My son was a senior in high school, my daughter about to have a baby, and it was great to be so close to family.”

In Norman, Smith focused on encouraging entrepreneurship and improving business attraction and retention.

“I had no intention to ever leave. But a couple things happened.” Smith shifted in his seat as he spoke, adjusting his tie. “The university president retired and a new feeling emerged about how the university would be involved with economic development. The city itself experienced a turnover with major role transitions at the city level.”

“When the opening at the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce came to me, I said, ‘Wow, that’s a unique opportunity.’ Their vision was similar to my view of how the Chamber creates better economic opportunities for its citizens. It felt like it was the right opportunity at the right time.”

Smith recalled that his experience in economic development thus far involved turnaround work, and he wanted to take on a role that allowed him to build rather than rebuild. “Usually when I step in somewhere, it’s like, ‘We gotta clean this up.’ I’ve never had an opportunity to start a job where there is an incredible foundation of success.

At this point, we can start thinking more advanced and bigger picture.”

“I’m asking myself what I can take from my experiences and try things differently to go even further.”

While not a Manhattan native himself, Smith believes the combination of his experience and his fresh eyesight into the community gives him a unique point of view that adds value to the momentum already in the region. “I’m asking myself what I can take from my experiences and try things differently to go even further. Outside perspectives can sometimes create more value and more opportunities.”

Sloan identified the aspects of Smith’s personality and leadership style, which stood out to the board as valuable qualities for a leader in Manhattan’s next season of development, and ultimately clinched his selection as Chamber president. “He is an information hound. He started reading the paper in Manhattan before he was hired. He was very well versed on the city. Any information he can get, he seeks out and is quick to learn more.”

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Sloan added, “One thing that also stood out about Jason was when we asked him how he would split his time as Chamber president. Other candidates might have talked about a passion for economic development or another area.

Instead, he said he was coming in as the chief executive officer, and he expected his staff to be able to take care of the different parts while he managed the organization. He saw his role as making sure the organization runs at top efficiency and achieves specific goals. A lot of us liked that comment. We wanted someone like him, with his work ethic and experience.”

“I love this Manhattan opportunity because I don’t have to sell the community on the things that matter. I get to come in and build on what’s already here.”

Smith noted that it was Manhattan’s reputation as a collaborative community that piqued his curiosity and made his decision to accept the Chamber position easier.

“The Manhattan Chamber and the community have such a great reputation for effectiveness and willingness to work together to achieve significant goals. They are ahead of where a lot of other places are because they have been working together.”

As Region Reimagined takes shape in the Flint Hills, led by Program Director Christy Rodriguez, the task for a new Chamber president goes beyond seeking the growth and success of a city to pursuing the advancement of an entire region. Entering a city with a new strategic plan is nothing new for Smith, but he acknowledges the challenge of cities working together in effective partnerships, as

outlined through the vision of Region Reimagined. “Regionalism is hard to implement. Money and opportunities don’t see borders, but government entities do. And there are mixed results on how that works.”

“To make regionalism work, we need to do three things: we have to be willing to work really hard at it, listen more than we talk, and be really flexible. There is no idea or thought that shouldn’t be considered. We can’t dismiss thoughts or opinions out of hand. We have to be cognizant of why people feel or think the way they do without taking offense,” Smith said.

Smith’s established track record of growth and success flows from his relentless focus on economic development from three angles, all with the ultimate goal of job creation. “Jobs are the most important thing,” Smith underscored. “In order to create jobs, three things matter. First, communities must take care of their existing businesses to ensure they have all the opportunities to succeed, grow and survive. It is easier to get business from your existing clients than it is to get new business.”

“Second, we have got to be a regional leader in entrepreneurship. I am a big believer that the long term economic success of communities relies on their ability to enhance culture for start-ups that are selling products and services outside of the community to bring in new money.”

“The third, and maybe most important, is talent. We have to ask ourselves how we can become regional leader in attracting and retaining talent. Communities didn’t have to work on that in the past, but now there are more jobs than people. People who are talented can choose where they want to live first, and we need to be doing what we can to make sure we are attractive to people with talent, from welders to advanced IT and across the spectrum.

Those three are the basics.”

Sloan asserted that thriving economic development in the region depends on the ability of our communities to retain the students and service members who move to the area for work and education. “Something we have to come to grips with is, if we can’t figure out how to get students and military to stay in our community, and we don’t find and retain talent, then we are out of economic development game. Companies are looking for talent.”

Sloan added one of his talent retention priorities emphasized to Smith is a revamped Young Professionals program, and he views Smith’s experience in this area as a critical skill set. “One of my goals as Chamber chair is to reinvent the Young Professionals program. In Lincoln, their Young Professionals is a division of the Chamber. Jason took that same model to Abilene, Texas, and he rebuilt their Young Professionals program. We want him to do that here. Right now, [the program in Manhattan] is more based on social stuff, but I had four meetings last week with young professionals discussing how we will reinvent things to give them a voice in what is happening in the region.”

In the essential task of attracting and retaining skilled workers, Smith acknowledged that obstacles exist, but he believes the way around this is creatively highlighting all the region has to offer. “Every city has challenges. It’s hard to live in San Francisco, Austin or New York City, and they

still seem to attract talent. There are some things about our region that we can’t change, but we can make some things so attractive that other barriers become less significant.”

In addressing some of these challenges, Smith believes one of the most powerful tools in the community’s pocket is the ability to work together. “The community rallied together to get the NBAF facility because of the collaborative nature of the city and the university. When they teamed up, they beat much larger communities with more resources because of their collaboration. That’s a huge win. From the outside looking in, Manhattan is a place that has potential and is willing to take action to achieve that potential.”

Smith said he is eager to spend his first 90 days as Chamber president focused on the priorities outlined to him by the board. “There are two priorities of the board and community. One is Region Reimagined. My part, at first, is learning the expectations of that, the economic development and strategic plan. It’s a pretty aggressive plan the board is undertaking. The Chamber is funding it right now, and we need to get a clear understanding of the relationship between Region Reimagined and the Chamber.”

“The second is a focus on engaging young professionals.” Speaking of his work in previous cities, he said, “There have been successful strategies in other communities we may want to implement. This is something we want to see the Chamber get better at. Every community is different. We need to understand the needs and desires of Manhattan young professionals. As we move forward, there are good ideas out there and we need to figure out how we integrate the successes already going on and take it to the next level.”

As Smith steps into the role, Sloan recalled advice Lyle Butler shared with him and Smith to make the transition smoother. “Lyle told us when he came on, someone gave him a list of 25 people he should meet right off the bat.

We developed a similar list for Jason, but his list is up to almost 80 people that he ought to face to face with,” Sloan laughed. “They are already setting up those meetings for him.”

“Our work starts with open dialogue and making sure all parties feel they have a place at the table and can share open dialogue with leadership.”

Smith reiterated that the most important position he will take is one of receptivity. “Our work starts with open dialogue and making sure all parties feel they have a place at the table and can share open dialogue with leadership.

The board is committed to that. What I find is there are good ideas already in motion we can bring in to help the process. Usually we don’t need to reinvent the wheel.”  Sarah Siders is a freelance writer, author and coach who specializes in leadership and healthy relationships. mhk business news

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Article by Josh Brewer Photography provided by Downtown Manhattan Inc. It’s summer in Manhattan, and the days are still getting longer. Bluegrass music washes down from the Taphouse rooftop over the crowd below. Across Poyntz, a group of friends and their dogs lounge on AJ’s patio, sipping beers, when a group of cyclists walk up with their bikes and ask to pet the pups. A small crowd has gathered outside the Village Geek in the Orville Huntress building to learn about X-Wing figurines and a Star Wars themed game. The smell of bouquets for purchase outside Steve’s Floral mixes with the aroma of fresh baguettes in the back of Radina’s bike cart. Artists and musicians fill every available space between the restaurants and stores. There are paintings of prairie sunsets outside of Bourbon and Baker, necklaces and earrings by Brown’s Shoe Fit, a young woman gets henna on her arm inside Connected Fair Trade, and a man plays kick drum and accordion near El Patrón. A child squeals as she feels a potter’s mud morph under her grip. It’s Third Thursday in Manhattan.

After a successful inaugural season in 2018, Manhattan’s Third Thursday event will once again highlight the local art community and downtown businesses from May until September.

The concept, along with First and Final Friday events, has provided a regular boom for local economies in other cities and is on track to become one of Manhattan’s favorite traditions. For Annette Radina, who organized artists during the inaugural season, Third Thursdays were a no brainer. “A few years ago, I realized that Lawrence had Final Fridays, Kansas City, Salina and Topeka had First Fridays, and there wasn’t any reason why Manhattan didn’t. The Manhattan Arts Center and I looked around and saw those cities moving on the arts scene and realized that it was time for Manhattan, but it takes that person to stand up and say, ‘Hey, let’s do this!’”

“Third Thursdays are a great opportunity for the community to interact with artists and introduce art to new people.”

Working with Gina Scroggs, executive director of Downtown Manhattan, Inc., Radina and the Manhattan Arts Center, worked with local businesses, artists and musicians to find new ways to create an artistic experience in the downtown business district. “We have wonderful indoor opportunities to experience art in Manhattan like the Beach Museum and the Strecker-Nelson West Gallery, but we hadn’t provided too many opportunities for new people to experience art outside of a traditional art space. Third Thursdays are a great opportunity for the community to interact with artists and introduce art to new people.” Since many of the artists recruited by Radina lived in other communities with First or Final Friday events, it wasn’t hard to sell the concept. “Everyone was so excited to participate, and afterwards, they told me how much they loved the exposure and loved being out meeting people!”

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For Scroggs, the growth of each Third Thursday event was both exciting and a sign of the event’s potential.

“We had more artists and entertainers signing up to perform each month, and each month, we had more patrons spending their evening with us. By the end of the first season, we think we were really starting to create a vibe by representing the arts and entertainment community in Manhattan. I think last year really showed us that we have lined up the culture with the audience, and that gives us lots of room to grow.”

Art walks like Third Thursdays don’t only culturally enrich a community, they create significant economic impact for vendors and nearby businesses. In Lawrence, the Final Friday event serves as a way for locals to enjoy downtown and arts districts while also attracting tourists from similar events in Kansas City and Chicago, where many university alumni reside.

In 2011, the City conducted an arts census to determine the initial economic impact of the event and found that, on average, close to 3,000 people attended a Final Friday event and spent over $26 per person, leading to a 2011 impact of over $80,000 per Final Friday in the event districts alone. In more established markets, both the average spend and the attendance increase. In Oakland, Calif., a 2013 study found that their First Friday attendees spent $80 per visit on average, which increased revenue per business by 100 to 250 percent.

While Downtown Manhattan has not assessed the total economic impact, individual businesses have seen an increase in business around the event. At Bourbon and Baker, Managing Partner Evan Grier, who also owns Harry’s and manages Tallgrass Taphouse, saw a 20 percent year-over-year increase in revenue during the months with Third Thursday events. While this increase is significant, Grier believes that the largest positive impact of Third Thursdays was the new energy that the event brought to downtown.

“Looking out across the downtown, I was seeing more families, more kids, which is different from what I typically see on a weeknight or even a weekend downtown. For us, that was the most exciting thing: to see those

families downtown, out on the sidewalks.” Grier brings a savvy restaurateur’s perspective to Third Thursdays.

“For restaurants, the commodity of the future isn’t food, but time, which is why we’ll need to engage the full entertainment spectrum to win the day.”

This impact wasn’t only felt at Harry’s, Tallgrass Taphouse and Bourbon and Baker. Adam Peyton, owner of AJ’s Pizza, saw a 10 to 50 percent revenue increase from Thursdays from the year before. In addition to the revenue increase, Peton saw the broad community participation as a significant benefit. “Both retail and restaurants were active participants in the event. It was good to see shops open later than usual and restaurants full of people.”

Evan Grier agrees: “Third Thursdays were a really positive overall experience for downtown businesses and the byproduct was an increase in sales.

For example, we had music in front of Bourbon and Baker and Harry’s a couple of times, and while that didn’t directly bring people into those restaurants, I believe a rising tide lifts all ships.”

Following the success of last year’s Third Thursdays, Annette Radina is confident in the second year. “I think it’s going to grow even more this year because we have Morgan Biles with Downtown Manhattan heading up organizing this year, Taylor McFall with MHK Music Scene will schedule the musicians, and Courtney Smith is going to be working with USD 383’s art teachers on art programming.

Thanks to what this group brings, we’re hoping to add even more diversity to the artistic and musical lineup this year! Third Thursdays bring a lot energy to downtown and to Manhattan, but most importantly, they bring the whole community together.” Like Radina, Peyton is excited for “a wide variety of entertainment and a good mixture of music” this season. To the community at large, he says “come downtown and experience our local art and music scene.”

For Taylor McFall, Third Thursday events fit within a broader movement to promote local music and musicians across the community. “At MHK Music Scene, we see events like Third Thursday as opportunities to showcase

the talent and diversity of musicians and bands in the Manhattan area. The musicians we are booking are community minded and want to see Manhattan thrive. The city has an opportunity through Third Thursday and other events like MidFest, to embrace and value the local creative culture. The economic return from festival-type events through increased tourism and commerce is well established. Manhattan can easily be the entertainment hub of the Flint Hills and beyond by intentionally valuing and participating in the atmosphere generated at these events.”

Energy among musicians, business owners and others has led Scroggs to set a lofty goal for the second Third Thursday season. “We have a goal to close the streets for the July Third Thursday event and host a band or two on Poyntz Avenue. We would love to enhance the overall experience with a street festival and think that mid-summer is a great time to bring the community together.” Never short of vision or energy, McFall is on board.

To the community, he emphasized the need for demonstrating community support. “All bands and singers that make it big start locally. By uplifting the talent that is right here in our community, you are encouraging what could be a superstar of tomorrow.”

While direct sales increases provide an immediate return on Third Thursday events, the largest value might be realized by activating the Downtown Manhattan brand. Reflecting on the event, Grier said, “Downtown’s brand is a great representation of how key employers, entertainment venues, arts, dining, full- and part-time residents are converging as a community. It’s one of the few places in Kansas where you can walk from home to multiple dining options, the grocery store, church, and work, find leisure activities and have friends and family at a hotel within walking distance. I can’t name a similar situation in all of Kansas outside of the Power and Light District in Kansas City. Downtown Manhattan is a true lifestyle center alive in north central Kansas.”  Josh Brewer is the agency marketing director a 502, a strategic marketing agency in Manhattan. mhk business news

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Article by Brandon Savage Photography by Josh Hicks

REGION

On Track: Camso Selects Junction City Camso, a Canadian producer of rubber tracks for farm equipment and snowmobiles, expands to Junction City, illustrating the strategic nature of the Flint Hills region for business expansion.

In early 2020, Camso Manufacturing USA, Ltd will open a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in a 139,000-square-foot former regional military grocery distribution facility in Junction City. Located immediately south of exit 295 on I-70, the former distribution center is currently in the process of being refurbished and re-tooled and will employ up to 55 employees at full production. The location was selected after a months-long search process and highlights the importance of location strategy as a component of operations management to companies of all sizes. It also emphasizes the potential strengths of the Flint Hills region to external businesses pursuing expansion.

Any time a company decides to open a new location, whether it’s a restaurant, retail location, warehouse, manufacturing facility, or a traditional commercial office setting, they are attempting to maximize the benefit of the location to the company. Location often has the power and ability to make or break a company’s business strategy.

In addition, a company’s presence can have a powerful economic impact upon the local community.

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FedEx and Amazon In 1973, when FedEx moved their operations hub from Little Rock to Memphis, it was for three specific and strategic reasons: • Memphis was located in the general “middle” of the U.S. • The Memphis airport had very few hours of bad weather closures.

• Memphis provided FedEx with generous tax incentives.

As FedEx continued to grow over the next decade, they constructed their “SuperHub” facility to the north of the airport. Last year, FedEx announced an additional $1 billion expansion/renovation over the next five years which will continue to fuel their $62 billion/year business.

Additionally, Amazon’s recent “HQ2” search has highlighted the many incentives that local government entities are willing to offer in order to entice businesses to their region. Although there is ongoing public debate in some

regions about the size and justification of these incentives, it’s clear they are a motivating factor in the decision-making process for corporations seeking new locations.

Location decisions can greatly affect both fixed and variable costs for companies. They also impact the overall risk and profit of a company. As the economy continues to grow nationally and globally, transportation economics continue to be a driving factor in location decisions. Just as rivers and ports were an important element in selecting business locations centuries ago, airports, rail hubs, and interstate highways play a major role in decisions in the 21st century.

Camso and Junction City Last June, Camso announced they would be locating a manufacturing plant in Junction City. Camso, subsequently acquired by French tire-maker Michelin for $1.45 billion, is a Canadian-based, world-leading specialist in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of offroad rubber tracks and tires for agricultural, construction material handling and powersport equipment.

The facility in Junction City will manufacture rubber tracks primarily for agricultural equipment, including John Deere, Kinze, and AGCO. The demand for rubber tracks (versus tires) in the agricultural industry has grown in recent years due to a variety of benefits, including reduced soil compaction, increased seed placement, better water infiltration, increased traction, and improved fuel efficiency. Because of this, Camso affectionately refers to themselves as the “Road Free Company,” as all of their products are used in the off-road vehicle industry.

Camso decided to expand and add another plant when their existing manufacturing location in Emporia, Kan., had 165 employees that were overwhelmed working three shifts a day, seven days a week. Like FedEx, Camso researched multiple locations before selecting Junction City.

Chris Uher, an employee at the Emporia location since 2003, was promoted to be the plant manager of the new location and has recently relocated

HIRE TO RETIRE CAMSO’S JUNCTION CITY PLANT WILL EMPLOY UP TO 55 EMPLOYEES AT FULL PRODUCTION.

to the Manhattan area to supervise the retrofit process. He was part of the location search committee and shared some of the criteria that led to the selection of the Junction City location.

As with FedEx and Memphis, he cited Kansas’ location in the “center of the country” as an important factor in their transportation strategy. The building’s location at 2925 Industrial St. provides close proximity to I-70 for trucks that deliver raw materials and move finished goods to their next destination, whether it be other Camso facilities or final product distribution.

The location’s proximity to Kansas State’s and Fort Riley’s talent base were also key factors in the decision.

After the site was selected, the internal project name was dubbed “Team Wildcat” in recognition of the K-State mascot. Three current engineers on the project are K-State graduates, and when the facility opens, they expect to hire newly-graduated students from a variety of majors, including engineering and finance. Internship opportunities are anticipated as well.

John Lawrence, human resources and health/safety manager for the new facility, anticipates that access to transitioning soldiers at Fort Riley will be valuable too. Lawrence can speak from experience in this area because, after serving 34 years in the military, he decided to retire and do something

new. When he started the interview process with Camso, he was impressed by the longevity of employees.

“The plant manager at Emporia had been with the company for 17 years.

He started as a production associate and grew with the company. When you have people who stay with a corporation — especially a manufacturing one — for that long, it makes you wonder what they are doing right! That intrigued me.”

As Lawrence searches for employees for the new facility, he’s been given the directive “hire to retire” because Camso is confident the region will provide employees who are welltrained and highly aligned with the company’s four core values: empowerment, commitment, teamwork and integrity. The starting wage for frontline workers will be $16.50/hour, with six-month raises based on performance. After two years and additional training, workers will reach $21/hour.

Positions offer health, dental, vision and 401K plans.

As with Amazon and FedEx, local government entities ensured Camso had additional financial reasons to select Junction City. These initiatives were spearheaded by Mickey Fornaro -Dean, director of economic development/president of operations for the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce. Between sales tax mhk business news

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exemption on purchase equipment, property tax exemptions, grant awards (based on meeting employment targets), waived permit fees, and upgrade commitments to water lines and the road surface along old Highway 40, Junction City provided incentives that were attractive to Camso. The selected property also featured additional acreage to facilitate future growth, something that was also important to the Camso search committee.

Fornaro-Dean said, “Economic development projects, such as this, are very competitive, and to be able to showcase to Camso how we work together as a community and region was good for us, and in the long run, will be good for Camso and the entire region. This allows us to diversify our community and the type of jobs we can offer not only to local talent, but others looking to relocate into our area.”

As the Flint Hills region and related government entities continue to emphasize their existing unique geographical strengths and ensure they’re competitive in key success factors with other nearby regions, they should expect to see additional companies like Camso explore expansion within their borders. Where they are non-competitive, they should seek to understand the costs and benefits associated with becoming more competitive.

Existing Manhattan companies and business owners seeking to expand should include the key success factors to the right as part of their location strategy decision-making process. As business owners align their available options with their business’s needs and strategies, they can position themselves for the greatest likelihood of success. Taking the time to determine the best location is always a good investment.  Brandon W. Savage provides fractional COO and management strategy consulting to companies throughout the Flint Hills area. He is also an instructor of strategy, ethics and operations at the K-State College of Business Administration and received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Cheryl, live in Manhattan with their eight children.

Find him at www.TheCXPro.com.

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COMMITTED TO CAMSO HUMAN RESOURCES & HEALTH/SAFETY MANAGER JOHN LAWRENCE (LEFT) AND PLANT MANAGER CHRIS UHER (RIGHT) ARE PREPARING TO OPEN THE NEW PLANT.

Key Success Factors The following key success factors can be used by any company looking to select a new region/city:

1. Corporate desires 2. Attractiveness of region (culture, taxes, climate, etc.)

3. Labor availability, costs, attitudes towards 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

unions Cost and availability of utilities Environmental regulations of state and town Government incentives and fiscal policies Proximity to raw materials and customers Land/construction costs

When selecting a specific site within a community, the following key success factors can be used:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Site size and cost Air, rail, highway, and waterway systems Zoning restrictions Proximity of services/supplies needed Environmental impact issues Customer density and demographics

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Being there for the people we care about, And making sure they have whatever they need to build a better tomorrow.

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AT KS STATEBANK ALWAYS MATTER MOST.

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MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Tallgrass Home Inspectors Pat Butler takes pride in inspecting homes and educating homebuyers about home maintenance practices.

Article by Sarah McGreer Hoyt Photography by Doug Barrett

On a cold, gray March morning, Patrick Butler stalked across the wooded lawn in front of a large ranch home on a four-acre lot east of Wamego.

Patches of snow remained on the sodden grass, and the soft earth sank beneath his tall frame as he circled the yard. Overhead, a flock of geese flew north, indicative of a spring that wasn’t apparent on the ground.

Butler pointed to the downspouts. “That’s a problem, but an easy fix,” he said. The underside of the deck? “That’s old-school, nailed into the house like that. I’ll have to include it.”

Butler, a master certified inspector with more than a dozen certifications, was in his element.

Becoming a home inspector and business owner was never Butler’s life-long goal, instead, it was a career born of two decades in the Army, an innate drive to help others and his own experience as a homeowner.

Butler was raised in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he played football and took industrial arts classes. He expected to find work as a welder after high school, but since the positions he was interested in had an age requirement of 21, he joined the military instead. “I figured I’d join the Army for a couple years, get some on-the-job experience and come back and work in a factory.”

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A few years turned into decades. By the time he was in his early thirties, Butler was on his second tour of Iraq. His two-part job assignment entailed up-armoring military vehicles and coordinating the movement of soldiers. It was a world away from the future he’d imagined back in Reading.

“I’d work for a couple weeks doing welding and machining. [A]t that time they didn’t have a lot of ballistic armor, so a lot of us welders had to go and make [it]. Then they would send me to run force protection, so all the guards that were around there were under my responsibility.”

After a short stint stateside from 2004 to 2005, Butler wanted to give his family a home they could call their own. They’d spent a decade navigating multiple deployments and new cities. But just as he was preparing to leave the country, their housing plans fell through.

In just 30 days, they found a house that Butler’s wife, Sabine, and their children could finally call their own. And then, while Butler was stationed in Germany, their rocky home-buying experience escalated into a nightmare of complicated repairs. His assignment required him to travel constantly. “One day I’m in the east part of the country, the next day I’m in Italy.” At night, he would get calls from Sabine. “She’s dealing with the roof, a toilet that won’t stop leaking,” Butler said. “She’s tearing apart the bathroom floor herself and uncovers three layers of flooring... That toilet wasn’t ever going to work right.”

He shook his head in disgust.

“Teaching, training people, that’s in my DNA.” It was one of two final experiences that set the stage for Butler’s life as a civilian. The second was his last military assignment, a stint at Training and Doctrine Command (TraDoC) in Aberdeen, Md. “[TraDoC creates] all the training guidelines and training policies in how to take a high school kid like I was and indoctrinate them into the Army.”

It is also where young recruits master the job to which they’re initially assigned and where Butler’s welding experience came full-circle: he became

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INSPECTOR OF THE YEAR BUTLER WAS AWARDED THE INSPECTOR OF THE YEAR GROMICKO AWARD BY HIS PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION.

the Army’s chief welding instructor. The role drew on both his own technical expertise and his desire to teach and help his soldiers. “Teaching, training people, that’s in my DNA,” Butler said emphatically. “If there was one thing that got me up in the morning when the rest of the world seemed like it was going south, it was the fact that I had people counting on me to help them navigate the Army and help their families navigate the Army. That’s what kept it fun.”

But in 2009, he received two phone calls a couple of weeks apart. “Dad, when you coming home? To stay this time?” Marqueeze, his then-9-year-old son, said. The next week, it was his 7-year-old daughter, Marielle. “Daddy, when are you coming home? Really, really coming home?

We miss you.”

He knew his family’s long-term home would be in Manhattan. “It was a no-brainer to stay,” Butler laughed.

“We wanted the kids to have a hometown.” The Pennsylvania region in which he grew up has a strong agricultural identity, as does Sabine’s hometown in Germany, so it felt very familiar to them both.

“I remember, one day I’m watching the news here in Kansas, and all of a sudden it dawns on me that it’s 20 minutes in, and they’ve talked about the weather three different times. Back in D.C., the first 20 minutes of every newscast seemed like, crime, crime, murder. Plus the education system is great in Kansas. Staying was easy.” The complicated part: finding his next career.

Initially, Butler thought he would pursue a welding inspector certification or teach at a vocational school.

Then he learned about a pilot program helping veterans transition into civilian life. “They hand me the big stack of paperwork. “The cover sheet listed examples of fields you could get trained in. I see certified property inspector and thought, I could do that until my 70s.” He raised his eyebrows emphatically: “It was like divine intervention.”

Butler immediately saw how his life experiences had prepared him for this job: mastering welding, a building trade; helping soldiers and military families; working through his own family’s struggle to find a safe, comfortable home.

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The military sent Butler to the American Home Inspectors Training Institute, and he worked with a home inspector in the Washington, D.C., area before finally moving home to Manhattan.

Getting the business off the ground proved challenging.

He laughed, reciting the list of jobs he worked while he continued his self-education and gained clients: a bouncer, a security guard, a table busser and more. Finally, after working in facilities for K-State at night and conducting inspections during the day, he was able to launch Tallgrass Home Inspectors as a full-time venture. He developed the very detailed template that he uses today for home inspections. “Some people in the field would say, ‘You don’t need to do that much,’ but clients were loving it,” he said.

A smile lit up his face.

Over the years, Butler has mentored other veterans interested in becoming home inspectors and discovered more aspects of his new career that made it a great fit for post-military life. “It’s a great field for soldiers with PTSD,” he said. “There’s a very clear set of rules and defined structure, but you work autonomously. There aren’t a lot of people around. You’re in control of the situation.”

“I see helping clients learn about their homes as part of my work.”

He has also become a passionate educator who loves helping his clients navigate home ownership even after the sale has gone through. “How do you take care of a home?

It’s a skill set our generation seems to have lost. Why do you clean out the gutters or wash down the AC unit? I see helping clients learn about their homes as part of my work.” And despite the time involved, Butler remains devoted to producing detailed reports.

In 2018, Butler was awarded the Inspector of the Year Gromicko Award by his professional association, InterNACHI. It was a high-point in his civilian career, and the recognition from his peers acknowledges Butler’s tireless pursuit of education.

Through InterNACHI, he has learned about the home inspection field around the world. The Australian field of building certification especially fascinates him: a building certifier stays with the clients for the entire time they own the property, advising them on home care and improvement as they need it. With his InterNACHI peers, he is exploring the ways in which that model could work in the U.S. “I think of it as home consultancy,” Butler said.

“It’s one more way we could help our clients.” He presents educational programs through InterNACHI and travels regularly to learn more about the home inspection field.

Though it’s been a long journey for Butler, he and his family have found a home in Manhattan where he can fulfill his passion. “Everything I want to do, I’m doing it.” Sarah McGreer Hoyt is a writer and editor for K-State Libraries. When she’s not at a computer, you can find her chasing her son in City Park, on the Konza or through Sunset Zoo.

Publicly Endorsed By K-State and KU Carolyn Devane carolyn@powerprepinc.com 785-341-1363 www.powerprepinc.com

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Article by Melissa Harstine Photography by Doug Barrett

STARTUPS

Feeding the Local Tech Scene

Entrepreneur Andy Theimer’s startup journey highlights the importance of networking and mentorship opportunities within the Manhattan tech community.

On the west side of Manhattan, within the brown brick walls of The Fellow Coworking, Andy Theimer maps out ideas on the whiteboards covering 60 percent of his 11-by-11 foot office. A blackout shade prevents sunlight from glaring on two large monitors perched atop sitstand desks. In the corner, a small racing drone awaits a mid-day mental break.

Theimer is a serial entrepreneur who enjoys solving problems with technology. His current project, FeedOtter, helps marketers be more efficient by converting blog posts into email newsletters in seconds. The software uses RSS, a common web data feed, to eliminate tedious copying and pasting. Images are automatically resized so they look pleasing in every inbox, on every device.

Feed refers to the RSS feed, but otters?

“Who doesn’t like otters? It’s cute, it’s fun,” Theimer said with a laugh.

FeedOtter was just getting off the ground in 2016 when Theimer moved to Manhattan from Boulder, Colo. with his wife, Dr. Anna Marie Wytko who took a position at Kansas State University as a professor.

After arriving, Theimer quickly realized that building a tech company in Manhattan would be very different than his previous experience in Colorado. One of the biggest hurdles was finding local, like-minded friends. He spent hours searching LinkedIn for anyone in Manhattan with “founder” or “starting a software company” in their profile.

The results were sparse. So, he defaulted to existing relationships, scheduling regular calls with friends and mentors in other states.

Theimer said that he’s not anti-social in new environments, but his love for productivity often keeps him secluded. He worked from home for a year and a half and relied on virtual consultants because a lean approach kept overhead costs down. Eventually, he decided it would be nice to be around people more often.

After renting a private office space at The Fellow Coworking, Theimer found a community of local entrepreneurs outside his niche. However, there were still only a handful of tech workers. By comparison, Theimer said that similar spaces in Colorado are filled with software companies.

Josh Hicks, owner of The Fellow, hopes that Theimer and other tech entrepreneurs can kickstart innovation in Manhattan. “Theimer has a lot to offer the Manhattan community. He has some of the most potent brain power 52

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ANDY THEIMER IN HIS OFFICE AT LOCAL COWORKING SPACE, THE FELLOW.

that I see around town. It’s exciting to be around him, learn from him, glean from him. When someone like Andy lands here in Manhattan, he stands out as a shining star.”

Connecting Entrepreneurs with Mentors How can Manhattan develop a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem that both attracts “shining stars” like Theimer and helps them flourish? It’s a question community leaders are exploring.

“There are very intentional efforts happening right now to build better infrastructure to support entrepreneurs,” said Trent Armbrust, economic development director for the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. “This includes aligning public, private and university resources to make it easier for entrepreneurs to find available assistance.”

One critical component is access to mentoring and education. Twenty percent of small businesses fail in their first year, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Only 50 percent make it through year five. Having an experienced mentor during those early years is vital to success.

Dave Dreiling, a well-known Manhattan business owner, has built several companies with national footprints. He’s an advocate of mentoring and recently shared his thoughts during a conversation on the Manhattan, Kan., Area Entrepreneurs Facebook Group: “When I started GTM, I quickly realized I was in over my head, and reached out to Dennis Mullin [Steel & Pipe] and a few others, and they helped me along the way. The past 10 to 15 years, I’ve mentored over a dozen MHK business owners that reached out [to] me in the same boat that I was in.”

He added, “Although I’m not against formalizing it, I’ve found that those with initiative, that are in pain and coachable, come find us on their own. And it’s rare to see someone that went through it and is now successful to not be willing to give back.”

However, for people like Theimer who are relatively new to town, it can be difficult to track down such leaders, even when they are looking for them. Armbrust said that several groups are discussing whether these mentoring relationships happen organically or whether there should be a formal structure in place.

Accelerated Serendipity Although the perfect environment for entrepreneurs can’t be created overnight, seeds of possibility are sprouting. Coworking spaces like The Fellow and grassroots gatherings like 1 Million Cups have emerged in the past four years. They speak to the community-wide desire to hear entrepreneurs’ stories and support one another.

Innovation is taking root on an individual level, too.

Bryce Johnston, a K-State graduate, had a strong community of friends during college. But when he moved back to Manhattan in 2016, he struggled to find and connect with people in the tech field. In response, he launched a monthly meetup for programmers. Many of the attendees came from out of town. The group met for a year and half before fizzling out due to scheduling conflicts.

Still determined to bring the tech community together, Johnston started a website called Manhattech (www.manhattech.com). It lists companies, events, jobs and co-working spaces throughout the region. His vision is that this online space will result in real-life friendships.

Johnston’s journey parallels Theimer’s in many ways.

They both moved to Manhattan within months of each other and spent hours searching for a like-minded tech community. Johnston even worked at The Fellow for a season, but he switched to a different coworking location shortly before Theimer became a member.

After crossing paths multiple times but never meeting, Johnston and Theimer were introduced during the reporting of this article. For both entrepreneurs, this valuable connection depended on luck, but what if the Manhattan business community was more intentional about facilitating these connections? Coworking spaces are a part of that puzzle, but what are the other pieces remain elusive.

The experiences of Theimer and entrepreneurs like him suggest that significant opportunities for innovation and economic growth hinge on a healthier entrepreneurial ecosystem, and that ecosystem depends on a support structure that remains underdeveloped.

“At the end of the day, entrepreneurship is about trying,” Theimer said. “Whether it’s a good idea or bad idea, you just have to do it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes something magical happens.”  Melissa Harstine is a freelance writer who believes compelling stories can change lives. She writes personality-infused website copy, articles, bios and email newsletters for small businesses.

Connect with her at kardiacommunications.com

Local Resources For People Who Want to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs Coworking Spaces

A community of business professionals from diverse industries working together in shared office space.

Edge @ 1880 http://Ksiteonline.com/spaces/1880-kimball-avenue The Fellow www.TheFellowMHK.com Iron Clad www.IronCladCoworking.com

1 Million Cups

A monthly event that brings together entrepreneurs and the Manhattan community over coffee and conversation. www.1MillionCups.com/manhattan

Entrepreneur Groups

Discussions about entrepreneurship in the Manhattan area. www.Facebook.com/Groups/MHKentrepreneurs

Manhattech Website

List of regional tech companies, events and meetups. www.Manhattech.com

Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce

Networking, advocacy and information to support business development in Manhattan www.Manhattan.org/1

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Article by Ashley Phillips Photography by Blade Mages

PEOPLE

Meet the 2019 Leadership Manhattan Class Melissa Gamino

Brett Louk

Vice President and Cash Management Officer, KS StateBank

Project Engineer, SMH Consultants

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing young leaders in Manhattan?

A: Challenges facing young leaders in Manhattan include both experience and exposure. Becoming involved in the community and communicating with past and present leaders allows us to become informed of events and challenges we face in Manhattan. Young leaders can then align interests and skills to match that to the growth of the community to help guide its future.

Q: What opportunities does MHK offer young leaders that encourages them to remain in the area?

A: The small town feel and close knit community.

Manhattan is also a growing community that has a bright future ahead of it.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: Being a leader is leading by example, which can sometimes make you feel vulnerable. It is important to listen to others, always be present in the work that you do and capitalize on not only your own strengths, but those of which you lead.

Q: How do you hope the MHK Leadership Class of 2019 will help you better-impact the community?

A: I believe the MHK Leadership Class will help me gain a better understanding of some of the larger issues facing Manhattan and how to get involved to try and help find solutions to those issues.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: I try to lead by example and with integrity.

Edie Doane

Director, Young Farmers & Ranchers and Collegiate Programs, Kansas Farm Bureau

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing young leaders in Manhattan?

A: I think the biggest challenge is taking the first step to get involved. There are so many well-respected and connected leaders who are pillars in our community that it can be intimidating to jump in, but I think that’s exactly why we need to now. There’s a wealth of wisdom and experience in our community now that won’t always be here, and we need to take advantage of our opportunity to learn from and alongside today’s elected officials, business owners, educational leaders and nonprofit champions.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: I will always observe before I speak up or engage because I want to make sure I understand the situation and various perspectives, people and motivations before I make a move. You probably don’t want me to be in charge of generating excitement around an idea or solution, but the way I process information and people means you might want me to help form a team, generate the best path forward and put the plan into motion.

Stephen Bridenstine Curator of Education, Flint Hills Discovery Center

Q: What opportunities does Manhattan offer young leaders that encourages them to remain in the area?

A: Manhattan is a great city if you’re living the classic American dream: married, homeowner, 2.5 kids, stable employment with opportunities to advance internally.

The problem is that young people do not see this path as necessarily their own. Renting vs. home ownership, student debt, healthcare costs, stagnant wages, sustainability, delayed marriage all affect how young people see themselves and their community. Manhattan needs to be a vibrant, attractive city that also directly addresses some of these real concerns.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: Leadership can be lonely. That was a hard lesson to learn as I became a manager, especially as an introvert.

Having peers who can relate to your situation is critical. So, as a leader, I try to find that balance between trusting my gut and getting a second opinion.

Sara Crouch

Assistant Unit Director, Department of Housing and Dining Services, Kansas State University

Q: How do you hope the MHK Leadership Class of 2019 will help you better-impact the community?

A: I have an interest to blend my professional background in food with my new leadership skills to help the youth of our community. I hope that I can get involved in programs that help the youth of our community get a warm and balanced meal. I know there are some children who struggle to have food daily.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: I feel my leadership style can be described as empowerment of others and honesty. I think it is very important to provide others an opportunity to gain a new skill in their job or volunteer role. I had a mentor who worked very hard to make others successful. She would make sure that we were given every opportunity to gain more experiences to better our skills. She would put herself last and allow us the opportunity to learn.

Jared Loomis Associate Engineer, Olsson

Q: How do you hope the MHK Leadership Class of 2019 will help you better-impact the community?

A: I’d really like to get involved with a talent retention program. We have such a valuable resource with the university, and anything I can do to help tap into that resource will be a priority of mine. Additionally, learning about all the other ways to get involved will be very beneficial.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: I feel it’s easier to lead someone after getting to know them. I like to try and make a personal connection before any leadership even happens. The mutual respect that is gained from doing so can go a long way when working towards a common goal.

Heather Peterson, AIA

Matt Parra

Project Manager, Architect One

Retail Market Manager & AVP, Sunflower Bank

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing young leaders in Manhattan?

A: I think the biggest challenge facing young leaders is time. As a generation and a society, we are expected to be everything to everyone all of the time. I read a quote recently, and I am paraphrasing, “When did priority become a plural word.” That hit me like a sack of bricks! We are all pulled in so many directions it’s hard to truly focus on one priority and make it great.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing young leaders in Manhattan?

A: I think the encouragement of more diverse young leaders in Manhattan is always a positive move. This university attracts many different individuals from different walks of life, and we need to find ways to get those individuals involved with Manhattan leadership.

The more we can do this, the more we give Manhattan a “different and new” view on community issues.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: Pending the situation I can be the quiet leader that sits back and watches a project develop or when the time arises, I can be the driver to keep a group on task and moving forward. I take pride in assessing the situation and adapting to what the needs of the project and group are.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: I have always felt like an outsider when it comes to being a leader. My father is not from the U.S., and my family raised us by doing factory work, so growing up I didn’t have programs like Leadership Manhattan. I was never exposed to any type of community leadership until my later college years. Even then I felt like an outsider.

So, my goal as a leader is to encourage people who may not have had many opportunities growing up to take a risk and try to become a leader either in their career or community. Even if it makes them uncomfortable because it makes our cities better to have different perspectives.

Sarah Duggan

Mike Solida

Community Relations Director, Meadowlark

Customer Solutions Manager, Westar Energy/Evergy

Q: How do you hope the MHK Leadership class of 2019 will help you better-impact the community?

A: From the Leadership Manhattan experience, I hope to use the genuine relationships I have developed within the program and the knowledge I gained to invest my time and effort in community issues I am passionate about. I am especially interested in attracting people to stay in our area once they are here. Building a community and a region where people want to live is a great place to start.

Q: What opportunities does MHK offer young leaders that encourage them to remain in the area?

A: Manhattan cannot retain all young professionals in the area, but there are opportunities for young leaders through a variety of organizations. However, as a young leader you must realize that you’re not always going to start at the top.

Sometimes you have to get your foot in the door and prove yourself to the organization that you have the leadership qualities to make your organization better through hard work and dedication.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: Watching leaders in my organization and being one myself, I have come to deeply appreciate the art of a compromise. Our team is better when everyone has a voice and we work together to build and execute a vision. It takes all of us to make something great.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: I use three words to describe my leadership: humble, honest, and hungry. One thing I see other leaders do today is talk about everything they are going to do but have little to no follow up. Following up with action is a huge component of leadership, which builds trust and shows others you stand by what you say.

Levi Schneider Vice President/Project Manager, BHS Construction

Q: What opportunities does MHK offer young leaders that encourages them to remain in the area?

A: I feel Manhattan offers an economic environment that allows and challenges young professions to grow and develop to their full potential, often encouraging them to exceed their personal expectations. Manhattan also provides a small-town environment to raise their families and enjoy their friends in.

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: As a leader I prefer to be hands-on and involved with the day to day of my team and co-workers. I never ask someone to complete a task that I could not or would not do myself. Being involved allows me to assist my team as needed but also allows me to step back and let them proceed how they feel the situation warrants.

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2019 • Quarter two 59 3/29/2019 10:12:29 AM

Jennifer Clements

Kate Ryan

Executive Administrator & Founder, Creche Day Schools

Commercial Leasing & Engagement Manager, KSU Foundation

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: My personal philosophy for leadership involves working on improving myself daily, so I can be the best possible supporter and mentor for my team. Every challenge or struggle we face provides us with opportunities to learn and make ourselves better. I’ve experienced my fair share of “learning moments,” and they’ve often come in the form of failure. It is what we take away from those tough lessons that make all the difference in later successes.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing young leaders in Manhattan?

A: One challenge facing young leaders in Manhattan is knowing what steps to take to become a leader in the eyes of established business people. In today’s global economy, a person can become a thought leader in his or her industry long before breaking into the local scene. Knowing how to balance the virtual aspect of business with the grassroots can be difficult.

Jeremy Crist

Melissa Brinkman

Assistant County Attorney, Riley County Attorney’s Office

Realtor, Rockhill Real Estate Group

Q: What opportunities does MHK offer young leaders that encourages them to remain in the area?

A: I am hopeful with this experience to learn more about what businesses and the community are doing in this regard, but I believe some are already doing things to foster this attraction and retention. Examples might include more flexible work schedules, benefits tailored to the specific needs of an employee and/or his/her family, promoting diversity, and offering more creative perks. As a community, perhaps improved or increased social opportunities/social environments such as more unique/fine dining, cultural programs, and affordable housing.

Q: What opportunities does MHK offer young leaders that encourages them to remain in the area?

A: For Manhattan, it not only offers incredible opportunities to grow your business but also has the feel that your neighbors can end up being your best of friends! The family type appeal just can’t be duplicated in larger communities. Manhattan has made the effort to be forward thinking to offer some of the best opportunities for education, business, entertainment, and social living.

Diane Hinrichs Development Manager, Pawnee Mental Health

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: I can best describe myself as a supportive leader. I am at my best when I can support, encourage and help others, by making their job easier whether it be by finding funding for new equipment or program enhancement and sustainability.

DJ Rezac

Director of Business Development and Principal Scientist, Veterinary & Biomedical Research Center, Inc.

Q: What opportunities does MHK offer young leaders that encourages them to remain in the area?

A: Retention, a.k.a. “Brain Drain,” is a real issue, especially given the fact that so much of our population is here specifically for either learning or teaching. I do not think there’s any great solution or silver bullet to the issue since it’s based on who we inherently are as a population. I actually believe that the most effective and positive thing to do is to actively market the fact that we as a community have such a talent for developing young leaders, which are then exported around the globe. It’s usually more rewarding to be a net exporter rather than an importer.

Katie Stone

Gerit Garman Principal, Orazem & Scalora Engineering

General Manager, Bourbon & Baker

Q: What opportunities does MHK offer young leaders that encourages them to remain in the area?

A: The recent and expected future population increase of the city and region provides the opportunity for young leaders to help shape an exciting growth period in a place where they have roots.

Q: How do you hope the MHK Leadership Class of 2019 will help you better-impact the community?

A: The knowledge and resources I’ve gained are invaluable.

I have already put some of these resources into action with how I lead my own team and use new approaches — for example, being aware of my own strengths and knowing those of my team, I have been able to be more thoughtful in how I delegate tasks. The outcome of what I have delegated has been more in line with what my expectations are, and more importantly, the people I’m assigning them to feel good to be working on something they enjoy!

Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader?

A: The “lead by example” characterization fits me best. I like to set a tone of consistent, hard work with the goal of continuous improvement.

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2019 • Quarter two

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