MICROCREDENTIALS

Boost

Stackable, affordable courses online and on campus in:

ADOBE APPLICATIONS

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

MICROSOFT APPLICATIONS

FIRE SCIENCE & EMT/AEMT

He finished school and officially opened Devlin Rod and Customs in 2005.

“There was definitely a ‘now what?’ moment when I got the keys at the closing,” Devlin said. “I opened the door and let out a big sigh and thought, ‘okay, let’s go.’”

Operational Philosophy

Shortly after opening, he addressed a workforce twice his age.

“I told them I was going to figure it out with their help and we were going to make the best decisions we could at the time because it wasn’t my place, it was our place, and whoever had the best idea would be what we’d go with,” Devlin said.

Nearly 20 years later, his operational philosophy is still working.

Fulfilling Dreams And Aspirations

The restoration business caters primarily to affluent clients in their fifties fulfilling long-held aspirations tied to nostalgic cars.

“Some of our customers want us to build the whole thing for them and others want to complete a portion of the work themselves,” he said.

As cars have evolved, Devlin said customers often want to refurbish a car like the one they drove in high school only with added amenities like a better engine or air conditioning and other modern conveniences.

“We’re still seeing a lot of hot rod guys who want something low, mean and fast, but we’re also getting a lot of requests for off-road vehicles like 1980s and 1990s Blazers and Broncos,” said Devlin. “But now you can get heated seats if you want them.”

Devlin’s dad’s car collection includes a 1974 Jaguar XKE, a 1929 Model A, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible and a 1957 Corvette.

Some clients are at a point in life where they can indulge in acquiring cars once out of reach, like Devlin’s dad, while others want to restore a deceased family member’s vehicle or one similar for sentimental reasons.

“Sometimes when we’re dissecting a car we’ll find all kinds of memorabilia, which is fun for us and the owners,” Devlin said. “We also appreciate the emotions involved in restorations of a loved one’s vehicle especially because the person seeking the work still wants to experience that family member’s presence in some way.”

“LUCILLE”

Devlin Rod and Customs typically works on six to 12 cars a year but for three years they allocated all of their resources to a single car, “Lucille.” Their hard work paid off when the 1934 Chevy Roadster won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award at the Grand National Roadster Show in 2022.

In addition to Devlin, the restoration team that worked on the project with local owner Jeff Breault comprised Austin Sacket, Gage Sacket, Dave Wehrheim and Brandon Wegerle.

“This award is the Super Bowl for hot rods and to have this opportunity with Jeff who was willing to go the distance with us was really special,” Devlin said. “We were all in. Usually when your goal is to win an award, it’s a recipe for disaster but we had a lot of faith in our little shop and a lot of support from our families. Hats off to them for helping us make this happen.”

Lucille also won the Goodguys 2022 Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year award.

Commitment To The Community

Devlin’s commitment extends to the community.

For the past 12 years, Devlin Rod and Customs has sponsored Cars for Charities Rod and Custom Car Show, a benefit that started in 1957 with Darryl Starbird. Devlin, Dick Price, Carl Fry, John Fry and a board of directors promote the familyfriendly, nationally recognized show to raise money for Wichita charities.

Since Cars for Charities Rod and Custom Car Show’s inception, Devlin said the organization has raised more than $1 million for nonprofits like Ability Point, which provides programs and activities for more than 4,000 Kansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“We typically provide a platform for charities that don’t have high name recognition so they can gain more visibility for the good work they’re doing locally,” Devlin said.

Devlin has spent nearly two decades making clients’ dormant hot rod dreams come true with his team and is glad he made the leap to buy his business.

“Our outstanding employees have provided incredible input over the years and are responsible for the success we’ve had,” he said. “We twist metal and make it look good. That’s what our clients want and that’s all we offer so we have to get it right.”

Looking for a Lesson in Branding? FOLLOW THE CHEAP SHEEP

How Wichita native Ryan Baty took his business from start-up to success story.

SAMANTHA MARSHALL AARON PATTON

What is the mark of a successful business? Explosive growth? Disrupting an industry? A catchy jingle that sticks in your head for 15-plus years?

On the surface, the story of The Mattress Hub is a classic tale of rising from humble beginnings to create something that checks all of those boxes. But it’s also the story of an entrepreneur who came to understand what it takes to truly make a business great – even if it means scaling back.

From The Big Leagues To A Big Dream

Well before he helped pen the infamous “Cheap Sheep” jingle, The Mattress Hub Owner Ryan Baty, a fourth generation Wichitian, started his career playing professional baseball. After signing a contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, Baty spent years grinding on the field where he learned the discipline, resilience and competitive nature that would later fuel his business.

“Sports teach lessons that are very applicable to business,” said Baty. “You have to compete if you’re going to be good at what you do.”

Baty’s big-league ambitions came to an end when an injury forced him to retire in 2005. He planned to pursue a career in law until a trip back home to Wichita connected him to a friend of a friend who introduced him to the mattress business. While some may think going from Major League Baseball to mattresses would be a snooze fest, Baty was immediately intrigued. While most Americans have a mattress, Baty learned that many were not happy with what they slept on. He also saw that the industry could use a dose of excitement.

“The advertising was really soft and lacked energy and appeal,” said Baty. “I saw an opportunity to create something with a different vibe that would be appealing to customers.”

Baty’s friend of a friend became his business partner. Months later, the two began opening mattress stores in Oklahoma and Kansas. Ready to commit to a new life direction, Baty put everything he had into growing the business. For six years, he worked every day of the week, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

“I absolutely loved every second of it,” said Baty. “But it was a grind.”

Baty and his partner did not use any bank loans or debt to finance their growth.

“It was always a fight. Every single month,” said Baty. “I would not be able to make that type of sacrifice if I had been married with young kids. But the season I was in at that point allowed me to sacrifice in order to build a company.”

His sacrifice paid off. In five years, The Mattress Hub grew to 27 stores.

The Jingle That Built A Brand

As The Mattress Hub grew, Baty noticed a shift in the industry. Rather than focusing on the mattress brand when shopping for a mattress, customers were starting to think more about the retail brand.

“We were on the cusp of that,” said Baty. “We were very much in tune with the understanding that we had to build a retail brand that addressed what was most important in the eyes of our customers.”

But building a brand in an industry filled with giants proved to be challenging.

“We were the young start up among national brands,” Baty said. “We were desperate for people to recognize our brand.”

Baty and his partner turned to tv advertising. As they brainstormed concepts, they were looking for something that viewers would remember – even if it was a little quirky.

“We were getting lost in the shuffle,” said Baty. “We knew we had to do something to make our brand be more recognizable. We wanted it to be kind of crazy.”

Soon, the Cheap Sheep was born. Not long after it hit the airwaves in 2008, Baty realized the Cheap Sheep was more recognized than The Mattress Hub name.

“We realized the power of that branding,” said Baty. “Whether people loved it or hated it, whether they thought it was silly or smart, they recognized it. That’s how they identified our brand.”

The new-found brand recognition came at the right time. The 2008 economy brought plenty of opportunities to seal deals on new storefronts from landlords who were desperate for quality tenants. A risky move? Maybe. But Baty said those purchases marked a key turning point for the Mattress Hub.

“It took a lot of courage and discipline to make that growth when a lot of companies were downsizing,” said Baty. “It really made all the difference for our company.”

A New Definition Of Success

While the thrill of seeing his start-up compete with the big players was once enough to energize him, Baty’s perspective changed soon after he married and started a family.

Less interested in working around the clock, Baty’s focus on the size of his business shifted to a focus on its health. In 2013, The Mattress Hub had expanded to 27 stores in three states. It was the growth Baty and his partner had envisioned. But that growth came with staffing problems and other infrastructure challenges.

“We had grown to such an extent that I was not enjoying the company anymore,” Baty said.

Baty bought out his partner in 2013 and made the decision to cut The Mattress Hub down to 13 Kansas stores.

“When I was in my 20s, size was most important to me,” Baty said. “But the older you get and the longer you do business, the more you realize that health is more important than size.”

Today, he said the company is healthier, both financially and culturally, than it was at its peak. In fact,

Baty said the company does more volume in 13 stores than they did in 27.

Baty attributes The Mattress Hub’s success, then and now, to its Wichita roots.

“There’s something about this place and this community. It breeds good start-up culture,” said Baty. “If Wichita customers are given a viable local option, they will choose to shop local.”

For other Wichita entrepreneurs who dream of becoming the next great success story, Baty has some advice: Enjoy the grind.

“So many young businesspeople just want to get to that level of prosperity,” said Baty. “But the struggles we had in those early days helped us survive. If you slow down and enjoy the grind, you’ll learn a lot.”