TK Magazine September 2023

76 Crafty Entrepreneurship

In a world driven by technology and mass production, the owners of Inspire & Company Candles, Morning Light Kombucha, The Lumber Woman and Co., and Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese have turned their passion for creating into businesses.

Photos by JOHN BURNS

Do you enjoy playing your cards right at the blackjack table? Or doubling down on massage tables at the Cedar & Sage Spa? Maybe you prefer to go all in – into the pool, that is. Prairie Band has it all. So you can have all the fun.

More ways to play your way

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Photo

JOHN BURNS

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHER & EDITOR Tara Dimick

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & DESIGNER Janet Faust

MANAGING PARTNER Braden Dimick & SALES DIRECTOR braden@tkmagazine.com 785-438-7773

MARKETING & EDITING DIRECTOR Valerie Williams

COVER PHOTOGRAPHER John Burns

WRITERS Morgan Chilson

Miranda Ericsson

Kim Gronniger

Lisa Loewen

Michael McGraw

Kathy Webber

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kaelyn Bender

John Burns

Jennifer Goetz

Kale Hupe

Cameo Rector

CONTRIBUTING EXPERTS Michael Austin

Rick LeJuerrne

Clint Patty

WEBSITE MANAGER Cordell Dimick

2023 TK Business Magazine is published by E2 Communications, Inc., 6021 SW 29th Street, Suite A, PMB 106, Topeka, KS 66614 (785) 438-7773. Reproduction or use of this publication in any manner without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Every effort was made to ensure accuracy of the information in this publication as of press time. The publisher assumes no responsibility of any part for the content of any advertisement in this publication, including any errors and omissions therein. E2 Communications, Inc. makes no endorsement, representation or warranty regarding any goods or services advertised or listed in this publication. Listings and advertisements are provided by the subject company. E2 Communications, Inc. shall not be responsible or liable for any inaccuracy, omission or infringement of any third party’s right therein, or for personal injury or any other damage or injury whatsoever. By placing an order for an advertisement, the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publisher against any claims relating to the advertisement.

HEROES OF COMFORT

By MORGAN CHILSON

Twenty percent of new businesses fail within the first two years after they open. Just 25% make it past 15 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Blue Dot Services of Kansas blew through those anniversary dates, showing its strength and stability as they mark 65 years in business. Blue Dot, which began in 1958 as Bob Satzler Heating & Air, specializes in heating, air conditioning, and plumbing and has a division that remodels bathrooms.

“We’ve done well by constantly staying on our toes, monitoring what our industry’s doing, and trying to be ahead of the times — just staying fresh,” said Brandon Barnette, Blue Dot residential estimator and head of marketing.

Photos by JOHN BURNS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Blue Dot Services of Kansas began in 1958 as Bob Satzler Heating and Air.

“[Blue Dot] has done well by constantly staying on our toes, monitoring what our industry’s doing, and trying to be ahead of the times.”

— Brandon Barnette Residential Estimator/Head of Marketing Blue Dot

HELPING PEOPLE

Barnette found his way to Blue Dot, a career he never considered in high school, and learned a little-known secret about the work.

“It’s the satisfaction of helping people. It’s like we’re superheroes,” he said. “We show up when there’s a problem and we leave when there’s cold air in the summer, or warm air in the wintertime.”

He and the 35-plus employees at Blue Dot find personal satisfaction from solving problems, Barnette added.

SERIOUS BUSINESS

The seriousness of Blue Dot’s work was underscored by 100+ temperatures this last summer.

“We were seven calls deep of breakdowns, and there were houses

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

that were over 85 degrees. In this heat, it’s not just an uncomfortable thing. It’s life or death, for pets, for everybody,” Barnette said. “You feel helpless at times because you only have so many employees. You can’t push them. With our industry, we’re not in an air-conditioned spaces — we walk in when it’s not working, we’re fixing it, and we’re leaving at just the time it’s starting to get cool.”

PROTECTING HEALTH

Blue Dot is always looking for people who like to figure things out. People like Nick McCart, plumbing supervisor, who started at Blue Dot in 1999. His father, Terry McCart, owned the business at one point.

McCart began as a plumbing helper, quickly discovering that he’d

found his niche on the plumbing side of the business.

“I’ve always been a hands-on person — gardening, canning tomatoes and juice, keeping bees. I’ve always wanted to do something where I see my results,” McCart said. “I have a passion for plumbing. Plumbers protect the health of the nation.”

PROBLEM SOLVERS WANTED

Like many industries today, Blue Dot faces workforce challenges. The National Comfort Institute reports that as many as 80,000 HVAC technician jobs sit unfilled in the United States. To be competitive in drawing employees, Blue Dot offers excellent benefits including 100% paid health insurance for the employee, Barnette said. They train constantly, using an

upstairs classroom to make sure technicians are up to date on new equipment. They continually update their operations. For instance, Blue Dot transitioned from pen and paper to iPads in the last couple of years, which allows them to document everything they do in a customer’s home and keep necessary information at the tech’s fingertips. Updating technology, constant training, and paying attention to company culture are all keys to staying on top in their market, Barnette said.

“The management circle meets every single day to discuss any issues that we may have, how can we improve ourselves from yesterday,” he said. “We have self-reflection every morning. We never miss that.” TK

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Slow Steady

By MORGAN CHILSON

Photos

by JOHN

BURNS

Slow, steady and collaborative is winning the race for two Topeka businesses in the process of transitioning ownership.

Instead of opening the doors one day and announcing a sale, the owners of Blackbird Espresso Bar & Bistro and Kendall Construction began turning over the leadership of their businesses in a well-thought-out, planned transition.

Kendall Construction was founded in 1994 by Rick and Sheri Kendall. Today, David Cooper is president and owner. But that didn’t happen overnight.

“The transition began in 2014 with one-third ownership, and in January 2021, I purchased the majority of the remaining stock,” Cooper said. “Sheri is still a minority owner in the company and maintains the administrative side of things for the company. She is a great asset and I am extremely grateful that she was willing to stick around for a while after the transition to help keep things rolling.”

Along with Sheri’s expertise, Rick Kendall is available if Cooper needs advice or just a sounding board.

That’s much the way things have gone at Blackbird, although the timeline is shorter than seven years. Jayson and Lauren North, after

spending 14 years as owners in the business, decided it was time to step back. They approached Danny and Valerie Williams, good friends who had the skills needed to take over the coffee shop.

“We felt like we’d taken it as far as we personally could, but there are still ways to expand and grow,” said Lauren, who began working at Blackbird over 20 years ago when it flew under another name. “With new leadership at the helm, we can still be involved while letting the shop continue to evolve.”

Danny joined the Blackbird team a year ago, working side-byside with Jayson to absorb as much knowledge as possible, Danny said. Jayson still comes into the store daily, and he helps with a lot of back-end, administrative work.

The Norths are still partners in the business, but Danny and Valerie are the managing partners, taking on the challenge of maintaining Blackbird’s down-home friendliness and the personality that’s made it successful, while also growing revenue.

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

David Cooper, president and owner of Kendall Construction.

The new managing partners only see growth opportunities for Blackbird Espresso Bar & Bistro by refining and enhancing what already works well.

Photo by JOHN BURNS

After 14 years as owners, Valerie and Danny Williams (left) approached Jayson and Lauren North (right) about taking over Blackbird Espresso Bar & Bistro as managing partners.

SELLING MORE THAN COFFEE

BLACKBIRD ESPRESSO BAR & BISTRO

“Everywhere has coffee. If you’re a real coffee connoisseur, you can tell the difference between our coffee and their coffee, but it’s really the experience and customer service that sets us apart,” Danny said. “I think that’s our biggest challenge as we explore future opportunities for growth or change, making sure that we stay the course and never lose sight of what our core values are and what we stand for.”

The Norths took over Blackbird, where Lauren had been working for years before becoming an owner (Fun fact — it’s the only job she ever held!), about 14 years ago and built a brand that is the foundation, Danny said.

“What I’ve always appreciated about this place and especially being here now, is that year to year, there’s always been a real consistency every day with

the product we put out and the service we give,” he said. “We really focus on the quality aspect of everything we do. If there’s a chance to skip a corner or bring in a lower priced product, that’s never going to happen here. I think it’s putting out that consistent and quality product, whether it be the food, the beverage, the experience — those are all things we really take pride in and focus on. That’s what continues to drive everything.”

BRINGING NEW SKILLS

Danny and Valerie bring their own skills to the business, each having spent time in restaurants, Danny as an owner. That’s something Lauren was excited to see.

“We were looking for business partners who just really love the place as much as we do and who have a clear vision of what it can be while also appreciating what it’s always been,” she said. “Personality and warmth are key, both in leadership for the employees

and in interactions with our customers, and we know that’s what Valerie and Danny both excel at.”

Danny came to Blackbird after working as the tennis director for Genesis Health Clubs locally. He settled in quickly and has not a single regret about making the leap into coffee shop ownership.

Valerie, who works fulltime outside of Blackbird, manages the marketing for the business, which is her area of expertise. Jayson hadn’t been interested in social media, even though she teased him relentlessly about needing to be more active for Blackbird online.

“He’d tell me all the time, ‘I don’t believe in marketing.’ I’d tell him, ‘You can’t tell the marketing girl you don’t believe in marketing.’” Valerie said, laughing. “It just wasn’t his approach. This is very much a Cheers environment. A good majority of the people who come in here have been coming in here for years. This is their second home, they have their

spot that they always sit in.”

Valerie now has more ammunition for her teasing. She is active for Blackbird on social media and has been marketing their catering business too. Many people aren’t aware that the coffee shop even caters, she said.

It’s paying off.

“We’ve had a lot of growth,” Danny said. “It’s been fun meeting new people who stop by while they’re in town or who

saw us on social media and didn’t know anything about us before. It’s an added bonus when they have a great experience and become a new regular. It makes us feel like we’re doing something right.”

REFINING ITS ROOTS

The two have plans, and Danny said they want to continue to challenge themselves and engage their employees. Raising the bar, though, will never take away from what

Blackbird stands for — the quality and consistency they always return to.

But the coffee shop could use some updating and they plan to lay hands on every surface. Even so, they keep in mind that changing too much might not please their regular customers, so they’re being careful to keep the same feel.

They’ve added a specialty cocktail menu and have dived into new catering menus and

building partnerships locally. Valerie said working with the Topeka Zoo on an Asian-inspired menu was a fun new venture, as is serving larger groups out of their relatively small kitchen.

Most of all, they’re having fun and staying true to the roots of Blackbird and the North’s vision. Even their 9-yearold twin boys appreciate the joy of owning and working in Blackbird. Check out the coffee sleeves the next time you’re in the restaurant — son Pierce designed a bird to make them extra special.

Their success wouldn’t have been possible without the support and collaboration of the Norths. They’ve seen their friendship — really a family relationship — deepen and appreciate the opportunity to work together. Their slow training process, working together, was an excellent way to take over the business, Danny said.

“I think I had thoughts of not wanting to ever let Jayson down,” Danny said. “So, I’ve always done a lot of ‘should we do this, can we do this?’ He’s always been like, ‘Leave me out of it. Do whatever you want to do. You’re not going to screw this thing up.’”

So far, so good.

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Quality and consistency is always forefront for the new owners of Blackbird Espresso Bar & Bistro.

Photo by JOHN BURNS

David Cooper, president and owner of Kendall Construction, started as a project manager in 2002 and transitioned to full ownership in 2021.

BUILDING ON A SOLID FOUNDATION

KENDALL CONSTRUCTION

Cooper has worked at Kendall Construction for 21 years, so he has a good feel for the business. The slow transition to ownership that began in 2014 allowed him time to learn all aspects.

No doubt that’s the reason for the continued stability and success of the company, which is a general contracting business and self-performs a large portion of the specialty carpentry work for its projects, Cooper said.

“Starting with a handful of employees to now averaging 30+ employees, we continue to expand and grow with the needs and changes of the industry,” he said. “I started working at Kendall in 2002 and transitioned from a project manager to an owner, and the core values of the company have never changed. We highly value our customers, our

subcontractors and our employees, and if it wasn’t for all of them, we would not be where we are today.”

EMBRACING CHANGE

Cooper was drawn to the business instantly.

“I love the constant changes in the types of projects that we see,” he said. “Each is unique and challenging in its own way, and that makes each day a new adventure. I have always been a hands-on person and enjoy the satisfaction at the end of every day seeing what you can accomplish with your own hands.”

The approach that Cooper and the Kendalls took to changing ownership at the construction business meant that there were few obstacles in the way.

“We’ve all been a great team for such a long time and came together to make things as seamless as possible,” Cooper said. “If I didn’t have such a great

group of people working here, then I am sure that things might have been different. This has been something that I have been working towards for a long time, so having the satisfaction of making that dream come true has been the best part.”

EXPANDING INTO NEW MARKETS

The company has been growing and in the past year, it expanded into the Manhattan and Junction City areas. A project manager, Mike Shivers, is in that area overseeing the market. Having long-term employees like Shivers is one of the strengths of Kendall Construction, Cooper said.

“Mike has been with us for eight years and is working very hard to get established with new customers and maintain relationships with existing customers,” he said. “We currently have a highly skilled group of people in our workforce.”

Kendall Construction originally started with a handful of workers and now averages more than 30+ employees as the industry booms.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

Like most business owners, Cooper is conscious of the workforce challenges, and Kendall Construction maintains strong benefits to retain current employees and draw new ones. Although nationally, it’s expected that significant numbers of retirees will hit the construction industry hard in the next few years (that retiring Baby Boomer generation), he said many of his employees are in the 30-to-40-year age range.

“We personally haven’t seen the loss due to retirement yet, but we do

have a handful of highly talented guys that will be retiring in the next few years,” he said. “It is difficult to regain the amount of knowledge lost when someone retires. I do see a challenging future in this industry because of the manpower shortage. We have slowly been losing the skilled craftsmen that have been in the trades for many years, and we’re not seeing the young folks making a move to enter the construction field.”

Overall, though, the construction industry is doing well. It’s highly dependent on the strength

of the economy and Kendall has been seeing the benefits of that strength over the last several years, Cooper said.

Core values of quality and excellence in work keep Kendall Construction moving forward, and he spends most of his time making sure to surround himself with good people who have the same values. The transition emphasized even more highly how important this is.

“One thing that I learned during the process is that having great people around you sure makes the process a whole lot easier,” Cooper said. TK

Photo by JOHN BURNS

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

Market Approach

Perhaps you have heard the phrase, “begin with the end in mind.” I first heard these words at a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Conference in 2003. I was new to my job as a consultant at Washburn University, excited about the prospect of helping local entrepreneurs. At the time, the phrase resonated as a call for thorough business planning.

Now some twenty years later, I have clients that I helped start in my early SBDC days now selling their business, and my perspective has evolved. Beginning with the end in mind requires not just sound business planning but also consideration that the ideal outcome for any entrepreneur is selling (or transferring) the business to someone else.

Easier said than done, most startup entrepreneurs are focused on the now — securing funding, which requires competent financial projections and a business plan. For some, the buildout is paramount, must finish on

time and under budget, with equipment in place and licenses secured. Finding and hiring employees is never easy. Between taxes, legal and accounting, not to mention the hundreds of other startup questions, navigating the startup is challenging.

No surprise then that few “begin with the end in mind.” But some do. The smartest small business entrepreneurs I have met over the years are planning to sell their business on day one and are effective in building a business to sell it, often on repeat. Best tip today — seek coffee with these savants.

For the rest of us, how does one do this? Where should one reflect at startup? What considerations are in the middle? And where is the opportunity at exit?

A fundamental truth, all small businesses will either end or transfer in some form. If so, where are the sellers and where are the buyers? I have an idea to share with you — know your multiple.

1KNOW YOUR MULTIPLE

Entrepreneurs should have some understanding at startup of how their business will be valued at exit. It’s the valuation that drives the purchase price, the reward for the years of hard work building a business.

Some perspective is important, for valuing a business is not an exact science. Two businesses in the same industry with the same cash flow could be worth significantly different amounts due to trends, opportunities, geography, etc. No two businesses are identical.

With that said, however, it is possible to arrive at a general sense of a possible range of value for a business using one of the generally accepted valuation methods. The best way to do this for the entrepreneur is the market approach, which is similar to how one values and buys real estate.

The market approach is based on the tenet that the value of a company is whatever can be obtained upon sale. Therefore, it is extremely helpful to know the past transaction sales price of similar businesses and price accordingly.

There are several reputable companies that provide comparable data on past small business transactions, but perhaps none better than DealStats (formerly Pratt’s Stats), which contains the largest database of complete, auditable private company transactions in the world. DealStats includes over 43,000 transactions, organized by industry and type of business.

The listings do not contain any identifying information, but you can see a myriad of information including a full financial footprint and transactional data for the business. Helpful information includes a brief business description, the age of the business, the number of employees, and the state in which it is located. Financial information includes, but is not limited to, total sales, gross profit, total operating expenses, and net income. Rent expense and owner’s compensation is broken out. Additionally, the asset values

RICK LEJUERRNE President & Owner of Flow Capital, LLC

Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at Washburn University School of Business

are provided: inventory, fixed assets, and intangible assets.

Transactional information is highlighted. Data includes the sale date, the asking price for the business, and what the business actually sold for. Further, you can see the deal terms, including whether any seller financing was offered and whether the purchase included an assigned lease (or not).

By knowing the financial footprint and the final sales price, one can calculate valuation multiples that can be extrapolated for market comparison purposes. For example, based on data provided by DealStats, pizza shops typically sell for between 22% (25th percentile) to 42% (75th percentile) of annual sales, with the average being 33%.

This is helpful information. The pizzeria owner would know that to exit with a cool $1 million (not a bad goal), on average they would need to grow the business to somewhere around $3 million in annual sales. We know this because the market tells us that pizza shops typically sell for 33% of sales. Beginning with the end in mind, this means that the entrepreneur would need to scale the business with multiple locations.

Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE)

Another term one should become familiar with is seller’s discretionary earnings (SDE), which is a cash-flow based measure used to value a small business. It includes the operational earnings of the business (before depreciation, interest, and taxes) plus the owner’s compensation, plus all other owner benefits (health care, cell phone, automobile to name a few). The number represents the total financial benefit to the owner of a small business.

Knowing your SDE is important as it is most commonly used to determine a small business’s value. The good news is that SDE multiples are available from DealStats as well. Based on 118 transactions reflected in the database, the average SDE multiple for pizza shops is 3.3x. In our example, this means that to exit with a cool $1 million, the pizza entrepreneur would need to be able to support approximately $300k in seller’s discretionary benefits upon sale.

Knowing your multiple from the beginning can provide some clarification in an otherwise murky and uncertain endeavor. It provides an idea of what the business your building is worth. It can, upon reflection, provide goals for growth and an on-going incentive to monitor financial performance.

About the same time I first heard “begin with the end in mind,” it was recommended to me to read the E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. An older book, first published in 1986, the author makes the case in the first half of the book for why most small businesses fail (most businesses are started by technicians) and provides the anecdote in the second half.

I recall being thunder struck by his advice to build a business that works without you. What?

That is certainly not what I had done in business with my dad. We had built (and struggled with) a business that relied too much on us. Personally, I was involved in everything. I thought it was what small business owners did. It never dawned on me that the secret of success was exactly the opposite.

E-Myth Revisited urges entrepreneurs to focus on working on the business (not just in it) by developing processes, systems, and people. It made sense then, and it makes sense now. Building a business that works without the owner not only provides some sanity, but also produces far more value at exit.

Vice versa, a business in which the owner is the business is hard to exit. That business owner finds a trap of their own making. Recently, a friend confessed to me that his business failing was a blessing in disguise because he was never going to be able to keep up, much less retire.

The significance of this should not be understated, yet it is counterintuitive to the startup entrepreneur. Build a business with systems, processes, and people. Build a business that works without you, not because of you.

2AN OPPORTUNITY

Perhaps you have heard, we are undergoing the single greatest wealth transfer in the history of our nation. According to a New York Times article (May 2023), $84 trillion is projected to be passed down from older Americans to Millennials and Generation X through 2045. More notably, $16 trillion will be transferred in the next decade.

Not all this wealth is in small business ownership, but some of it is. Because of this, I tell my entrepreneurship students that their big opportunity is not to start a business but to buy a business. I teach students how to find a business and perform due diligence, with the thought that they should pursue an acquisition at some point in their career.

In my opinion, Washburn entrepreneurship students (approximately 250 since 2013) present a unique opportunity for local business owners who do not already have a transition plan in place. Unless junior is already in line or the buyer of your business is already on staff, why not consider a Washburn graduate?

My experience tells me that the best business opportunities are not listed. If your are considering selling your business, reach out to me at rick. lejuerrne@washburn.edu. Who knows? Maybe a connection is made in which a student interns or a graduate gets hired on, learns the ropes, and is ready to buy your business when that day comes.

For the business and Washburn graduate, it’s a winwin, as both begin with the end in mind. TK

The Washburn SBDC provides free and confidential services to local entrepreneurs, including the DealStats information referenced in this article. The Washburn SBDC can be reached at (785) 215-8375. For more information visit www.washburnsmallbusiness.com.

BUILDING THE MCVICAR HOUSE

By KIM GRONNIGER

Photos by JENNIFER GOETZ

With private support, Washburn University is building the McVicar House at 1709 S.W. MacVicar Ave. directly across the street from the campus. Located on a full-acre lot with mature trees, the two-story estate will provide President JuliAnn Mazachek and future presidents a residence within walking distance of the campus. The home will enable them to entertain

students, staff, donors and alumni in a comfortable, convenient setting with close parking lots.

Local matters when it comes to building the new home for Washburn leaders. Thiessen Design + Construction and local contractors are melding classic design and modern amenities to accommodate public hospitality spaces and private living quarters in the new estate.

ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING

THIESSEN DESIGN + CONSTRUCTION

TAMMY THIESSEN & DANIEL CARLSON

Tammy Thiessen, designer, and Daniel Carlson, general contractor and Thiessen’s brother and business partner, will oversee every aspect of the project, from construction and contractors to furnishings and fixtures. The home’s traditional colonial style with a circle drive and limestone exterior will complement other campus buildings while retaining its stature as a welcoming residence.

Thiessen and Carlson began their business as remodelers before expanding into custom home construction and acquiring Home at Last, a furniture and home goods store in Fairlawn Plaza Mall.

“We want to convey a timeless feel so that the home will look as though it could have been here for 100 years and will still be here for another 100 years,” Thiessen said. “We spent a lot of time on design. We didn’t want to replicate a historic home in Westboro, but we wanted to nod to some of those neighborhood elements.”

Thiessen said a few of those features include white woodwork and millwork with historical details.

“Inside we’re creating classically styled spaces that can be used for gatherings of different sizes with all the modern elements the president will need for constant hosting,” she said.

The home’s first floor will include a spacious great room with lots of windows, a full kitchen with prep and catering stations and large ADA-compliant restrooms. The

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

area will open to an expansive covered patio and an outdoor entertainment area. A woodpaneled study will provide a warm, intimate setting for small groups, and a bedroom suite on the main floor will accommodate special guests staying with the president.

“We’re being very conscientious about anticipating a lot of different family configurations for the future since every president will use the home differently,” Thiessen said. “Washburn University will have the first floor for entertaining, while the second floor will have private space for the family to retreat to. We’re adding access

points and side exits so that family members will be able to enter and leave the home without disrupting events.”

The private residential space will include a living room, kitchenette and four bedrooms, all with connected bathrooms.

Thiessen estimates the project will be completed in August 2024 in time for a new school year.

“I love helping people achieve their vision for their home and having this opportunity to create a landmark residence in our region from start to finish is such a special opportunity for us,” Thiessen said.

“The McVicar House is a tremendous investment in the university and the community and we’re grateful to participate.”

With Thiessen Design + Construction’s participation comes a commitment to local business as they utilize the craftsmanship and skills of many local subcontractors.

“Topeka has such a talented pool of craftsmen and trades people. One of the areas we feel extremely excited about in managing the design and building of this landmark home is how we get to showcase the spectacular crafts from our local subcontractors.”

Thiessen Design + Construction team: Sarah Grafke, Daryane Hedquist, Brett & Tammy Thiessen, Daniel Carlson, Kelly Ballard and Amber Allphin.

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

HEARTLAND GRANITE AND QUARTZ

JOHN ROLFE, ANDRE ZANDEVAKILI AND RORY TONNIGES

Heartland Granite and Quartz will be providing all the countertops for the McVicar House. The company has more than 2,000 slabs of granite, quartz and marble in more than 100 colors to provide the finishing touch for kitchens and bathrooms.

PARTNERING FOR QUALITY

Following a lengthy career with Food 4 Less, John Rolfe was trying to decide what to do next when he had a granite countertop installed in his home.

“I thought I could do that work and do it better,” he said. He launched Granite Guys soon after.

In 2013, Rolfe joined forces with Andre Zandevakili, owner

of Simply Granite. Together they formed Heartland Granite and Quartz.

About six years ago, Rory Tonniges, who had worked in construction and in EMS as an EMT-Intermediate, came to Rolfe’s company as a customer. By the end of the week, he was working for Rolfe and Zandevakili as their stone/sales specialist, today he is the project manager and partner.

The company now employs 21 people with Rolfe, Zandevakili and Tonniges serving as partners. Their clientele extends throughout Northeast Kansas and into Nebraska.

“Many of our customers only come to us once because the quality

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

is such that they don’t need to replace what they have,” Rolfe said. “We also have clients who move frequently and come back to us for their remodeling or new construction needs.”

GUIDING CUSTOMERS THROUGH THE PROCESS

During the selection process, a staff member will accompany customers through the company’s spacious warehouse and ask questions about their projects.

“We like to know as much as we can about their paint and wallpaper colors and their plans for the space so we can make recommendations,” Tonniges said. “Customers enjoy the experience and we’re able to point out remnants that might work for smaller spaces too.”

Popular colors include gray and white, but Tonniges said brown, gold and beige varieties are coming back.

“Brass is big in lamps and accessories so now we’re seeing brass, steel and platinum embedded into

slabs to complement the trend,” Tonniges said.

“Every stone we have is better for a certain use and responds differently to conditions,” Rolfe said. “If you’re a serious cook, you stay away from marble because it’s more apt to get injured. You go with granite or quartz instead. I hate surprises so we strive to avoid those for customers by teaching them as much as we can before they buy.”

HELPING EMPLOYEES GROW

Rolfe said the most gratifying part of running the business is watching employees grow in their careers and ensuring customers are pleased with their purchase.

“When you make customers happy and employees happy, there’s a good chance you’ll be successful,” he said. “Our employees may move on and do other things, but we’ve given them a foundation that will make them better at their next job. The industry is always changing, and we’re determined to keep up.”

Heartland Granite and Quartz will be the provider of all the countertops for the McVicar House.

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

GARDNER ROOFING INC.

TERRY HAAG, BRYCE MERRIAM AND LEE GARDNER

Gardner Roofing will be completing the roof for the McVicar House. Gardner has completed many residential and commercial roofing projects through the years, including Washburn University buildings, The Dillon House and Cedarhurst.

“It’s gratifying to be entrusted to do the work on the McVicar House,” he said.

ELEVATING EXPERTISE

Lee Gardner, owner of Gardner Roofing Inc., is a second-generation roofer. He got his start lugging shingles at

age 10, eventually taking over his father’s business in 1990 and becoming incorporated in 1998.

“I love being outside and turning something that looks bad into something that looks great,” he said. “I have the knowledge and capability to work with customers to put on a roof that will last and that they’ll be super happy with.”

CREATING A HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

To help customers interested in repairing or replacing roofs better understand what they’re

purchasing, Gardner built a small home section in his showroom to give them a hands-on opportunity to see the intricate process involved.

“Customers love being able to see roofing materials at eye level and peel back the layers,” he said. “They can see the attic and the gutter apron and touch things and place sample boards on top to see how their selections might look.”

KEEPING UP ON PRODUCTS & TRENDS

Gardner meets frequently with manufacturers to keep abreast of new developments, welcoming representatives onsite or visiting their facilities.

“When I was starting out in the business, most people wanted white composition shingles or wood shakes,” he said. “Now it’s weathered wood and rustic black.”

Gardner said some customers are interested in adding more expensive metal elements to their roofs, especially for new construction.

“Depending on the house, instead of doing a whole roof in metal we can add a splash to a dormer or a porch,” he said.

Gardner’s company employs 10 people, including his daughter, LeighAnn Cooksley, and his wife, Christina.

“The three of us are related, but we’re all family here,” he said.

Gardner Roofing who has a long history of roofing residential and commercial buildings in Topeka including the Dillon House, will be completing the roof for the McVicar House.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

MODERN MASONRY LLC

CHRIS CAZIER

After graduating from Shawnee Heights High School, Chris Cazier worked for a friend’s father’s masonry company.

“I thought it would be a great job to have until I figured out what I wanted to do,” Cazier said. “Then I fell in love with the artistic aspects of the craft and the work clicked with my personality.”

CRAFTING TIMELESSNESS

Cazier, owner of Modern Masonry LLC, has the contract to complete all the stonework for the residence, including the limestone exterior on three sides and limestone fireplaces inside.

“I’m a history buff, and I love historic restorations and driving around and seeing old stone barns and houses still standing,” Cazier said. “We’re excited to have this opportunity to create something timeless that will last on the Washburn campus.”

Cazier said the limestone, much of which originated in the Flint Hills, will be sourced from Native Stone Company, another locally owned business.

“Kansas limestone can be thousands of years old, and it won’t fade because it’s been acclimated to the weather,” Cazier said. “No two stones are alike and if you

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

look closely, you can find different fossils embedded in them. Native stone lends a sense of quality and craftsmanship to the work over cookiecutter manufactured siding that needs to be painted all the time. It’s a more expensive option upfront but it’s one and done.”

EVOLVING AESTHETICS

Design work is still underway for the McVicar House, but Cazier shared trends he and his team are seeing for other area homes.

“A lot of people are living in houses that are 40 or 50 years old and are wanting to upgrade the exterior with a thin veneer of stone for a fresh look,”

he said. “I always encourage people to put extra money in updating their residential fireplaces too.”

Cazier said stone mailboxes are also a popular option. He and his team build the mailboxes at the shop and then install them onsite.

“When we started doing mailboxes 12 years ago, we were building them on the side of the road and I spent a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out a better option,” he said. “Now we’re able to supply the mailboxes more cost effectively and keep the team safe.”

Cazier said the shift in enhancing outdoor hospitality spaces prompted by the pandemic has led to heightened demand for kitchens, pools and

waterfalls. Customers are also clamoring for fireplaces and fire pits, both gas and woodburning.

“Hands-down, building these spaces is our specialty because we can get really creative,” he said. “We don’t have any fancy programs that can show customers what the final product will look like. I visit the space and build it in my head and then sketch it out for them. They trust us to run with it and deliver something they’ll love. It’s what I enjoy most about this job.”

A recent project included an outdoor kitchen with a grill and griddle side burners, a smoker, a Green Egg grill, a refrigerator and a Kegerator.

“It had everything in it,” Cazier said. “It was fantastic.”

LEVERAGING A CREATIVE MINDSET

For others considering masonry as a rewarding career path, Cazier said a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, a creative mindset and patience are essential.

“Every stone is different,” Cazier said. “Some days you can’t find a stone to fit and other days every stone you grab is perfect. Those are the days you buy lottery tickets.” TK

Modern Masonry LLC will be sourcing limestone locally to complete all of the stonework at the McVicar House.

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

Clarity · Insight · Support

CREATE UPLIFT

By KATHY WEBBER

Photos by JENNIFER GOETZ

Topeka native, Tobias Harvey, has a passion for music production. He has traveled all over competing in music competitions and working at music studios in cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Memphis and Miami. Harvey’s musical experiences eventually led him and some of his closest friends to start a creative agency called Create Uplift in 2016.

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

Harvey, a Topeka West graduate, headed to New York with some friends to compete in a music competition for audio producers in 2008. That’s when they came up with the idea to start an online magazine called CULT, which stands for Create, Uplift, Learn and Teach.

“We were in the creative scene, and we knew lots of other creative type people. We wanted a space or one platform for all of us to exist, kinda like an online magazine,” Harvey said.

CULT was active for a while but because of several circumstances, including losing a close friend and business partner in a car accident, CULT eventually lost traction and closed operations. Soon after, Harvey moved to Miami where he worked at Interscope Record’s Studio 26 fine tuning his music skills.

Harvey moved back home and hooked up with high school friend Marcelino Gonzalez III, whom he had previously worked with on CULT. The two took a deeper look at CULT and, with some creative changes and a fresh outlook, the two formed a new business called Create Uplift.

“My music production experience set the groundwork for what our company is today. As a musician, you have to have things like a website, logo and social media platforms. I built all those things for myself and other artists, and that was where I developed the tools and knowledge to do that for other businesses,” Harvey said.

Create Uplift focuses on helping clients accomplish their marketing goals through websites, graphic design and promotional video work.

“We intend to be a one stop shop for helping our clients. An organization will approach us and say, ‘hey, here’s what I want to do but I have no idea how to do that,’ and then it is our job to take that idea and run with it to help accomplish the results they want,” Harvey said.

BUILDING FROM GROUND UP

When Harvey and Gonzalez decided to start Create Uplift, they had no special education in the field, and neither of them had worked for an advertising agency before. The two creative young men built this business from the ground up with only public education and experiences to launch them into success.

Create Uplift focuses on helping clients accomplish their marketing goals through websites, graphic design and promotional video work.

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

— Tobias

Owner Creative Uplift

“We built the business from nothing — no education, no past experience, no connections, really from out of the dirt. I’m thankful that a city like Topeka has made that possible by being accessible. I think a lot of people get on social media and become infatuated with immediate stardom or immediate success and fame, and it just doesn’t work like that at all,” Harvey said. “It’s just getting up early and working as hard as you can and going to bed and getting up and doing it the next day. We have always had tunnel vision like that, and that is how we have built the business piece by piece.”

GROWING DEEP ROOTS

It wasn’t just hard work that has made them successful today, it was also good business practices.

“Our goal for our clients is to put them in a stronger and more confident position through their work with us. We aim to give them better tools to run their business, more clarity and insight on things that involve marketing by providing support for operating things they are not familiar with,” Harvey said.

According to Harvey, this is best done through long term relationships. Harvey said branding and identity building is best done when he can take the time to really know his clients and fully understand what their personal goals and direction are for their individual business.

“I like to partner with organizations long term, get to know them, get to work deep within their business and build those relationships

with our clients so we really get to know the people we work with,” Harvey said.

STAYING FOCUSED & IMPACTFUL

Create Uplift’s team is comprised of five employees. Harvey says he has no plans to expand his small business because he wants to be a focused and impactful agency, not the largest.

“We are smaller, so when you are working with us, you are working with us,” Harvey said. “We are dedicated, committed and work hard for our clients and genuinely just want to help them. That’s what makes us different. We don’t want to just check off a box or cross off a deliverable. We want to make sure we are helping you in every way that we can.” TK

“My music production experience set the groundwork for what our company is today.”

Harvey

Photo by JENNIFER GOETZ

UNLEASH TOPEKA’S ENTREPRENEURIAL POWER!

Join us this November for Topeka’s Entrepreneurship Week – a dynamic celebration of local brilliance and boundless entrepreneurship.

IGNITE DREAMS, FUEL SUCCESS!

Explore a vibrant week filled with inspiring events, workshops, and connections. Meet the Dream Chasers, Opportunity Makers, and Success Creators who drive our city’s prosperity.

Scan the QR code to discover the full schedule and be part of the entrepreneurial force shaping Topeka’s future.

EMPOWER TOPEKA. EMBRACE INNOVATION. ENGAGE IN THE JOURNEY TODAY!

Boost Your Business Growth: Topeka’s Premier Incentive Program!

Don’t miss out this fall! Apply for the Topeka & Shawnee County Small Business Incentive Program now. Secure funding before making crucial moves like construction, equipment upgrades, training, or marketing. Elevate your business’s sustainability and explore new horizons with our proactive support.

Discover if you qualify and seize the opportunity today.

Fuel Your Future Success

INVEST SMART. THRIVE FEARLESS. SUCCEED BIG.

LOCAL BUSINESS LeaderTopeka

SPOTLIGHT PARTNERS

ONE STOP SHOP FOR PAIN RELIEF

The Center for Manual Medicine and Regenerative Orthopedics, is your one stop shop for PAIN relief and so much more!

The multi-disciplinary model allows you to see the right professional for your specific situation. The Center has been known for a handson approach to Musculo-skeletal pain with Chiropractic adjustments and Physical Therapy by Dan Tangpricha DC and Evan Burdiek, PT.

Doug Frye MD adds ultrasound diagnostics and injection therapy as well as Regenerative procedures like PRP and Stem Cells. He is the only Topeka physician doing Ultra-minimally invasive Carpal Tunnel and Trigger finger surgeries.

The Center is excited to add Weight Loss and preventative care by Inga Martinson APRN, and Occupational therapy Tamra Price OT.

Call today to get scheduled.

www.ctrmm.com 785-271-8100

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS LEADERS

DEB NORTH | FOUNDER & OWNER OF YES! ATHLETICS

WHERE WESTERN IS A WAY OF LIFE

R Bar B is celebrating 25 years of being a family owned and Kansas grown business proudly providing quality products and personalized customer service.

R Bar B has evolved over the years from a saddle shop to a location that includes a full line western store offering boots, belts, hats, jeans and more. Basically anything you need to outfit yourself or your equine partner can be found at R Bar B. Knowledgeable staff and a laid back rural atmosphere make it a must for all shoppers!

R Bar B is a little off the beaten path at 3256 NE 39th (northeast of Topeka off of Highway 4) but well worth the drive. Check it out in person or visit their website at www.rbarb.com where you will find a full selection of their inventory online.

www.rbarb.com

785-286-3006

WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED, HONESTLY

With over 40 years in business, Mesler Roofing, Siding and Windows has the experience and qualifications needed for any exterior project. They specialize in roofing, siding, window replacement, door replacement, gutters, and exterior painting.

Schedule a free appointment to learn more about recommended services that also includes a free evaluation of your home’s exterior. They will discuss any immediate needs and what you might want to update and how you envision your home looking at the end of the project.

Mesler Roofing is a low-pressure selling company. Their goal is to educate you about what’s available on the market so you can make informed decisions. They offer a wide range of products to fit any budget with great financing options available. They also specialize in storm damage claims and will work with you and your insurance company.

Come by and visit our showroom at 1628 US 40 Hwy Lawrence, KS 66044. We’ve got your covered, honestly.

www.meslerexteriors.com

785-371-0000

Follow the twist on how Alltech’s business culture has given a whole new meaning to:

FAMILY BUSINESS

By LISA LOEWEN

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Alltech was started by DL Smith under the name of DL Smith Communications in Topeka as a complementary business to DL Smith Electric. The communications business offered business telephone systems, installation and wiring. As both companies saw continued growth, DL recognized that he needed to bring in someone to help run the communications business. With his son, Shawn Smith, poised to take over the electric business, he looked elsewhere within the family for someone who wanted to step into that leadership role.

— Mike Rothfuss Owner Alltech

DL Smith’s son-in-law, Mike Rothfuss, who was living in Kansas City and working as a regional manager for Eastman Kodak at the time, was tired of all the travel and found DL’s proposal intriguing. Having also grown up in a family construction business, Mike understood what he was signing up for.

“I knew if I accepted this position, not only was it going to take an incredible amount of work to take the business to the next level, but as the son-in-law taking over part of a family business, I had something to prove,” Mike said.

Mike rented office space in Kansas City and hit the streets to drum up business.

“I printed off color copies on my printer and knocked on the door of hundreds of businesses,” Mike said. “I was so persistent that I think some of them even called the police to report me.”

That desire to prove himself paid off. KC Joes (formerly Oklahoma Joes) was one of his first customers. From there, business began to steadily pick up as word of mouth about their quality products and excellent customer service began to spread.

TRANSITIONING TO ALLTECH

Mike moved to Topeka in 2005 when he officially bought DL out of his share of the business. A few years later, Mike became the sole owner and officially changed the company name to Alltech Communications.

As technology has evolved over the years, Alltech has also adapted its products and services to meet the changing market demands. Where the primary focus started as business telephone

services and wiring, it has shifted to cloud based voice over IP systems and specialized low voltage cabling for audio visual systems and security solutions.

“The bread and butter of our business is voice-data communications cabling,” Mike said. “Everything in communications and security revolves around cabling. Even wireless technology requires cables going from an IT closet to another IT closet.”

Whether it is a small doctor’s office with only one or two cables or a large hospital like Stormont Vail with hundreds of lines, security systems, paging systems and more, Alltech staff has the expertise and industry knowledge to make recommendations, install lines and equipment and then follow up with responsive customer service.

Three of Alltech’s technicians have their BICSI RCDD (registered communications distribution designer) certifications, including Mike, which allows the company to handle large communications projects and government contracts that require that level of certification.

“This puts us in a whole new category of service because we can work with companies that need up to 2,400 cables,” Mike said.

That includes companies such as Security Benefit, Advisors Excel and Stormont Vail, who have remained loyal Alltech customers over the years.

“We are fortunate to have such great working relationships with our customers,” Mike said. “As technology changes, businesses grow and information and security needs evolve, our customers trust us to help them meet those communication needs.”

“I knew if I accepted this position, not only was it going to take an incredible amount of work to take the business to the next level, but as the son-in-law taking over part of a family business, I had something to prove.”

EVOLVING WITH THE INDUSTRY

The evolution of technology, communication and security needs caused Alltech to do some evolving of its own. The company oversees four main divisions: structure cabling for low voltage data, voice and video; business phone systems, including traditional and voice over IP; security, which includes intrusion systems, surveillance and access control; and audio video for conference rooms, paging systems and digital signage.

Alltech also has employees dedicated to specific market sectors including health care, state contracts and industrial.

“We have always been at the leading edge of technology shifts. Alltech was one of the first companies in the country to transition to CAT6 cables. Now we are exploring how AI is changing the security industry,” Mike said.

What once took hours for a human to search through video footage to find a specific incident or individual, AI can do in a fraction of the time.

“With the new search features, we can tell the system to search for a person on a bicycle with a spray can, and it will go looking for it. It really is unbelievable,” said Brad Barr, director of technology integration.

GIVING “FAMILY BUSINESS” A WHOLE NEW MEANING

While Alltech meets the traditional definition of a family business because it has been in the same family for two generations, it isn’t often that you find four pairs of fathers and sons working at the same company.

Mike attributes this father/son dynamic at the company to a corporate culture built on family values and a spirit of looking out for each other.

“People throw around words like culture to talk about work environment,” Mike said. “It is really pretty simple. At Alltech, we follow the Golden Rule: treat people the way you would like to be treated.”

For Mike, that means recognizing the staff is a team and success is achieved when everyone is fulfilling their roles. It also means giving people the freedom to do their jobs without micromanaging them, treating them fairly and rewarding them for a job well done.

“DL was always fair. That really made an impression on me, and I work hard to carry that forward,” Mike said. “We work hard to provide more than just stable jobs; we want our employees to have good work/life balance and feel that they matter — because they do.”

That caring work environment — or culture, if you are into the buzz words — has resulted in an unbelievable level of employee longevity. The majority of Alltech’s 14 employees have been with the company more than 10 years. Three of the senior technicians have been with Alltech for more than 25 years, the office manager has been there for 20 years, VP Scott Wheat has been there 17 years and the cable installers have been there for 15.

WORKING WITH DADS

That employee longevity has, in turn, created a unique opportunity for a multigenerational business to unfold for employees as well as the owner. Four Alltech fathers are now sharing workspace with their sons.

HENRY AND JACK KNOXSAH

The first son to come into the business was Jack Knoxsah, the son of Henry Knoxsah, a senior technician who has been with Alltech for more than 25 years. Jack, who had been working on his wiring and technical skills at home with his father while he was still in high school, joined Alltech after he graduated in 2012.

“I never doubted that Jack was a good hire,” Mike said. “I knew with Henry’s outstanding work ethic that he would look out for Jack and keep him on track.”

Jack has done more than stay on track for the past nine years; he is now an integral part of Alltech’s security division.

STEVE AND TYLER HOSS

Three years later, in 2015, Tyler Hoss, the son of another senior

technician and 25-year Alltech veteran Steve Hoss, joined the company.

Steve, who handles projects for Stormont Vail and Advisors Excel, mentored Tyler, training him how to do everything from wire pulling and terminating fiber ends to building IT closets.

“Tyler is a great kid. I suggested he apply to work at Alltech because I knew he would be a good fit,” Steve said. “But it was more than that. This job has let me be part of something great—a great company, great projects and a great future. I wanted Tyler to be part of that, too.”

Father and son have been working side by side for the past eight years, developing a working relationship that transcends mentor and student.

“I love working with Tyler every day. I get to see him when he succeeds, and I am there to help him learn a

little patience when things don’t go according to plan.”

BRAD AND KALEB HARRISON BARR

The third son to enter the business was Kaleb Harrison Barr, son of Brad Harrison Barr. Brad hadn’t been with Alltech as long as Henry and Steve, but the four years he had spent building the security side of the business was all the time he needed to know Alltech would be a great place for Kaleb to build a career.

“I saw all these long-term employees, some of them bringing their own sons on board to learn the technology involved in this industry, and I told Kaleb this business had amazing long-term potential,” Brad said.

Kaleb worked for four years as a cable puller when he first started with

LUKE AND MIKE ROTHFUSS

BRAD AND KALEB HARRISON BARR

Alltech, so he didn’t work directly with his father. But Brad says that might have actually been a blessing.

“I have incredibly high expectations for myself and for my son,” Brad said. “When Mike hired him, I told him that the bar was set high, and I expected him to make me proud.”

Kaleb more than met the challenge, working his way from cable to puller to a full-time member of the security division, which means he now reports to his father.

MIKE AND LUKE ROTHFUSS

The fourth father/son combination is actually Mike and his son, Luke. Even though Luke is still in school studying mechanical engineering, he has been working at Alltech during the summers

and holiday breaks for the past four years. While Mike thinks his son should spread his wings and explore other opportunities after graduation, his work family hopes Luke will come home to roost.

“I think Luke will run this company someday,” Steve said. “I hope so, anyway.”

TAKING CARE OF FAMILY

No matter what the future holds, one thing is clear right now: Alltech employees are more than just people doing their jobs—they are part of the Alltech family.

“We all care about each other here,” Mike said. “We know when something is off, or someone has something going on because we probably spend more time with our coworkers than some of us do with our families. We may poke our

noses into places they don’t belong sometimes, but that is what families do. Because we care.”

Mike isn’t the only one who feels like Alltech is family.

“Alltech is a personal company, and Mike is not your typical boss who just wants output,” Brad said. “He is generous and kind and rewards people for individual effort. And he gives everyone a voice when it comes to the business. Guys in the field can question the way a job is going and make suggestions for a way to do it better if they see one.”

Steve agrees, but says it is more than just caring about others.

“Mike gives us what we need to be successful. He invests in us as employees and treats us with respect,” he said. “But most of all, he trusts us to do our jobs and doesn’t get in the way.” TK

HENRY AND JACK KNOXSAH STEVE AND TYLER HOSS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

As the pandemic ends, Topeka entrepreneurs and small businesses are eager to return to work, catering their products and services to an ever-dynamic marketplace. However, unlike businesses, state agencies and regulators might struggle to keep up with entrepreneurial zeal. As a result, antiquated rules are like trying to fit square pegs into round holes, cramping entrepreneurship, and putting the brakes on growth. A regulatory sandbox could be a solution that gives businesses a longer leash to innovate, while ensuring consumer protection. With this “playground,” Topeka can become a hub of innovation where business can flourish, and customers can rejoice.

Unleashing Topeka’s Business Potential in a Safe Playground Regulatory Sandbox

By MICHAEL AUSTIN

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE VS ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

We live in the 21st century, where innovative ideas and technology grow like flowers after the rain. But governmental agencies have always played catch up when regulating the vast new ideas and processes. Even the Clinton administration noticed this situation. Their report, “Framework for Global Electronic Commerce,” emphasized allowing the private sector to take the lead and even allowing the industry to self-regulate (Magaziner, Cutter, & Costa, 1997).

The Clinton administration understood what those in economics and management teach; Martec’s Law. Martec’s Law is an ever-increasing

gap between technological change and organizational change. The bigger the mismatch, the greater the stress and the further we stray from our economic growth potential. Topeka is no exception.

HIDDEN COSTS OF REGULATIONS

The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported a 3.8% growth rate for the Topeka metro area from 2020 to 2021. While this growth is impressive, it’s only about half of what the average metro region in the nation achieved. Over-regulation might be a significant factor contributing to this comparatively slower growth.

Although regulators have good intentions, we must be mindful of hidden opportunity costs — the missed chances and resources we give up due to specific

economic actions or policies. A quintessential example is the company Free World Dialup.

At the turn of the millennium, a company known as Free World Dialup (FWD) created a product of peer-topeer voice communication over the Internet. FWD held back on launching its communications product until it took appropriate compliance steps with the FCC. FWD waited a year and a half to get regulatory approval to launch, but they were at a severe disadvantage by then. A small European company ignored American regulators and launched a similar product. They got a “first-mover advantage” and built a solid base of consumers. FWD struggled and ultimately went out of business. Roughly ten years ago, Microsoft bought that European company but kept its name on the communication service. Today, Skype has at least 160 million active users.

Such an example underscores the importance of balancing regulation and business freedom.

The Kansas regulatory code has 3.3 million words and nearly 73,000 restrictions (Broughel, 2021). In context, reading the entire code would take 185 hours, or more than four and a half 40-hour workweeks. On a per capita basis, Kansas’ 24.9 regulations per person is higher than the national average of 19.6 per person. Moreover, state agencies often fail to conduct cost-benefit analyses on regulations, leading to costly burdens on the business and startup community.

The 2017 National Small Business Association found that regulations cost small business owners an average of $12,000 yearly and startups an average of $83,000 yearly. Such resources could’ve been plowed back into the business to create more jobs, spur investment, raise wages, or even

increase charitable contributions. A regulatory sandbox might be the solution we need.

REGULATORY SANDBOX

What is a regulatory sandbox? It’s a legal classification where participating companies won’t be subject to onerous regulations for a limited period. In a nutshell, businesses can “play in the sandbox” to discover what works and what doesn’t.

The concept came from the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Their November 2015 report defined a regulatory sandbox as a “safe space in which businesses can test innovative products, services, business models and delivery mechanisms without immediately incurring all the normal regulatory consequences of engaging in the activity in question.”

During the limited period, specific regulations are suspended. However, it is not a free-for-all. Regulations related to public health, safety and consumer protection remain. Once the trial is over, lawmakers evaluate the sandbox’s effectiveness and determine the proper regulations for a successful product or service launch. It’s like a playground for businesses to experiment and innovate while ensuring that everyone’s still safe and sound.

IMPLEMENTING A REGULATORY SANDBOX IN TOPEKA

How could this be implemented in Topeka? A regulatory sandbox could be tailored towards Topeka’s competitively advantageous industries. Using quarterly census records from the Bureau of Labor Analysis, Topeka has a higher concentration of workers in certain industries than the state. Those include, but are not limited to, food manufacturing, finance and real estate, social assistance programs and health care, to name a few (Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.). The presence of such a relatively higher share of workers in these industries suggests such industries lead Topeka to faster economic growth. These should be the first businesses to play in the sandbox.

As for lawmakers, they should ensure that:

1. Regulatory sandboxes are made voluntary,

2. Sandbox companies are transparent with customers,

3. Sandbox companies that cause harm are held accountable,

4. Regulatory institutions provide full support to sandboxes,

5. Customer exposure is limited to mitigate risk, and

6. Sandbox companies work with federal agencies as appropriate.

Additionally, lawmakers should conduct ongoing “lessons learned” analyses to ensure continuous improvement and refinement of the sandbox model.

Once the structure is in place, sandboxes should pave the way to see lessened regulations for all. An allinclusive regulatory sandbox can help customers by providing innovative products and services. It also benefits entrepreneurs and small businesses without worrying about following outdated rules. Most importantly, they can help grow the economy by lowering the cost of startups and

entrepreneurial activity, creating more jobs and opportunities for Topekans. As Topeka businesses embrace the post-pandemic era, state agencies and lawmakers should be ready to join them. Addressing the hidden costs of over-regulation and streamlining the regulatory code is paramount and vital to unlocking the full potential of the Topeka economy. By using a regulatory sandbox, businesses can better succeed and improve Topekan’s quality of life. It’s one novel way Topeka can become one of the best places in Kansas to start and run a business. TK

REFERENCES

Broughel, J. (2021). Cutting Red Tape in Kansas: A Menu of Options. Washington D.C.: Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (n.d.). Regional Data: GDP and Personal Income. Retrieved from Real GDP by county and metropolitan area: https://apps.bea.gov/ itable

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Financial Conduct Authority. (2015). Regulatory Sandbox. London, England: Financial Conduct Authority. Magaziner, I. C., Cutter, A. G., & Costa, L. A. (1997). The Framework for Global Electronic Commerce: A Policy Perspective. Journal of International Affairs, 12. National Small Business Association. (2017). 2017 Small Business Regulations Survey. Washington D.C.: National Small Business Association.

MICHAEL AUSTIN, MA Lecturer Washburn University School of Business President & Owner Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Washburn University’s Master of Business Administration program provides the knowledge and real-world experience necessary to advance your career and enhance your professional skills, regardless of your academic background or prior work experience.

Whatever type of program you’re wanting –traditional in-person, completely virtual or something in-between – Washburn’s MBA program can accommodate. Our program is designed to be flexible and completely customizable to meet the needs of working professionals like you. You can take classes part-time at your own pace or finish your degree in as few as 12 months.

In our program, you’ll learn from our diverse faculty with vast real-world experience and professional connections. You’ll build on your managerial, communication and leadership skills, leading to numerous personal and professional opportunities to transform your career and take you to the next level professionally.

Apply today at washburn.edu/mba

Three convenient start dates: January, June and August For more info: mba@washburn.edu or 785.670.1308

Master of Business Administration

A LEGACY Celebrating

By MICHAEL MCGRAW

With decades turning into a century, three local businesses are each crafting a unique legacy, yet are united by a common thread: an unwavering belief in the significance of their work and the impact it makes, even when much of the time their work is unseen. Above all, they believe in their people and the sense of family they’ve built.

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

HUTTON MONUMENTS

CHRIS HUTTON • OWNER

Topeka’s rich legacy of craftsmanship has its origins in the pioneer era. For some businesses like Hutton Monuments, this heritage is a source of pride.

“Our family came here to farm 80 acres and build a life, because that was what you did when you weren’t the eldest son and you couldn’t inherit the family business back in England,” said Chris Hutton, owner of Hutton Monuments.

Photo by JOHN BURNS

TYLER HUTTON AND CHRIS HUTTON

Carriages that were built by Tyler Hutton’s great grandfather still exist and are used to shift large stones around the shop.

Chris explained that his grandfather worked with the Schroeder family in the 1890s. Mr. Schroeder was a stone cutter and operated a monument business with a shop along the Kansas River. That location was nearly wiped out in the great Topeka flood of 1903. A photograph portraying the damage to their building hangs in Chris’ office, alongside numerous other moments from the business and family history. One cannot miss the legacy that Chris and his son, Tyler Hutton, are upholding when you walk into their current facility at 201 SW Topeka Blvd, now safely up on the hill high above the Kansas River.

Tyler works on carving and preparing stones, using bunkers — heavy wood carriages that allow them to shift the large stones around the shop.

“My great grandfather built those two carriages,” Tyler noted as he shifted a stone. He pointed out the deep grooves where the soft wood had long since been worn away from the sandblasting they use to etch the stones. Tyler can easily navigate the large stones as

he operates a crane hoist that runs the length of the shop.

“Those rails and the carriage wheels that hold the crane bridge are original and go back to our days of being so closely tied to the railroads,” said Chris. “Now we have an electric hoist, but it used to be pulleys and ropes.”

“There is a lot that has changed,” said Chris. “We used to use cartage companies with their draft horses and that was the only way to move these stones. We had to be close to the railroad to be able to get the materials. We would do funerals and set stones at Half Day Cemetery. It was called that because it took a half day to get

Photo by JOHN BURNS

there from Topeka. It is really something when you think of how those men were moving stones and doing this work with hand tools and wagons.”

Since the Hutton family took complete ownership in 1935, the business has remained a family enterprise. Arthur Hutton passed the business to his sons, William and Clinton, who then passed it on to Chris. He is deeply grateful that Tyler has decided to join him and carry on the work.

“It isn’t easy to keep something like this going,” said Chris. “My father and uncle were in World War II. They saw things people just shouldn’t see and they traveled the world. They came back to Kansas and to this business after all that and they continued to serve this community.”

With any business that has been around for more than 100 years, community is at the center of what they do. But for monuments and cemeteries, that legacy can mean everything.

Having his son Tyler with him throughout this journey gives Chris hope that they will be able to carry on this legacy for another 100 years.

The original ropes and pulleys used to navigate large stones at Hutton Monuments have been replaced by an electrical crane hoist that runs the entire length of the shop.

Photo by JOHN BURNS

TOPEKA ELECTRIC MOTOR COMPANY

STAN MARTINDELL • OWNER

A different type of work family is at the heart of Topeka Electric Motor Company at 605 SW Lane St.

“My guys are this business,” said Stan Martindell, owner and self-described runner and business operator. “We’ve grown. We’ve added more space, but it’s our team that is stable and doing work that you really can’t find many people still doing.”

Stan points to his employees who have 30 to 40 years of experience working on rebuilding, rewinding and repairing electric motors. One employee had 48 years of experience, and Stan remembers him as an encyclopedia of knowledge and skill, who was a mentor to so many others before he passed away.

“We look out for each other. We have to work like a team because

DAVID WRIGHT, SHAWN HURD, TERRY WATTERS, STAN MARTINDELL, KEVIN CONSTANT, MICHAEL SPALJ, BRIAN TRITSCH

Photo by JOHN BURNS

this kind of work is so skilled and so specific. You can’t teach this in schools,” said Stan as he walked past lathes and presses that enable Topeka Electric Motor to do work that has become rare across the country.

Stan didn’t start out as an electric motor guy. A graduate of the University of Kansas and Washburn Law, Stan served as General Counsel

at Fila and later Group Counsel at Payless ShoeSource in Topeka before he found himself unsure of what was going to come next in 2004.

“I’ve had an interesting life,” Stan laughed as he reflected on the change in his day-to-day routine, transitioning from in-house corporate counsel to running an electric motor shop that still proudly displays the

“My guys are this business.”

— Stan Martindell Owner Topeka Electric Motor Company

old classic lightning bolt sign outside the door, albeit showing the wear of decades of work advertising the business that has been around for 72 years.

“I was talking to a business broker friend of mine, and he told me about this business,” said Stan. “The work we do here, the customers, the employees — it just made sense. The next thing you know, I bought it and have been here since 2004. It’s been a great 19 years.”

For Stan and his team, the business continues to see motors coming through the door because they repair and maintain them, and their customers have recognized the value in investing in that labor and expertise rather than simply buying new ones. “Sometimes you simply can’t replace these motors,” said Stan. “Sometimes the cost and time it would take to get a new one and what it would require you to change about your building or production line just doesn’t make sense. For some though, it’s simply that they know that machine and they want to stick with the motor they trust and are willing to pay us to keep it going. We take a lot of pride in that.”

Even if it might be viewed as a radical change from the outside to go from corporate law to repairing an Otis Elevator hoist from a downtown Topeka building, there is not a moment where you don’t feel how passionate Stan is about what they are doing.

Photos by JOHN BURNS

“We keep a lot of businesses and buildings in the area going,” Stan said. “We may be a small shop of just a handful of guys, but you can’t find anyone else doing work like us unless you go to Kansas City, and then you are going to pay a lot more and it is going to take a lot longer. We aren’t going to let you down.”

Stan said they complete the millwork, rewinding and repairs to the motor shafts and can have it back to the customer running in top form.

“People know that they can come to us for something like a DC motor, which isn’t even a job most repair shops can do anymore,” Stan said. “We care about our customers, and they are with us because of our people.”

The employees at Topeka Electric Motor are also the reason why Stan credits the business as being a leading distributor of CoolBLUE® Inductive Absorbers — a revolutionary change in how electric motors are used in manufacturing and building operations. These absorbers prevent motors from enduring significant damage caused by high-frequency electrical currents, commonly

associated with commercial electric motor variable frequency drives.

“At first we scoffed at inductive absorbers because it just wasn’t the industry standards,” said Stan. “But when my guys looked at what they could do and saw that it was real, we jumped in and that was 2015. Now we are the number one distributor in the country and our expert goes all over the country and even Canada to work on these.”

Stan noted they have had to get creative at times. They have taken on small motor projects to help out another shop when there was a medical issue that kept them from helping customers. Stan has had to buy as many bearings and as much grease for the motors as he could because of supply shortages.

“I am here to make sure my guys have what they need,” Stan said.

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Topeka Electric Motor Company is a small shop that repairs and maintains motors for customers.

MEINHOLDT’S WELDING AND MACHINE

MARK MEINHOLDT • OWNER

For Meinholdt’s Welding and Machine, family has remained central to their endeavors as they have grown into a reliable solution for both Topekans and individuals from all over the state of Kansas.

“When we fix something, we work to do it right the first time, so you don’t bring it back,” said Mark Meinholdt, owner of Meinholdt’s Welding and Machine. “My dad was looking over my shoulder and my grandfather was behind him.”

MARK MEINHOLDT

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Being a repair business requires Meinholdt’s Welding and Machine’s skilled workers to dismantle a piece of equipment, solve for the problem then put it all back together, often without a manual with directions.

Running their shop at 1900 NW Central Ave, Mark has seen significant shifts in the business since they started in 1923.

“Through the years we were seeing agricultural and construction equipment as a big part of what we did, but that has changed drastically,” said Mark. “Now we are doing all types of work, and that can be challenging.”

Mark explained that being in the repair business entails more than just jumping in and fixing something. It requires having the skills and the expertise to dismantle a piece of equipment to get to the problem. Then you have to problem solve to figure out how to fix it and how to put it all back together. It is like a giant puzzle often without directions.

“One of the things that has changed the most is we used to have sales reps for suppliers that knew the business, knew the types of work and equipment we did, and they were always coming to us

with new insights and products,” Mark said. “Yes, they were trying to sell us something, but that network of shared knowledge and ability to get what you needed meant we were able to do a lot more without

having to try to figure it out for ourselves. Those sales reps are gone now, and everything has gone to an impersonal sales pitch on a computer. We lost a lot when that happened.”

Photo by JOHN BURNS

As costs for new equipment have increased, customers have needed to keep older machines working — a hard shift from the years of a “just get another one or trade it in” mentality. Mark noted customers have even gone looking for those older pieces of equipment like tractors, construction, and specialized machines because they

“When we fix something, we work to do it right the first time, so [customers] don’t bring it back.”

— Mark Meinholdt Owner Meinholdt’s Welding and Machine

are easier to repair and maintain. For Meinholdt, one of the biggest challenges to business operations is replacing the institutional knowledge held by the family of skilled tradesmen.

“It can mean one of our young people has to spend hours doing research online now, when we used to be able to reach out and get the answer in minutes,” Mark said. “We roll with the punches.”

Mark’s sons grew up in the trade but later moved on to find careers in the railroad industry and as a firefighter. Mark is proud of how they learned to do the work and have the skills to fall back on as they went out to pursue other dreams.

“We need to teach kids that this kind of work can be an option,” Mark said. “Too many high school kids never got the chance to learn a trade and see if it was for them before they were pushed to go to college. We need to give them a chance to see the opportunities to do something where they can work with their hands and see the results.”

These three local businesses have something really important in common — a strong belief in what they do and why it’s important, even if people don’t always notice. But the most important thing is that they believe in their team. It’s their team that helps create their unique story for the future. TK

Photos by JOHN BURNS

JAKE HOLLY

Beginning in the early 1950s, scientists and mathematicians grappled with the theory that computers might be able to think and problem-solve like human beings. This was the question Dr. Alan Turing posed in his 1950 thesis, Computing Machinery and Intelligence.

Dr. Turing’s theory began with a simple question: Can computers be programmed to think? What followed was the rapid development of computer technology for the next 20 years. And while computers could store information at an incredible rate, few successes were noted in computer problem-solving.

Post 1980, AI still had a long road to reach what computer scientist Marvin Minsky described to Life Magazine in 1970: “From three to eight years we will have a machine with the general intelligence of an average human being” (Anyoha, Rockwell, May 2017, Can machines think?).

In the 1980s, expert systems and symbolic AI dominated the landscape, with computer programs designed to mimic human expertise in specific

TO BOLDLY GO?

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES

Turn on any news program in the past year and you would be hard-pressed to miss a story featuring the rise of artificial intelligence. The stories are wide-ranging, with no consensus on where society will go with the development of AI. Predictions go from one extreme to another: Will AI provide a utopian society freed from mundane daily tasks or a “Terminator”-like scenario with machines turning on human beings?

For four decades, Clayton Wealth Partners has prioritized the use and deployment of some

of the most advanced trading, planning, and research software and technology available to investment advisors. We have an entire internal team that works constantly to stay up-to-date and even ahead of many of the technological trends in the industry. However, the introduction of AI in formats like ChatGPT has us scrambling a bit to keep up with the rapid pace of development.

This article will attempt to review AI’s recent past and offer some insight into how its advance might impact our daily lives in the near future.

domains. The 1990s witnessed the rise of machine learning, with research focused primarily on developing algorithms that allowed computers to learn from data and improve their performance. Who can forget the famous 1997 chess match between world chess champion Gary Kasparov and IBM’s Deep Blue program, marking the first time a computer could best a world chess champion?

The progress of AI pushed forward into the 2000s, fueled mostly by massive investment from the private sector. An area once almost exclusively funded by government and academic research dollars is today supported with more than $100 billion in worldwide private investment. Compare that with the relatively small investment of about $3 billion spent by our government on the development of AI just a year ago.

Today, artificial intelligence appears to be everywhere, with companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon building millions of servers storing hundreds of exabytes of data used to propel AI learning and problemsolving.

Just how much is an exabyte of data, you might ask (I had to)? One exabyte of data is the equivalent of a million terabytes, and a terabyte is a thousand gigabytes. That is an unthinkable amount of data and information being utilized to power artificial intelligence.

As we move forward, the advantages, potential dangers, and ethical questions surrounding the widespread use of AI will have to be evaluated to prevent abuse. Anyone who has seen or heard videos or audio enhanced with AI knows its ability to distort reality.

Just one example is the AI program known as Deepfake. With it, video and audio can be manipulated with near-perfect imitation to make people appear to say things that could damage reputations, create false conflict, and perhaps even lead to war.

Unfortunately, it appears the technology is way ahead of the ethical discussion and development of guardrails to protect against AI abuses. However, for better or worse, AI is here to stay, and it is being deployed rapidly in multiple areas of our everyday lives.

CLINT PATTY, J.D. Managing Partner Clayton Wealth Partners

PHOTO SUBMITTED

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

As AI technologies advance, they hold immense potential to transform the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. Here are just a few areas where AI impacts our everyday lives.

ENHANCED HEALTH CARE

AI’s integration into health care is set to revolutionize the industry, making diagnoses more accurate and treatment plans more personalized. With AI-powered algorithms analyzing vast amounts of medical data, doctors can leverage predictive analytics to detect diseases early, leading to improved patient outcomes. AI chatbots and virtual assistants can also provide instant medical advice, reducing the burden on health care professionals.

SMART HOMES AND CITIES

AI’s integration into our homes and cities will create smarter, more efficient living environments. From voice-activated assistants that control lighting and appliances to AI algorithms optimizing energy consumption, our homes will become more intuitive and energyefficient. AI will also play a crucial role in developing smart cities by managing traffic flow, enhancing public safety, and optimizing resource allocation.

AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTATION

Self-driving cars and other autonomous vehicles will become increasingly common over the next decade, transforming transportation as we know it. AI-powered systems will enhance road safety, reduce accidents caused by human error, and improve traffic management. Commutes will become more productive as passengers can work, relax, or engage in leisure activities while on the move.

PERSONALIZED EDUCATION

AI will revolutionize the education sector, enabling personalized learning experiences tailored to each student’s needs and learning style. Intelligent tutoring systems can adapt to individual progress, offering personalized feedback and guidance. AI-powered tools will provide educators with valuable insights into student performance, facilitating targeted interventions and improving educational outcomes.

IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE

AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants are already transforming customer service, and their impact will only increase. Natural language processing and machine learning algorithms enable chatbots to respond instantly and accurately to customer inquiries, ensuring around-theclock support. Moreover, AI algorithms can analyze customer behavior and preferences, allowing businesses to deliver personalized recommendations and experiences.

AUTOMATION OF MUNDANE TASKS

AI will continue to automate routine and everyday tasks, freeing up human potential for more creative and strategic endeavors. From data entry and administrative work to manufacturing and logistics, AIpowered robots and algorithms will streamline operations, increase productivity, and drive economic growth. This shift will enable humans to focus on tasks that require emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.

The impact of AI on our daily lives over the next decade will be profound. From revolutionizing health care and transforming transportation to enhancing education and automating routine tasks, AI technologies will reshape how we live and interact with the world. At the same time, we will have to continue evaluating the ethical and potentially dangerous issues surrounding the expansion of AI.

In closing, I would invite you to review this article a second time with the knowledge that about half of it was written over several days by the author, while the other half was generated using the AI program ChatGPT in about 5 seconds. Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay. We live with the hope that ethics and protective guardrails will catch up with the pace of AI. TK

NOTE: This article was written with contributions from ChatGPT.

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Crafting ENTREPRENEURSHIP

By MIRANDA ERICSSON

Photos by JOHN BURNS

In a world driven by technology and mass production, a unique breed of entrepreneurs continues to thrive — individuals who have turned their passion for creating into businesses. These modern artisans, often referred to as makers, are the masterminds behind a diverse array of products, from candles and kombucha to woodwork and cheese.

While the path from hobbyist to business owner is not without its challenges, the journey is fueled by a profound sense of purpose. Makers are driven by the desire to share their creations with the world, infusing every piece with a part of themselves. Their businesses not only provide them with a livelihood but also offer consumers an opportunity to connect with products that tell a story of dedication, passion, and skill.

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Photos by JOHN BURNS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Warmth and Positivity Home INSPIRE & COMPANY CANDLES

EBONY WHITE

Ebony White used to buy a lot of candles as part of her self-care strategy.

“I love that candles can set a vibe,” Ebony said. “Lighting a candle instantly helps me feel more relaxed.”

As a woman with asthma, it was important to Ebony to keep good air quality in her home, which meant seeking out candles made with pure ingredients.

“I’m a health fanatic,” Ebony said, “so I wanted to ensure all materials used were non-toxic. It was a scientific process. I thought about every aspect of the candle, and the experience that I wanted, and then I started experimenting.”

Ebony tried various wicks and waxes and chose a range of fragrances that blended well with each other and with the candle materials. She learned a bit with every prototype, and finally developed a candle that would burn clean, melt evenly all the way to the bottom, fill a room with scent, and last long. Her results were so good

that she couldn’t keep the candles to herself. She started giving them to family and friends as gifts, getting their feedback and continuing to improve her product.

In February of 2021, Ebony officially launched Inspire & Company Candles. High-quality, soybean wax candles for better air quality and a healthier environment. Each handmade candle features an inspiring quote.

“I’m a very positive person,” Ebony said. “I want my candles to bring positivity and warmth into my customers’ homes. It’s about a memorable experience, a pleasing moment to come home to.”

Ebony loves seeing people react with joy to the scents of her candles.

“It’s a small luxury,” she said, “and we all deserve to treat ourselves. I love that my candles make people smile.”

Inspire & Company Candles currently features 14 fragrances in a variety of sizes. All can be viewed at www.inspireandcompany.store.

Inspire & Company Candles has built a following of repeat buyers at local fairs and markets and has also established several wholesale partnerships. Ebony hopes to connect with more local retailers in the future.

She is currently developing a room spray to add to her line-up of products and aspires to start a subscription-based candle service. Ebony dreams of opening a retail location of her own one day.

For now, Inspire & Company Candles offers local pick-up for free and ships candles anywhere in the United States. You can also visit her booth at local fairs and events and in the Stormont Vail gift shop.

She encourages local customers to message her directly through her website with questions about placing large orders and wholesale opportunities.

Ebony feels gratitude when she thinks about her successes. As a nod to her support network, especially her mother, she added “& Company” into her business name. She wants other makers to know that the hard work is worth it, and that they can make their business dreams come true.

“Growing up I didn’t see many Black business owners in Topeka,” Ebony said. “I want others to see me succeeding in my business and know that they’re not alone. I want to inspire them to have faith and go for it.”

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Flavorful Wellness morning light kombucha melinda williamson

Morning Light Kombucha is an indigenous and woman-owned company located in Hoyt, Kansas. Kombucha is a fizzy, fermented tea that’s good for digestion and keeping the gut in good health. Morning Light brews over 70 seasonal flavors throughout the year, including strawberry basil, blackberry lemongrass, wild gooseberry and blueberry rhubarb crisp. Their product is made with local ingredients for a fresh, farmto-can taste.

Owner Melinda Williamson is passionate about health. Helping people through food and wellness is the foundation of her business, as well as a personal mission inspired by her own experience. In 2010, Melinda was working as a research associate in Oklahoma when she became very sick and was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder.

“I went from being a healthy young woman to being so sick that I had a hard time getting around without assistance,” Williamson said. “I already exercised and ate well, and wanted to know what else I could do to heal.”

Williamson went back to her roots and looked to food as medicine. Her research pointed to the importance of gut health, so she introduced fermented foods into her diet and her daughter’s, and both felt healthier as a result.

“I’m glad to say that I’ve been able to keep my autoimmune disorder under control for a decade,” Williamson said.

Faced with the possibility that her illness could make it hard to take care of herself, Williamson decided to move back home to Kansas to raise her daughter near family. She had always wanted to own a business and

decided to put some thought into how she could make that dream come true in Kansas.

“I sat down with a notebook and wrote down the first thing that came to mind — I wanted to help people,” Williamson said. “I knew that I wanted to create a product or service that would make people’s lives better.”

Williamson is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe. She grew up with indigenous culture and teachings focused on respect for community, the Earth, and all living things, so helping others is part of her way of life.

She thought about her goals and values and came up with a wish list for her business. She decided that she wanted to focus on food and wellness,

and to work with local farms. She wanted to create jobs in her reservation community and make sure that the sales from her business would benefit native communities. Finally, she wanted a business that is sustainable and respectful to the Earth. She still wasn’t sure what she wanted to make, though.

After moving back to Kansas, Williamson met a friend who shared a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), and she began brewing her own kombucha. She shared with family and friends, and they started sharing with others. Williamson realized that the perfect product was right in front of her and made the choice to focus on kombucha as a business. She tackled the miles of paperwork required, built a commercial kitchen in her residence,

Morning Light Kombucha ships over 70 flavors nationwide and is available currently at local retailers in 14 states. Visit www.morninglightkombucha.com to find out more.

and started connecting with local farmers. Morning Light got its start in 120 square feet of space in 2016, and sales took off immediately.

“We were selling so much kombucha,” Williamson said. “I have no idea how we did it!”

Seven years later, Morning Light Kombucha has grown from a one-woman crew to a staff of seven. The company ships over 70 flavors nationwide throughout the year, and sources 90 percent of their ingredients from local growers. Williamson partners with growers who are good stewards of the land and committed to sustainable agriculture, many of whom are women.

“We now have farmers who grow for us specifically, and that was always my goal,” Williamson said. “Those farmers can count on our business, and we can count on consistent quality. It also keeps our money local, and all of us talk each other up in a community of support.”

Morning Light also operates a tiny storefront in Hoyt, located in an old grocery store in the same space that houses their brewery. Currently they are only open two days a week, but Williamson hopes to expand those hours soon.

Fortunately, Morning Light offers doorstep delivery all year around for people in the Topeka area and ships product nationwide.

“Right now, there is a lot of hurry up and wait,” Williamson said, “because we are still canning everything by hand. Our next step is to invest in an automatic canning line and that will be a total game-changer. I’m trying to manifest that for this year.”

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Nature’s Curves the lumber woman and co. tina klassen

Tina Klassen first began dreaming of being a professional woodworker after taking a class in high school.

“I was the only girl who signed up that year,” Tina said. “I’d always been a tomboy and grew up working on machines with my dad. I got some pushback from people who thought I didn’t belong in a shop class at first, but I loved working with my hands and didn’t care what they said.”

It turned out that Tina had a knack for woodworking. Soon her shop instructor was encouraging her to compete against other schools and she was winning first-place awards. She continued to take more advanced classes, and still has some of the pieces she made in those years. Then Tina graduated and life moved on. She married, started her family, and moved to Topeka. She dreamed of setting up a shop, but she was busy working full time and taking care of family.

“I was busy getting by,” Tina said, “then this tree limb literally fell into my life and changed everything.”

At the time, Tina’s husband lived in the Oakland neighborhood of Topeka,

surrounded by giant sycamore trees. A tree in his yard lost a limb that fell on the house, then another that damaged the car. Clearly the tree was dangerous and needed to be cut. As the couple considered how to handle the tree, they were approached by concerned neighbors. They had not considered how emotionally attached people could be to their trees and were inspired with an idea.

“I decided that we would have the tree milled for lumber to build a treehouse for the kids,” Klassen said. “I had just gotten a little windfall, a gift from the estate of my grandmother, so it was good timing.”

It sounds simple, but it was a bit of a struggle to find someone willing to mill the tree. Residential trees often

contain bits of metal such as nails or old fencing that make them dangerous and hard on equipment, so no one wanted the job. Tina finally connected with Tom the Sawyer Portable Sawmill Service from Eudora, who was willing to give it a try. When Tom arrived to check out the tree, he told Tina that she should reconsider her plan to make a tree house.

“He told me straight up that the lumber was worth three times what I was planning to pay him to mill it,” Klassen said.

Klassen did some research and found that live edge wood is very popular on the coasts, but there isn’t much of a presence yet in the Midwest. The aesthetic is about embracing the curves of the wood for a natural look.

The Lumber Woman and Co. products embrace the natural live edge curves of the wood and are cut to preserve the shape of the tree. To see visuals visit www.lumberwoman.com.

“Live edge wood is cut so that the shape of the tree is preserved, rather than carved into a straight, uniform plank,” Klassen said. “It’s not processed and treated with chemicals; it’s cut and dried. I didn’t see anyone doing woodworking like that here at the time.”

Klassen jumped in and started making pieces, and it did not take long for her work to gain popularity. She began posting on Facebook and soon it was hard for her to keep pieces in stock. Two years ago, she was able to leave her job and go into business full time for herself. Lumber Woman and Co. now has a retail location at 1209 N. Kansas Avenue, Suite A, and a growing roster of repeat customers seeking custom pieces. Klassen also helps customers choose wood for their own projects and offers advice and support to get them started. She regularly encourages friends and loved ones to give woodworking a try.

“My daughter made herself a coffee table with the wood of a sassafras tree that grew in Oakland,” Klassen said, “and that’s a truly special keepsake. I love seeing the look of pride on people who try something new and surprise themselves with what they can do.”

In the future Klassen hopes to offer classes to empower others to get creative, especially women. She also plans to share more about her process and craft through blogging.

“Sometimes it all still feels like a dream,” Klassen said. “My kids have seen me work and struggle, and always encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to quit. I could never have made this happen without the support of my family.”

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Photo by JOHN BURNS

Igniting Flavor & Community stumpy’s smoked cheese quint & stacy cook

Quint and Stacy Cook had talked about starting a business together, but they never imagined that smoked cheese would be at the heart of their success story. Quint Cook began smoking cheese as a hobby, and soon friends and family began asking to place orders. In 2016, the couple decided to try selling 3 flavors of cheese at the Apple Festival in Topeka, hoping to make a little extra money for Christmas. They were stunned when they sold all the cheese they had brought. They stayed up all night to prepare more for a second day of sales, and completely sold out that day, too. Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese was officially in business.

For the next four years, they attended every fair and event that they could, meeting other makers, building their network of repeat customers, and establishing relationships with local retailers. In 2019 Quint was able to leave his former job to focus on the business fulltime. They opened a food truck, expanded their reach online, and continued to build local partnerships.

In 2020, Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese worked with other local makers to create gift baskets filled with a variety of goods for Mother’s Day. Stacy Cook coordinated orders for products and distributed baskets

to customers, and the other small businesses and makers involved shared in the profits. The project was so successful that they did it again during the winter holiday season in 2020, to overwhelmingly positive feedback.

As 2020 drew to a close, Stacy and Quint felt very happy with their sales and the growth of their business, but they had faced some challenges and limitations with not having a retail location. They wanted the ability to be consistently available at the same place and times to build relationships with regular customers. And while they value their online sales, the Cooks really want to meet customers and see people’s reactions to their products.

“Meeting people face to face is so cool for me,” Stacy said. “Feedback you get is just different when you can see someone’s face.”

They decided to make the leap and opened their store in November of 2021 at 2104 NW Topeka Blvd. Stacy says it was the right decision for their business, and it has paid off in many ways.

“We have a place to store our materials and equipment, a home base for catering, and we can separate business life from personal life a bit,” Stacy said. “And best of all, we can create an experience for our customers and build relationships in person.”

Stacy wants people to enjoy shopping at Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese, and for the store to be a destination for travelers as well as a local favorite. Stumpy’s provides samples of all their products, every single day. If there is a product you want to try and no sample available, you can ask staff to open one for you, so you can try before you buy.

“We carry unique things that you won’t find in other stores in Topeka,” Stacy said. “Flavored crickets have been one of our most popular items for sampling. We have a bag open for people to try, and people video the tasting and have fun with the experience.”

Stacy loves to help people find new products that they’ll enjoy, or to advise them on creating a customized gift for someone special. You can build your

own gift basket with the guidance of Stumpy’s staff when you visit the store. Gift crates are available by the door. Choose a price point, then gather your specified number of meats, cheeses, jellies and crackers. Stumpy’s staff will help you find the perfect local foods based on what your loved one enjoys or recommend flavors that go well together.

Having a retail location has also enabled Stacy to hire young people and mentor them in business.

“I’m passionate about working with the younger generation and helping them learn about running a business,” Stacy said. “I’ve been able to pass on some good lessons learned from my own experience and give young people a positive place to learn business skills.”

The Cooks sponsor Topeka Children’s Business Fair each year to support youth in business. It’s an opportunity for kids to learn about how to give good service, display merchandise, count back change and so on. Kids have an opportunity to learn

Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese has added smoked snacks to their line up recently and see more growth opportunities on the horizon. To learn about their offerings go to www.stumpyssmokedcheese.com.

hands-on and get encouragement and advice as they work for their dream.

So, what’s next for Stumpy’s Smoked Cheese? In the last year, Stumpy’s has started smoking snacks, and they’ve turned out to be incredibly popular. Sometimes they sell 150 packages of snacks in a day. They are also a lot easier to ship than cheeses for wholesale distribution, so the Cooks see an opportunity for growth. They’ve hired a company to design a bag for official packaging, and they aim to invest in a cold packer so that they can scale up production in the future. They’ve also hired a content creator to help them tell their story and reach new audiences with social media.

The Cooks feel a lot of gratitude when they think about how far they have come with their business. Stacy says it wouldn’t be possible without the support of the Topeka business community.

“We share so many experiences and can compare notes and support one another,” Stacy said. “We all do what we can to lift each other up, and seeing one succeed motivates everyone else.” TK

Photos by JOHN BURNS

twentythirty GALA

Stormont Vail Event Center August 12, 2023

1 Ashley Bahm & Brandon Haberman

2 Ben & Britt Trier

3 Brett & Tammy Thiessen

4 Carlos and Tami Cortez

5 Chad & Tara Logan

6 Chris & Lynette Palmer

7 Heather DiDomenico Graves & Pedro Concepcion

8 Josh & Tessa Barr

twentythirty GALA Stormont Vail Event Center

August 12, 2023

TKmagazine.com

BUSINESS NEWS

GTP Office Of Equity & Opportunity

Launches New ‘Fusion Network’ Series

Dubbed “The Fusion Network,” this new series will feature themed networking events that honor the success, contributions and innovations of diverse local businesses and business owners. The Fusion Network will also grow to include training sessions, pitch competitions, and other offerings that create opportunities to build equity in business.

Forge Young Talent Moving Topeka Flag License Plate Initiative Forward

Starting in 2024, specially designed Topeka flag license plates approved by the State of Kansas will be available for purchase when people renew their vehicle registrations, allowing those with Topeka ties to display their capital city pride wherever they drive. Area residents eager to secure their Topeka flag license plates can take the first step by expressing their interest via an online form available at TopekaFlagPlate.com.

Ring in the Holidays with

“A Charlie Brown

Christmas Live

On Stage” at TPAC

Peanuts’ timeless holiday television special comes to life on stage with the national tour of A Charlie Brown Christmas Live On Stage, skating into Topeka on Friday, November 17, 2023 at 6:30 pm.

Nikhil Mehta, M.D., Joins Stormont Vail Health Cardiology

Stormont Vail

Health proudly announces that Nikhil Mehta, M.D., has joined their Cardiology team. Dr. Mehta was born in India and grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He saw his grandparents struggle with chronic health problems throughout childhood. This experience shaped his decision to enter the medical field, which he perceived as a way to give back to society. As a cardiac electrophysiologist, Dr. Mehta’s upbringing and values continuously influence his everyday patient interactions.

DoPiKa: A Land Acknowledgment Art by Indigenous People Explore art and culture of the Indigenous people and artists who made and continue to make Topeka and Shawnee County their home during DoPiKa: A Land Acknowledgment exhibit in the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery through November 26, 2023, at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. This exhibit is a collaboration with Lisa LaRueBaker, Cherokee tribal citizen and Gallerist of 785 Arts.

Compass Marketing & Advertising Partners Adds Jennifer Goetz and Shelby Revelle

Compass Marketing & Advertising Partners has announced the expansion of its team with the addition of two distinguished professionals, Jennifer Goetz and Shelby Revelle. Their collective expertise and commitment to excellence align seamlessly with Compass Marketing & Advertising Partners’ mission of delivering innovative and exceptional marketing and advertising solutions to clients.

Kansas Chamber Adds to Government Affairs Team

The Kansas Chamber it has named William Wilk as its Senior Director of Government Affairs. For the last two years, Wilk worked for Devine, Donley, & Murray Governmental Affairs where he was responsible for building relationships with legislators, attending committee hearings, and writing reports on key policy issues.

Unmasking Stigma

A Hope and Healing Benefit

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, 2023 - 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

TOWNSITE TOWERS - 534 S. KANSAS AVENUE

Keynote Speaker

Author and speaker Kevin R. Briggs will speak about his time as a California Highway Patrol officer at the Golden Gate Bridge and his personal struggles with mental illness. Kevin was able to rescue over 200 individuals during their most vulnerable moments – as they contemplated leaping from the bridge, earning him the nickname “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge.”

• Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Speaker

• Author, Guardian of the Golden Gate: Protecting the Line Between Hope and Despair

• Founder, Pivotal Points

Special Guests

Award Recipients

Tickets

HOPE AND HUMANITARIAN AWARD

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WARRIOR AWARDS

CELEBRATING OVER 55 YEARS OF RECOVERY SERVICES

Individual tickets and corporate sponsorships are available. Individual tickets are $125. For more information, email Aimee Copp-Hasty at acopphasty@valeotopeka.org, call 785-342-7232, or visit www.valeotopeka.org/unmasking-stigma/

Curtis Sneden Illusionist

Kevin R. Briggs

Melissa Brunner Event Emcee WIBW News Director

Wes Cole Brian Cole

Andrew Brown

“I had a wonderful experience! My nurse and the MRI technologist were friendly, helpful, and attentive. They made sure I was comfortable and checked on me multiple times throughout my procedure. I also appreciated that they let me listen to music during the process. Overall, I had a great experience!”

– Misty C.