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Huck Boyd National Institute
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KANSAS PROFILES 2000 Dean
Kennedy - Leadership Cowley County Dean Kennedy - Leadership Cowley County You may have heard that old saying, When the going gets tough, the tough get going. But I have a variation on that theme. How about this? When the going gets tough, the tough get together. What I mean is that adversity sometimes causes us to pull together with others in the face of difficulty. Today we'll meet a group which is pulling together for the good of its people. It's today's Kansas Profile. Meet Dean Kennedy. Dean is senior vice-president of First National Bank in Winfield, Kansas. He grew up on a dairy farm in southeast Kansas, near the Crawford County town of Walnut, population 212 people. Now, that's rural. From these rural roots, Dean went to college and then into a banking career in Fort Scott, Wichita, and Hutchinson. By 1989, Dean and his wife were looking for a smaller school situation for their kids, so when the opportunity came to go to Winfield, they took it. Winfield is a town of nearly 12,000 people south of Wichita. One of the things Dean found when he came to Winfield was that it had an arch-rival community: the nearby town of Arkansas City. Ark City and Winfield are two similarly-sized towns within Cowley County, and the two towns historically have been strong rivals and are very competitive. In 1991, Dean Kennedy went through the Leadership Winfield program sponsored by the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce. This was an excellent program intended to build and encourage new leadership in the community. It included several sessions about leadership and about the Winfield community. Dean then chaired Leadership Winfield, which is a committee of the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Of course, Winfield's rival community, Arkansas City, had its own program too, called Leadership Ark City. If one community had it, then the other one would too, by golly. Dean and others began to dream of what could be accomplished if there was a unified, county-level program: a Leadership Cowley County. Dean was joined in this dream by Donna Avery, manager of Strother Field Airport and Industrial Park, and Carol Hearne, a banker in Ark City. They proposed that the programs in Ark City and Winfield be combined. And guess what? The idea was shot down. Dean Kennedy says, "We proposed going jointly, and it got a lot of flak from local people. It just didn't work." But the ill winds of economic change were blowing in the county. The state proposed to close Winfield state hospital, which was the town's largest employer, at the same time that the town's largest private business was closing its doors. Dean Kennedy says, "Sometimes tough times make us work together. We rallied together to keep the state hospital and to come back from that." At the same time, Dean, Donna, and Carol were looking at the leadership programs again. They enlisted the aid of the Winfield and the Ark City chambers and others who shared the unified dream. A steering committee was formed that observed the many similarities in the programs. Instead of a merger, this time they proposed that one of the monthly leadership sessions be held jointly. Dean says, "We held a joint session on economic development and the speaker did not show. That's a facilitator's nightmare. Both classes were all there, but we had no speaker. So I said, well, I guess we'll have to wing it. We decided to hold a small group discussion. We divided everyone into teams, with representatives from both towns on each team, and asked them to discuss what factors divide the county and what factors unite the county. The steering committee agreed that this will either be a big success or we will get into a brawl." Fortunately, it was a big success. The next year, two sessions were held jointly. Each succeeding year another and then another session were combined. Guess what? In the spring of 1999, a new program was offered. Yes, it was Leadership Cowley County, a unified, county-wide program. Dean Kennedy says, "We took the best of both programs and it was highly successful, beyond our wildest dreams. We are seeing a wonderful ripple effect of the communities working together." Yes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going B but they also can get together. We salute Dean Kennedy, the people of Leadership Cowley County, and the Winfield and Arkansas City chambers for making a difference through a unified approach to building leadership. And with that, I guess it's time for me to get my act together and get going. Remember the Alamo. That's a famous statement in American history, of course. Today, we can remember the Alamo for a whole different reason: The Alamo happened to be the source of an idea that has developed into a business for a Kansas entrepreneur. Believe it or not, it has to do with baking cookies. Stay tuned for a delicious Kansas Profile. Meet Judy Brzoska. Judy lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where her husband is a dentist and she a dental hygienist. Now she has launched a new business involving cookies and college mascots. But, you may ask, what does that have to do with the Alamo? Oh yeah, I remember the Alamo. Judy says that, a few years ago, she and a friend were visiting Texas and they went to see the Alamo. Her friend was getting something in the gift shop so Judy was waiting. Judy noticed that among the big selling items in the gift shop were the boxes of Alamo cookies. These were small boxes of cookies that were baked in the distinctive shape of the Alamo itself. Judy was intrigued to see the cookies selling so well, and she said to herself, "Wow, I wonder if anyone has made college mascot cookies?" In other words, what if the cookies were baked in the shape of a college mascot instead of the Alamo? Perhaps she thought of this because she has been living for more than 20 years in the college town of Lawrence, where anything with a Jayhawk on it is a hot seller. Anyway, the thought lingered in her mind until she called the Texas company that made the Alamo cookies to see if they were interested in college cookies. They were not, but they gave Judy the name of their baker. That initial contact has led to the creation of a business, under the name Kollege Kritters B that's spelled with a K as in Kansas. After some research and development work, Kollege Kritters started selling boxes of cookies with college mascots on them. In year one, Kollege Kritters offered KU and Nebraska cookies. In year two, it offered Kansas State and Ohio State cookies. More mascots are possible in future years. These cookies are delicious. They are not animal crackers, although they come in a small box like animal crackers, but these are made of shortbread and are quite tasty. Judy uses the recipe and facilities of the same baker who makes the Alamo cookies. Then Judy does the Kansas distribution, which has expanded over much of the state. Another distributor covers Nebraska for her, and her Ohio State cookies are being sold through the Ohio State bookstore. In only her third year, Judy is selling cookies from Kansas City to Garden City and far beyond. Of course, the K-State and KU cookies are big sellers in Manhattan and Lawrence. Judy sells in the largest cities, but also such towns as Council Grove and Seneca, population 1,995 people. Now, that's rural. These sell in gift shops and stores. I found them in Manhattan area stores for two dollars or less, and a percentage of each sale supports the K-State scholarship fund. Of course, it is the attractive purple packaging that first caught my eye. And here's a scouting report for you. Judy says, "The Powercat is my best cookie, because it doesn't break. But the Jayhawk cookie is my cutest cookie." I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. And because fans are fans, Judy has received calls from all over the country interested in the perfect gift or souvenir. Judy has had calls literally from Florida to California, and even from Europe. Judy says, "I'm an ordinary person who dreamed something and worked hard to make it successful." You can reach Kollege Kritters toll-free at 1-888-383-5665. That number again is 1-888-383-5665. Remember the Alamo. Yes, that's a famous location in American history, but it also happens to be the place where Judy Brzoska got the idea to bake and sell cookies based on college mascots. We commend Judy for making a difference through her imagination and creativity. I'm sure this isn't a half-baked idea. Ed Henry - Part 1, Twin Valley Popcorn. Hot, steamy, buttery popcorn. Mmm, it sounds so good. A tasty and healthy snack. Just smell the aroma of fresh, hot popcorn wafting through the air. Now, if you're a popcorn fan like I am, your mouth might be watering right now. Lots of us love popcorn. Today we'll meet a man who not only helps bring popcorn to lots of consumers around northeast Kansas, he does so while providing much needed employment for people with special needs B and he's doing it in rural Kansas. So grab your bag of popcorn, this is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Ed Henry. Ed is director of Twin Valley Developmental Services in north central Kansas. He grew up on a dairy farm south of Seneca, the youngest of 12 kids. Maybe that explains why he works so hard B if you're the youngest of 12 kids, you really have to hustle. After college, in 1977, Ed became director of Twin Valley, a private, non-profit organization designed to serve people with developmental disabilities. Ed says, "When we opened our doors, we had 12 people. We thought it might go to 25 people in a few years. People told me I was a dreamer, but it has grown far beyond that." Today, Twin Valley Developmental Services serves about 90 adults and 15 to 20 children in Marshall and Washington Counties. Twin Valley is a regional provider of community-based services to people with disabilities. Those services range from residential care to vocational development that helps people with disabilities live productive lives in the community. Twin Valley has living facilities, such as apartments and group homes, and sheltered workshops where these developmentally disabled people can perform certain tasks. For example, one of the sheltered workshops does laundry for area businesses. There are also work crews who work at area businesses such as Landoll Corporation and the horse trailer manufacturers. And that's where the popcorn comes in. Ed Henry is always looking for projects or work that his developmentally disabled people could do. One day, he was at the post office in Waterville when he learned that the girl who ran the popcorn shop in town was getting married and moving away. Twin Valley bought that popcorn shop and started producing packaged popcorn products for sale. People liked the products, and started buying more of them. The popcorn business gradually expanded, and Twin Valley ended up buying a couple of popcorn companies. Twin Valley now has a full line of popcorn from unpopped to buttered and flavored, and has gotten into the gift basket business. The most recent acquisition includes the familiar brand name Big Top. Today, Twin Valley is supplying Big Top popcorn to Dillon's warehouses and other warehouses in Missouri and Nebraska. The company supplies its products to 150 stores in northeast Kansas, and sales this year are estimated to exceed two hundred thousand dollars. Wow. That's good for the disabled folks as well as area consumers and the stores which sell the popcorn. The headquarters of Twin Valley is where it all began, in the north central town of Greenleaf, population 346 people. One of the sheltered workshops is in Greenleaf, and the other is in the Marshall County town of Beattie, population 221 people. Now, that's rural. Ed Henry says, "People said it couldn't be done in a rural area, but we've made it very simple and made it work. I grew up in a rural area, and I knew it could work." Popcorn. Hot, steamy, buttery popcorn. Mmm, it sounds so good. A tasty and healthy snack. But you don't have to wait, you can buy Big Top popcorn in many of your local stores. And if you do, you can help yourself while helping the developmentally disabled as well. We salute Ed Henry and the people of Twin Valley for making a difference through service and entrepreneurship. And there's more, because the challenges facing this popcorn enterprise are similar to small Kansas-based companies all across the state. What if they could work together to meet those challenges? We'll hear about that on our next program. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get some popcorn. Ed Henry - Part 2, ClickKansas.Com Today let's hit the highway to go shopping for Kansas products. We'll start with some specialty foods, such as venison from a company near Moundridge in central Kansas, cookies from Shawnee Mission in eastern Kansas, flavored popcorn from Greenleaf in northern Kansas, and SandHill Plum Jelly from Plains in southwest Kansas. Then let's buy some special gifts, such as bath soaps from Arkansas City in southern Kansas and an herb growing kit from Seneca in northeast Kansas. Wow, does this whirlwind trip around the state have you worn out? We've covered a lot of miles on this shopping trip B but guess what? We never left our desk. The highway we just hit was the information superhighway, also known as the Internet. The virtual shopping trip I just described all took place over the Internet, as we visited a new website called clickkansas.com. It's the latest initiative of the Kansas Marketing Association, and it's today's Kansas Profile. On our last program, we met Ed Henry of Twin Valley Developmental Services. Ed developed a popcorn business as a work project for the developmentally disabled people that Twin Valley serves. In developing the popcorn business, Ed learned a lot about operating a value-added small business in a rural setting. Four years ago, Ed and others who were involved in small Kansas value-added enterprises got together and formed a non-profit association. It is called the Kansas Marketing Association, or KMA. KMA is made up of small and mid-sized Kansas companies working together to develop additional markets for Kansas products. By working cooperatively, each KMA member is able to share in marketing expenses and create a broader exposure than each individual member company would be capable of doing by itself. Roy Seybert was the first president of KMA. When it came time to elect a new president, the person who was selected was Ed Henry. Ed says that the organization had a deficit budget in the early years, as many start-up organizations do. Now the organization is in the black and moving forward with ideas for jointly marketing Kansas products. A perfect example of such cooperative marketing is the new website, clickkansas.com. That's clickkansas, all one word with two k's, dot com. On that website, you can find a list of Kansas products of various types. You can click on such categories as food products, gifts, apparel, automotive, farm and ranch, computers and internet, health products, and more. Clicking on each category brings up a list of Kansas businesses producing and selling that type of product. The website also has links to bed and breakfasts and visitor attractions around the state, as well as information about KMA. Kansas companies can join KMA for $50. Members then get a free display ad on the clickKansas website. That website address again is clickkansas, all one word with two k's, dot com. Another project KMA is working on is a Kansas Visa credit card. The card comes with a sunflower or wheat field design, and is available for no annual fee. KMA encourages anyone to sign up for the Kansas Visa card. Upon first use of the account, the cardholder will receive a gift basket from KMA containing an assortment of Kansas items valued at approximately $20. More information about the credit card offer is also available at clickkansas.com. Ed Henry has lots of other ideas too, including joint promotion to gift shops and a group sales and delivery service which would represent lots of Kansas companies in jointly servicing stores around the state. We applaud the efforts of these entrepreneurs. These efforts provide a special marketing outlet for businesses in rural places. The website includes businesses from Wichita and Shawnee Mission, but also from such places as Plains, population 988, and Waterville, population 551 people. Now, that's rural. How exciting that these Kansas businesses are promoted around the globe through clickkansas.com. Let's shop for Kansas products by hitting the highway -- the information superhighway, that is. We salute Ed Henry and the people of the Kansas Marketing Association for making a difference through innovative and cooperative marketing. Good luck on your virtual travels. And remember, the exit you need to watch for is clickkansas.com. Here's a riddle for you. What do the following have in common? FEMCO Manufacturing company in McPherson; the city of Wentzville, Missouri; Aunt Pat's Doll Shoppe in Gardner, Kansas; a law firm specializing in intellectual property law cases in Overland Park; the county offices of Coffey County in Burlington; and the Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in northeast Kansas. Wow, what a diverse group. What in the world would they have in common? Do you give up? The answer is that they are all on the Internet with websites designed by an innovative rural Kansas company called Rossini Management Systems. Prepare to download our program, this is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Brenda and Joe Rossini. Brenda and Joe are president and vice-president, respectively, of Rossini Management Systems. Rossini Management Systems is a company which provides interactive media to the economic development, manufacturing, and business community in the midwest. That includes the remarkably diverse group of entities that I just read. Brenda Rossini is a graduate of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee. Her career took her to Boeing Aircraft Corporation and Allied Signal Aerospace Company. Her husband Joe graduated from K-State. He worked in sales, management and marketing with such companies as NCR and Gerber Scientific Instruments. In 1986, Rossini Management Systems was formed to sell computer software and point of sale systems to the retail, commercial, and business marketplace. Clients included AMC Entertainment, Russell Stover candies, Hallmark Cards, and others. In 1994, Brenda and Joe launched a new division of the company to focus on multimedia operations. They formed a new division to utilize their combined forty-years-plus experience to develop and market high technology products. For example, in 94 the Rossinis worked with the Johnson County Partnership organization to produce a 250 page fact book on disk. The Rossinis have gone on to produce interactive electronic media for a diverse set of purposes. Apparently these technological products are good ones. In 1997, the AEDC voted one of the Rossini projects as best interactive product of the year. The Rossinis have produced interactive marketing disks promoting towns in Missouri, and those disks have won the Governor's Conference Award -- not once but two years in a row. And where is this innovative company located? Well, its mailing address is Stilwell, Kansas, which I couldn't find on my map. Joe Rossini tells me that they are actually nearest to the town of Bucyrus, which is an unincorporated town in northern Miami County in eastern Kansas, south of Kansas City. Joe says, "We are the most technologically advanced company in Miami County." He says, "Bucyrus itself has a grain elevator, one other business and us." Bucyrus has a population estimated at about 200 people. Now, that's rural. Yet the beauty of modern technology is that it doesn't matter where you live, you can communicate electronically around the world. You don't have to live on Wall Street or in downtown LA to do business. You can use the Internet to go world-wide. Brenda and Joe's company has helped its clients go world-wide by developing products for them such as digital marketing computer brochures, logos, Internet home pages, and data base projects. But just having a website is not enough. The Rossinis can submit their client's sites to search engines so that websurfers will be referred to them. Joe gets especially excited about seeing his clients succeed. For example, he talks about working with a moving company in Kansas City to automate their warehouse inventory and track movement of products through the Internet. Joe says, "It was a tremendous time-saver. Our computer project was easily paid for within a year in labor savings." You can find more about the company by going on, guess what, the Internet. Go to www.rossini.com. Or you can call toll-free, the old-fashioned way, at 1-888-533-5368. That number again is 1-888-533-5368. So that's the answer to our riddle. I found it interesting that entities as diverse as a doll shop, several cities, a law firm, manufacturing companies, and even the Catholic church would be on-line on the Internet thanks to this Kansas enterprise. We salute Brenda and Joe Rossini for making a difference through modern technology and old-fashioned hustle. Today let's take a walk along a beach. It's a pleasant walk, although we see some strange creatures. And as we come around a bend, we find a giant, 18 foot tall, 40 foot long Tyrannosaurus Rex B which turns its head toward us and shows its giant teeth with a roar. Wow, did we step through a time warp? No, we're simply visiting a new museum featuring robotic dinosaurs and educational displays. It's all part of the new Sternberg Museum of Natural History, and it's today's Kansas Profile. Meet the late George Sternberg. Sternberg is the world-renowned fossil hunter for whom the museum is named. Our story really begins about 80 million years ago -- give or take a millenium or two -- when central North America was covered by a giant inland sea. Dinosaurs and other types of prehistoric life were living in and around that inland sea. Over the years, those creatures would leave their remains all over, including the area we now call rural Kansas. Fast forward a few million years to 1866, when an Army surgeon named Dr. George Sternberg was assigned to a post at Fort Harker near Ellsworth. He noticed that inquisitive troopers, while on patrol in western Kansas, would sometimes collect fossils. He showed some of these fossils to early paleontologists in Washington and Philadelphia who recorded them in the scientific literature. The adventure had begun. Dr. Sternberg was joined by his younger brother and three nephews in a lifelong interest in paleontology. It is said that no other single family has been more important to the history of paleontology than the Sternbergs. The Sternbergs engaged in fossil collecting all over the western U.S. and into South America. In 1927, young George F. Sternberg, namesake of his uncle, was persuaded by the president of what is now Fort Hays State University to become a curator at the college. Sternberg spent his entire career there, doing his world-renowned paleontological work and setting up a museum. One of his finds was the famous fish within a fish. This is a fossil of one large fish showing the fossil of a smaller fish within its belly B presumably, a fish that the larger one had just eaten. Gee, I guess the meal didn't agree with him.... Anyway, it is a rare and eye-catching find. It was found in a chalk bed southeast of Quinter, Kansas, population 844 people. Now, that's rural. The fish within a fish has been part of the Sternberg collection for many years. I remember seeing it on the Fort Hays campus when it and other fossils were crammed into an academic building down in the middle of campus. The setting wasn't very visitor-friendly. Now, those displays have a new home. It is a fabulous, multi-million dollar facility located just off of Interstate 70 on the north side of Hays. The university acquired a 4.5 story, domed building there and converted it into this museum, which opened in the spring of 1999. The museum includes many fossils and a diorama simulating a prehistoric beach. Visitors walk through and see life-size, animated dinosaurs B including that giant Tyrannosaurus Rex. It also includes a simulation of undersea life, including giant mosasaurs and fish. There is an interesting lifesize model of George Sternberg at work on a fossil dig, many educational displays and changing exhibits, and even a restaurant and Museum Store. I especially like the discovery room, which is great for kids and others. Unlike most museums, this is one where visitors are encouraged to touch the things inside. Kids can climb on a giant spider and visitors can use computer stations or actually handle and examine various specimens from nature. And I haven't even mentioned what greets you first at the museum. When you walk in the front door, you are nose-to-nose B or maybe nose-to-tusk B with a casting of a skeleton of a giant, 10,000 year old Columbian mammoth. Wow, what a greeter.... The Sternberg Museum of Natural History is a real gem. It has already attracted some hundred thousand visitors. It's a great place to visit and bring the family. It's time to end our walk on the beach, so we'll say goodbye to this giant dinosaur -- with thanks that he hasn't eaten us. We commend the people of Fort Hays State and especially of the Sternberg Museum, for making a difference by providing this wonderful new fun and educational resource for our citizens. It's beachfront property like you've never seen before B and you've got to see it. Mike McReynolds - Taylor Products Here's a story about a company that is tailor-made for success B and I mean that literally. It is tailor-made because its products are made by a company called Taylor Products. But aside from the name, this is an innovative and growing company. I'm pleased to say that we find it in rural Kansas. Stay tuned for today's Kansas Profile. Meet Mike McReynolds. Mike is President and CEO of Taylor Products, and he told us the company's history. Our story really begins nearly three decades ago, with a man named Murland Taylor. Mr. Taylor had a seed cleaning plant in southeast Kansas. He was something of an innovator, and he was looking for a way to improve the seed cleaning equipment that he had on hand. He tinkered with the machine and made some improvements B so many, in fact, that soon his competitors wanted a new machine like that too. After the seed was cleaned, the next step would be to have a machine to put it in a bag. And of course, you would want it to fill the same amount every time. Beyond that, you would want it to be reliable and clean. Mr. Taylor started working on such machines, and that's how it all began. As I said, the first machines were used to package seed, but it became apparent that this packaging could apply to other types of products too. A company was formed to produce such equipment, and it grew and diversified. Today, the company known as Taylor Products manufactures a wide range of equipment used in packaging and handling of dry, bulk, solid materials. Taylor Products offers a broad range of modular packaging components and works with customers to solve unique packaging needs. Taylor Products is also involved with the Southeast Kansas Manufacturers Network. This is a group of manufacturers in the region that first got together 10 or 12 years ago to discuss common problems and work for solutions. Mike McReynolds came to the company four years ago. Sales have nearly doubled in that time, and so has employment. When Mike started, there were 41 employees, and now there are 74. And boy, has the company diversified. These packaging systems aren't just for seed anymore. In fact, the Taylor Products website offers equipment for the following types of industries: Chemical, conveying equipment manufacturing, consulting engineering, cosmetics, feed & seed, food & snack, milling & baking, nut & nut processing, powdered coatings, paint & pigments, pet food, petrochemical, and plastics & plastic compounding. Wow. And to achieve the maximum accuracy in these packaging machines, Taylor Products now offers digital weighing controllers and electronic scale controls. Mike McReynolds says that about 15 percent of their products go to agricultural use, while 30 percent goes for handling chemicals and 27 percent each go for handling food and pharmaceutical products. These products are even in demand overseas. Taylor Products has sold to customers from New Zealand to Canada and from China to South America. It's exciting to see a Kansas business like this have international success, from its location in Parsons, Kansas; population 11,316 people. Now, that's rural. This is a company that is tailor-made for success. In fact, it's literally taylor-made because the name of the company is Taylor Products, and this company makes high quality equipment which is marketed world-wide. We salute Mike McReynolds and the people of Taylor Products for their entrepreneurship, innovation, and hard work in the packaging industry. All in all, it makes for a great package deal. Jon Hotaling - Southeast Kansas Inc. How do you spell the word team? That's easy, right? Everyone knows how to spell team. Would you believe that team can be spelled with the letters S-E-K? That's not what your grade school spelling teacher taught you, but in southeast Kansas there is a group of people which is taking a team approach to solving regional problems. Their team approach could be described by the letters S-E-K. It's being led by citizens from rural Kansas, and it's today's Kansas Profile. Meet Jon Hotaling. Jon is director of economic development for Coffey County in eastern Kansas. He is also involved in creating this new regional organization serving the southeastern part of our state. That effort is bringing together the strengths of several entities in the region. Jon points out that in 1957, an organization called Mid-America Inc. was formed in southeast Kansas to strengthen the manufacturing base of the region through industrial recruitment. That organization did a lot of good. Over time, its mission changed, and the organization declined during the tough times of the 1990s. Meanwhile, other leaders in the region saw the need for additional efforts to strengthen the area. At Pittsburg State University, Phil Halstead became director of the Business and Technical Institute. Phil had a vision of a regional approach to problem-solving, and he helped mobilize it. It was called the Southeast Kansas Economic Alliance. Jon Hotaling says, "Phil Halstead was instrumental in trying to get new ideas in to help our area." In 1998, an initial meeting was held in Pittsburg. 120 community leaders from all economic sectors attended the meeting. Discussion centered on the fact that southeast Kansas has lost 30 percent of its population since 1930, and according to a state study has the highest level of economic distress of any region of the state. To address these problems, these leaders agreed to work together. They formed the Southeast Kansas Economic Alliance, which has continued to meet. The alliance has organized a set of councils within its group to address regional needs on a variety of topics, including agriculture, economic development, chambers of commerce, education, manufacturing, legislation, transportation, tourism, and housing. Mid-America Inc. was one of the sponsors of the alliance, and over time it became clear that there would be benefit from merging the legal entity of Mid-America Inc. with the energy of the new alliance. In late 1999, voters approved a merger of the alliance and Mid-America. And in February of 2000, the new organization was unveiled: Southeast Kansas Inc. Southeast Kansas Inc. is composed of nine member counties in the southeastern part of the state. It has a steering committee and a large board of directors representing the entire region. The vision of the new organization is a southeast Kansas with a rising standard of living for all its citizens. The mission of the organization is to develop and implement a regional economic development strategy, campaign, and organization. Southeast Kansas Inc. has specific objectives for raising income, reversing the population decline, and retaining and creating higher value-added jobs. The various councils have specific strategies to help in their sector of the economy. When Southeast Kansas Inc. elected its first chairman of the board, the person selected was Jon Hotaling. Jon works in the Coffey County town of Burlington, population 2,719 people. Now, that's rural. I believe rural people understand the need to work together. Jon Hotaling says, "We want to bring all these regional assets and organizations together to focus on stemming the tide. This will require both a strong volunteer effort and a financial commitment from both public and private sectors." Southeast Kansas Inc. will even have a presence on the Internet, with a website at sekinc.org. How do you spell team? That's easy, right? Well, in one region of the state, leaders there are spelling team Southeast Kansas Inc., or SEK for short. We commend Jon Hotaling, Phil Halstead, and other leaders of southeast Kansas for making a difference by pulling together. However you spell it, Southeast Kansas Inc. is making teamwork happen. Randy Rundle - Fifth Avenue Antique Auto Today let's go to the finish line of the 1999 Great American Race -- that's the name of the annual cross country race for antique cars. We're here at the finish line in California, and here comes the winning car. It is a 1911 Veelie vintage automobile. And just as in years before, a key part of the electrical system inside this champion car was produced in rural Kansas. It has even made its way to Hollywood. How did this happen? Start your engines, this is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Randy Rundle. Randy is the owner of Fifth Avenue Antique Auto Parts. He is the remarkable entrepreneur who has been now been internationally recognized for his work with the electrical systems on antique cars. Our story begins in Clay Center, Kansas, where young Randy Rundle used to tinker with cars, as many young men tend to do. His first project was an old 1948 Chevrolet pickup. He soon found that it had electrical problems. The lights would be dim or it wouldn't start. Those old cars and trucks used generators which were known to be unreliable. But Randy knew that in the mid-1960s car manufacturers started using alternators, which used more reliable components to power a car's electrical system. So Randy decided to apply the new technology to the older style automobiles. He invented a 6 volt alternator that would replace the generator in these old car's electrical systems. His newly designed alternator produced an electrical output that is 60 percent greater than that of the old generator style systems. This makes for an invaluable addition to the reliability of an antique automobile. Today he sells his alternator and other antique parts to old-car enthusiasts from coast to coast and around the world. In 1989, Randy got involved with the Great American Race, which as I mentioned is the transcontinental road race for vintage cars. Randy's alternator was first used in a 1936 car called a Cord, which I had never heard of. That 1936 car with Randy's alternator finished in the top 10. In 1993, Randy's alternator was used in a 1929 Dodge Sport Roadster which placed first in the 4,500 mile Great Race. Since then, Randy has had his alternator in cars with two firsts and two second place finishes. This technological advance has not gone unnoticed. In 1998 the Great Race started in California, and a movie director who happened to be there saw the benefits of the alternators and was referred to Randy. MGM Studios bought one of Randy's alternators to install in a 1953 Ford it was using for filming. It worked so well that they told Columbia Pictures who bought 6 volt alternators to go in the two 1947 Pontiacs used in the movie "Devil in a Blue Dress" starring Denzel Washington, and in 1997 Warner Brothers bought some for the movie "LA Confidential" starring Danny Devito. All this Hollywood stuff is pretty exciting, but Randy remains based in his hometown antique auto parts store in Clay Center, Kansas, population 4,692 people. Now, that's rural. But Randy's store isn't just your typical downtown store either. It has lots of interesting features, starting with the front end of an actual 1949 Chevrolet that is mounted on the front of Randy's building. In other words, it looks like someone is driving this car toward the street from his second floor. And to make it even better, that car's lights still work and the horn still honks. Inside the store, the walls are lined with old barn wood covered with metal highway signs and antique road maps. The seats at the counter are made from Model T car rear ends. This is a guy who is ingenious, who has great mechanical skills, and who appreciates classic automobiles. He has written two books about restoring cars. So why remain in Clay Center? Randy Rundle says, "I grew up here. The quality of life is a lot better here." It's time to say goodbye to the Great American Race in California. We're glad to find that a rural Kansas company could play a role in helping these champion cars. We salute Randy Rundle and Fifth Avenue Antique Auto Parts for making a difference through innovation and entrepreneurship. Compared to the hassles of living in congested urban areas, Randy has chosen to win the Great Race instead of the rat race. Dr. Brian Hunt - Health Care in Linn County 2000 is an election year, in case you haven't noticed. Imagine a political rally that sounds like this: "Our candidate is the best. What has he accomplished? Well, he raised your taxes...." Oops, doesn't sound like a very popular platform to run on. But sometimes there is such a crisis that the elected officials and the people step forward together to respond with the needed investment. Today, we'll learn about such a case in rural Kansas. It involves something that is vital to all of us, and that is quality health care. Stay tuned, this is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Brian Hunt, M.D. Dr. Hunt was involved in a major debate involving health care in his county. Brian lives in eastern Kansas now, but he was originally from Arkansas City in south central Kansas. He grew up on a farm and went to K-State, but he says he always wanted to be a doctor. He says, "I love taking care of people." Ultimately, he went to medical school at KU, concentrating on internal medicine and pediatrics. He graduated in1994 and spent two years practicing emergency medicine in Lawrence. At that point, he was getting married and he found an opportunity to do family practice in a smaller town setting. So he ended up practicing medicine at a clinic in the Linn County town of LaCygne. Linn County is on the eastern Kansas line, bordering Missouri. It is due south of Kansas City. The Shawnee Mission Medical Center of Kansas City owned two clinics in Linn County. One was at LaCygne and the other was at Mound City, population 840 people. Now, that's rural. In rural towns everywhere, it is tough to maintain medical service in the face of rising medical costs and lower government reimbursements. In 1997 the parent company of the Linn County clinics was involved in a merger, and guess what: the new company decided to streamline and downsize. In January 1999 came the public announcement from the merged health company in Kansas City: We're going to shut these Linn County clinics down. As you might guess, this generated a lot of concern in the county. Linn County is already medically underserved. There is no hospital in the county, and only one other full-time physician. There was a public outcry about the potential loss of local health care. At that point, the leadership of the county commission stepped forward. The commissioners, led by Marty Reed, began a search for alternatives. At one point Marty Reed asked the doctors, would you stay if the county could keep these clinics open? Dr. Brian Hunt agreed to stay, and then the real work began. After a lot of debate, the county commissioners proposed to raise the mill levy so that the county could purchase and support these two clinics, and the plan was adopted. The tax increase took effect at the beginning of the new year, and the Kansas City health company agreed to keep the clinics open till that time. Today, the medical clinics in Mound City and LaCygne are serving patients with support from the county. Dr. Hunt and his nurse practitioner take turns staffing these clinics on alternating days. Dr. Hunt says, "If the county wouldn't have stepped in, these clinics would have shut down." He is really proud of the way the county reacted to this potential loss of health care. Increasing taxes is never an easy task. Dr. Hunt says, "When people saw that the increased cost of this plan would be less than the cost of gas to drive out of the county for health care, people set aside their political differences to make this happen." He says, "The county commissioners recognized that health care is one of the keystones of any community. All I want to do is take care of folks, and I look forward to the growth of medical care here." Yes, 2000 is an election year. You won't likely hear some candidate say, "Yes, I raised your taxes." But in Linn County, we found a case where the people and the elected officials together recognized the need to invest to maintain local health care. We salute the people of Linn County, Dr. Brian Hunt, and the Linn County Commissioners for making a difference through this innovative step to support health care for their citizens. Imagine a political rally where the candidate says, "I helped maintain local health care service in our county." Now that would get my vote. Today let's go to Chicago where they are filming a commercial with basketball star Michael Jordan. Wow! The lights are on, the cameras are rolling, and there is Michael Jordan...with a basketball goal that came from a company in rural Kansas. How in the world did a rural Kansas company get its basketball goal in with Michael Jordan? Stay tuned for today's Kansas Profile. Meet Ron Ensz. Ron is the owner of FuturePro Incorporated, the company which provided the basketball goal for this commercial with the infamous Michael Jordan. This company offers a full line of equipment for basketball, volleyball, football, and track and field. Yet the origin of this company reflects its rural roots. Our story begins with Loren Balzer, who's from Buhler in south central Kansas. Loren was a custom cutter who traveled across country during wheat harvest. One year as Loren was preparing to leave for harvest, his wife had a request. They had three boys, all different ages and sizes. The boys wanted to play basketball but each needed a different height basketball goal. That was a problem for Loren's wife, so he devised a basketball goal which could be adjusted by hand to fit each of the boys. It worked so well that a neighbor wanted one, and then another. Before long, Loren and friends were building basketball goals in the winter and cutting wheat in the summer. Ron Ensz was one of those friends and neighbors who was helping build these basketball goals in his spare time, and he came to Loren and said, "I think these have real potential." So in 1990, Ron and Loren decided to add a portable stand to one of their basketball goals and take it to a trade show held in conjunction with the final four. Ron says, "We finished assembling it late one Tuesday night and took off early Wednesday morning for the final four." There they put up their new goal, but there was one problem: In their haste to get it done, they hadn't built it with enough weight on the back of the stand. Ron says, "Part of our sales pitch was that these were farmer-built so they were strong and tough." They would demonstrate by jumping up and holding the rim, showing that it could support their weight. But when they did so, the goal fell over. So much for strong and tough. What in the world to do? But Ron and his friend were entrepreneurs. When someone came by for a demonstration, one of them would sit on the back of the stand and pretend to take notes, which weighted down the goal so that the other could show how strong it was. This ingenuity worked, and Syracuse University ordered 10 basketball goals. Ron was careful to tell them that the goals they received might look a little different, which gave him time to get home and fix the problem. From this humble beginning the company got its start. Ron Ensz bought the company, known as FuturePro Inc. Today the company sells backboards, rims, nets, stands, pads, and practice equipment for basketball and other sports. Ron Ensz has been to every final four since that first time. His company is selling to schools and universities from coast to coast and even the NBA. Churches are a rapidly growing market now. Most sales are through catalog, word of mouth, and now the Internet at www.futureproinc.com. The company has even made sales to six foreign countries. Sales have exceeded more than a million dollars, and FuturePro goals have been used with such celebrities as Spike Lee and Michael Jordan. But the company remains in the Kansas town of Inman, population 1,126 people. Now, that's rural. Ron Ensz says, "I go to about 15 trade shows a year, from Orlando to LA. I love to travel, but it's nice to come home." He says, "If my forklift breaks down at the business, the lumberyard will let me use theirs. Out here, rural people will help each other out." It's time to say farewell to Michael Jordan in Chicago, where he is filming a commercial with a basketball goal from a company in rural Kansas. We salute Ron Ensz, Loren Balzer, and the people of FuturePro Inc. for making a difference through entrepreneurship. They've made a slam dunk for rural Kansas. Today let's go to the League of Kansas Municipalities, the state-wide association of towns and cities. It's headquarters is near the state capitol in Topeka. One might assume that the League is dominated by the bigger cities in the eastern end of the state. Sure enough, if you were to look at a list of the recent presidents of the organization, you would find they are from such places as Kansas City, Salina, Topeka, Wichita, and Lakin. What was that last one? Yes, I said Lakin. Lakin is a far southwest Kansas town of 2,172 people. Now, that's rural. How did a small western Kansas town come to have such a leadership role? Stay tuned for today's Kansas Profile. Meet Ralph Goodnight. Ralph is the mayor of Lakin, Kansas. Ralph Goodnight is well-grounded in Lakin. On his mother's side, his family goes back almost five generations in the community. Ralph went to Lakin schools and Garden City Community College. He is involved in the family farming business, and especially involved in city government. Ralph was elected mayor in 1989 and has been re-elected twice without opposition. In 1991, he joined the Board of the League of Kansas Municipalities. In 1995, Ralph's name was being put forward as a possible nominee for vice-president of the state association. But first, it had to go through the League nominating committee. Ralph says, "If it was the mayor of Topeka or someone like that who was being nominated, they probably wouldn't even bother to go to the meeting." But Ralph figured he should attend. When he did, there was Bob Knight, the mayor of Wichita. I'd think that might be a little intimidating. Ralph wasn't sure how a big city mayor like Bob Knight would take to an officer candidate from a small town. But when the meeting began, it was Bob Knight who said, "Let's set aside this other business so we can get Ralph in as vice-president." Ralph thought to himself, "Wow, I've just been endorsed by the mayor of the largest city in the state." And so it was. Ralph received the nomination and was elected. A year later, Ralph was nominated and elected to the association's highest office, that of President. It had to be a high honor. For sure it was the first time that a President of the League had come from Lakin. Lakin is truly western Kansas. It is west of Garden City, only 15 miles from the mountain time zone. So it is a major commitment for someone from Lakin to attend meetings in Topeka. Ralph says, "It is exactly 320 miles from my driveway to the League building in Topeka." When the speed limit was still 55 miles an hour, it took nearly 6 hours for Ralph to make that drive one way. Western Kansas people tend to feel that they are underappreciated by the rest of the state, and you know what? They're right. Statewide meetings are held in Topeka all the time, and folks from western Kansas drive hours to get there. But those eastern Kansas agencies seem to think it is a hardship if they have to travel to a meeting way out in Hays, or - perish the thought - Garden City. So I think the western Kansas people have a point. But in this case, it was a western Kansas person who got involved in his state association and earned his way to the top position. It is possible to do so, even from a small western Kansas town. Of course, it is not so unusual to have League officers from smaller towns. After all, the League represents all cities, large and small. John Zutavern of Abilene was another recent president. I commend the League for providing this opportunity. There is one last part to our story. The League's national affiliate is the National League of Cities. That organization holds its meetings all across the nation, and Ralph says he doesn't usually go those meetings. But last fall he went to the National League of Cities annual meeting for one specific reason: The organization was installing its new national president B none other than Wichita mayor Bob Knight. I love it when things come full circle. Ralph Goodnight was supporting Bob Knight just as Bob had supported him before. It's time to say goodbye to the League of Kansas Municipalities. We commend Ralph Goodnight, Bob Knight, and the leaders of all Kansas communities large and small for making a difference by working together. Remember when you were a kid and you could hop on your bike and ride like the wind? I like that phrase, "ride like the wind." That's the way it felt when I was a kid and could get on my bicycle and go speeding down the driveway. Today we'll meet an innovative company which began by making vehicles that literally did ride like the wind. Now that company is producing modernistic bicycles which provide an outstanding riding experience for young as well as old. Pedal over to the radio, this is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Paula Schlitter. Paula is vice-president and partner in the company known as RANS Incorporated. Let's begin our story in the early 1970s, with a young bicycle enthusiast named Randy Schlitter. He loved to ride his bicycle. He and his family lived at Hays, Kansas, which at that time had a population of about 15,000 people. Now, that's rural. What do we have in the wide open spaces of rural Kansas? Well, for one thing, we have lots of wind. Apparently Randy had the idea of harnessing that wind-power for his bicycle. He created something called a sail-trike. A sail-trike was a three-wheeled vehicle with one or two seats that has a sail attached to it. It was like a wheeled sailboat that could go on land. Randy built the sail-trike with pedals so that you could pedal it yourself if the wind was down. On a windy day in western Kansas, riding one of those must have been a blast. They say the sail-trikes could go at highway speeds and pass cars. The RANS company was set up to build the sail-trikes, which were improved and modified over the years. The company no longer builds sail-trikes, but that history led to the bicycle business they have today: Namely, recumbent bicycles. What is a recumbent bicycle? Recumbent refers to the position of the rider, in that recumbent bicycles have cushioned seats with backs on which the rider can lean back. This is in contrast to the typical ten-speed bicycle, on which you sit hunched over forward. Thus, a recumbent bicycle offers a higher level of comfort. And using the innovative designs and quality engineering produced by RANS, these are high performance bicycles. Just listen to the names of some of the models produced by RANS: Rocket, Stratus, Screamer, and Velocity. Sounds like a sports car, doesn't it? This combination of comfort and high performance has led to expansion in the recumbent bicycle industry. Paula Schlitter says, "As the baby boomers age, they find other bikes are uncomfortable, but they can ride recumbents. Our largest market is people over 40." Paula says, "At the turn of the century B (I guess that would have been Y1K) B bike racing was a big sport in this country. Racing authorities found that recumbent bicycles had an unfair aerodynamic advantage, and so they banned them from competition." Now, a century later, recumbent bicycles have come into their own. Randy Schlitter is a designer by trade, and he and the company engineers have modified and improved the bikes with time. In 1997, RANS sold about 600 recumbent bicycles. By 1999, sales had tripled. These bicycles are sold literally from coast to coast, and even overseas. The company even builds tandem models, which two people can ride. Paula knows of some couples which took their bikes to Portugal to ride around Europe. She says, "People who ride `em love `em." Remember when you were a kid and you could hop on your bike and ride like the wind? Guess what, today you can get on a modern recumbent bicycle and have a high quality, high performance riding experience with more comfort than ever. We commend Paula Schlitter and the people of RANS for making a difference through innovation and entrepreneurship. And there's more, because the RANS company has a second major product line. Besides products that will go on land, this company has products that will literally fly through the skies. We'll hear about that on our next program. Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's.....Well, it's not Superman after all. It IS a plane. But this is no ordinary plane. This is a lightweight, single engine plane built from a kit that is produced in rural Kansas and sold around the world. Buckle your seat belt for take-off, this is today's Kansas Profile. Today is our second and final program in our series about the RANS company. On our last program, we learned how RANS produces recumbent bicycles for biking enthusiasts around the world. Today, we'll hear about how RANS takes its business into a whole new dimension: The sky. Here is the story. Ray Schlitter was a long-time flight instructor and agricultural spray pilot in Hays, Kansas, so his son Randy came by his interest in aviation naturally. Randy was a bicycle enthusiast, and in 1983 a friend talked Randy into building an ultralight airplane. It sounds kind of like Orville and Wilbur Wright to me. After all, the Wright brothers were bike repairmen before they flew at Kitty Hawk. But Randy Schlitter is a different kind of pioneer. He wasn't the first to build planes, but he has built an airplane business in rural Kansas. Apparently Randy enjoyed building that first airplane, because he got formal training in aircraft mechanics and, within a year, was producing and selling kits to build airplanes. His company, known as RANS, produces a line of these airplane kits. The FAA puts these in a category called experimental airplanes. It really means these are airplanes that are built by the purchaser of the kit, usually amateurs. But these are not toys, they are the real thing. They are life-size planes that carry real people. Today RANS sells kits for eight models of airplanes, in various styles and sizes. Of course, the craftsmanship and testing must be very precise. Computer-operated machines do much of the machining. The kits include metal frames built by RANS with engines, tires, and the fabric skin of the plane, ready for the customer to assemble. They come in a very large box. And listen to this: 70 percent of the RANS airplane business is overseas. This is largely due to the fact that other countries have more flexible aviation rules, and probably less air traffic, than does the U.S. RANS airplane kits provide an opportunity for foreign flyers to get a less expensive start in the airplane business. And business has, pardon the pun, taken off. Since 1983, RANS has sold more than 3,000 airplane kits to 45 countries around the globe. They have even done a couple of projects for NASA, one of which was a remote piloted vehicle. RANS products have sold from Germany to Argentina. Yet the company remains in Hays, Kansas where it was founded. Employment has grown from a handful of people when it began to 60 people today, which benefits the whole region. Workers at the company commute in from nearby towns such as Victoria, population 1,226, and Ransom, population 351 people. Now, that's rural. I think it is great that a Kansas business is generating jobs for rural people while serving a world market in aviation. RANS vice-president Paula Schlitter says, "The most interesting and most fun part of the business is dealing with people from all over the world." On the day I visited, there was a group coming in from the Netherlands. A map of the world in one hallway is marked with dots showing the location of customers world-wide. Why be in Hays? Paula Schlitter says, "We were at the point, in the early `80s, that we had to either build the business to stay here or move to the big city. We were having kids, and we chose to stay here." She says, "This is a great place to raise a family, and we have great people in our company." Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's....not Superman, but it is a Super idea: the concept that a Kansas business could build these innovative, attractive airplane kits to serve a market around the world. We salute the people of the RANS company for making a difference through international entrepreneurship. I hope the idea continues to fly. Jere White - Kansas Corn Growers Today let's go to the head office. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? This is the headquarters office of the Kansas Corn Growers Association. You might expect the head offices of most state associations to be located in the state capitol of Topeka, and you would be right. Most of them are. But today, we'll meet a group whose head office is located in a rural setting. It's good for the association as well as rural Kansas. Stay tuned, this is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Jere White. Jere is Executive Director of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and the Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association. These are the trade associations representing corn and sorghum producers across the state. Now, if you looked at a list of the major trade associations in the state, you would find that most of them have an office in Topeka. It's logical, because those groups do government relations, and Topeka is where the state agencies and the legislature are located. But the corn and sorghum growers are an exception. Their head office is located in the Anderson County town of Garnett, population 3,244 people. Now, that's rural. Why Garnett? Jere White tells the story. His roots are found in rural Kansas. Jere's family came from a farm near Garnett. Ironically, however, Jere moved around a lot growing up since his stepfather was in the military. Jere began kindergarten in Garnett and graduated high school in Garnett, but in between he attended 17 different school districts. Wow. Jere went on to community college and non-farm work which eventually gave way to getting started in the cattle business and later diversified into crops. His farming operation expanded over time. In 1979, Jere was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Kansas Corn Commission. These commissioners are responsible for giving direction to the use of the monies which corn growers assess on themselves to promote their product. Jere served on the corn commission for eight years. That experience was to serve him well. Meanwhile, the Kansas Corn Growers Association had been operating for some years with volunteers. By 1988, the organization was wanting some staff support. They looked for someone to serve as a part-time director, and the person they selected was Jere White. Jere says, "I was the very first employee of the corn growers. I started out doing this on a limited basis from my house near Garnett, spending a few days out of the year doing basic representation work for the corn industry." Apparently the representation worked well. The corn growers asked Jere to take on more and more projects and responsibilities over time. Meanwhile, the grain sorghum producers recognized that many issues were similar between corn and sorghum. Six years ago, they asked Jere to be director of that association also. Eventually the operation outgrew the space in Jere's house and moved to an office in town. Jere says, "When we started, the corn growers had about 100 members statewide. Today, there are about 1,250 members statewide." The staff has grown to five fulltime people, doing a variety of member service, promotional, and informational jobs on behalf of the corn and sorghum industry. So why remain in Garnett? Jere says, "Our operating costs are more moderate than if we were downtown in a big city. We're an hour and fifteen minutes from Topeka when we need to go there, and I like having that time to sort out my thoughts. We're an hour and 20 minutes to KCI airport. And every one of our staff has a background in production agriculture, and that's something that's hard to find in a bigger city." Jere says, "Every day I drive through my member's backyard. If all you see is asphalt and concrete every day, you might not know what your constituents are experiencing and what they need." It's time to say goodbye to the head office B that is, the headquarters for corn and grain sorghum producers in the state. It's located in a rural setting, and as a result, is perhaps closer to the concerns of its members. We salute Jere White and the leaders of the corn and sorghum producer associations for making a difference by giving leadership to our vital grain industry. By locating in a rural setting, we think they'll come out ahead. Recently I heard the saying, "Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." I like that saying. It reminds us that we should be thankful to our forebears for many of the benefits we have today, and we should also think about providing for future generations. Today we'll meet a man who fits this model. No, I don't mean that he is sitting in the shade. He is honoring his legacy and helping build one for future generations. Stay tuned, this is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Doug Lindahl. Doug is a rural leader of which we can be proud. Doug grew up on the family farm between Abilene and Chapman. His great-grandfather was a blacksmith at Fort Riley who homesteaded in Dickinson County. Doug earned a economics degree from K-State and a master's from Southwest Missouri State. He began his career as a Group Home Director with the DuPont back in Delaware. Doug and his wife then moved back to Kansas. He worked nine years for the state rehabilitation service in Topeka and then transferred to the Abilene office in order to be closer to home. Doug and his wife now live in that first family home which was built in 1873. You'll be relieved to know it has been remodeled several times since. In 1993, Doug decided to go to work for himself. With a partner in Topeka, Doug set up a professional employment consultation company of his own called Lindahl and Santner. Doug says, "There are probably only a half-dozen private sector vocational counselors like me around the state." When someone is injured on the job, they may need help returning to work or finding alternatives. Vocational counselors are called in to help provide information or help find a way to get that person back to work in some capacity. Doug gets a number of referrals from insurance adjusters and attorneys to help individual clients. He also assists with the welfare to work process. Doug meets with clients all over the state, but his main office remains in his home near the Dickinson County town of Enterprise, population 875 people. Now, that's rural. Being in a rural setting, Doug believes in the ethic of community service. He has been president of the Chapman school board and president of the county Quality of Life Coalition. As a school board member, he went to a countywide economic development planning meeting a few years ago. After a lot of strategic thought, the group decided the most important issue facing the county was leadership. That has led to several outstanding initiatives in Dickinson County. First, the county organized a leadership development program through the county extension office. Then the Kansas Health Foundation sponsored a pilot program in the county called Developmental Assets, which is a program to assess and build on the various assets in the community that support child health. And after that, the Kansas Health Foundation made some major grants to the Leadership Dickinson County program. These grants are part of the Health Foundation's Community Leadership Initiative. As the foundation president says, "The Kansas Health Foundation hopes to make Kansas the best place in the country to raise a child in 20 years. To achieve this lofty goal, the state will need good leadership." The Health Foundation is seeking to build and support that leadership through grants to 19 community leadership programs across the state. Representatives of those programs are going through an outstanding training program. Among those representatives are Dickinson County Extension agent Marsha Weaver and volunteer Doug Lindahl. Doug says, "It's fun to work with leadership and work with outstanding people." Yes, I like that saying, "Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." It means that someone had the leadership and foresight to improve the environment for future generations. Doug Lindahl has done so, both literally and figuratively. Doug says, "My father planted about 500 walnuts in 1975. In 1994, I planted about 1800 trees." So Doug is making a difference by improving the home place, while also serving in various capacities to build leadership for a healthy community in the future. That's a legacy that will stand for a long time to come. When you're driving across country, do you ever stop and look at the monuments along the road? I like to do that, when I have time. You can learn a lot about local history when you stop and look at the monuments along the way. Recently I stopped and looked at some monuments as I was driving through rural western Kansas. But these were no ordinary roadside statues. These monuments had their origin about 80 million years ago. Stay tuned, this is today's Kansas Profile. As I was driving on Highway 83 south of Oakley, I came to a sign that pointed out the location of these particular monuments. It's not some man-made monument at all, but rather an ancient geological landmark called Monument Rocks. These are also described on the map as chalk pyramids. Somehow that doesn't have the same ring to it as Monument Rocks. Anyway, our story begins millions of years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and a giant inland sea covered western Kansas. At the bottom of that sea, geologists say, was a chalky ooze. Eventually the waters receded, and that ooze turned into a rock-hard formation. The towers of rock were formed over the centuries from erosion. The tougher rock remains in place, making these remarkable stone landmarks. Imagine the pioneers traveling across miles of flat, open grassland, and happening upon these remarkable stone formations. What do you suppose they would have thought? I'll bet it created some interesting entries in someone's pioneer diary. One writer described the monument rocks as markers deliberately placed upon the great plains. Now that was a construction job. Of course, these really were landmarks for travelers in the pioneer days. This was along the route of the Smoky Hill Trail and the Butterfield Overland Despatch route from Atchison to Denver. A small stone post to mark this route was placed nearby by Howard Raynesford of Ellis, Kansas. Historians have written that this route developed a reputation as the most dangerous route to Denver. It was first traversed in 1844 by explorer John C. Fremont. Fremont went on to become a general, and - little known fact - was the first Republican nominee for president. As I was driving south on Highway 83, I saw the sign and decided to stop by and see these rocks. They are not visible from the highway. In fact, they are on private land, but an unpaved road will take you there if you don't mind going over a cattle guard or two. To get to Monument Rocks from I-70, you take Highway 83 south from Oakley about 20 miles and then take the marked road about 7 miles east. As I approached the rocks, it made me think of Stonehenge. Here are these big rock formations appearing out of nowhere. Some of these outcroppings are 60 feet high. They stand in various shapes and sizes. One has a big vertical opening which has been nicknamed the keyhole. If that's a keyhole, it must have been Paul Bunyan's key that opened the lock. The ground around the rocks is dry and sandy. Geologists say the rock is relatively soft. People have left their names over the years. One inscription is dated 1885. Gee, I think my desk in school had that on it... I think these monument rocks are remarkable. They are in a truly rural setting. Oakley is about 25 miles north and Scott City is 23 miles to the south. The nearest town, as the crow flies, is the town of Healy. Healy is unincorporated, but is said to have a population of about 300 people. Now, that's rural. It's good to see that rural Kansas offers such a remarkable, natural landscape. When you're driving across country, do you ever stop and look at the monuments along the road? I like to do that, when I have time. You can learn a lot about local history when you stop and look at the monuments along the way. The local history we've learned about today goes back a long way, because this history goes back to the dinosaurs. We salute the people of the community for making a difference by sharing with the people this monumental landmark. And there's more. Near the monument rocks is a remarkable art gallery. We'll hear about that on our next program. Here's a slogan for you: we're conveniently located in the middle of nowhere. Now don't you find that intriguing? That's just one of the intriguing facets we find about the remarkable place we recently encountered in rural western Kansas. It's the Keystone Art Gallery and Kansas Fossil Museum, and it's today's Kansas Profile. On our last program, we heard about the chalk outcroppings in Gove County called Monument Rocks. Just eight miles to the west of this geological wonder is the Keystone Gallery. The Keystone Gallery is owned by Barbara Shelton, her husband Charles Bonner, and their son Logan Bonner. The Bonner family has roots in this rural area. Charles - known as Chuck - was born in Scott City and grew up in the town of Leoti, population 1,731 people. Now, that's rural. Because of the geologic history of this rural region, it is a natural for fossil hunting. The Bonner family has collected Kansas fossils since 1928. Chuck's father was a fossil collector and his mother was an artist. Chuck went to Fort Hays State University where he received an A.B. in art and an M.A. in painting. There he met and married Barbara Shelton. Chuck worked at the Sternberg Museum in Hays, helping to prepare fossils and other scientific exhibits. That helped prepare him to open a gallery of his own. In the 80s, the Bonners found this location along Highway 83 near Monument Rocks where there was a house and an old church. The church has an interesting history of its own. It goes back to 1917, when it was built of native limestone as a community church. It was titled the Pilgrim Holiness Church, but it was commonly known as the Keystone church. Services were held there till 1953, and then it was used as a community building until 1964. By the time the Bonners bought the old church building, it was what a realtor might politely describe as a fixer-upper. Barbara Shelton is a little more direct. She says, "This was a trash pit." The building had been virtually abandoned. Barbara says, "It was a pigeon hunting paradise." She means that literally. If you look closely at the stone, you can find some bulletholes. Gee, we ought to tell the tourists those are from Indian battles. Anyway, the Bonners and friends restored the building. It retains its wood floors and rustic feel. The house and windcharger are nearby, and a sleepy cat greets you on the front step. But inside is a six by 24 foot mural of what the fossil sea may have looked like millions of years ago. It's surrounded by actual fossils from around the world, from shark's teeth and fossil fish to flying and swimming reptiles to trilobites from China. The art gallery features Chuck Bonner's artwork, including landscapes, portraits, abstract paintings, buffalo and other wildlife scenes. There is also an exhibit of Barbara Shelton's photography, and lots of gifts and souvenirs for purchase. One day Barbara thought of a slogan for the Keystone Gallery: conveniently located in the middle of nowhere. Indeed, their location is nearly 25 miles from the nearest town. In fact, the gallery is located off the utility company's electric power grid. Solar and wind power are their only source of electricity. A herd of 200 buffalo graze nearby. So does anyone ever find this place? Well, I signed the guest register, and on the same page were signatures of recent visitors from Colorado, South Carolina, and Canada. In looking back through the 1999 register, you could find visitors from all over the country and such places as Rangoon, Burma, Paris, and Yugoslavia. Wow. If you want to find Keystone Gallery, it is located 26 miles south of Oakley or 18 miles north of Scott City, just off of U.S. 83 Highway. Chuck and Barbara's son Logan Bonner is involved in the business. He will soon be a Freshman at Fort Hays State University, and he was recently named a National Merit Scholar. Logan designed the website for the facility, which is at www.keystonegallery.com. Now there's a slogan for you: conveniently located in the middle of nowhere. But this is a location which has been found by people from around the country and around the globe. We salute Chuck, Barbara and Logan Bonner for making a difference through their contribution to rural America. And in using the Internet, the younger generation of the Bonner family is virtually taking this location from the middle of nowhere to the middle of everywhere. Today we're going to spring into a fascinating bit of Kansas history and Kansas fun. And I use the word spring for a good reason. Today's story starts with a historic springs near a rural Kansas community, and it comes full circle into modern times. Stay tuned, this is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Bob Reinke of Wichita and Bud Hannaford of Marion. These two were the first to tell me about this historic springs. It is located north of the central Kansas town of Marion, population 1,863 people. Now, that's rural. Margo Yates and her son at the Marion Chamber of Commerce were also very helpful with the information they provided. Let's begin our story with Zebulon Pike, who described these springs in his journal of his expedition across what is now Kansas. The springs became known as Chingawassa Springs. Chingawassa was an Osage Indian chief. The word Chingawassa means Handsome Bird. Perhaps he was too handsome for his own good. Legend has it that he was murdered by a jealous chief of another tribe and buried near the springs. There are several springs in the area, and some of them are mineral springs -- particularly strong in sulfur. During 1888, five Kansas State University faculty members visited the springs to make a scientific test of the waters. Their chemical analysis was published, and it was suggested that this could become a famous health resort rivaling the Hot Springs of Arkansas. A group of businessmen wanted to promote the springs, as well as the nearby stone quarries. In 1889, a charter was filed for the Marion Belt and Chingawassa Springs Railroad Company which would connect the springs with the Rock Island Railroad. One of the railroad's founders was the brother of Bud Hannaford's grandfather. Local citizens were asked to support a bond issue to pay for construction of this railroad, and despite opposition from the governor, the bond issue was approved. A 16 mile railroad was built to the site, which would ultimately have a health spa, eating house, hotel, and dance hall. It became a location for many 4th of July celebrations and other gatherings. One testimonial compared Chingawassa very favorably with beautiful parks in America and Europe. An early day promoter wrote that the waters were Aso pure and clear that a newspaper lying at the bottom of the deepest of them can be read with perfect ease." Of course, the medicinal properties of the water were a drawing card. An 1888 newspaper notice from the M.D. in charge declared that the springs were for the treatment of Achronic diseases, such as rheumatism, dropsy, paralysis, skin and blood diseases, kidney and liver complaints, chronic constipation, hemmorrhoids, catarah, nervous and general debility, and something called "female weakness." Wow. This all-purpose cure brought thousands to the springs, but the financial panic of 1893 hit hard. In August of that year, the local newspaper reported that the Chingawassa Railroad was no more. Eventually the resort was torn down, the railroad ties were used for fenceposts, and the land passed into other hands. Today it is private property and is used for grazing. But even after its closure, for many years the springs was a popular spot for camping trips, hay rides, steak frys, and other gatherings. Fast forward to 1997. The Marion Chamber of Commerce was wanting to hold a three day summer festival, but the question was what to call it? Someone suggested the name Chingawassa Days, and I'm pleased to report that the name stuck. On the first weekend of June, some 8,000 people will participate in festivities in the downtown park in Marion. There will be fun for the entire family, including music, games, artwork, belly dancing, a carnival, and other entertainment. The Kentucky Headhunters will perform, along with another band with the name Free Donuts. How's that for an ingenious way to get people to come to your show?... Today we've had the chance to spring into some interesting Kansas history. In calling this festival Chingawassa Days, the community is bringing this story full circle. It is connecting its modern day event with this historic springs of more than a century ago. We salute Bob Reinke, Bud Hannaford, Margo Yates, and the others who are making a difference by caring for their community and remembering their heritage. So go to Marion, Kansas on June 2, 3, and 4 to have a good time and remember Chingawassa Springs. Today let's go to the mall B but this is not your big city shopping mall. As you walk in the door of this mall, the first thing you see is a beautiful, 1940 Ford coupe in mint condition. Beyond that are row upon row of antiques and collectibles. Out in front is a one-row horsedrawn plow. On your right is a 1934 Ford highboy, and on your left is a red 1952 Packard. Wow. Nice cars, and lots of antiques. No, this is no big city shopping mall, it is an antique mall that is located in rural Kansas. Stay tuned for today's Kansas Profile. Meet Jack Perry, owner of the Benton Antique Mall and Restaurant in Benton, Kansas. Benton is a small town on Highway 254 between Wichita and El Dorado. Jack grew up around Wichita. He had been in the restaurant business in Wichita for 20 years when a friend asked him to put a restaurant into an antique mall that the friend was opening in the nearby town of Towanda. Towanda is a town of 1,409 people. Now, that's rural. Having an antique mall and restaurant in a small town near Wichita sounded like a good idea to Jack, so he gave it a try. But then Jack's friend had a bout with ill health and the building was sold. But having an antique mall and restaurant in a small town near Wichita still sounded like a good idea to Jack, so he decided to do one on his own. He built a 19,000 square foot building in his hometown of Benton and opened the Benton Antique Mall. Now, this is a mall in the sense that it is big, has lots of choices, and several sellers, but the real focus here is antiques B antiques and collectibles from tin cookie cutters to fabulous classic cars. There's an old-time Red Crown gasoline pump and a metal sign with a thermometer advertising Mail Pouch Chewing Tobacco. Another thing that caught my eye was a Friday the 13th edition of the Wichita Eagle Beacon newspaper from 1945. There are dishes and tools and artwork and signs and everything under the sun. In the center is the restaurant. There are no walls around this restaurant, just a roped off area where diners and loafers can enjoy the atmosphere. It's called the Ol' Guys Café and Soda Fountain, specializing in homemade food and pan fried chicken on Sundays. Yum. You've gotta like a place where the motto on the menu is "fabulous classic cars, wonderful antiques, and darn good grub." And then there are the cars B beautiful, mint condition classic cars inside and outside the building. Jack Perry is buying and selling these classic cars. Folks are friendly at this mall. I met a Bob Johnston while asking about the cars, and he told me about his daughter Andrea who is a student at K-State. She lives at Boyd Hall, coincidentally, which is named for Mamie Boyd who is the mother of the Huck Boyd for whom our Institute for Rural Development is named. The people at the Benton Antique Mall are helpful and friendly. They also have a lot of, shall we say, maturity. Jack Perry says that among his employees are a 77 year old lady and a 75 year old man who have worked for him from the early days. Benton is a great place for this antique mall, because it provides small town life but access to the big city. It is only 25 minutes from downtown Wichita. Jack Perry says, "I've always wanted to live out in the country. It's quiet and we think it's safe. We really like it. I can lock the door of the building and be home in my recliner in about 2 minutes." Doesn't that sound like a good commute? It's time to say goodbye to the mall. No, it's not some big city shopping mall. This mall is about antiques. It provides a comfortable, climate-controlled setting to see lots of antiques and enjoy a good, hearty meal. We salute Jack Perry, Bob Johnston, and the people of Benton Antique Mall for making a difference through entrepreneurship in a small-town setting. And there's more. The classic cars are a major part of this enterprise, and now they are being sold around the world via the Internet. We'll talk about that on our next program. The world is a smaller place today. For example, let's go across the Atlantic Ocean to Belgium. A delivery is being made there. It's a car, a classic American car. Would you believe that this car was sold through a company halfway around the globe in rural Kansas? Park yourself by the radio, this is today's Kansas Profile. On our last program, we met Jack Perry of the Benton Antique Mall and Restaurant in Benton, Kansas, northeast of Wichita. Eight years ago, Jack opened a big building in which to buy and sell antiques, including antique cars. Jack says, "I've always enjoyed old cars, and I like the horse tradin' aspect of it." So old cars became a part of the line of products sold at the Benton Antique Mall. Then six years ago, Jack decided to try selling these cars over the Internet. Jack's website address is www.kars B spelled k-a-r-s B dot com. If you go to that web site, you would find a logo with a checkered flag and the name Classic Auto Registry Service. Note that the acronym for Classic Auto Registry Service is CARS - what else? And this is indeed the place for cars, as the logo says, from classics to street rods. The website has a link to cars for sale, cars for sale to be rebuilt, cars wanted, a vendor showcase, and a car of the month. This is like heaven for someone interested in classic cars. For example, the website has photos and descriptions of four featured cars B a 1934 Ford streetrod, a `35 Ford pickup, a `36 Ford 5 window coupe, and a 1932 Ford hi-boy. Then there is the car of the month, which is a 1936 Chevy Cabriolet Roadster, complete with rumble seat. You can view the pictures and read the description, in which you would learn that this beautiful car is in North Carolina. The cars for sale are categorized by make and updated daily. It's not just Fords and Chevys. In fact, there are 82 different categories of manufacturers, from Abarth-Allemano to Volkswagen and Willys. The list includes such names as Austin Healy, Bandini, DeSoto, Edsel, Hupmobile, Studebaker, Stutz, and many more. When you click on the category, you get a display of photos and descriptions of the cars listed by year. And it's not just Kansas cars. I clicked on one category and found cars listed from the states of Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Washington, plus more. The variety and selection is amazing. For example, through this website, you could buy a 1916 Cadillac hearse for $59,000. You can click on each site and send an e-mail message for more information, or contact the owner directly. The world wide web offers a virtually instantaneous way to connect with interested buyers and sellers all over the world. When he first set up the antique mall, Jack says, "I hoped I could sell 4 or 5 of these classic cars a year. Now, between sales at the mall and over the Internet, we are selling more than 200 of these cars a year." Jack says, "We have shipped cars from one end of the country to the other. We have sold cars to Belgium, Japan, Guam, Italy." Yet the business which is doing this trading remains based in Benton, Kansas, population 761 people. Now, that's rural. It is so exciting to find a rural Kansas business which is using the Internet in this way to connect with customers world-wide. It's an example of someone interacting with the world without having to leave their rural setting. And it's obvious that Jack Perry loves his work. He says, "We've had a Barbra Streisand `57 Thunderbird in here, and a `62 Lincoln that was used by John Kennedy." He knows his cars, and he enjoys trading them. It's time to say goodbye to Belgium, where a classic car is being delivered that was located via the Internet through this business in rural Kansas. Let me give you that website address again. It is www.kars B spelled k-a-r-s B dot com. We commend Jack Perry and the people of the Benton Antique Mall for making a difference with their innovation and creativity in marketing these products worldwide. Using the technology of the Internet, the world is a smaller place today. Let's go to the statehouse in Topeka, to the chamber of the Kansas House of Representatives. The representatives are preparing to go into session. They have been gathering from all over the state, and now they are getting ready to start. But wait, there's no legislative staff present, and no media, and no lobbyists. That's because these aren't legislators that are meeting. They are representatives of various community leadership programs from across the state, and they are using the state House chamber for the annual conference of the Kansas Leadership Forum. We'll learn about the Kansas Leadership Forum on today's Kansas Profile. Meet Becky Wolfe. Becky is President of the Kansas Leadership Forum. She is also director of the Leadership Butler County program and is based in El Dorado. The Kansas Leadership Forum, or K-L-F for short, is a state-wide association for professionals and volunteers providing leadership development and education. It is a relatively new association, in that the constitution and bylaws were developed in 1993. KLF provides a network of people doing leadership development and education across the state. It includes representatives of the pioneering leadership development programs in the state which have existed for years, such as Leadership Kansas, as well as people who are interested in starting brand new leadership programs for their county or community. KLF has a strong emphasis on leadership education, so there are several members from educational entities such as K-State Research and Extension and the Leadership program at Southwestern College. KLF includes volunteers and a lot of chamber of commerce and economic development directors who have leadership programs. One of the things I like about KLF is that it brings together rural and urban people with a common interest in leadership state-wide. For example, Topeka, Lawrence, and Olathe are represented, but there are also members from Colby, Garden City, and Chanute. There are members from Wichita, with a third of a million people, and from Medicine Lodge, population 2,224 people. Now, that's rural. So what does KLF do? Well, it has done a lot, under the leadership of President Becky Wolfe. KLF publishes a directory of its members, serves as a network for people state-wide, and sends out newsletters with leadership ideas. The primary activity of the organization each year is to put on an annual conference where ideas are shared, speakers present good concepts, and people can meet their counterparts across the state. Annual conferences have been held in Salina, Manhattan, Hutchinson, Olathe, Wichita, and Topeka. I have attended most of these conferences myself, and I think they are both fun and educational. Of course, the first one I missed was the one held closest to me in Manhattan. Why do things work that way? I'll drive to Olathe or Hutchinson, but miss the one right here in Manhattan. Anyway, the speakers are good and the opportunity to network with other people is great. Next fall's program promises to be a good one. The theme is Leadership Ideas for the 21st Century, 2000 - Year of the Kansas Child. Guest speakers include Topeka Mayor Joan Wagnon, Security Benefit Group of Companies CEO Howard Fricke, and Steve Coen of the Kansas Health Foundation describing the Foundation's Community Leadership Initiative. First Lady Linda Graves has also been invited to speak. There will be door prizes, a silent auction, and a session which is an interactive idea exchange titled 60 ideas in 60 minutes. The annual KLF conference will be September 20, 2000 in Topeka. If you would like to get on the mailing list for the conference or become a member of KLF, feel free to contact Becky Wolfe at 316-321-4108. That number again is 316-321-4108. Or you can contact me at 785-532-7690. Once again, my number is 785-532-7690. One more thing about this fall's annual conference: As I said at the beginning, it will be held in the historic chamber of the Kansas House of Representatives. Due to special permission from state legislators, the KLF will be able to have its conference in the state House chamber. I think that will be fun. But the conference is only one day long. Talk about term limits.... The House chamber provides an interesting and appropriate setting for people to think about leadership and the future of our state. We salute President Becky Wolfe and all the people of KLF for making a difference by strengthening leadership across Kansas. Mark Martin - Brookville Hotel Have you ever had that feeling of deja vu B where it suddenly seemed you had experienced something before? Let me tell you about my experience of deja vu. When I was a kid, my folks took us to a family gathering at the Brookville Hotel in Brookville, Kansas. We had a fabulous chicken dinner, served family style. I had been back there a few times, but not lately. Last Saturday, I experienced deja vu in a sense. I stopped in to the new and improved Brookville Hotel, which is now located in Abilene but still captures the best qualities of rural Kansas dining. Get ready for dinner, this is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Mark and Connie Martin. Mark is the fourth generation owner of the Brookville Hotel. He explains how it all began. In the late 1800s, a hotel was built in Brookville, which is located just west of Salina. The hotel had 10 rooms, a washhouse out back, and a primitive café. Over the years, the building was improved and a restaurant was established inside. In 1913, the owners started serving family style chicken dinners. By the 1970s, these wonderful dinners became more famous than the hotel itself, and it became entirely a restaurant. With the dinners you get half a skillet fried chicken with mashed potatoes and chicken gravy, cream-style corn, baking powder biscuits, sweet-sour cole slaw, home style ice cream, and more. Yum. People came from all over to find these meals in the rural town of Brookville, population 226 people. Now, that's rural. In the early 1960s, the hotel had three dining rooms with a seating capacity of less than a hundred. Over the years, the family bought and expanded into the bank next door and then the old hardware store beyond that. By 1979, seating capacity was about 180 people. Mark Martin started in the business as a kid in the `60s, stocking shelves and washing dishes. He worked his way up through the years, and after college moved away to a career in the finance business. In 1973 he moved back to be involved with the restaurant, which he bought from his mother in 1982. But a problem was surfacing during this time - no pun intended. The growth of the restaurant had simply outpaced the water treatment system. By the late 1990s it had reached a critical stage. Mark became so frustrated that he made the public statement that the restaurant would have to close if he didn't find a solution. I remember being distressed to hear that this historic restaurant might close. But the good news is that other locations could handle the water problem. Many communities called, but when a developer in Abilene offered them a prime lot for $10, the choice was clear. Last Saturday, I came through Abilene and noticed that the Brookville Hotel was open in its new location, just north of Interstate 70. The first thing that struck me was how the new building presents the historic facade of the old building, complete with the domed false front and the stonework of what was the old bank and hardware store next door. Inside the building is wonderful too. There are a few more seats than existed in Brookville, but lots more elbow room and added features. Some of the back rooms have western style murals, commemorating the early pioneers. And of course, the classic menu remains the same. Now listen to this. The new restaurant opened on May 4, 2000. I leafed through the guest register of those who signed during the two weeks since, and it is phenomenal. There are people signed in there from all over Kansas and 20 states from New York to California, and even guests from Sweden, Thailand, Japan, and Germany. I guess people are still seeking out those wonderful chicken dinners from all over. If you would like to check restaurant hours or make reservations, call the Brookville Hotel at 785-263-2244. That number again is 785-263-2244. Have you ever had that feeling of deja vu B where it suddenly seemed that you had experienced something before? Yes, I had experienced the Brookville Hotel before, but it was great to see it open again. I think it's better than ever. We salute Mark and Connie Martin for making a difference by preserving this heritage and taking it to a new level. Now, please pass the chicken. Betty Gibb - Kansas Senior Press Service Today let's go to Florida to meet your aunt and uncle, who have retired there. There are lots of retirees in Florida. Florida even has its own magazine devoted to senior adults. As we leaf through the magazine, we find all sorts of articles tailored for older people B including an article from the Kansas Senior Press Service. Now what in the world is the Kansas Senior Press Service? The answer to that question is today's Kansas Profile. The Kansas Senior Press Service is not a press service for seniors in high school, it is a news service for senior adults. It provides useful information on a wide variety of topics for older Kansans. All this was explained to us by a lady named Betty Gibb. Betty is manager of information outreach and accessibility for the Johnson County Human Services and Aging Department in Olathe, Kansas. She is also editor of the Kansas Senior Press Service, known as KSPS. Our story begins nine years ago, when the Kansas Department on Aging was looking for additional ways to get out more information that would be helpful to senior citizens. Knowing that older citizens are avid newspaper readers, the agency made a small, one-year grant to the Johnson County Human Services and Aging Department to write and distribute such articles to local papers. The service was so successful that it has continued ever since with support from the Kansas Department on Aging. Betty Gibb became editor shortly after the service began. The mission of KSPS is to make available, through local newspapers, information that is helpful and interesting to older adults. To do so, KSPS provides three articles each week which are distributed to Kansas newspapers through the Kansas Press Association. Articles are also available to newspapers electronically. There is no cost to newspapers for this service. The result is that lots of useful articles are made available to local papers. These may be articles about health care, money management, family issues, home repair, or anything under the sun as long as it relates to Kansas senior citizens. But do these articles get used? Yes. They are very popular. About 150 newspapers use the KSPS service. Results from a clipping service show that 50 to 60 KSPS stories appear in Kansas newspapers in an average week. About 30 senior publications also make extensive use of KSPS. Occasionally aging magazines in other states will use articles, such as the one in Florida. This is a major service. At three articles a week, 52 weeks a year, that means that during its nine years the KSPS has provided more than 1,400 different articles of interest to Kansas senior citizens. Wow. This is good for Kansas seniors as well as Kansas newspapers. Some articles are used in large metro dailies, but they are especially used in rural papers such as the Scott County Record, Herington Times, Parsons Sun, and the Greeley County Republican. That last one is published in the town of Tribune, population 879 people. Now, that's rural. Betty Gibb says the grant funds are used for two things: to pay writers for their articles, and to cover the cost of distributing the articles. There are 10 to 12 regulars who write for KSPS, and there are also occasional articles from such entities as Kansas Legal Services and the KU Medical Center. Betty says, "Most of our writers are retired journalists who live in Kansas." This service provides them some supplementary income, plus the opportunity to continue to use their talents. Betty says, "The average age of our writers is pushing 80." Now, that is truly a senior press service. No wonder they know what they're talking about. One of Betty's writers had to take time off to care for her husband after he had a stroke. Now she is writing again, and she told Betty, "I feel like I have a new lease on life." Betty says, "That's the part I like the best." It's time to say goodbye to Florida, where your aunt and uncle retired. We're impressed to find that Florida's magazine for older adults was using an article from Kansas. We salute Betty Gibb and the writers of the Kansas Senior Press Service for making a difference through hard work and creativity, with our senior adults in mind. 21st Century Alliance - wheat marketing Let's talk about vision. No, I'm not talking about your eye doctor. I'm talking about farmers with vision. That is a phrase that has been used to describe the farmers who are members of the 21st Century Alliance. What is the 21st Century Alliance? Stay tuned for the answer on today's Kansas Profile. Meet Lynn Rundle. Lynn is CEO of the 21st Century Alliance, which is a business organization of farmers designed to maximize returns by adding value to farm products. The members of this organization have been called farmers with vision, because they have a vision of a new way of doing business in agriculture. For too many years, farmers have simply raised their crops and dumped them at the elevator for whatever we could get for them. The new vision calls for adding value to those products and capturing more of those returns for the producer. Specifically, these farmers have a vision of a production, marketing, and processing system that is coordinated by producers and that delivers the highest quality food and non-food products to consumers. Thus, these producers have organized the 21st Century Alliance to achieve that vision while providing profitable agricultural business opportunities to its members. Lynn Rundle says, "The idea is for farmers to own a piece of the action." That's important to Lynn and to rural Kansas. Lynn grew up on a farm near the northeast Kansas town of Axtell, population 430 people. Now, that's rural. So how does this alliance work? Membership is for those farmers who want the opportunity to invest with other farmers in value-added business, who contribute $750 to the development of business plans, and who renew membership annually. Members are then entitled to invest in the various value-added ventures in which the alliance is engaged. The alliance is governed by a board consisting of some of the leading farmers in the state. Four years ago, this program featured the 21st Century Alliance as it was just getting started. And what has happened in the meantime? The short answer is, a lot. The alliance has grown to have members in 9 states, but mostly in Kansas, and has organized several new generation cooperatives as profit-making enterprises. The first one is the 21st Century Grain Processing Cooperative. The alliance raised 3.2 million dollars for this project, for the purpose of buying a flour mill in Rincon, New Mexico. Now 375 investors deliver 2,850 bushels of wheat per $5,000 in stock through an identity- preserved wheat delivery system. Why would a Kansas farm co-op buy a flour mill in New Mexico? Maybe for the same reason that the bank robber gave when he was asked why he robbed banks: because that's where the money is. After careful study, the alliance concluded that buying the New Mexico mill provided the best opportunity for benefiting producers. It is what's called a destination mill, with access to the rapidly growing market in the southwest. The major customers of this mill are tortilla makers. A minute ago I used the term identity-preserved. This means that the farmer's wheat isn't just dumped in with everybody else's, but is kept separate so that high quality can be maintained. This identity-preserved grain marketing is a second enterprise of the 21st Century Alliance. Farmer-members of the grain processing cooperative grow and deliver wheat from among the wheat varieties which ranked highest in K-State's milling and baking trials. Baking companies are interested in such high quality wheat B in fact, the alliance set up an identity preserved delivery system for 3.5 million bushels of wheat for General Mills. Wheat grower members received an average of 28 cents per bushel above the local price for this quality wheat, and the premium ranged from 7 cents to 73 cents per bushel. This is so exciting. It shows that farmers are seeing beyond the farm gate, thinking about the end user for their product, responding to that market, and being rewarded for it. Let's talk about vision - no, not your eye doctor, but farmers with the vision to invest in a new way of doing business for agriculture. We salute Lynn Rundle and the people of 21st Century Alliance for making a difference through agricultural entrepreneurship. And while we're producing flour for the tortillas in a Mexican food meal, how about some pinto beans too? We'll hear about that on our next program. 21st Century Alliance - Pinto beans and dairy Today's story is on a topic that I don't know beans about. Sorry about that, I couldn't resist. Yes, we're talking about beans B specifically pinto beans B and how they can be part of a value-added strategy that can have big benefits for rural Kansas. Stay tuned, this is today's Kansas Profile. On our previous program, we learned about the 21st Century Alliance, a business organization of farmers designed to maximize returns by adding value to farm products. The first major project of this group was to purchase a flour mill in New Mexico. Kansas wheat is being shipped to this mill in New Mexico where the wheat is being ground into flour for use in tortillas. The major customers of the flour mill are tortilla makers. Apparently one of the tortilla makers contacted the alliance about another related food product it was looking for: Pinto beans. Of course, the 21st Century Alliance is a very entrepreneurial organization that is always looking for opportunities. Perhaps that bit of market feedback contributed to the decision by the alliance to pursue pinto bean processing. As the alliance considered various possibilities to invest in value-added processing, the pinto bean cooperative emerged as a top candidate. In 1998, the 21st Century Bean Processing Cooperative was formed. The organization purchased an existing bean processing plant in Sharon Springs, Kansas and upgraded the equipment there. Pinto beans are a very specialized crop. I really don't know anything about this type of production. It's different than harvesting corn or wheat. As I understand it, when the crop is ready you pull the beans. They lie in a windrow and dry as does hay. Then you harvest the beans by picking them up and shelling them out of the pod. Our friends Dick and Jean Pettibone were probably the first to expose us to pinto beans. Through them I learned that there is a small region in the high plains which is well suited to production of this particular crop. Ron Meyers, plant manager at the bean processing co-op, told me that more than half of their support is within 30 miles of the plant. So it is not a big crop, but it does fit a niche. Today these pinto beans are being distributed to grocery stores in 11 states and in Mexico. Another big part of the 21st Century Alliance strategy for adding value is milk production. Feeding Kansas grain to cows and selling the milk is a good strategy. These days, the trend is to build very large, sophisticated dairies. To date, two dairies have been formed under the 21st Century Alliance umbrella. The Washington County Dairy in north central Kansas was formed in 1997. Ninety-six members invested 1.3 million dollars in stock to build a 1,500 cow dairy near Linn, Kansas. The dairy opened in March 1999, milking 750 cows. The Ladder Creek Dairy raised 2 million dollars in producer equity in 1999. For this project, they are building a 2,800 cow dairy facility at Tribune in far western Kansas. Each one of these ventures has its own board of directors of farmer-members. Now think about the location of these various value-added ventures. The bean processing co-op is in Sharon Springs and the dairies are near Linn and Tribune. Sharon Springs is a town of 860 people, Tribune has 879 people, and Linn has 415 people. Now, that's rural. In towns that size, having a viable processing or value-added business makes a big difference. It generates jobs and income that spreads throughout the economy. A lot of people talk about value-added agriculture and rural development. The 21st Century Alliance is really doing something about it B and doing it through entrepreneurship and self-help in the private sector. Frankly, I think that is of more tangible benefit to rural Kansas than most government programs. Today's topic is one that I don't know beans about. I just don't know much about pinto bean production or large scale dairies. But I do know rural Kansas, and I am excited by this private sector, self-help venture to stimulate value-added agriculture. We commend the people of the 21st Century Alliance for their entrepreneurship and diversification of the rural economy. There is one last enterprise which the alliance is currently operating which we haven't discussed. It's what we might call a fiber forest. We'll hear about that on our next program. 21st Century Alliance - Ag Fibers Remember that old saying, sometimes you can't see the forest for the straw.... Wait a minute, that's not how it goes. The saying is, sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. That may be the old saying, but it's not the new way of thinking. Today, progressive farmers are realizing that there is a different kind of forest out there in our state B it's the forest of natural plant fibers, such as wheat straw, produced from agriculture. Utilizing such a forest in high value products is a key part of today's Kansas Profile. Meet Chris Williams. Chris is vice president of operations for the 21st Century Alliance, a business organization of farmers designed to maximize returns by adding value to farm products. Chris knows these rural issues well. He's an ag econ graduate of K-State, who grew up at the central Kansas town of Little River, population 478 people. Now, that's rural. Chris helped me learn about the 21st Century Alliance's various value-added enterprises which we've described on our recent programs. There is one more of these enterprises: The 21st Century Ag Fiber Procurement Cooperative, also known as Golden Forest Ag Fibers. A couple of terms here were unfamiliar to me. Fiber procurement sounds like buying high bran cereal down at the store. What it really means is aggregating a supply of agricultural fiber which can be further processed into some consumer product. And what is the Golden Forest? It really means a new way of looking at our crop production. We all know that wheat farmers raise wheat and sell the grain. But what about the straw which is left over when the harvest is done? Instead of looking at it as a waste product, let's think about it as a forest of straw -- like trees B which can be processed into consumer goods. Just as you can make trees into boards and other lumber, you can make straw and certain other fibers into particleboard. Such particleboard could have a whole host of potential uses in cabinetry and construction. Chris Williams says that the members of the 21st Century Alliance produce about 40 million bushels of wheat, which represents about 10 percent of the Kansas wheat crop. That's a lot of straw too. David Govert is a farmer in south central Kansas who has taken a leadership role on these ag fiber issues. He first became interested in further processing of wheat straw some 10 years ago. His county extension agent brought him to K-State to visit with resource people on the topic, and they ended up meeting with organizers of the 21st Century Alliance. To make a long story short, David joined the alliance and was ultimately asked to chair the committee which would form this ag fiber cooperative. Just as some farmer co-ops gather and sell grain cooperatively, so this co-op could gather and sell straw or other ag fibers - such as corn stalks - for new, high value uses. There have been lots of proposals for straw board plants around the midwest, and not all have succeeded. Fortunately, the 21st Century Alliance has taken a big picture view. Rather than jumping into a strawboard plant, the alliance is working on organizing the source of the raw product. As the name implies, the cooperative would consider all ag fibers, not just wheat straw. And David Govert rightly believes that this development will be a long term process. Already the co-op has made one delivery of straw to a company in Oklahoma, but it really is positioning itself for the long term. David Govert says, "The alliance has saved local economic development groups tens of thousands of dollars by providing information on wheat straw processing. In saving these communities money, the alliance has more than paid for the investment in it made by the Department of Commerce Ag Products division and the members of the alliance." He says, "There's going to be an ag fiber business in North America. It could take several different forms. As the industry matures, Kansas will be in a good position." Remember that old saying, sometimes you can't see the forest for the straw.... That variation on the old saying represents a new way of thinking about our crop production. We salute Chris Williams, David Govert, and the people of the 21st Century Alliance and Ag Fiber Procurement Cooperative for making a difference with this visionary way of thinking about adding value to Kansas crops. And there's more. David Govert is also an entrepreneur when it comes to putting farm equipment on-line. We'll hear about that on our next program. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you walked into a farm equipment dealership and said, "I'd like to buy half a combine."? It's like buying half a car. Do you suppose they'd sell you the back half or the front half? It's a silly question, bec |