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Huck Boyd National Institute
for Rural Development
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Huck Boyd National Institute
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KANSAS PROFILES 1996 Joe Bridenburg
Joe Bridenburg You know the story of the man who came to dinner -- and stayed? Today we'll meet a man who did the same, in a sense. This man, originally from New Jersey, came to Kansas for a two-week assignment. Twenty-one years later, he's still here. He has a record of success -- and he's part of a success story that even Kansans may not fully appreciate. Meet Joe Bridenburg. Joe is an engineer at National Beef packing company in Liberal, Kansas. Originally, however, he was from northern New Jersey. He graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and held several positions in industry, with Cummins engine and Rath meat packing company. In 1974, the National Beef company in Liberal, Kansas needed an engineer for an energy
project. Joe came out on temporary assignment. But the first two weeks turned into two
more, and then two more. Joe became engineer in charge of power generation and worked his
way up through the ranks to become manager of the entire plant. Today, after more than two decades, Joe has a wonderful record of service to his community as well as his business. Joe became president of Rotary and chairman of the board of the southwest Kansas Guidance Center, a mental health agency. He's a graduate of Leadership Liberal and past president of the Southwest Kansas chapter of the Kansas Engineering Society. The list of his involvements goes on and on. And most recently, he completed his years of service as mayor of Liberal. Joe says, "If someone would have told me when I was in school in New Jersey that I'd be mayor of a town in Kansas, I'd have told them they were crazy." Just to put this in perspective, New Jersey packs 7.7 million people into a space one-tenth the size of Kansas. Joe is very proud of Liberal, and also proud of his industry. Even Kansans may not fully realize the scope of this industry and its impact on the Kansas economy. It starts with a four-letter word: beef. The cattle industry has developed remarkably in this state, and the growth in beef processing created a boom in southwest Kansas. It's the value-added principle: add value to the basic commodity by processing it into a form that is closer to the consumer. In doing so, you create more jobs and better markets. Or, put another way, there's more value in selling the steak and not just the steer. Liberal itself is a town of 16,573 people, which is pretty big by my standards. The population within a 100 mile radius of Liberal is about 1.05 million -- but a million of those are cows. Now, that's rural. Also within that 100 miles are 17 meat packing plants, which have had a huge impact on the economy of the region. For example, last year Joe's company processed 1.82 million head of cattle. National Beef also owns a 70,000 head feedlot. Feeding those animals cost $45 million, and 6 million tons of grain was bought locally. The Liberal plant spent $971 million on cattle in 1994. And National Beef alone puts $53 million in payroll into the economy of the area. Multiply that by 17 times and you're talking real money. Still, the factor which is most important to Joe Bridenburg is the people. He really likes the peoples of Southwest Kansas. Joe says, "Ninety percent of it is the people. You can cash a check; people will talk to you. There's a friendliness and honesty that does not take place in a larger place." Yes, you know the story of the man who came to dinner. Well, this man brought beefsteak to dinner with him. Joe Bridenburg's company is part of the under-appreciated success story of value-added economic development, and his service is making a difference to the people of Kansas. Tom Redman Today we're going to the right place for a success story. When I say the "right" place, I mean that literally. We're going to go to Wright, Kansas. When I say that, I mean that the town is named Wright. I mean, the town's name is Wright. I mean...well, you know what I mean. Wright, Kansas is a town in the southwest part of the state, near Dodge City. It's an unincorporated town of approximately 350 people. Now, that's rural. This rural setting is the site of a farmer-owned cooperative that is dealing successfully with change, and today we'll hear its story. Meet Tom Redman. Tom is general manager of the Right Cooperative Association in Wright, Kansas. Now, the town of Wright spells its name w-r-i-g-h-t. In other words, the "w" is silent. But the cooperative decided to make a play on the name of the town, so the co-op name is spelled without the "w." It's simply the Right Cooperative Association. As you can see, that would be good for marketing. For example, you could tell the members that they are in the "right" cooperative for them. Now, there are a lot of farmer cooperatives around the state of Kansas. These are cooperatively owned businesses which serve the farmers, ranchers, and others in the state. Most of them own grain elevators, those tall concrete silos which store grain all over the midwest. I call them Kansas skyscrapers, because they tower over the landscape of rural Kansas. And they've been doing that for a lot of years. For example, the Right Cooperative Association was founded in 1915. As times have changed, farmers and their cooperatives have changed as well. Services have diversified and technology has advanced. One of the people who recognizes these changes is Tom Redman. Tom is a native of the Topeka area. He graduated from Emporia and started working for cooperatives in 1979. In 1993 when the Right Cooperative Association needed a new general manager, the person they brought in was Tom Redman. Some exciting things are happening at the cooperative in Wright, Kansas. Today, the cooperative offers a broad line of services, as most farm co-ops do today. Besides the traditional grain storage and marketing and livestock feed, the co-op provides tires, fuel, and lubricants for cars, trucks, and tractors as well as fertilizer and crop protectants, work clothes and tools. The pace of change continues to accelerate. In 1995 the Right Co-op opened a new convenience store in its auto center to provide sodas and snacks. Even more exciting is what is happening with grain transportation. Tom Redman says, "The railroads (which carry the grain out) want to be more efficient, and we do too." To do so, the railroads want to operate in larger units and use local facilities as collection points for larger volumes of grain. In other words, rather than stopping to pick up a railroad car of grain here and another one there, they want to make fewer stops for larger volumes which will allow them to operate more efficiently. With this in mind, the Right Co-op made a major investment in 1995 to add two new trainloading facilities. Each new facility allows the co-op to bring in 109 railroad cars and load them within 24 hours. That's remarkable. Such new facilities would cost 3 to 5 million dollars to build from scratch, but fortunately the co-op had much of the infrastructure already in place. Tom Redman says, "Rather than fight change, we've been able to embrace it." And he says, "We like it here. There's a strong moral fiber and we don't have as many problems as the cities. The people are friendly and they appreciate hard work." Yes, we've found the right place for a success story. It's the town of Wright, Kansas, where a progressive manager like Tom Redman is making a difference with a commitment to grow with change - and there's no question he's right.
Dick Veach "Alright class, today we're going to visit people in France. We'll have a chance to see these people and talk to them. And don't worry, class -- we'll still be home in time for lunch." Wouldn't it be wonderful if the students in our schools could be transported instantly around the world like that? It would be a great educational experience. Of course, there's no way it could be done...but hold the phone. Today we'll learn of an entrepreneurial telephone company that is taking steps that can link students and others with their counterparts around the world. And guess what: they're doing it in rural Kansas. This is the story of Pioneer Telephone Association in Ulysses, Kansas. It's general manager is Dick Veach. Dick is a native of Columbus, Nebraska. His father had been a consulting engineer for some independent telephone companies, so it was logical for Dick to pursue this line of work. He graduated from the University of Nebraska, served in the U.S. Army Special Forces, and then was an engineer and manager for several phone companies before becoming General Manager of Pioneer Telephone in 1986. Pioneer Telephone provides local telephone service through 14,000 access lines in southwest Kansas and southeast Colorado. Pioneer is headquartered in Ulysses, but it also serves towns like Rolla, population 387; Manter, population 186; and Coolidge, population 90. Now, that's rural. Yet from this rural setting came a vision of what could be possible using the tools of technology. In 1989, Pioneer joined the Elkhart Telephone Company and Southwestern Bell in establishing the first video distance learning network in the state of Kansas. Now what is a video distance learning network? This means that schools in the region were linked together via fiber-optic cable to have inter-active video in their classrooms. In other words, a student could be in one school and see and hear the teacher and students in three other schools at the same time, on a video signal that is transmitted through the phone company's fiber-optic cable. This is really exciting. It not only expands the type of educational offerings available to the students, it can serve other community needs as well. And it means that these people could be linked electronically to anyone having the videoconferencing equipment anywhere around the world. Sure enough, two years ago the schools did a video link-up with a school in France, located in the suburbs of Paris. Today the network has grown to 18 sites, including 13 secondary schools, two educational service centers, several community colleges, and two hospitals. And that's not all. In January 1995, Pioneer Telephone became an Internet access provider for people in its service area. Dick Veach says, "At the time we planned this, nobody was offering local Internet access any closer than Denver or Dallas. We've connected our schools and two libraries, and now we're up to 200 users." That means people can reach the Internet and be connected worldwide from a computer right there in their own hometown. Dick says, "We got involved because we were afraid that our area would be left off the information superhighway. Metro areas have large libraries and agencies close at hand. For rural areas, using this technology to access needed information makes a lot of sense." "Alright class, today we're going to visit people in France..." No, it's not possible to transport our students instantly around the world -- this side of Star Trek, anyway -- but it is possible for our students to be connected electronically with educators and others around the world. And by using the tools of technology, a person can live in the high quality of life of a rural setting and interact with people around the world at the touch of a button. We're thankful for people like Dick Veach and Pioneer Telephone, whose vision and
commitment to providing this technology are making a difference in rural Kansas. Mineral-Right Today let's visit a facility which produces something called zeolite. Zeolite is a crystal mineral used primarily in the treatment of water. Today, we'll visit the only plant which produces this type of zeolite in the entire world! But don't worry. We won't have to scale any mountains or penetrate any jungles to find this facility. This unique plant is found right here in rural Kansas. The plant is owned by a company named Mineral-Right, and it's located in Phillipsburg, Kansas. Phillipsburg is the county seat of Phillips County in northwest Kansas, and is the hometown of Huck Boyd. Phillipsburg is a town of 2,828 people. Now, that's rural. But Phillipsburg, Kansas is the world's only current source of this particular product. As I said, this product is a crystal mineral called zeolite. No, this isn't the stuff that hurts Superman, this is zeolite. Zeolite is used primarily in the conditioning and treatment of water, and it has some other potentially exciting uses as well. Basic zeolite looks like white crystals, sort of like oversized salt. Other elements can be added to it for different uses. Zeolite is interesting stuff. For you chemists out there, zeolite is a sodium alumino silicate crystal. It turns out that zeolite has been formed under certain natural conditions ever since the creation of the earth, but in the 1940s, some pioneers in the water treatment industry found that they could create a much-improved form of zeolite in the laboratory. Today the technology has advanced, and Mineral-Right is producing high-quality zeolite for several uses. First though, some background about the Mineral-Right company. It was founded by Glenn and Janet Gruett, entrepreneurs from Wisconsin. Glenn was familiar with the benefits of zeolite because it was used in his water conditioning business. When a zeolite plant was closing in California, he bought the necessary equipment. Then the question was, where would he locate his zeolite production facility? Interestingly, this type of zeolite is best produced outdoors. So, the Gruetts looked for an area of the country which had the ideal weather conditions, along with positive economic factors. The location that was chosen was Phillipsburg, Kansas. In 1986, Mineral-Right was formed in Phillipsburg. As much as Kansans joke about our weather, it turned out that Phillipsburg had the right amounts of sunshine, wind, and warm weather to produce zeolite. When they put out an experimental bed of zeolite in Phillipsburg, they were able to increase the quality by 20 percent and the yield by 25 percent. So how do you grow zeolite? Well, special solutions of silica and alumina are blended
together and poured into plots where it forms a 4 1/2 thick gelatin mix. As the blend
naturally dehydrates, it will form crystals of zeolite. These crystals are collected,
screened and milled into uniform size, and then rinsed and packaged. And this zeolite has some fascinating properties. For example, each crystal has thousands of pores. If you could separate those pores and spread them out flat, one teaspoon of zeolite crystals would generate enough pores to cover a square foot area of a football field. Just one teaspoon! Now that's a lot of Astroturf... Because of its structure and chemical properties, this zeolite works extremely well to soften water, filter impurities, and remove heavy metals. And now new uses are being found for zeolite. Not only will it filter impurities from water, it can help make a higher grade fuel for rockets and jets and even be used to remove amino acids from blood samples. It has great potential to be an environmentally friendly product, as it can absorb odors and clean up chemical spills. And what has happened in Phillipsburg? Well, the plant's annual production of zeolite is sold out every year, and the bed capacity has tripled since it began. Today this zeolite is being sold internationally and in 40 of the 48 states. It's time to say goodbye to the world's only plant for the production of this type of zeolite. Fortunately we didn't have to climb a mountain or make a safari through the jungle to find this unique facility, because it operates right here in Kansas. We're thankful for entrepreneurs like the Gruetts and their managers Gary Steffens and Camie Schneider, whose hard work and initiative are making a difference in rural Kansas. Scott McGinley Here's a story I'm going to milk for all it's worth...and I do mean milk. Today we're going to visit someone who is helping diversify the economy to include milk in western Kansas. Now, that may sound a little unusual. An ag economist will tell you that Kansas is a cattle state -- but we mean beef cattle, not milk cows. Yet today, there is a burgeoning movement to expand dairy production in the western part of our state. Meet Scott McGinley. Scott is director of economic development in Kansas for his company, called UtiliCorp United. You might know his company by some of its other names: Kansas Public Service, Peoples Natural Gas, or WestPlains Energy. Along with his other responsibilities, Scott is the volunteer chairman of the Western Kansas Dairy Coalition. Scott is a believer in economic development in this region. He grew up at Dodge City, went to community college there, and graduated from Wichita State. Now he has two sons at Kansas State. Scott has worked his way up the ranks of his company to be director of economic development. UtiliCorp United provides electrical utility service from Liberal to Lawrence. The service area includes towns like Coats, Kansas, population 127 people. Now, that's rural. Scott has worked hard to enhance economic development in this region. When community leaders came up with the idea of attracting new dairies to the area, Scott and his company responded with help. People soon recognized that they could accomplish more by working together. Creation of
the Western Kansas Dairy Coalition and the western Kansas Rural Economic Development
Alliance were the result. The dairy coalition was the pioneer effort, and now it is a
committee of the alliance. Scott says, "Dairy production, and hopefully dairy processing, have good potential for economic development." The Western Kansas Dairy Coalition is actively recruiting dairy farms from California and the upper midwest. As dairy farms in California are crowded out by urban sprawl, escalating land values, and environmental activism, rural Kansas may be an attractive alternative. Recently three large dairy farms began operating in southwest Kansas and another is being built. Scott McGinley points out that these are family corporations. Scott says, "There are some pioneers of the western Kansas dairy industry at Syracuse, Cimarron, and Liberal," where these new, large scale dairy operations are located. As more milk is produced in the region, processing facilities will follow, which will add value and create jobs. To operate a milk processing plant efficiently, Scott estimates the plant would need 2 to 3 million pounds of milk a year. That would take about 28,000 cows. Currently, there are about 13,000 cows in the region, and the numbers are growing. Meanwhile the Western Kansas Dairy Coalition continues to recruit dairies. The coalition had a booth at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin the last two years, a dinner for southern California dairymen two years also, and an exhibit at a big farm show in Tulare, California in February 1995. "More than 100 people attended the southern California dinners each year," McGinley says. "Our theme was `Welcome to Dairy in Western Kansas.'" Yes, this is a story I'm going to milk for all it's worth. It's a story of self-help, of private sector initiative to boost the rural economy. We're grateful for people like Scott McGinley, who give leadership to these efforts to make a difference in the Kansas economy. Ellsworth Step into a store with me. There's someone I want you to meet. As you enter the store, you're greeted with a smile and a hearty handshake -- by a man in a big Stetson hat, western clothes, cowboy boots, and spurs. What's going on here? Are we in a western movie, or did we just walk through a time warp? Well, you can relax. It's none of the above. You've simply met Jim Gray of the Drover's Mercantile in Ellsworth, Kansas. The Drover's Mercantile is a kind of store like none other I have ever found -- but it's so much fun to visit I can't wait to go back. It's like a step back into western history -- or a guest appearance on Gunsmoke. Drover's Mercantile specializes in the sale of authentic 1870's cowboy clothing and related items. But that description doesn't do it justice. To say that the Drover's is a western wear store would be like saying Beethoven was a nice pianist. This store doesn't just sell western clothes, it sells the authentic clothing that you would wear if you were participating in a western historical reenactment. Jim Gray is a living example, as he dresses the part inside the store. And there's not just the clothing. There are cowboy books and gifts, Plains Indian collectibles, cowboy gear, handmade saddles, souvenirs, and chuck wagon supplies -- even a real chuckwagon! Betcha don't find one of those at your local fast food franchise... Jim Gray and Linda Kohls are co-owners of the Drover's Mercantile in downtown
Ellsworth. Jim and Linda both have roots in this western heritage. Jim's great-grandfather started a ranch in that region in 1878. Jim grew up on a ranch south of Ellsworth near the town of Geneseo -- population 382 people. Now, that's rural. Jim attended Fort Hays State, served as a ranger for the corps of engineers for a time, and continues to operate the family ranch. In July of 1995, he and partner Linda Kohls opened the Drover's Mercantile. Jim says, "There is a growing interest in cowboy re-enactments. We want these things to be as authentic as we can. And we put a little bit of ourselves into this too." For example, in the store you can find a western-decorated lunchbox which Linda carried as a schoolkid and a cowboy bedspread which Jim used when he was little. The walls are covered with genuine barn board from a barn which a relative had built years ago. Now unless you're up on Kansas history, you may not realize how appropriate it is to find this store in the city of Ellsworth. In the days of the wild west, Ellsworth ranked with Abilene and Dodge City as the major destinations of the cattle drives. The annual Cowtown Days celebration is held in Ellsworth every year in August. Jim Gray is working on enhancing old Fort Harker in nearby Kanopolis as a historical attraction. There's even talk of holding an old-fashioned military ball. Jerry Aday, the economic development coordinator for Ellsworth County, says, "There's lots of good things about this community. We have major businesses such as Cashco and others. Don Panzer at the local hardware store bought a vacant building downtown and put in an antique mall which is attracting lots of people. And we also need to build on our western heritage as a way of promoting rural tourism and economic development." As a good example of that we need to look no further than Jim Gray and the Drover's Mercantile. It's time to say goodbye to this man in the big Stetson hat, boots, and spurs. It seems like we ought to be riding off into the sunset, after stopping the bad guys and rescuing the girl. But this is no western movie. It's a real business in a rural setting. We're grateful for people like Jim Gray, Linda Kohls and Jerry Aday, whose vision and innovation are making a difference in rural Kansas. Randy Greenwood Recently I was getting on a plane to go to San Diego, and I grabbed a book at the airport newsstand to read on the plane. It was an impulse purchase, I didn't really study the book carefully before I bought it. So imagine my surprise when I read in the author's foreword that he was from Hugoton, Kansas. Today we'll meet this Kansas author whose books are now being distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada. His name is Randal L. Greenwood. Randy Greenwood was born and raised in southwest Kansas. He graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in history and then took a job in Denver. But he found he didn't really like the big city, so he returned to his hometown of Hugoton, Kansas. Hugoton is the county seat of Stevens County, which is in southwest Kansas. In fact, the county borders Oklahoma to the south. Hugoton itself is a town of 3,179 people. Now, that's rural. But this rural setting is the base for this author whose books are now available
nationwide, and even internationally. His books are fictional novels, set in the time of
the Civil War. When Randy Greenwood was growing up in Hugoton, he developed several interests. One was photography, which he worked on in 4-H. Another was Civil War history. In school one day, Randy's teacher read him a story about a boy during the Civil War. It caught his interest and in a way, we could say it changed his life. Randy's interest in photography turned into a career. He has operated his own photo studio in Hugoton for some 18 years. But he also had the itch to write. After a few magazine articles were published, he tried writing a book. The setting that he chose for his book was the Civil War. After a lot of research and work, he had written a manuscript. And at a western writer's meeting in Jackson Hole, he met an editor who was interested in the concept. Five months later, that book was sold as the first part of a trilogy about the Civil War. Randy was told later that 20,000 manuscripts were submitted to his publisher that year, and only 300 were published. And of those 300, there were only two from authors who had not been published before. One of those two first-time authors was Randy Greenwood. Randy says with a laugh, "If I had known those odds before I started I might never have tried it." But he did try it, and it worked. The books themselves are fiction, although they weave in a number of real characters and events. The books mainly describe a family of southerners named Kimbrough and their experiences during the Civil War. The first book is named Burn, Missouri, Burn. The second is called Kansas, Bloody Kansas. The third and final book of this series, coming in February 1995, is titled Ride, Rebels, Ride. Although the trilogy ends, more books are on the way. The books are exciting and interesting, especially because the story includes parts of Kansas. In fact, the second book describes Quantrill's raid on Lawrence. Yet while the raid itself is depicted as the horror that it was, much of the book is sympathetic to the southern perspective on these issues. Randy Greenwood says, "History is written by the winners. I wanted to tell the (whole) truth." And so his books include some of the atrocities committed by the Union troops, as well as the Confederates. But the point of the books isn't to take sides, rather it is tell a fascinating story. And, indeed the books do. In fact, his books are now published by a New York publishing company and are distributed across the United States and in Canada, plus to military bases in the Pacific. So why remain in Hugoton? Randy Greenwood says, "If you're a writer, you can be anywhere you want to be. This is where I feel comfortable. This is home." Yes, I was flying to San Diego and I enjoyed reading a book which happened to have been written by a man from Hugoton, Kansas. We're thankful for the nationally-recognized talents of people like Randy Greenwood, whose hard work and skills are making a difference in rural America. wKREDA At the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Benjamin Franklin made the statement, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." That call for cooperation in the face of adversity could be a theme for a modern-day declaration happening right here in Kansas. This one is, in a sense, a declaration of both independence and inter-dependence. It represents self-help, but also working together. It means creation of a new joint effort to enhance economic development in Western Kansas. The group is called the western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance -- or wKREDA for short. The President of wKREDA is Steve Miller. Steve explains that wKREDA is a self-help response to the challenges facing western Kansas. wKREDA began when local leaders in western Kansas saw the benefit of working together for common goals. One of those local leaders is Steve Miller himself. Steve grew up in western Kansas, on a farm at the Norton-Decatur County line. After serving in the Army, he was in business for several years before joining the Sunflower Electric Power Cooperative located at Hays. Steve worked his way up the ranks to become Senior Manager of External Affairs for Sunflower. Steve and others were increasingly concerned about the loss of people and jobs in western Kansas. For example, he estimated that the 41 smallest counties in western Kansas lost 100,000 people since 1930. This is a great concern to Sunflower Electric, which provides electrical power to seven rural electric cooperatives covering much of the region. More jobs are needed in the region -- but it is hard for economic development efforts in small towns with limited budgets and volunteer labor to have a significant impact individually. People began to see that by working together, they could pool their resources for greater impact. For example, one of the co-ops served by Sunflower is headquartered in the Cheyenne County town of Bird City -- population 467 people. Now, that's rural. Yet together, Sunflower and the seven distribution cooperatives which it serves provide electrical service to about 150,000 end users. That's a number more likely to get people's attention. As Steve Miller and others were considering these facts, in 1992 the Huck Boyd Institute produced a report on strategies for multi-county cooperation. The report suggested a model for voluntary collaboration, and it fit with what Steve Miller had in mind. He, along with Carol Meyer of the Chamber of Commerce in Garden City and Lavern Squier of the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development in Hays, had a vision of a cooperative organization which could bring all of western Kansas together. In May 1994, more than 55 people attended a meeting in Garden City where the concept was discussed. The result of all this was wKREDA. In July 1995, bylaws for the new organization were adopted. The Western Kansas Dairy Coalition became a committee of wKREDA. Other committees were created and became active. Today the wKREDA territory takes in the 46 western counties of Kansas. Here's an example of the benefits of collaboration: One way for towns to attract business prospects is to take a booth to trade shows. wKREDA is scheduled to have a booth at six trade shows of targeted industries. Attending just one of those trade shows might cost three, four, or as much as six thousand dollars. So the cost to a single community of taking a booth to six trade shows would be at least $18,000. Yet a member of wKREDA can get the business leads from all six trade shows, through their county designee, by paying only 750 dollars. That's a great value for rural Kansas. Steve says, "In the past, the Kansas Department of Commerce seemed oriented toward urban areas and the Department of Agriculture seemed only interested in farm production. Economic development in western Kansas didn't seem to fit either one. But now both Ag and Commerce have been extremely supportive." He says, "I and my family grew up and live in this region. It is a passion for me to support the people here. We have good people in western Kansas who are hard workers with high moral character. We need to be linked together better than ever." Benjamin Franklin would be proud -- and we are too. We're grateful for people like Steve Miller, Carol Meyer, and Lavern Squier, whose vision, initiative, and cooperative spirit are making a difference in rural Kansas. Biddy Hurlbut Today let's venture into the world of upscale fashion -- which is a place I don't venture into very often! But take a look at this beautiful slick paper catalog, which features gorgeous sweaters hand-made from luxury fibers in South America. These sweaters are being sold by a U.S. company to customers all over the country and internationally. And where do you suppose this company is based? No, not New York or LA. Here's a clue: the address on the catalog says Canaan Farm. Sure enough, this international upscale business is based in rural Kansas. Meet Biddy Hurlbut. Biddy and her daughter Annie are co-founders of this remarkable company named Peruvian Connection. The name is literally true: the company has connections with people in Peru who make most of these sweaters. But the company itself is based in Tonganoxie, Kansas. Tonganoxie is in Leavenworth County, northeast of Lawrence. It's a town of 2,347 people. Now, that's rural. And it gets even better. Because the company isn't actually located in Tonganoxie, it's outside of Tonganoxie on the Hurlbut family farm. In fact, the office building is a remodeled barn. Yet from that remodeled barn operates a multi-million dollar international business. Biddy Hurlbut says, "This farm has been in our family for 75 years." Biddy and husband Gordon raised Annie there. Annie went on to be in the first graduating class to include women at Yale. Annie then did graduate studies in Peru in South America. While there, she bought a beautiful sweater to give to her mother as a birthday present. Biddy loved the sweater, and so did her friends. They said, "You should get some more of those." And indeed they did. Annie had her contacts in Peru produce more sweaters and she started marketing them in the U.S. The first year, Biddy and Annie had a few thousand dollars in sales. Today, their company employs 65 people and has sales of more than ten million dollars. Now, to say that this company sells sweaters is like saying that Mount Everest has a nice view. It doesn't begin to capture the full effect of these sweaters. The company is famous for what Annie calls "art knits," which are like wearable works of art. These are specially designed and individually made sweaters which are so intricate they may take a knitter three or four weeks to make just one. These are knit from premium materials, such as high quality alpaca wool and Peruvian pima cotton, and they sell for three to four hundred dollars apiece. Peruvian Connection offers other clothing ranging to informal knitwear, plus matching South American accessories such as jewelry and belts. The enterprise operates as a mail-order business, with outlet stores in Overland Park, Santa Fe, and Maryland. So why remain in Tonganoxie? Biddy Hurlbut says, "Kansas is our state. We have beautiful sunsets." And she's proud of their workforce. Biddy says, "The amazing thing is the caliber of people who work with us. They are straightforward, honest, and hard-working." And listen to how global the company really is: this company based in Tonganoxie, Kansas communicates via Internet with its offices in Lima, Peru and in the United Kingdom. The Peruvian Connection has more than 150,000 customers across the U.S. and more than a thousand customers in Japan alone. Here in the U.S., the Peruvian Connection has an 800 number so you can easily call in and request a free catalog. Do you have a pencil handy? The number is 1-800-255-6429. That number again is 1-800-255-6429. Well, it's time to bid adieu to the world of upscale fashion. Sure enough, it's not an area I venture into very often. But I am excited to see that such a high quality, multi-million dollar company is operating globally from a remodeled barn near a small town in Kansas. We're thankful for people like Biddy and Annie Hurlbut, whose hard work, entrepreneurial spirit and international vision are making a difference in rural Kansas. Dan & Jeanne Billings Today we're going to hear about a rapper. But don't worry -- we're not going onto MTV. This isn't about someone making rap music, it's about someone wrapping chocolates. And that chocolate business has turned into an enterprise that is selling products from coast to coast. This national chocolate business isn't based in New York or LA, or even Kansas City or Wichita: it's found in rural Kansas. Meet Jeanne and Dan Billings. Jeanne and Dan are owners of Gourmet Chocolate Inc. in Halstead, Kansas. Halstead is in Harvey County, north of Wichita. Jeanne and Dan have the business in Halstead and live in the nearby town of Hesston. Hesston is a town of 3,012. Halstead is a town of 2,015. But Dan is originally from a farm near the town of Kensington, population 553. Now, that's rural. Yet from these rural roots comes leadership for the chocolate business. Dan Billings grew up at Kensington, graduated from Kansas State University and took a job with the Farm Credit System in Wichita. There he met and married Jeanne, who was originally from Hays. Dan's job took them to western Kansas. In 1992, they moved back to the Wichita area and ultimately settled in Hesston. With their kids in school, Jeanne started looking for work again. She heard about a small, recently-formed company in Halstead that produced chocolates. This company belonged to an older couple that had traveled in Europe and become enamored of European-style chocolates, so started a small business to make those chocolates back home in Halstead. Jeanne applied to the company and got a job there as a wrapper. Yes, she became a wrapper. Her job was to hand-wrap these individually-produced fine chocolates. The owners of the company were very impressed with Jeanne, and soon gave her increased responsibilities. Then when the owners decided to retire, Dan and Jeanne purchased the business and took it on full-time. What exactly is it the company does? Well, it produces a full line of European style, hand-dipped and decorated chocolate products, ranging from small novelty items to elegant gift boxes. Jeanne says, "The quality is very high, because we use pure cocoa and cocoa butter with no additives." One hot selling item is the chocolate-filled spoon, which comes in nine different flavors. When the spoon is used to stir warm coffee or milk, the chocolate melts and flavors the drink. Doesn't that make you want to head toward a cozy fireplace with one of those?... There are choco-lollies on sticks, mints, nuts, a sugar-free line, custom-decorated chocolates and much more. Dan says, "We do a lot of custom work. We can do a mold for a company or hand-decorate a message for someone." In fact, the company has custom-designed chocolates for lots of schools and universities. You could have your school mascot or a personalized message put on a chocolate. One school group decided to sell Gourmet Chocolates to raise funds for their organization. Members said it was the best fund-raiser they had ever had. In a minute, I'll give you a phone number for the company, in case you want to write it down. But first, let me tell you how it has grown. This company which started with 3 or 4 people 3 1/2 years ago now has 20 or 30 people working during the peak season, and is shipping products to 49 states and Canada. So why remain in rural Kansas? Dan says, "We've been extremely happy with the work force here, and we're centrally located to ship all over the country." Jeanne says, "We were attracted to the good solid values, excellent schools, and security and stability for our children." If you would like to contact Gourmet Chocolates, to order or to find an outlet near you, call 1-800-835-2040. That number again is 1-800-835-2040. It's time to say goodbye to this rapper. But instead of rap music, she was wrapping chocolates, and now she's giving leadership to this national, high quality business. We're grateful for Jeanne and Dan Billings who are making a difference with their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. NEKCRED Gripe -- or grow? Someone has said that those are the two choices a person has when faced with a challenge. We can gripe, complain, and feel like a victim -- or we can grow, adapt, and change to meet the challenge. Gripe -- or grow? That was the choice facing leaders in northeast Kansas in recent years. The challenges were there: uneven economic growth, rural demographics lagging that of the cities, and a need for stronger regional communication on key issues. It would be easy to gripe and complain about those things, but a group of committed citizens in northeast Kansas instead decided to make a difference. That is the exciting story we will hear today. Meet Glenda Purkis. Glenda is President and CEO of the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce in northeast Kansas. Glenda is originally from Norton and has spent her entire career in Chamber-related work. After coming to Atchison, Glenda informally discussed with her neighboring counterparts the possibility of some regional structure for economic development in northeast Kansas. Then in February 1995, Glenda and other Atchison Chamber representatives met with Senator Don Sallee in Topeka. They discussed the need for an organized coalition for economic development in the region. Senator Sallee knew first-hand what they were talking about. Senator Sallee comes from near Troy in Doniphan County, in the very northeast corner of Kansas. Troy is a town of 1,073 people. Now, that's rural. The Senator knew that rural areas could have a stronger voice if working together, and he made some phone calls to see who could help. With assistance from Barb Kongs of the Kansas Department of Commerce & Housing, Glenda and her counterparts again began discussing how they could work together regionally. The Glacial Hills Resource Conservation and Development District was a key supporter of these discussions. Glenda says, "We felt we should start with the private sector first." And so the private sector leaders of the area got together, and they were able to make things happen. Representatives came together from six counties: Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Jackson, Jefferson, and Nemaha. The person they elected as chairman was Glenda Purkis. And on October 18, 1995, more than 100 people came together in Atchison for the very first regional meeting of the Northeast Kansas Coalition for Regional Economic Development. That's N-E-K-C-R-E-D, or NE-KCRED. I thought it would be more fun if they had made the acronym spell REDNECK, but that idea wasn't exactly embraced, for obvious reasons... By whatever name, the concept of regional cooperation did receive support. NEKCRED received guidance from facilitator Dan Roehler and excellent data from Chuck Krider of the University of Kansas. NEKCRED has now developed a regional, six-county action plan dealing with infrastructure, including transportation, telecommunications, and regional airport facilities; industrial development, retention, and marketing; and job training in the northeast Kansas region. Goals were approved and committees have been established. Glenda says, "The ultimate reason for doing this is to achieve a unified effort for economic development. We can be more successful if we work as a region." And while in previous years the growth of rural areas has fallen behind that of the cities, Glenda sees positive opportunities. She says, "People are moving back to smaller communities to get away from crime in the cities. We have a high quality of life here, that is great for families." Gripe -- or grow? That's the choice we have when we face challenges. In this case, these leaders of northeast Kansas chose not to gripe, but to grow a solution to meet their challenges. The private sector has come together to form a six-county coalition, a self-help effort at work in rural Kansas. We're thankful for people like Senator Sallee and Glenda Purkis, whose initiative and cooperative effort are making a difference in our state. Flame Engineering Here's a story we can get fired up about -- and I do mean, fired up... Let's go to the remote backwoods of Alaska, where a bush pilot needs to start his airplane engine in the arctic temperatures of the north. In these extreme conditions, that pilot's life may depend on his airplane engine starting. And thank goodness, the engine starts easily, due to a compact, portable engine pre-heater to which it was attached. And where do you suppose that pre-heater was made? Sure enough, in rural Kansas. What is a pre-heater made in rural Kansas doing in the wilds of Alaska? Well, the answer is, it's doing exactly what it is supposed to do -- which is part of the reason for the worldwide success of this remarkable company. Meet Mike Pivonka. Mike is President of Flame Engineering, Inc. in LaCrosse, Kansas. LaCrosse is the county seat of Rush County in central western Kansas. There are 3,842 people in Rush County, making it the 23rd smallest of the 105 counties in terms of population. LaCrosse itself is a town of 1,427 people. Now, that's rural. But here in LaCrosse we find the site of Flame Engineering, the company which produces those engine preheaters and much, much more. In the mid-1950s, Mike Pivonka's father Ralph designed a propane-powered mechanical torch for burning weeds and brush on the family farm near LaCrosse. It worked so well that neighbors asked for some torches, and eventually making them grew into a business. The Pivonkas founded their own company called Flame Engineering, Inc. Flame Engineering produces a variety of products related to their original propane torch. For example, the Red Dragon line includes their very popular weedburner. These torches can be used for other things too, like heating metal, thawing snow and ice, or drying or sterilizing certain materials. The company also makes roofing torches, which use the propane flame to heat asphalt-like material when applying it to a roof. The airplane engine preheaters we referred to in Alaska use warm air from the propane flame to keep the engine warm enough to start. Much of this technology can be put to use right here on the farm. The Red Dragon Row Crop Flamer attaches to a tractor and, when driven through a field of cotton or corn, will kill weeds and insects without adversely affecting the growing crop. This eliminates the risk of chemical residues or runoff. Then there's the Red Dragon Hitch line, which is a set of tow bars which can be attached to pickups or other light trucks to haul equipment. There's even a leisure line of Red Dragon equipment, including propane-powered patio lights, patio woks -- no, not sidewalks, these are woks spelled w-o-k-s -- for outdoor cooking, and the Weed Dragon, a weedburning torch designed for the homeowner. The list of products goes on and on. Mike Pivonka, a Fort Hays State grad, has been with the company almost from its inception. Mike has two sons: Jason, who is in sales for the company, and Lane, who is currently majoring in business at Kansas State University. Today this company based in LaCrosse Kansas is selling products all over the U.S. and into Canada, Mexico, Australia, and other countries, and has become a multi-million dollar business. So why remain in LaCrosse? Marketing manager Tim Morse, a K-State grad, says, "We like it here. We have an educated work force, with a good work ethic. We have less overhead than we would have in a large city." Shipping is perceived to be a challenge in bad weather, but LaCrosse is centrally located to ship to either coast. It's time to say goodbye to the wilds of Alaska, where our bush pilot is using a pre-heater made in rural Kansas to start his airplane. It's a story we can get fired up about, because the flames of that propane torch have fueled a wave of economic development in this region of Kansas. We're thankful for the hard work and entrepreneurship of people like Mike Pivonka and Flame Engineering for the difference they are making in rural Kansas. Steve Fritz Today let's go to St. Petersburg in Russia. There's an international competition in track and field. Athletes from large cities all over the world are here. Here's one of the U.S. representatives. And where is he from? Would you believe, rural Kansas... This is the story of a young man who is an international leader in track competition, and his roots are right here in the rural part of our State. Meet Steve Fritz. Steve is currently in training for the 1996 Olympics, and he's also the assistant track and field coach at Kansas State University. He's originally from the town of Gypsum. Gypsum is in Saline County in central Kansas. Steve says the people around are mostly farmers, the population is 365 people, and the town has one paved road. Now, that's rural. Yet from these rural roots comes this international athlete. Steve's parents still live at Gypsum where they own a gas station. His mom grew up on a farm near Gypsum that her family had homesteaded years ago, and she went to K-State. Steve played lots of sports in high school, and he went to Hutchinson Community College on a basketball scholarship. The Hutch basketball team was outstanding, and they had two excellent seasons. Then came March 19, 1988. The Hutchinson team was in the final game of the national junior college basketball tournament. But Hutch was behind by one point with 20 seconds to play. And who made the winning shot that brought the national title to Hutchinson, Kansas? Steve Fritz. And the story goes on. Steve tried out for the track team too. Two and a half months after the basketball championship, he became the national junior college champion in the decathlon. Steve went on to K-State, where he also played for the basketball team and competed in track. He competed in the decathlon, which is a collection of ten different track events: several short and long distance races, long jump and high jump, shotput, discus, pole vault, javelin, and hurdles. It's sort of like an all-around athlete competition. One day Steve was talking to an athlete from Missouri who said, "If you ever want to be really good, you'll have to train in California," where the weather's nice and there's lots of media. But Steve Fritz didn't take that advice. He continued to work hard right here in rural Kansas. That hard work led him to the World University Games in Sheffield, England and to competitions in such places as the Czech Republic, Germany, France, and Argentina. And listen to these results: Steve was Big 8 champion in the decathlon two years in a row, had a world championship time in 1993, won a silver medal at the 1994 Goodwill Games, holds the American record for the one-hour decathlon and the world's record for the indoor pentathlon, and is listed as the number four all-time decathlete in U.S. history. Sorry, California. You didn't have it after all. But how does someone from small-town Kansas have such international success? Steve Fritz says, "My background helped me (compete in several different events). In a small school, you have to do a lot of things. It's nice that I have all that support back home from my family. "I have been blessed with athletic ability, but I've put in a lot of work. And I was very fortunate that Coach Rovelto (the K-State track coach) came here when he did. Without him, I wouldn't have developed the way I have." Steve says, "I don't like traffic, and I love the rural areas." It's time to say goodbye to St. Petersburg in Russia and it's international track competition. Instead, we'll travel halfway around the globe to the home of one of the best competitors there, Steve Fritz, who has never forgotten his rural roots while making a difference in the global competition of track and field. And, good luck in the 1996 Olympics. Gary Jorgenson Kansas does have its contrasts. Is there any better illustration of that than the difference between Johnson County and Johnson City? The names are similar, but they are mighty different. It's like the difference between lightning and lightning bug. Johnson County and Johnson City are at opposite ends of the state. One is as far east as you can go in Kansas, and the other is as far west as you can go in Kansas. And perhaps they are opposites in other ways as well. Everyone knows Johnson County, of course. That's where we find the highly urbanized and developed suburbs of Kansas City on the eastern edge of Kansas. Of course, it's right next to Missouri. Johnson County has a population of up towards half a million people. On the other hand, some eastern Kansans may not even know that Johnson City exists. Johnson City -- or Johnson as people there call it -- is a town at the far western end of the state, in Stanton County in southwest Kansas. In fact, Stanton County borders Colorado and the mountain time zone. Johnson County has a population density of 824 people per square mile. Stanton County has a population density of three per square mile. The town of Johnson has a population of 1,348 people. Compared to Johnson County, Johnson's population represents less than one thousandth of one percent of the population of its urban namesake. Now, that's rural. If people don't know about Johnson, that's a shame, because it is a community with a lot to offer, including some really nice people. One of those is Gary Jorgenson. Gary is actually a transplant. He is originally from a rural area of Wisconsin. He studied ag engineering technology there and became involved in the canning industry. Their crops were a little different than down here in the wheat belt. He dealt with crops like peas, sweet corn, head lettuce, carrots, and spearmint. I didn't even know spearmint was a crop -- I thought it was a gum... Anyway, after some time in Chicago, Gary and family wanted to get back to the country. That view ultimately led him to apply to a popcorn company in Illinois, which hired him to work with popcorn growing in southwest Kansas. After seven years with the popcorn company, Gary founded an information resource business named AgVision Research. Gary says, "This is a strong agricultural area, but corn and wheat aren't providing the returns we would like. We are asking, how can we gain more value for our people?" Gary is working with local entrepreneurs on several projects which would benefit the community. These range from popcorn processing to land development to new uses for wheat straw. That last one was interesting to me, because wheat straw now is essentially a waste product. It's what's left over after the grain is harvested. But as Gary and others such as a group called the 21st Century Alliance see it, wheat straw could be compressed into particleboard that could be used in construction or other consumer applications. If such a waste product can be placed into a new, high value consumer use, it's good for producers and good for rural development in the region. So Gary and his colleagues will continue to work on the possibilities. Gary is a believer in small town business. He says, "I think the day will come that people will want to leave the cities to go to rural areas for a quality of life, like good schools and safe streets. We have found generosity, integrity, cooperative spirit, and community support." And what does Gary like most about Johnson? Gary says, in a nutshell, "It's the people." Kansas does have its contrasts. It's a long way from Johnson County to Johnson City.
But once we get to know each other, we find we have a common appreciation of people. And I
appreciate people like Gary Jorgenson, whose enterprising spirit is making a difference in
rural Kansas. Russell Stover So you're driving along Interstate 70 and it's been a while since lunch. You're hungry for something yummy and sweet. In your mind's eye, you imagine a chocolate -- no, a whole box of chocolates. Mmm, that would be good. In fact, it's as if you can see that box of chocolates turning in the sky ahead of you right now...and there it is! What's going on here? Are you having some sort of sweet tooth-induced hallucination or Valentine's Day flashbacks? No, you can relax. That giant box of chocolates you see turning in the sky is on a Russell Stover sign, and it's in front of a huge, new facility which produces Russell Stover chocolates. That's when you know that you're near Abilene, Kansas. Abilene is the site of the newest Russell Stover plant in the country. Of course, Abilene is already known as a wonderful location for history and tourism. Now, it can add to its claims to fame that it is part of an international chocolate enterprise. And I'm glad that the latest addition to the Russell Stover system isn't in New York or LA, it's in a central Kansas town of 6,242 people. Now, that's rural. The roots of the Russell Stover company go back to 1923. In that year, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Stover began a candy business in their bungalow home in Denver, Colorado. The business grew and grew. Today the company headquarters is in Kansas City, Missouri and the company is international. It has candy kitchens at five locations and a network of thirteen distribution centers across the country. And listen to this: this company which began in Mrs. Stover's home now sells candy in more than 46 retail shops, 700 department stores, 10,000 mass retailers, and 18,000 drug stores and card shops. Its products go nationwide and even to Canada and Australia. It is the largest producer of fine boxed chocolates in the United States. Robinn Weber, an executive of Russell Stover, told me how the new plant came to Abilene. He said, "The owners were interested in expanding our manufacturing in the midwest. We started a search for locations and narrowed it down to two states." Robinn said the Kansas Department of Commerce was very helpful. Through that agency, the company got profiles on the cities which could be possible host sites. Then it gathered more specific information on the availability of labor, land, and incentives. Of course, convenient access to Interstate 70 and I-35 were pluses for Abilene. And in May 1995, the new chocolate plant opened just west of Abilene. Robinn Weber says, "We felt that there was a good work ethic and a good attitude among midwestern people, and we have found it to be so. Abilene is a great community, and we've been very pleased." One very interesting thing about the demographics of employment at this facility is that 40 percent of the employees come from Dickinson County, where Abilene is located. That means 60 percent of the workers come from outside Dickinson County, which demonstrates the huge economic impact that the company has on an entire rural region. In closing, there are three notes of good news that relate to all this: first, the plant in Abilene is already expanding with the addition of a box-making facility to their operations. That makes sense -- you've got to have the box to put the chocolates in. Second, Russell Stover has plans to further expand in Kansas. A plant in Iola is
expected to be operating in early 1997. And the third bit of good news is that the Abilene plant includes an outlet store, where you can buy the yummy stuff. You can get great bargains on Russell Stovers chocolates there. Yes, even on chocolate candies, you can buy direct from the factory and get a great deal. So you're driving along Interstate 70 and its been a long time since lunch. When you see the giant box of Russell Stover chocolates turning in the sky, you know you've found something yummy to eat, but you also know that you are seeing economic development at work. We're thankful for Robinn Weber and the people of Russell Stover, whose hard work and expansion are making a difference in rural Kansas. Plevna, Kansas Did you know there are some people from Japan visiting Kansas? Sure enough, a group from Tokyo is visiting the state. They're probably touring around Wichita and Topeka, and maybe going to Dodge City. In fact, where are they now? The answer is, they are in Plevna, Kansas, a town of 117 people. Now, that's rural. Why in the world is a group of international visitors from Tokyo stopping in one of Kansas' smallest towns? Well, the answer to that question is today's Kansas Profile. Meet Charles Kern. Charles and his wife Shirley are co-owners of the historic Plevna General Store. Charles has been described as a former schoolteacher and jack-of-all-trades. He graduated from Emporia State and did master's work at Kansas State. After teaching and working in various businesses, he was looking for a place where he didn't have to travel so much. So in January 1987, Charles Kern took over ownership of the historic general store in Plevna. Plevna is in south central Kansas, along Highway 50 in western Reno County. And when we say this store is historic, we mean it. The business was first started in the 1880s by a man named J. N. Hinshaw. It was known as Hinshaw General Mercantile. A 1910 advertisement for the store offered bread at 5 cents per loaf, and six loaves for 25 cents. That's better than a blue-light special... In 1914, Hinshaw relocated the store to its current building, which Charles Kern has restored. In 1989, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The store is described as "one of the most architecturally elaborate examples of an early 20th century detached commercial building remaining in Kansas." The building has the original pressed-tin, 14 foot ceilings and preserved hardwood floors, along with the original scale, cash register, display cases, and arched windows. A root cellar is located under the building, and Kern still uses a hand-operated cargo elevator to get there. Many of the relics which he found in the root cellar are now on display in the main store. This includes such items as Peet Brothers Soap, B&R Root Beer Flavor, and Dr. Hess Stock Tonic. You probably won't find that at your local discount mega-mart either... Of course, the store has modern conveniences too. Along with souvenirs, you can buy food and some groceries there, and even rent a video. A few years ago, Charles Kern started offering a sandwich at lunchtime. It was such a success that his deli menu has now grown to more than 30 items. The historic, down-home feel of this place has made it something of an attraction. Charles said he has indeed had visitors from Japan as well as Queens, New York; LA; England; New Zealand; and Germany. So why is it that international visitors are drawn to the Plevna General Store? I think it's because the store is historic, authentic, and fun. And what is it that Charles Kern likes about small towns? He says, "It's relaxing. And I enjoy meeting and talking to the nice people and families who come in." Yes, we occasionally have people from Japan visiting Kansas. No doubt they take in many sights, but at least one of their stops was the historic general store in Plevna, Kansas. Who would have guessed that a site of international interest is found in one of Kansas's smallest towns? Maybe some of us Kansas natives take for granted some of the good things around us. We're thankful for Charles and Shirley Kern, whose investment in history and in small town America is making a difference in rural Kansas. Fastest growing towns Recently some data came across my desk regarding the demographics of Kansas. It was a listing of population changes in Kansas cities during the early years of the 1990s. The more I dug into those numbers, the more interested I became. So on today's program, we're not going to visit with just one person, just one business, or just one community -- we're going to take a whirlwind tour of the 20 fastest growing towns in Kansas. And guess what -- the greatest growth is not in our cities, but in our small towns. In fact, 19 of these 20 fastest growing towns don't even appear on the map of the central United States, which I have in my office. First, let me give you some background and some caveats. This data comes from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. It reflects the change in population from 1990 to 1992. That is a short time frame, so we need to be careful not to place too much weight on the short-term trends. Furthermore, the growth is measured in percentages, which can be a bit misleading because a very small town with a small numerical increase will show an extremely high percent of growth. Nonetheless, the numbers do show where high rates of growth occurred in the early part of this decade. So based on the percentages, here is what we learned. There were 86 Kansas towns which grew by five percent or more during this time period. There were 20 towns which grew by 10 percent or more. That's a lot, in just 2 years. Let's take a look at these top 20. First of all, you won't find Wichita, Kansas City or Topeka among them. In fact, the average size of the 20 towns with the fastest growth was less than 2300 people. In other words, the highest growth was happening in our smaller communities. There was one exception to this rule: the town of Leawood. Leawood is a town of more than 22 thousand in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It experienced growth of nearly 14 percent. But if you don't count Leawood's population, the average size of the other 19 fastest-growing towns was 1,223 people. And that includes towns like Kechi, population 656; Andale, population 632; Longford, population 76; and Matfield Green, population 37. Now, that's rural. If towns that size are growing fast, does this mean that people are flocking back to rural Kansas? Not necessarily, but it does mean that people are attracted to the smaller communities within commuting distance of the larger cities or with other attractions. For example, six of these top 20 communities are located around Wichita. These are Rose
Hill, Mount Hope, Kechi, Andale, Cheney, and Garden Plain. Another five towns in the top 20 are found around the Kansas City / Lawrence area. These are Basehor, Lecompton, Eudora, Tonganoxie, and Wellsville. It seems people are willing to commute farther and farther. Another of the top 20 towns is La Cygne, which is 41 miles from Kansas City. Then there are a set of communities which have recreational opportunities, such as proximity to a lake. The towns of Pomona, Longford, and Milford would fit this category. The only far western town on the top 20 growth list is Holcomb, a town of 1,612 outside of Garden City. Holcomb is the site of a huge beefpacking plant, which attracts employees. Another top 20 town is Grandview Plaza, located right on Interstate 70 and close to Junction City. Then there's the town of Matfield Green. Matfield Green is nestled in the scenic Flint Hills, and is close to I-35, the Kansas Turnpike. So what's the bottom line of this analysis? My conclusion is, the numbers suggest that people are wanting to return to small town Kansas. That small town quality of life is making a difference when people choose where to live. They are seeking safer schools for their children, friendly neighbors, and quieter streets. Many are retirees. But not just any small town will do. All these fast-growing small towns are reasonably close to a larger city or job center, or to some other attraction such as a lake or an interstate highway -- all, that is, except for one. During this program, I've mentioned 19 of the 20 fastest growing small towns. But the last one doesn't seem to fit any of the categories mentioned above. So we'll learn about that community on our next program. Harris, Kansas On our last program, we took a look at a list of the top 20 fastest growing towns in the state of Kansas during the early years of the 1990s. The list was interesting, because these fastest growing towns were generally smaller communities. However, they were also close to some other attraction. A majority were close to a job center such as Kansas City or Wichita. A number of others were close to a lake or to an interstate highway. But there was one which didn't seem to fit any of these categories. It isn't on a lake or an interstate, and it is quite a ways from Kansas City or Wichita. According to the Kansas Department of Transportation map, there are no services in this town. It is located in a county which lost population from 1990 to 1991. Yet this town experienced more than 12 percent growth from 1990 to 1992. Now let me say that sometimes percentages can be misleading. The truth is that this town only grew by 5 people -- but the percentage was high because the beginning population was only 39! So maybe growth of only 5 people doesn't sound like much. But then you ask, in a time when people perceive that most towns that small are dying away, how could they have experienced any growth at all? Today, we'll visit this tiny town which had a growth spurt. Meet Ona Mae Hunt. Ona Mae is the city clerk of Harris, Kansas. Harris is a town of 44 people. Now, that's rural. It's located in Anderson County, in eastern Kansas. The largest town nearby is Garnett, a town of 3,210. Garnett is also the county seat. Ona Mae is proud of the turnaround which Harris has experienced. She says, "In 1960, Harris was a shambles. Houses were falling down and weeds were growing up." Unfortunately, this is a fate which befell many of the smallest towns in rural America. But Ona Mae says, "A farmer named Roy Monroe retired and he decided to take it on as a personal mission to clean up Harris." Doesn't that sound like he was a sheriff in an old western movie? But Roy Monroe didn't clean up this town with six-shooters, he did it with a lawnmower, some tools, and lots of hard work and persuasion. Ona Mae says, "He cut weeds and built four new homes in town. And he went to the owners of the older buildings and said, `If you buy the lumber, I'll help you redo your building.'" And it worked. It built on a community spirit which already existed around Harris. Ona Mae says there is a strong population of German Baptists who settled in and around the community early in this century. Not only do they and their descendants have a strong faith, they work very hard at keeping their homes and grounds meticulously clean. Between their efforts and those of Mr. Monroe, now deceased, plus the ongoing work of current residents, the town of Harris is today a remarkably clean and neat little community. It is quiet, friendly and uncongested, which makes it attractive to retirees and even to young families. The factors which strengthened this community represent some of the things we find in the best of our small towns: self-help, community spirit, cleanliness, individual responsibility, and volunteerism. Ona Mae says, "It is such a nice clean little place that as farmers retire, they come here to town, and there's even some young families. The Recreation Hall built by Mr. Monroe is still used each weekend for Saturday night square dances and Monday night card parties." And speaking of volunteers, Ona Mae has served since 1972 as city clerk of Harris. I guess they don't have term limits there -- but neither do they have pay raises! During all those years, Ona Mae hasn't taken one penny of salary from the town. It's time to say goodbye to Harris, Kansas. No, it's not near a city, a lake, or an interstate highway, and it has no services. It's one of the smallest towns in the state. But in the face of overwhelming odds, it managed to grow in the early part of this decade. We're thankful for people like Roy Monroe and Ona Mae Hunt, whose community spirit and volunteerism are making a difference in rural Kansas. Dianna Carlson Does your family ever go to a drive-in restaurant? Well, let's do something different today. Instead of a drive-in restaurant, how about a ride-in restaurant instead? What in the world is a ride-in, you ask? Well, imagine a cafe in the middle of the grasslands where cowboys can come riding up on their horses, tie `em to a hitching post, and come in for dinner. It sounds like a movie, doesn't it? Or maybe Marshall Dillon. But you don't have to go to Hollywood -- it exists for real right here in Kansas. Meet Dianna Carlson. Dianna is the owner of the Cassoday Cafe in Cassoday, Kansas. By the way, though it's pronounced Cassidee, it's spelled Cassoday. Cassoday is a town of -- get this -- 95 people. Now, that's rural. But unlike other small towns, thousands of travelers on the Kansas Turnpike have seen the name of this one. That's because the town happens to be located on a straight line between Topeka and Wichita, so when they built the turnpike, it came right by Cassoday. And Cassoday's name is on a turnpike exit there, because that's where the turnpike crosses Highway 177. So thousands of travelers have seen the name of this rural town, and some have discovered the Cassoday Cafe and Dianna Carlson. Dianna is originally from Houston. She came to Wichita and then to Cassoday. Now she and her husband live on a ranch near Cassoday, where they run cattle. A son is attending K-State. Nine years ago, a friend of Dianna's bought the local cafe, which had been around for a long time. She asked Dianna to help her run it. Then in January 1995, her friend retired, and Dianna bought it. You need to understand that this is the heart of cattle country. Cassoday is nestled in the southern Flint Hills, which is some of the best cattle grazing land in the world. Ranches are big and cattle are king. Horses are an active part of ranch life here. And sure enough, there is a hitching post in front of the Cassoday cafe. Once in a while, a cowboy will actually ride in on horseback and tie up his horse while he enjoys dinner. The only problem is, sometimes there isn't room to park his horse. I don't remember Marshall Dillon having that problem... Yes, the Cassoday Cafe is a popular place. Take a look at the guest register. There are names from Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Atlanta, Chicago, and New York. And it remains popular with the locals. Dianna offers a buffet, which she says the cowboys really like. The buffet enables them to get a good meal fast. And listen to this: the buffet might feature three different meats, fifteen homemade salads, and homemade desserts. The food is good, and so is the atmosphere. The sign out front says, "Good Food and Gossip since 1879." The restaurant has an authentic feel, with western art and pictures on the wall, and red bandannas on the tables. One decoration is a piece of barbed wire in the shape of a cowboy boot, and a bootjack by the front door has "eat beef" printed on it. One of the more unusual items I saw when I was in was a clock brought in by one of her customers who is a railroad worker. Would you believe that when the clock chimes the hour, it makes a train whistle? Now there's a gift for the man who has everything... Dianna says that when she and her friend started, having 25 or 30 people in the restaurant was a good day. Now, 100 customers is nothing. They had 216 people for a recent Sunday buffet, and during hunting season they may have two or three hundred. They are also doing more and more catering. For the annual festival and rodeo in June, they may serve barbecue to five or six hundred people. And how does Dianna feel about Cassoday? She says, "It's a little town with a big heart. Everyone works hard and everyone helps each other. It feels like a family." Would you like a change from the usual drive-in restaurant? Well, hitching posts and
all, this one might be considered a ride-in restaurant. This is where Dianna Carlson is
keeping alive the western heritage and community spirit that make a difference in rural
Kansas. Bill BaalmannToday let's go to Disneyland!....Your kid seems to be more excited about that than you are...but anyway, let's go to Disneyland! Hop on the tram for a ride around the Magic Kingdom. Look at all the wonderful sights. And did you ever stop to think where the pieces of that tram itself came from? Well, in the near future, the answer to that question will be: right here in rural Kansas. Yes, there is a company here in Kansas that will be producing the seats, fenders, and some other plastic components of the trams at Disneyland. And this company isn't based in Kansas City or Wichita. It's in the Kansas town of Rush Center, population 177 people. Now, that's rural. Think about that. Millions of people from all over the world have come to Disneyland. What are the chances that they would be riding on a tram with components made in a mid-Kansas town of 177 people? It's another little-known success story in rural Kansas. Meet Bill Baalmann. Bill is co-founder of KBK Industries in Rush Center, Kansas. Rush Center is due south of Hays and west of Great Bend, if that helps you place it in the state. Bill is originally from Schulte, a small town near Wichita. After graduating from business college in Wichita and serving in the military, he went into business in the oilfields of Kansas. In 1975, he and two others formed KBK Industries. KBK produces various forms of fiberglass reinforced products. These are essentially high quality, extra strength plastics. For example, the company started producing large plastic tanks for use in the oilfields and in septic systems. Today the company still produces those tanks for agricultural, oilfield, or chemical use, but it also diversified as the oil industry went through hard times. Today KBK produces products ranging from seats and fenders for trams at Disneyland to aerodynamically shaped cabs for lawnmowers or large trucks. Companies which have used their products include such names as John Deere, Ford, and Peterbilt. Gene Kyle and Bill Baalman are co-founders, partners, and senior officers of the company. And would you believe that this company based in a rural town of 177 people now employs 50 people, ships products worldwide, and has 4 million dollars of sales a year? It's remarkable. But things were not always easy. In 1977, the company had a fire and the facility was a total loss. But in 1978, the company rebuilt. Of course, the company draws employees from over a large area. It's location is truly rural. What other multi-million dollar manufacturing business do you know with an address of Rural Route 2, Box 3? So why is this company in Rush Center? Bill says, "We're in the middle of our market." And that makes sense, because they serve the oilfields and agriculture. Another advantage is that a sparse population means less hassles with traffic in shipping oversize tanks, for example. And then there's the people. Bill says that getting enough employees from the rural labor force can be a problem, but the work ethic of rural people is good. He says, "Gene and I are rural people anyway. And we have great customers. Dealing with good people in the agriculture and oil business is a high point." And rural areas must be good for families. Bill and his wife have seven children, six of them boys. Don't you suppose things were lively around that household? They could field their own basketball team, complete with reserves. And imagine being the only daughter among all those boys. In fact, daughter Rebecca must have learned to hold her own: she's now a student at Kansas State. Let's go to Disneyland! Yes, amid all the sites and sounds of one of the world's greatest family attractions, there will soon be trams with components that were made in small-town Kansas. It's another example of a remarkable business operating in a rural setting. We're grateful for people like Bill Baalmann and Gene Kyle, whose hard work, initiative and entrepreneurship are making a difference in rural Kansas. And by the way, could I have a picture of Mickey Mouse?... Gary and Marilyn Jones Don't you hate stop-and-go traffic? I do. I can't stand it when the traffic is so heavy ahead of me that I have to stop my car and then let it creep forward. Recently I encountered such congestion on a drive in Kansas. But this wasn't in some urban rush-hour caused by automobiles. I had to stop my car because of a flock of guinea hens crossing the road. And let me tell you, that's a lot more entertaining than any rush hour with cars. Where did I find such stop-and-go traffic? The answer is, the Jones Sheep Farm near Peabody, Kansas, site of today's Kansas Profile. Meet Gary and Marilyn Jones, the owners and operators of Jones Sheep Farm. This remarkable couple is originally from the town of Dexter in southern Kansas. Dexter is a town of 320 people. Now, that's rural. Gary and Marilyn went to college at Oklahoma State. In 1961, they moved to Peabody, Kansas where Gary took the job as agriculture teacher in the high school there. Thirty-two years later, Gary retired as Peabody's ag teacher. Gary also has a masters degree from K-State. In fact, son Mike, now a veterinarian at Seneca, and daughter Lynn with the Department of Education in Topeka, are both K-State grads as are their spouses. I can tell you from experience that Gary was a successful and respected ag teacher. His students have had a great deal of success. One specialty of animal science knowledge for which Gary Jones was especially recognized can be summarized in one word: Sheep. There is no ag teacher in Kansas with better knowledge of sheep breeds. Gary and Marilyn traveled all over the country to find different breeds of sheep, and at one point he had 23 different breeds of sheep represented in the livestock on his farm. And you thought Bo Peep was all there was to it... As an educational exercise, Gary even had a class produce a book complete with photos on the breeds of sheep they had learned about. The Jones continue to raise sheep today. Marilyn is an expert at spinning sheep's wool. In fact, for 25 years she taught classes in spinning. Believe it or not, she's had students in her classes from places as far away as Bermuda, California, and South Carolina. The Jones also operate a greenhouse, as they have done for years. They sell bedding plants and vegetable plants locally. In 1987, another dimension of the Jones Sheep Farm came about. Gary and Marilyn had purchased some neighboring farms, and they decided to open a bed and breakfast in an old historic home nearby. Today the Jones Sheep Farm Bed and Breakfast is in the historic Bell house near Peabody. The quaint old house is furnished in a style reminiscent of the 1930s. The house has modern conveniences, with two exceptions: no telephone, and no TV. Imagine that: I'd finally have to let go of the remote control... In fact, the house overlooks the sheep pasture, so the only sounds to be heard are the singing of the birds and the bleating of the sheep. It sounds relaxing, just talking about it. Guests are served a home-made, farm fresh, gourmet breakfast every morning. Kids and others are welcome to roam the farm. In fact, they are welcome to help feed the animals and gather the eggs if they would like. Petting the lambs would be a high point for my little daughter. When the B&B opened, some skeptic said, "Why would anybody want to come to a little house outside of Peabody?" But today the house is booked up well in advance. Recent guests include chefs from Kansas City and doctors from Lawrence and Wichita. If you would like to be a guest at the Jones sheep farm, I'll give you a phone number to call. The Jones's say to call before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m., however, because it's hard to catch them on the farm. The phone number is 316-983-2815. That number again is 316-983-2815. Don't you hate stop-and-go traffic? I do. But here at Jones sheep farm, we find stop-and-go traffic of a different sort. It's not just the guinea hens on the driveway, it's a place where we can stop the frenzied pace of urban life and go find rural America at its best. We're thankful for the efforts of Gary and Marilyn Jones, who are making a difference in rural Kansas. And there's more. Because as significant as the Jones' various enterprises are, even
more notable is their service to their community. And we'll hear about that on our next
program. Gary and Marilyn Jones - Peabody What's that sound in the distance? Is it the siren of an ambulance, rushing someone to the hospital? Could be a close call. The patient I'm describing today isn't a man or a woman -- it's a town. This is the story of a town that was given up for dead, by some people -- but through a lot of effort and leadership, it has come back to life. Meet Gary and Marilyn Jones. Gary has retired after 32 years of teaching agriculture at Peabody High School. He and Marilyn run a sheep farm, greenhouse, and bed and breakfast near Peabody. But that is just the tip of the iceberg of their activities. Let's go back ten years. The town of Peabody was going downhill fast. Population was declining. Businesses on main street were closing, and being boarded up. One observer said, "The town was dead, it just hadn't fallen over yet." But a flicker of life remained in this town, and some people decided to resuscitate it. In 1989, a large, empty stone building on the west side of Peabody's Main Street was in decline. The old stone walls were at risk of falling down. But some local citizens stepped in to purchase the old building. Their names: Gary and Marilyn Jones. They had observed their community go downhill, and they wanted to see things get better. At the same time, the community was considering some of the programs which the Kansas Department of Commerce had to offer. One of these is called Main Street. It's a program through which the state offers technical assistance for downtown revitalization. The catch is that it requires significant resources from the community. The towns in the Main Street program at that time were cities like Hutchinson and Manhattan -- cities with maybe 40,000 people. That was quite a contrast to the south central Kansas town of Peabody, population 1349 people. Now, that's rural. But that year Commerce decided to offer a Main Street program for towns less than 5,000 people. Peabody got itself together, marshaled its resources, and joined the Main Street program. At that point, it was the smallest town to ever have joined the program. Main Street brought in experts from outside Peabody, and they concluded that while Peabody didn't have a lot of industry or tourism, it did have a historic downtown that was worth saving. One of the members of that first Main Street board was Gary Jones. Gary says, "As much as anything, Main Street brought about a change of attitude." Buildings downtown were cleaned and fixed up. Community festivals were held. Community spirit started to rise. Good things snowballed. One observer credits Marilyn Jones with bringing at least a half-dozen new businesses to town. In 1989, Peabody had 11 retail businesses downtown. Five years later, it had 21 -- an increase of 91 percent. And the vacant retail space has gone down by 400 percent! Today the Jones' old stone building is a store called the Mayesville Mercantile, and is on the national register of historic places. The Jones learned that the second floor of the old building had been a maternity hospital years ago. They converted it into a set of apartments called the Stork's Nest. Marilyn Jones is president of the county historical society. She found that a large number of Civil War veterans lived at Peabody. Now the town is having chautaquas with Civil War re-enactors, and a cemetery tour is being held complete with interpreters in the cemetery in period costume portraying characters from Peabody's past. Gary Jones says, "Six years ago, you could have bought and sold half the houses in town. Now, the rental housing is all full, and people are standing in line to buy." What's that sound in the distance? No, it's not an ambulance coming, it's the sound of
people. People having fun, people rebuilding their community, people celebrating their
historic heritage. We're grateful for people like Gary and Marilyn Jones, whose hard work
and community spirit are truly making a difference, in helping a rural town -- left for
dead -- come back to life. Kirk Williams Today let's visit a community unlike any other we've featured on this program. Here we find lots of the things typical in a Kansas town: there's a lounge, a laundry, a place to buy gas, lots of telephones, a great place to eat, and lots of shopping. You can buy books, clothing, snacks, gifts, souvenirs, cowboy boots, auto and truck accessories, toys, and a great cinnamon roll. You can even get such things as a portable television, men's underwear, and diapers. It sounds like a pretty good size town, wouldn't you say? Well, everything that I've just described is found under one roof. And where is this town? Well, it's really not a town at all. In fact, it's all one business. But it's not some mega-mart in one of our larger cities either. Now that you're thoroughly perplexed, let me explain. The community I'm describing is really a place called Beto Junction. And it's not in a town at all -- far from it -- but it has virtually all the services of a community. Its formal name is Beto Junction Travel Plaza. But Beto Junction is what you and I would call a truck stop. It is a fascinating community in its own right. Meet Kirk Williams. Kirk is president of Beto Junction Travel Plaza. Beto Junction is located due south of Topeka at the intersection of Interstate 35 and Highway 75. When I say it's not located in a town, I really mean it. There is no incorporated city at this location, although some maps have added the name Beto Junction at this spot because of the services here. Until 1994, there were still party line telephones here. The mailing address is Lebo, eight miles away. Lebo is a town of 835 people. Now, that's rural. But Beto Junction is a rural community in and of itself. Its history, including the origin of the name, is very interesting. Kirk's in-laws first built a truck stop here in 1975. While stopping at an old run-down gas station not far from there, they turned over a sign which said "Beto Junction." Through research, they found that the name was derived years ago from the initials of the larger towns that were reached by the highways which crossed there. The towns and initials were B for Burlington, E for Emporia, T for Topeka, and O for Ottawa. It spells Beto. Hence, the name Beto Junction. So, they adopted the name for the new truck stop. They leased it out in 1981 and took it back over in 1992. Today about 95 people are employed there. Kirk Williams says they invested more than a million dollars in remodeling the place in 1992, and what a remarkable facility it is. It is twice as busy today as it was then. In fact, it is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. More than 2,000 people enter the doors of this facility every day, including truckers as well as other travelers. I mentioned there was a great place to eat here -- but don't just take my word for it. In 1995, the Vivarin company surveyed hundreds of truckers in the U.S. and Canada to learn their favorites. When the votes were all tallied up, the location voted as the best truck-stop diner in the nation was Beto Junction. And truckers know their food. The menu includes the hearty meals you might expect, like the Big Jake breakfast and a 14 ounce steak called the Hoss, but there's also a big salad bar and a Heart Smart platter. Then there's those Beto cinnamon rolls, which cover a whole plate. Each roll weighs one pound or more -- and that's no exaggeration. So, bring a friend when you stop for breakfast. Kirk Williams is a Topeka native who graduated from KU and held several positions in business around the country before coming to Beto. He says, "When my friends in the business from Chicago, Memphis, or New Jersey talk about their labor problems, I just have to smile. I believe the quality of the workers is better here. Rural people are trained to work." And he says, "I like Kansas. I like the people." It's time to say farewell to this community -- a community like none other we've featured on this program. We're thankful for people like Kirk Williams, whose hard work, entrepreneurship, and commitment to service in a rural setting are making a difference in the Kansas economy. And pass the cinnamon roll, please. Buzz Harris Today let's visit a Haul of Fame. No, not the baseball hall of fame or the basketball hall of fame, or even the agricultural hall of fame in Bonner Springs, Kansas. This is a totally different hall of fame; one that's not spelled h-a-double ll, but rather h-a-u-l, as in hauling a load. We're going to visit a company that makes various kinds of trailers used for hauling things or animals. And that phrase "haul of fame" is appropriate, because this company is internationally known for its production of high quality trailers. Meet Buzz Harris. Buzz is co-owner of Liberty Incorporated, the company that produces Travalong trailers and uses the copyrighted phrase, The Haul of Fame. Liberty Inc. is based in north central Kansas, in the Marshall County town of Waterville. Waterville is a community of 543 people. Now, that's rural. Yet this rural town is the site of this internationally known trailer company. In fact, would you believe there are four stock trailer companies found in this one community? On a per capita basis, that must make Waterville the stock trailer capital of the universe. Buzz Harris grew up not far away, near Centralia. He went to K-State and took several positions in banking. In 1991, Buzz, Tom, and Nancy Grieshaber, and John Call bought this company in Waterville. At that point, the company had been operating for about 20 years, had about 15 employees, and virtually no dealer network. Today, there are 70 employees and a network of more than 200 dealers nationwide. Its products have sold as far away as Canada, New Zealand, and Germany. The company is expanding its plant for the third time in the last year. In addition, they have recently purchased an aluminum trailer manufacturing company in Missouri. What is the secret of this success? Buzz Harris says, "It's probably three things: quality of product, quality of people, and service." And what exactly is it that this company does? Well, it started out making what you and I would call a horse trailer: that is, an enclosed wheel-mounted vehicle which can hold horses or cattle and is pulled behind a pickup truck. It can carry a horse to a rodeo or show, or to a pasture to work. For that matter, it can carry livestock anywhere. These trailers are a cowboy's best friend -- maybe after his horse itself. But to say this company makes trailers is like saying Noah took a boat ride. The company makes high quality trailers including custom projects, with hand-done pinstriping and special metallic paints. Besides carrying livestock, these can also include living space for people, if they are staying overnight at a horse show or trail ride, for example. Of course, that means the trailer saves money by avoiding motel bills -- at least that's what I tried to tell my wife... Anyway, Liberty Inc. is now working with a company in Kansas that will finish the living quarters on these trailers. Imagine a stock trailer with a shower, microwave, stereo -- even a queen size bed. That's my idea of roughing it, and it's possible through these companies. Liberty also produces flatbed or enclosed utility trailers. And as I said, all types of these products can be custom-made. Buzz Harris says, "We have gifted people. We can tailor-make the trailer for you. Our guys can do anything." And the trailers have been tailor-made. Buzz Harris says, "We've built trailers for everything from elk to emu." These might include special gates, removable panels, or other special features. The company likes to incorporate innovations from its workers, dealers, and customers. For example, Liberty is now outfitting its stock trailers with composite flooring, which is made from recycled tires and plastic gallon jugs. Not only is this good for the environment, it is more flexible than lumber yet has a 20 year warranty. Yet Buzz seems most proud of his people. Of the employees at Liberty Inc., he says, "These are good, hard-working rural folks, the type of people you'd like to be associated with, people you'd like to have as your neighbor." It's time to say goodbye to Buzz Harris and the people at Liberty Inc. We appreciate
the internationally known trailers they make for hauling and the employment they generate
in a rural setting, but most of all, we're thankful for these good people who are making a
difference. For their good efforts, they have earned their place in a hall of fame. Fred Germann Now here's a story that makes me really want to ham it up...and when I say ham, I mean it. Today's program is about pork. No, not the kind they blame politicians for, this is the type of pork that goes on your plate and tastes delicious. Pork will be one of the products processed at the new, state-of-the-art, 40 million dollar meat processing plant being constructed by Armour Swift-Eckrich near Junction City, Kansas. It will process boxed pork, beef, and turkey into sausage, and will create more than 300 new jobs. But today's program is not about the new sausage plant, it's about a man who for years has been a leading producer of pork. It happens that he lives in the same county as the new plant. Meet Fred Germann. Fred is a long-time farmer and pork producer in Geary County, in north central Kansas. Fred is an outstanding agricultural producer, but more than that, he's an outstanding agricultural leader. For example, he is the only person in history to have served as president of both the Kansas Livestock Association and Kansas Pork Producers Council. Fred was born and raised on a diversified farm in Riley County. When he was a little boy he planted corn in the back yard. That was the beginning of an agricultural career which leads today to an interest in international agricultural trade. As a 4-H youth, he won blue ribbons for his Duroc swine and began a lifelong career in pork production. Fred majored in animal husbandry at K-State. He was an outstanding judge of livestock and served on K-State's livestock judging teams, where he placed in the top 10 in contests at Fort Worth, Kansas City and Chicago. See, we were in the top 10 even before Bill Snyder came along... Fred returned to the farm after graduation. But in the early 1950s, there was a crisis: proposals were made to build a huge dam and reservoir on the Blue River, which would cover the Germann and other family farms with tons of water. This proposal was hotly contested, but in the end it prevailed and the family farm was lost. Fred Germann says, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." So the family relocated to a new farm east of Junction City. Since he was on a new place, Fred decided to try a new technology: specific-pathogen-free, or SPF, pork. What that means is raising hogs under carefully controlled conditions to minimize disease and improve herd health. His innovation and good management paid off. The Germann farm became the site of an internationally-known livestock enterprise. It is located near Dwight, Kansas, population 365 people. Now, that's rural. As noted, Fred was a pioneer in producing SPF pork. In fact, for two years his herd produced more recorded purebred SPF litters than any other producer in the nation. Fred sells breeding stock across the country from California to Maryland, and was one of a group to sell hogs in Korea. And speaking of sausage, one customer in the U.S. was someone you might recognize: Jimmy Dean. With several partners, Fred developed the F & R swine operation which produced as many as 27,000 hogs a year. The Germanns also produce beef cattle and field crops. I mentioned an interest in global agricultural trade. He has participated in ag trade missions and tours to such places as Taiwan, mainland China, and Russia. Fred and Helen have two daughters, one grandson, and another grandchild on the way.
Fred has been very involved in rural, industry, and conservation organizations, and has
been quite active in his church. Fred has had many honors, but he says that one of the things of which he is most proud is that he has assisted young people in getting started in agriculture themselves. Several producers who began as Fred's employees are now out on their own. Fred says, "They're among my best friends." Yes, this story makes me really want to ham it up. It's about an outstanding leader of
Kansas agriculture and the pork industry. As we celebrate the new sausage plant to be
opening soon, we also celebrate the 75 years of Fred Germann's life. We appreciate his
entrepreneurship and his attitude of service, which is making a difference in rural
Kansas. Jerry Plunkett You've heard that old saying, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it"? Well today, we've come to it. And this is no metaphor. Today we're really going to visit a bridge unlike any we've had in Kansas before. It's made of an innovative product produced by an entrepreneur and his company, right here in rural Kansas. Meet Dr. Jerry Plunkett. Dr. Plunkett is president and CEO of Kansas Structural Composites Inc., in Russell Kansas. Dr. Plunkett says his real interest is in composites, meaning these compound materials. Dr. Plunkett is an expert in developing these blended materials into various uses -- dealing with everything from warhead re-entry to artificial bones for people. Now he is thinking about bridges. Jerry Plunkett is originally from Missouri, where he got his first degrees. His studies and work took him on to other places, including MIT. He was a vice-chancellor at the University of Denver. Throughout his career his primary focus was on these composite products. His current company, Kansas Structural Composites, produces a composite of fiber-reinforced polymers in a honeycomb design. These are formed into structural panels which are corrosion-resistant and light-weight but strong. This type of technology was developed by Ben and John Kunz during the past 35 years. Today, John Kunz is vice president of this company. And that takes us back to crossing the bridge. In the coming months, this company will build a new bridge in Russell. The deck of the bridge will be made of these composite materials -- the first all-composite bridge in Kansas. Why would you want to build a bridge out of composites? Well, it turns out there are several reasons: composite bridges are lighter and built and installed quicker than the conventional bridges. Compared to concrete, for example, a composite bridge would only weigh one-sixth as much, and the cost is less than half. Sounds good so far, but there is one other little matter: Will it hold you up?? The answer to that question is yes. Research has been done by the National Academy of Sciences and others to show that these bridges can carry the load. Dr. Hugh Walker in K-State's Mechanical Engineering Department is one of those who has tested the product. In fact, Jerry Plunkett says that these composite bridges may last 100 years, compared to some conventional bridges which will only last 20. Still, they want to be positive that the bridges are safe, so they're starting small. After a lot of testing, Kansas Structural Composites will put down the new, short-span bridge in Russell in a few months. These composite panels will be placed over the existing steel framework. And I mentioned these can be built more quickly? Jerry Plunkett says these interlocking panels can be used to essentially rebuild an existing bridge overnight. For those of us who are sick of dodging orange barrels on the highway, that sounds like a great deal. As I said, the company is based in Russell, Senator Dole's hometown in western Kansas. It's the county seat, with a population of 4,667 people. Now, that's rural. So why would this innovative company be located in Russell? Jerry Plunkett says, "This is the place to be." For one thing, it's centrally located in a part of the country with high education and work ethic. Jerry Plunkett calls it the "productivity belt." Beyond that, Russell is located on an interstate. And rural Kansas is home to a high number of deficient bridges. Jerry Plunkett believes that these composite bridges will offer a low-cost but safe alternative for replacing a lot of rural bridges that really need it. Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. And now, we've come to it. We've come to a company which will soon be building a bridge deck from these composite materials. And we've also come to a place where innovative business-people are at work. We're grateful for entrepreneurs like Jerry Plunkett who are making a difference in rural Kansas. And, we'll see you on the other side of the bridge. Dave Jones - Bella Fencing On this program, we're always looking for interesting enterprises. Today we find an interesting enterprise in a logical place, or at least one that is appropriately named: Enterprise, Kansas. This is the story of Bella Corporation Fencing, a small company operating from a rural setting in a fascinating way. The owners of the company are Dave and Kathy Jones. Dave is originally from California. He spent a career in the Army, including two stints at Fort Riley. In his first stint, he met and married his wife, who is a member of the Dalyrimple family from near Manhattan. When his second stint at Fort Riley came, they wanted to live in the country. So they found a house and some acres near Enterprise. Enterprise, Kansas is not a long commute from the Fort. It is just south of Interstate 70, east of Abilene in Dickinson County. In fact, it's near Detroit -- but I don't mean the automakers city. Detroit, Kansas is an unincorporated settlement nearby. Enterprise itself is a town of 940 people. Now, that's rural. But a rural setting was what Dave and his wife wanted, so they settled there. And on the side, Dave and his son started a fencing company from their home. That company is known today as Bella Corporation Fencing. Now we're not talking about the type of fencing that they do in the Olympics here. This is a company that rents or custom-builds and installs commercial and residential fences, made of wood or chain link products. The company began by renting out temporary fencing to families who were in government quarters at Fort Riley and who needed a temporarily enclosed yard. The business grew to include permanent fencing as well. In 1987, Dave retired from the Army as a major and developed his business full-time. Today, that business which started with just a few rental accounts has more than 600
such accounts, and the company has done commercial fencing projects as far away as Iowa,
Colorado, and Oklahoma. The company now employs 15 people, counting Dave and his wife. She does the books and the bills, while he does the estimates and marketing. A son is production manager. Their daughter, by the way, graduated from K-State in landscape design and is in business in Topeka. And what I found particularly fascinating about this business is the way they serve an entire region using modern telecommunications technology. For example: If you were to look in a Manhattan yellow pages phone book under fencing, you would find an ad for Bella Corporation. The ad gives local telephone numbers in Manhattan and Junction City, plus a toll-free 1-800 number. But whatever number you call, it is routed to the office at Enterprise. The office staff will then make an appointment for a company rep to come to the site to make recommendations and a free cost estimate on the fencing that is needed. In other words, the location of the business is transparent. It is totally convenient to the customer, because the phone call is free and the company rep comes to them. So the fact that the home office is miles away and out in the country is immaterial. I believe this is the wave of the future. Telecommunications will enable people to operate businesses from their homes in a rural setting. Dave Jones says, "With fax machines and computers, you can pretty much do anything from a barn that you used to do from an office building." He says, "We like the rural setting. There's less traffic, safe schools, and a good place to raise the kids." We're always looking for interesting enterprises. Sure enough, we found this one near
Enterprise, Kansas. Yet what really makes a difference isn't the name, it's that spirit of
entrepreneurship. We salute Dave Jones and his remarkable rural enterprise. Kris Ochs Today let's visit a small town hospital, where the medical staff has a decision to make. A young patient has come to the hospital, with an asthmatic attack. It's serious enough that the medical staff considers whether he should be sent to a specialist at the regional medical center 55 miles away. What should they do? If only there was a way to send him there instantaneously.... Well, now there is. Of course, they can't physically send him there instantly -- this side of Star Trek, anyway -- but there is a way to send his image there instantly, and it's happening in rural Kansas. It's a form of telemedicine. What that means is using technology to bring vital health care across the miles to the people of rural America. Meet Kris Ochs. Kris is administrator of Grisell Memorial Hospital in Ransom, Kansas. Ransom is located in Ness County in west central Kansas. Ransom is a town of 383 people. Now, that's rural. How does a town that size maintain a hospital? Well, the answer is, it makes changes, in response to the community. Kris Ochs explains that this hospital has deep roots in Ransom. It was founded in 1928 by Dr. William Grisell, who ran it for nine years and then sold it to the community for one dollar. Kris' husband is from nearby Utica. She came to the hospital as a registered nurse and worked her way up through the ranks to become administrator. But the challenges were great. Costs were high, paperwork was burdensome, and the population was declining. Then along came something called the "each-peach" program. EACH stands for Essential Access Community Hospital, and the peach part refers to a Rural Primary Care Hospital. The EACH-RPCH program provided grants for rural hospitals -- the "peaches" -- to join in a network with a larger regional medical center. In 1993, the U.S. certified the first official peaches in the nation. I guess we could say that they picked a peach....Anyway, the first medical peach project in the state, and one of the first four in the nation, was the hospital was right here in Ransom, Kansas. Using an EACH/RPCH grant, the Grisell Memorial Hospital bought an interactive video system to connect Ransom and Hays Medical Center. The equipment consists of video monitors and cameras which can be used to send a signal back and forth between the hospitals at Hays and Ransom. This uses a technology called "compressed video." No, that doesn't mean somebody sat on your VCR. It means that the camera's electronic image is essentially compressed so that it can be transmitted through phone lines. The video unit also includes a stethoscope which conveys heart and lung sounds when the physical exam is performed. This means that a patient in Ransom can be viewed and checked by a specialist at Hays or even at the KU Medical Center, without ever having to leave town. That saves a lot of time, money, and stress. The video equipment is mounted on a lazy susan, which can be turned toward the emergency room for consultations or toward the conference room for other purposes. Kris Ochs says the equipment has been used for 60 to 70 patient consultations and numerous continuing education and in-service training courses. She says, "Telemedicine will revolutionize the way medicine is practiced, especially as rural physicians retire and are replaced by nurse practitioners. I found it a wonderful way to link a small facility to a larger one..." Well, here's a patient with an asthmatic attack. Looks like he needs to see a
specialist immediately. And thanks to telemedicine, he can see that specialist almost
immediately and receive that high quality of care while remaining in his hometown. We're
thankful for people like Kris Ochs, whose pioneering spirit in telemedicine is making a
difference in her hospital and in the lives of her patients. Jim Dahmen Do you ever hear people talk about those "big telephone companies?" Well, here's a twist on that term. Today we'll visit a telephone company whose trade territory isn't exactly big. In fact, its trade territory is -- believe it or not -- slightly over one square mile. Yet that small territory has not limited the vision of this company and the community it serves. Meet Jim Dahmen. Jim is manager of the Columbus Telephone Company, a member-owned phone company in Columbus, Kansas. Columbus is the county seat of Cherokee County, in the very southeast corner of the state. The county borders Oklahoma on the south and Missouri on the east. Columbus itself is a town of 3,338 people. Now, that's rural. The one square mile territory of the Columbus phone company is believed to be the smallest in the country. How can a company survive with so little territory? Jim Dahmen says, "Our size allows us to respond to customers well." That square mile is located right in Columbus, and Jim Dahmen and a host of volunteers have really worked to help the community succeed. He says, "The future of the community is the future of our company." Jim is originally from Minnesota. He worked in business there and moved up through the ranks to become the state's assistant Commissioner for Economic Development. In 1979, he moved to southeast Kansas and joined MidAmerica Inc., the regional economic development organization, and came to Columbus Telephone in 1985. At that time, the city of Columbus was under much stress. Businesses and people were leaving, and the downtown was falling into disrepair. But local leaders responded. With the help of a consultant organization and input from more than 100 citizens, the community developed a strategic plan for the future. Jim Dahmen says, "The results of that analysis have been our marching orders for the last 10 years." Since then, the downtown has been renovated twice, ten new businesses and 400 jobs have been created, and a new medical clinic has been built. And Columbus saw growth, in the face of declines all around rural Kansas. When CoBank, the national cooperative bank, did a national video on rural development, one of the people they featured was Jim Dahmen. And in 1996 when it was time to appoint board members for the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation, Jim Dahmen was one of those appointed. But Jim doesn't brag on himself. He says, "The most rewarding thing is seeing growth in a balanced way." Jim continues to serve on the town's economic development steering committee with other local leaders. And they do it in a fun way. The committee is called the Fat Wednesday group...Sounds to me like weigh-in day down at the rec center... But in this case, F-A-T stands for First And Third, which are the days of the month that the group meets. The goal is to get together to talk about the needs of the community. They meet every first and third Wednesday at 7:01 a.m., for 59 minutes. Jim Dahmen says, "That group doesn't do anything, but it's been able to incubate more change than any other." It starts with a can-do attitude, not waiting for someone else to come in and solve problems. In 1993, a community foundation was formed in Columbus, and it attracted more than $150,000. That demonstrates a community with the confidence to invest in itself. Sometimes people talk about those "big telephone companies." Today we've met
the other extreme: arguably the smallest telephone company in the country. Yet that one
square-mile territory is home to people like Jim Dahmen, whose leadership and community
spirit are making a difference in small-town Kansas. |