Released: March 01, 2006

Huck Boyd Institute Announces Leaders of the Year

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- From bird seed to specialized grain proteins, from tourism and community spirit to local newspaper coverage, people in rural Kansas are making the most of their opportunities and resources. Five of the most outstanding of those people are being recognized March 2 by the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at K-State as Leaders of the Year for 2006.

The categories and honorees are:

• Business Leadership - MGP Ingredients, Atchison - Steve Pickman

• Entrepreneurship - Bird City Bird Seed, Bird City - Tabetha and Noel Ketzner

• Tourism Development - Amazing 100 Miles - Jean Mettlen, Lucas and Wayne Grabbe, KRSL Radio, Russell

• Community Spirit - The community of Burns - Sandy Heyman and many others

• Community Journalism - The Taylor Family - Rudy, Kathy, and Andy Taylor and Jennifer Dively, Caney

MGP Ingredients, Inc. in Atchison, Kansas is a premier producer of grain-based specialty proteins and starches and alcohol products for food, beverage, personal care, pet food, and bio-based applications. Cloud Cray Sr., his son Bud Cray and son-in-law Ladd Seaberg are the men who have given leadership to this innovative business through the years, according to vice president Steve Pickman. MGP Ingredients had net sales of $270 million in 2004. More information can be found at www.mgpingredients.com.

At the other end of the state in Bird City is a startup company that produces and sells ornaments made of bird seed. Bird City Bird Seed was founded by Tabetha and Noel Ketzner. The company sells eight designs of ornaments, which can be used as decorations or to feed birds or both. These ornaments have been sold coast-to-coast and through such companies as the Saks corporation, Hallmark, Yankee Candle Company, and 1-800-flowers. More information can be found at: www.birdcitybirdseed.com.

The Amazing 100 Miles Tourism Coalition is the brainchild of J. Jean Mettlen in Lucas. He noted that Hays and Salina are 100 miles apart, and there is wealth of tourism attractions in and between those two cities. A coalition, now chaired by Wayne Grabbe of Russell, was formed to identify and promote attractions within 20 miles adjoining Interstate 70 between Salina and Hays. The inventory found 52 cities and some 200 attractions within those 4,000 square miles. More than 100,000 full color brochures have been distributed to promote these attractions. More information can be found at: www.amazing100miles.com.

Many communities have boosters. The community of Burns has roosters. The Burns PRIDE committee initiated a project to distribute two-foot models of roosters for painting and display around the community. More than 60 roosters have been decorated and named in the most creative ways, from Cockadoodle Dandy to Vincent Van Crow. Burns can also claim a new community center which was built with volunteer labor. The community has been host to many international visitors, including some 500 guests from 110 countries. More information can be found at www.burnskansas.com.

The Taylor family can trace its lineage through five generations in the newspaper business. Rudy and Kathy Taylor, with their son Andy Taylor and daughter Jennifer Dively, represent the most recent generations. The family included innovative printers and newspapermen. Now the Taylors produce seven community newspapers in southeast Kansas with the priority on local news and coverage. Gloria Freeland, director of the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media, cites the Taylors as excellent examples of community journalists.

Each year, the Huck Boyd Institute selects the Leaders of the Year from among those featured on its weekly Kansas Profile radio program and column during the previous 12 months. Kansas Profile is distributed by the K-State Radio Network and K-State Research and Extension News to radio stations and newspapers state-wide.

The Huck Boyd Institute is a public-private partnership between K-State Research and Extension and the Huck Boyd Foundation. The Foundation office is at the Huck Boyd Community Center in Phillipsburg. The institute’s office is at Kansas State University in Manhattan.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Ron Wilson
rwilson@ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News