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Author: Jason Hackett

Laurie Pieper and Karl Klein, BRITE Center

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

With all of the challenges around us, would you like to hear about a bright spot for a change? Today we’ll learn about a new initiative which is indeed a bright spot – in fact, it is even named the BRITE Center. It is an innovative effort to help businesses grow, including exporting to international markets.

Karl Klein and Laurie Pieper
Karl Klein and Laurie Pieper

Under the direction of Laurie Pieper and Karl Klein, Washburn University has launched a new initiative called the BRITE Center. BRITE is an acronym for Business Resources for Innovation, Technology, and Exporting. Karl and Laurie are also director and assistant director, respectively, of the Washburn University Small Business Development Center or SBDC. Karl is based in Topeka, and Laurie is based in Manhattan. Both had extensive small-business ownership experience before assuming their current roles.

The BRITE Center began in January 2021. “We’re seeking to address specific needs such as those of innovation and technology companies,” Laurie said. “We also want to deliver higher value services to businesses with the potential to export,” Karl added. Continue reading “Laurie Pieper and Karl Klein, BRITE Center” →

Gail and Sue Johnson, Johnson Farms Country Market

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

“Bring your best.” Perhaps you received that advice from a schoolteacher or coach. Today we’ll meet a rural Kansas farmer who has built a business by bringing the best of his family’s products to farmers markets.

Gail and Sue Johnson are owners of Johnson Farms Country Market, which specializes in producing and selling produce, canned items, and baked goods at local farmers markets. Gail grew up on a farm near Bennington. Sue’s family lived at Burdick and Enterprise before she and Gail were married.

Poster of a farmers market where Johnsons sell their products
Poster of a farmers market where Johnsons sell their products

Sue became a nurse, and Gail worked as a lab technician at a plant in Salina. In 1999, they bought a farm near Hope. “Our families both had big gardens growing up,” Gail said. They put in a garden at their new place. One day they stopped at the farmers market in Abilene. “We thought that would be fun to do,” Gail said.

They set up a stand to sell their garden vegetables at the weekly farmers market in Abilene, and it went well. Then they added some jams and jellies. When they wanted to make and sell pickles from their cucumbers, they needed a license and an approved kitchen. “Our first commercial kitchen was in 2015,” Gail said.

Sue’s mom and grandma had an old German family recipe for bierocks, and people said they were good enough to sell. The bierocks are now their No. 1 seller. Continue reading “Gail and Sue Johnson, Johnson Farms Country Market” →

Leon Winfrey, Southwest Tortillas

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University

Do farmers feed the world? In one sense, absolutely. But farm products go through a vast and complex system before they are consumed. Today we’ll learn about an entrepreneurial Kansas farmer who increased his product’s value by taking it directly to the consumer.

Leon Winfrey. Photo courtesy High Plains Journal, Jennifer M. Latzke
Leon Winfrey. Photo courtesy High Plains Journal, Jennifer M. Latzke

Last week we met Leon Winfrey, who farms and runs an outfitting business in southwest Kansas. Years ago, he was in his tractor listening to Paul Harvey on the radio and heard an ad with a line stating that “farmers feed the world.” Leon thought to himself, “I don’t feed the world. I feed my banker, and the fertilizer company, and the seed company.”  His crop income was going entirely to pay these high-cost suppliers, and corn prices were low.

“In my hunting business, when my costs go up, I increase my price,” Leon said. “But with my corn, I haul it to town and the grain elevator tells me what price I have to take,” he said. He researched some alternatives, one of which was growing corn for human food such as tortillas.

With research in hand, he went to his banker and told him he wanted to build his own tortilla factory. “I’ll bet,” the banker replied with a laugh. “Well, here’s the price of field corn, and here’s the price of corn when sold as a tortilla,” Leon pointed out. “When would you like the money?” the banker replied. Continue reading “Leon Winfrey, Southwest Tortillas” →

Leon Winfrey, Flying W Outfitters

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

Some people are hunting for ways to diversify the rural economy. Today we’ll meet a Kansas entrepreneur who uses hunting itself to create additional opportunities on his farm.

Leon and Nancy Winfrey are founders and owners of Flying W Outfitters at Plains, Kansas. Leon grew up at Plains, attended Dodge City Community College, married Nancy, and came back to farm with his dad. “The section where we live was homesteaded by my great-grandparents in ’01,” he said. That’s 1901.

Flying W Outfitters
Flying W Outfitters

During the tough farm economy of the 1980s, Leon looked for ways to supplement the family’s farm income such as offering pheasant hunting.

“People would come and hunt, stay with us and become friends,” Leon said. In those days, paying to hunt was less typical. “Now, it’s customary to pay for an outfitter for hunting and a guide to fish,” he said.

In 1989, Leon obtained the necessary licenses to set up a controlled shooting area where guests could come and hunt birds. He called his business Flying W Pheasant Ranch. As the business grew, it was renamed Flying W Outfitters. Continue reading “Leon Winfrey, Flying W Outfitters” →

LeeRoy Douglas, Douglas Welding

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

Those who own skid-steer loaders point out that these industrial machines can have many uses. Perhaps their only limitation is the type of equipment which can be attached to those skid steers. These attachments can pull posts, wind wire, cut trees, dig trenches, mix concrete and more. Today we’ll learn about an innovative rural Kansas business which specializes in designing attachments for those skid steer loaders, while offering all the capabilities of a complete machine shop.

Douglas Welding and Machine
Douglas Welding and Machine

LeeRoy Douglas is the owner and founder of Douglas Welding and Machine at Kipp, Kansas. LeeRoy and his wife Mary live in Kipp, near Salina. LeeRoy was working in a metal fabrication shop in Salina when he decided to start his own business in 1989.

Regan West is director of purchasing, sales and marketing for Douglas Machine and Welding today. “LeeRoy started working in his garage,” Regan said. “When he outgrew that, he built a shop and it’s grown from there.” Continue reading “LeeRoy Douglas, Douglas Welding” →

Gary Olson, Gypsum

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

Can first impressions lead to changes in communities? Yes, based on the experience of one rural community which used the First Impressions program as a springboard for strategic actions to make community improvements.

Welcome to Gypsum sign
Welcome to Gypsum sign

Gary Olson is an entrepreneur, farmer, and real estate broker in Gypsum, Kansas. He grew up on a nearby farm and now produces seed wheat and has a real estate company. He’s also seen the struggles of rural communities. “Our town had about died,” Gary said.

In January 2019, he bought a building in downtown Gypsum and revitalized the flea market which had been operating there as a place for vendors to sell various products. Some are original custom products, such as from a nearby welding shop. Others are used or repurposed products that can be purchased affordably. People can sell items on consignment or donate them. “Our customers say they find hidden treasures here,” Gary said.

Resa Risinger is now the flea market manager. She noted that the market offered special promotions during the holidays such as a drawing for a free turkey and three hams. Continue reading “Gary Olson, Gypsum” →

Joel Lovesee, Bluestem school

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

What was in your school classroom? I remember desks in straight rows, colorful posters on the wall, and a big blackboard up front. Today we’ll meet a school which has such classrooms, but also non-traditional places of learning such as a working barn and a downtown business. These innovative projects are being implemented by a school district in rural Kansas.

Bluestem Mercantile
Bluestem Mercantile

Joel Lovesee is superintendent of USD 205, which includes the Bluestem schools in Leon, Kansas. Joel grew up in Kinsley and went to Fort Hays State University where he met his wife Sonya. He became a teacher and later a school administrator. In 2008, he and his family moved to Leon where he became school principal. He was promoted to superintendent in 2013.

He takes an innovative approach to school leadership. Continue reading “Joel Lovesee, Bluestem school” →

Jon and Jenny Stillwell, Stillwell Sales   

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University. 

“Every business can use a skid steer.” That statement refers to the skid steer loader, which can be used for moving pallets, receiving deliveries, relocating products, and hundreds of outdoor tasks. Today we’ll meet a young Kansas family which has built a business in marketing these skid steers from rural Kansas.

Jenny and Jon Stillwell
Jenny and Jon Stillwell

Jon and Jenny Stillwell are the owners of Stillwell Sales, a company that specializes in used skid steers. Jon and Jenny have rural roots. He is from Scottsville and she is from Hunter. “We met at the Mitchell County Fair,” Jon said.

Both went to K-State. Jon got a degree in biology and Jenny got hers in education. At the time, Ebay was starting to grow in popularity. Jon tried using Ebay to sell some used equipment he had picked up at an auction. It went very well.

He found that buying secondhand equipment for resale was a good strategy. “A lot of it was good, store-returned merchandise,” Jon said. “You could buy those by the truckload.” Continue reading “Jon and Jenny Stillwell, Stillwell Sales   “ →

Catherine Moyer, Pioneer Communications

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

Customer service. That was the role which began one young woman’s career in telecommunications. Now she is leading that same company which is serving customers’ technology needs in new and innovative ways.

Catherine Moyer
Catherine Moyer

Catherine Moyer is chief executive officer of Pioneer Communications, a rural telecommunications company headquartered in Ulysses. She grew up in Ulysses and went to college in Vermont. Her first job was at Pioneer Communications, where she worked as a frontline customer service representative.

Pioneer is one of many local telephone companies formed across rural America in the 1940s and ’50s. Some say the rural telephone business began with a farmer stringing a copper wire from one fencepost to the next. Cooperatives and local companies were formed to offer and expand service. Pioneer Communications was founded in 1950 as the Pioneer Telephone Company. Continue reading “Catherine Moyer, Pioneer Communications” →

Lettie McKinney, MC- Meat Company

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

“Connecting with consumers.” That’s a goal of many food companies, but today we’ll meet a young beef producer who has taken this idea to heart. She finds that delivering beef and communicating with families is the most rewarding part of her job.

Lettie McKinney
Lettie McKinney

Lettie McKinney is the founder of MC- Meat Company, which provides homegrown beef directly from the ranch to the consumer. The family brand, based on their last name, is pronounced “M C Bar.”

The McKinneys have farmed and raised cattle for decades in southwest Kansas since Lettie’s ancestors settled there in the 1920s. “My great-grandparents lived through the Dust Bowl and the Depression,” Lettie said. “We’re still here by the grace of God.” Today, she is part of the fourth generation on the ranch. Continue reading “Lettie McKinney, MC- Meat Company” →