Would you like to go camping on a lakefront property? Then build yourself a lake next door.
HorseThief Reservoir
That statement might sound overly simplistic, but today we’ll learn about a reservoir that was recently constructed in southwest Kansas. It is serving the outdoor recreation needs of thousands of people in Kansas and beyond.
Last week we met the Jantz family of MJE LLC, which is the company that constructed this project known as HorseThief Reservoir. Audrey Rupp is district manager for HorseThief Reservoir. Gene Webb is HorseThief’s historian.
Audrey grew up at Tribune, studied Tourism and Hospitality at Fort Hays State University and became manager at HorseThief in November 2021. Gene Webb is a lifelong resident of Hodgeman County where the lake is located.
“I’ve hunted and fished in this area since I was 12 years old,” Gene said. “Now I’m 85.”
Gene served on the board of the HorseThief Reservoir Benefit District for many years. “The Corps of Engineers had been interested in the possibility of a dam here back in the 1930s,” Gene said.
In tight budget climates, how would such a project get accomplished? In more recent years, the Pawnee watershed district studied the issue and proposed going to the state to create a tax benefit district that could generate resources for reservoir construction.
“I was on an advisory committee to see if people were willing to support a sales tax to build the lake,” Gene said. In 2004, the proposal was put on the ballot in Hodgeman, Ford, Gray and Finney counties. The proposal passed by more than a 2-1 margin. The Pawnee Watershed District owns the land, which is leased to the HorseThief Benefit District. Continue reading “Audrey Rupp, HorseThief Reservoir”→
Lee Ann Seiler, Hodgeman County economic development director
Most large businesses have a CEO – chief executive officer. Some have a COO – chief operating officer – or a CFO – chief financial officer.
Today we’ll meet a person who describes herself as a CRO. That stands for Chief Remover of Obstacles. Her work has successfully removed obstacles for businesses in her rural county of Kansas.
Lea Ann Seiler is Hodgeman County economic development director. She describes herself as CRO – Chief Remover of Obstacles.
Lea Ann grew up near Manhattan, attended Riley County High School and then K-State where she met and married her husband Gary. Gary became the ag teacher in Hodgeman County and she became economic development director in 2008.
Why does she use the term Chief Remover of Obstacles? “At a meeting, someone complained that they ran into a fresh obstacle for every business idea they had suggested in their community,” she said. “First it was zoning and then it was permitting and then it was financing.”
Lea Ann realized that a key part of her role as economic development director was removing obstacles so that her businesses and ruralpreneurs could move forward.
Some obstacles were simple. One person was looking for a building to rent for their business and had been asking around for a year. “We just walked upstairs to the appraiser’s office and requested public records,” Lea Ann said.
In another case, someone wanted to be a vendor at farmer’s market but didn’t know how to get a sales tax id. “We opened up my computer, completed the application, and printed their number out right then,” Lea Ann said.
Other things take longer to address, such as developing a business plan, pricing a product correctly, or mastering technology. “I remember when two of our restaurants didn’t accept credit cards and were losing business because of it,” Lea Ann said. “We held meetings with card machine vendors and helped them connect. Now I provide free square card readers to small businesses and farmers market vendors.”
Hodgeman County has strategically targeted particular development opportunities. These include natural resource tourism, agricultural diversification, area spending capture, retiring boomers, outbound commuters or those working from home, growth-oriented entrepreneurs, and economic diversification through new resident attraction.
“Lots of good things are happening in Hodgeman County,” Lea Ann said. “A new rural communications company has opened in Jetmore. Hanston now has fiber to the premise. The city of Jetmore is passing a Main Street RHID for upper-level housing development. We’re embarking on an infill housing project. The Hanston library just received a wonderful grant for outside amenities and the Jetmore downtown farmers market is a new KDHE farmers market senior voucher location. A new truck stop at (highways) 156 and 283 is under construction and highway 156 will be getting much-needed shoulders.”
Local furniture artisan Zach Schaffer is building a new shop, and another business will be opening in his former building. “We’re partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield and NXSTG in a super cool new technology for health and vitality project,” Lea Ann said.
There are two towns in Hodgeman County, Jetmore and Hanston. Lea Ann’s office is at the county seat in Jetmore. “I live in the smaller one which is Hanston, but spend most of my waking hours at the larger one, which is Jetmore,” she said. Jetmore has a population of 867. Hanston is a rural community of 206 people. Now, that’s rural.
Sixteen new kids have moved to Hanston since May. “We are seeing a renewed interest in rural, and additional people moving, or wanting to move, to our community,” Lea Ann said. “There is a renewed sense of urgency in making sure we act on this opportunity,” she said.
Some organizations have a CEO, CFO, or COO. Hodgeman County is fortunate to have a CRO who serves as a chief remover of obstacles for businesses. We commend Lea Ann Seiler for making a difference with her work, which helps local entrepreneurs move their enterprises forward through the obstacle course of operating a business.
The Facebook post came from Mike Rowe, the nationally-known television host and advocate for American workers. His post featured a beautiful rocking chair and the craftsman who made it in the heartland of rural Kansas.
Zack Schaffer is the owner of Schaffer Furniture in Jetmore, Kansas.
Zack Schaffer is the owner, founder and sole employee of Schaffer Furniture which was recently featured on Mike Rowe’s Facebook page. Zack grew up on a farm and ranch near Jetmore. “I took wood shop in high school to avoid calculus and trigonometry,” Zack said. He majored in industrial technology at Fort Hays State.
Zack specialized in making hand-crafted wooden furniture. Due to the fact that there were no fine furniture makers nearby, his required internship for degree completion was the implementation of a self-directed project in fine furniture making. He designed and built a cherry Queen Anne style highboy.
Let’s go to Washington, D.C., to the national office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture where a top administrator is conferring with African-American farmers from across the nation. Among those in this discussion are a father and son from rural Kansas.
Cameron Bradshaw, of rural Jetmore, Kansas.
Cameron Bradshaw is a student at Kansas State University. In 2014, he and his father were a part of this discussion at USDA.
The Bradshaw family farm is located in Hodgeman County, Kansas. Rod and Arzella Bradshaw farm 2,500 acres, including 1100 acres of wheat, and operate a cow-calf herd. They have three children, the youngest of whom is Cameron.
The family has deep roots in rural Kansas. “Some of the ground we farm has been in the family for 130 years,” Cameron said.
Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University writes Kansas Profile. The weekly posts highlight individuals or companies in rural Kansas who are making a difference to their community and state.
The Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development is a public / private partnership between Kansas State University and the Huck Boyd Foundation. The mission of the institute is to help rural people help themselves. Learn more at www.huckboydinstitute.org.
