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Tag: Paul Budenbender

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Pam Budenbender – Onaga Country Market

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

“Well, if I had a grocery store, here’s what I would do…”  That statement on the part of one Kansas woman may have been prophecy, as she has become the owner of an innovative grocery store serving rural Kansas.

The Onaga Country Market in Onaga, Kansas.
The Onaga Country Market in Onaga, Kansas.

Last week we met Paul Budenbender who operates a floor coating business while living in rural Kansas. His wife Pam has strong opinions about grocery stores, and she recently had the opportunity to put those opinions to work.

“I was a military brat, from everywhere and nowhere,” Pam said with a smile. Along with other duty stations, her dad served at Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth near Kansas City. While working on a construction job in Kansas City, Pam met Paul Budenbender and they ultimately were married. Paul’s family came from a farm in northern Pottawatomie County. Pam and Paul would frequently come to the farm on the weekends. The nearest store was in Onaga, but it was small and limited.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Paul Budenbender – Epoxy Coating Specialists

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Let’s go to Kauffman Stadium, home of the defending world champion Kansas City Royals.  Note how the concourse floor is smooth, clean, and beautiful. That’s because this floor was coated with a special treatment, produced by a company with ties to rural Kansas.

Paul Budenbender of Epoxy Coating Specialists or ECS.
Paul Budenbender of Epoxy Coating Specialists or ECS.

Paul Budenbender is co-owner of Epoxy Coating Specialists, or ECS, which coated the concourses at Kauffman Stadium as well as floors and walls in many other facilities across the country. Paul’s family has roots in Pottawatomie County, where his ancestors homesteaded near Fostoria. Paul’s dad went to K-State and then worked for the Corps of Engineers, which eventually transferred him to the head office in Kansas City. Paul grew up at Shawnee but spent summers on his grandparent’s farm.

Tragically, Paul’s father passed away from cancer at age 48. Paul went to work for a painting and flooring contractor in Olathe. He worked there 16 years and met his wife Pam. Paul’s work involved the emerging use of epoxy to paint floors and walls.

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