Spirit of Success Campaign "wraps up" and progress made in recruitment of Harvest Board plant

    Campaign Co-Chairs Rob Green and Bob Moeder recently announced the Spirit of Success campaign exceeded its $1.25 million private sector goal by receiving pledges of $1,427,500. 
    Work in the Economic Development Department (EDD) continued during the final phases of the Spirit of Success campaign. Seven recruitment projects were activated in October: three manufacturing; two retail; one distribution; and one service. 
    The Chamber appeared before the Hutchinson City Council in mid-November and requested approval of submission to the Kansas Department of Commerce, a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application under the Economic Development category for Harvest Board LLC. EDD has been working with Harvest Board for over a year.
    Harvest Board has been actively searching for a site to build a new manufacturing plant. Harvest Board is a molded cabinet door and fixture component manufacturer. The company’s innovative products are made from annually renewable fibers, primarily wheat straw and resin. The products are superior substitutes for traditional wood-based products currently in the market.
    “The CDBG grant application is an essential part of structuring the project.” said Chamber President Jon Daveline, “The plant will be built in the city’s newest business park, Salt City Business Park, on a 20-acre site.”
    An approximately 50,000 square foot new plant will be constructed. Harvest Board estimates a total project investment of $11.2 million including plant and equipment. The plant will initially employ 45-50 with a planned expansion to over 90 production jobs.
    Harvest Board currently operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Lisbon, North Dakota. A growing market for Harvest Board’s molding process of finished cabinet millwork is dictating the need for expansion to a second plant. 

Lowen Corporation and The Pantry Shelf receive Awards

    Two Chamber members have recently been recognized with prestigious awards. 
    Lowen Corporation’s Color Graphics Division was honored during an early November ceremony for achieving the OSHA Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). The Lowen plant is only the fifth manufacturing site (out of 70,000) in Kansas and the 450th (out of 7 million) in the United States to receive the recognition. SHARP is a program which provides incentives and support to employers to develop, implement, and improve the effectiveness of their workplace safety and health program.
    The Pantry Shelf received the 2002 “From the Land of Kansas Company of the Year” award in mid-November. The agriculture marketing division of the Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing chooses the winner. 
Owner Pat Capstick has been producing muffin mixes for 16 years. The company began in Michigan and was moved to Hutchinson in 2000. The Pantry Shelf produces 21 varieties of muffin mixes as well as bread and pound cake mixes. 

12 Months to 12 Seconds and U.S. Congressman Jerry Moran

        The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center will sponsor the Membership Breakfast on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the Hutchinson Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. The buffet line opens at 7:15 a.m. U.S. Congressman Jerry Moran will be the guest speaker.
    Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Jeff Ollenburger, the newly appointed President and CEO of the Cosmosphere. Ollenburger will talk about new developments at the Cosmosphere and plans for 2003. 
    It has been a mere 99 years since bicycle makers Orville and Wilbur Wright flew through the air for 12 seconds on a cold December day at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
    Dec. 17 of this year marks the centennial of this momentous event and the Cosmosphere plans to celebrate for an entire year. Events and activities throughout 2003 will highlight the amazing strides made in the aerospace industry over the last 100 years and celebrate the influence of powered flight on lifestyles, cultures and economies around the world.
    Join us at the Chamber Breakfast as we learn about the Cosmosphere's celebration plans and begin counting down 12 months to the centennial of that historic 12-second flight that changed the world.
    Register online at Chamber Event Calendar or call the Chamber. With a reservation, the cost is $8 per person. 

Business Barometer - July Reno County Retail Sales

     As reported in the November issue of Outlook, the Reno County retail sales tax information reported for July 2002 by the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDR) was less than in July 2001 due to a change in reporting methods. 
    The amount reported for August, in the figures below, includes some July data. It was anticipated that KDR would be able to recalculate the July data so that an accurate comparison to 2001 would be possible. They recently advised the Chamber this would not be possible.
    Therefore, a comparison of combined July and August data is provided in the chart above. For archived data, link here. For more information, contact Kris Doswell.

Reno County Retail Sales

JUL-AUG 2001 - $132,426,288

JUL-AUG 2002 - $139,453,870

% Change -  + 5.3%

Annual Meeting Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities

        Central Bank and Trust Co. and Pipeline Testing Consortium have agreed to platinum level sponsorship of the 2003 Annual Meeting. Although no additional platinum level sponsorships are available, Chamber members can join TSW Products Co., in sponsoring at a Gold level. Additional sponsorship levels (Silver, Bronze and Copper) are also available. Link here for full details of the available sponsorship levels.
    The 2003 Annual Meeting is Monday, Feb. 3 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. Jim Lovell, Commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 Mission is the keynote speaker.
    To join the Soaring Spirits and support the Annual Meeting through Corporate Sponsorship, contact Jan Peters at the Chamber,  email 
annualmeeting@hutchchamber.com.
    Full details of the event will be provided in invitations to be mailed in mid-December. 
    Lovell’s appearance is made possible through the cooperation of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center and by ALCOA, American Packaging, The Bradbury Company, Inc., Lowen Corp., Mega Manufacturing, and TSW Products Co.

The Board Foot receives "Small Business Spotlight" Award

    The Board Foot was named the fifth recipient of the “Small Business Spotlight” Award by the Small Business Council.
    The Board Foot was started by Owner and President Kevin Bleything in 1981 with three employees. Located at 921 South Main, The Board Foot builds and installs commercial store fixtures, office furniture and residential cabinetry throughout the Midwest. 
    The Board Foot has been in its present location since 1982. The business grew and the building was purchased in 1988. Since then, the company has continued to expand and additional buildings were purchased for storage. 
    Bleything currently employs 12 with a combined experience of over 100 years. “Our employees operate as a team and work hard to meet the needs of our customers. We enjoy the new challenges our customers bring,” said Bleything.
Bleything was born and raised in Hutchinson and is a 1994 graduate of Leadership Hutchinson and a 1997 graduate of Leadership Kansas. He has served on the Leadership Hutchinson Board of Trustees, and the Board of Directors for Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Community Health Center.
    He currently is a member of the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing and the Industrial Technology Council. He is Chair of the Community Improvement Commission.
    The Board Foot was selected for the award by a task force of Small Business Council committee members from 36 nominations. To qualify for the award, nominees met three criteria; a Chamber member in good standing; in business a minimum of three years; and employment of 25 or fewer. 
    Previous recipients of the Award are Airport Steak House, Stutzman Refuse Disposal, Ramsey Oil Hutchinson and Network Management Group.
    The award is underwritten by Central Bank and Trust Co., First National Bank of Hutchinson and Hutchinson Credit Union and will be presented to Bleything at the Dec. 18 Membership Breakfast. 

Economic Census response required by law

    This month, five million American businesses, including 1,300 in Reno County, will receive 2002 Economic Census forms. 
    “Response to the survey is so critical that it is required by law,” said Charles Louis Kincannon, director of the U.S. Census Bureau. The forms are due Feb. 12, 2003.
    Every five years, the Economic Census develops a comprehensive portrait of the American economy from the national to the local level. It updates economic indicators like Gross Domestic Product and provides invaluable business facts needed to plan for years to come.
    Alan Greenspan called the Economic Census “indispensable to understanding the American economy.”
    Chamber members are urged to watch for their copy of the Economic Census form and encouraged to complete and return them on time. 
    In future publications, the Chamber will share information about Reno County firms from data collected in the census.
    For more Economic Census information, visit www.census.gov/econ2002.

Did You Know? What the Chamber has done for you lately?

What the Chamber has done for you lately?

In 2002, the Chamber has:

Offered 15 member-only networking events.

Offered nine seminars and workshops.

Made thousands of referrals - ONLY to members (both online and by telephone.)

Provided 14 opportunities for you to market and advertise your company (including the Annual Meeting - see details to the left.)

Are you making the most of your investment?

HCC offers Leadership Series

    Are you responsible for leading, guiding, encouraging and directing others? Hutchinson Community College (HCC) is offering a series of seminars on leadership during the Spring 2003 semester.
    The HCC Leadership Development Series is designed to provide emerging and existing leaders the opportunity to explore and develop their leadership skills.
    Each participant is provided the flexibility to take any or all sessions. Participants may enroll in one session that specifically addresses specific needs or enroll in all 10 sessions for training in all areas. Sessions will be held Wednesday evenings, 7-10 p.m., in the Shears Technology Center.
    The training will enable participants to: enhance team performance by understanding and utilizing personality types ; form teams, committees and work groups that build consensus; develop individual responsibility and achieve team synergy; make sound and timely decisions; manage and influence organizational change; avoid destructive conflict; create services focusing on customer needs; and develop the skills of team members.
    The co-chairs of the 2003 Leadership Hutchinson (LH) program are incorporating several of the sessions into the 2003 class curriculum. “After receiving a briefing from the HCC staff, co-chair Denny Stoecklein and I determined that the content of what HCC is offering was an excellent fit into several of our sessions. We are excited about being able to offer this high caliber training to the LH class,” said Lynette Lacy, Co-Chair, 2003 LH Program. 
    For more information, or to register contact: 

Becky Stouppe
Shears Technology Center
Hutchinson Community College
1301 N Plum
Hutchinson, KS 67501
(620) 728-8104
stouppeb@hutchcc.edu 

Leadership Development Series 2003

Jan. 15 & 23 - Developing A Leadership Philosophy
Jan. 29 - Articulating a Vision 
Feb. 5 - Ethics in Leadership
Feb. 12 - Goal Setting 
Feb. 19 & 26 - Decision Making
Mar. 5 - Conflict Management 
Mar. 12 & 19 - Team Building
Apr. 2 - Delegation and Empowerment
Apr. 9 & 16 - Initiating Change
Apr. 23 & 30 - Leading by Serving 

Greater Hutchinson Convention/Visitors Bureau

Kansas Beef Expo returns to Fairgrounds

    The Kansas State Fairgrounds is once again hosting the annual Kansas Beef Expo, Dec. 13-15. Traditionally, the Expo has been held in March but for the first time, the event will be held in December. 
    “Holding the Expo in March has interfered with the Spring calving season, so we anticipate that moving it to December will increase our attendance numbers,” said Todd Johnson, Kansas Livestock Association, Director of Stockgrowers Council and Membership. Over 2,500 people are anticipated to attend the show and sale. 
    “Hutchinson has been a great host to the Kansas Beef Expo. The Fairgrounds provide the facilities we need and the community has supported the Expo in many ways, including competitive hotel rates, corporate sponsorships and participation in the trade show,” said Johnson.
    The Greater Hutchinson Convention/Visitors Bureau will help sponsor a pancake breakfast on Saturday, Dec. 14, 7:30-10 a.m. The breakfast will be held in the Trade Show building and is open to the public. Cost is only $1 per person. The Chamber’s Agri-Business Committee will assist in serving breakfast.
For further information, contact Todd Johnson at (785) 273-5115 or toddj@kla.org.