Editor-in-Chief:
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERS
As publishers of the Lawrence Business Magazine and proud hosts of the annual Foundation Awards, we are continually inspired by the remarkable achievements of our local business community. Since we launched Foundation Awards in 2012, our mission has been clear: to spotlight and celebrate the employers who are building the foundation of Douglas County’s economic success and strength.
Each year, we have the privilege of recognizing companies that have added 20 jobs or grown their workforce by 20%—a feat that reflects not only business expertise but a deep commitment to Lawrence’s prosperity. These aren’t just numbers—they represent opportunities for families, investments in our neighborhoods, and signs of a thriving local economy.
In 2023, we were especially honored to expand our recognition to include the Minority-Owned Business Foundation Impact Award and the Woman-Owned Business Foundation Impact Award. These awards were born from our belief that business success takes many forms—and that impact isn’t only measured in numbers but also in innovation, leadership, and inclusion. By celebrating these businesses, we acknowledge that diversity strengthens our community and opens doors to future growth.
The 2025 Foundation Awards ceremony was a perfect reflection of this spirit. With a sold-out crowd at Maceli’s and an inspiring keynote by Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026, the organization leading the FIFA™ World Cup 2026 regional planning in Kansas City, the energy in the room reminded us why we do this. It’s about more than awards—it’s about bringing people together, building connections, and fueling the momentum that keeps Lawrence moving forward.
We also want to express our deepest gratitude to our presenting sponsor, INTRUST Bank, and every one of our other wonderful sponsors who made this event possible. Their support goes far beyond logos on a program—it reflects a shared commitment to uplifting local businesses and investing in the future of our community.
These businesses and our sponsors are not just stories on our pages—they are our neighbors, friends, and partners. Through the Magazine and the Foundation Awards, we hope to keep elevating their work and encouraging others to think big, support local, and grow with purpose. Lawrence is filled with extraordinary talent and heart. We feel honored to share their stories—and help shape a community where business and community thrive together.
Please note that all of our advertisers have a stake in the local economy. Whenever possible, shop locally and resist the temptation to order online. If you find something online, see if one of our local businesses has it.
When we Shop Local - Shop Baldwin, Eudora, Lecompton, and Lawrence (and use Local Services) - we are supporting those businesses, giving back to our community, and building a future together
Ann Frame Hertzog Editor-in-Chief/Publisher Chief Photographer/Publisher
ON THE COVER (L-R)
Sound Speech Therapy
Hillary Brunin, Kimberly Williams
Alpha Roofing
Darin Lutz, Yvonne Ruder
Good Energy Solutions
Malcolm Proudfit, Jeff Dunn
Bridge Haven
Sarah Randolf, Dr. Chaitanya Musham
Photo by Steven Hertzog
Copy
Tara Trenary
Contributing Writers:
Autumn Bishop
Jeff Burkhead
Contributing
Photographers:
Jeff Burkhead
Jason Dailey
Peaty Romano
INQUIRIES & ADVERTISING
INFORMATION CONTACT: editor@LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com
Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC 3514 Clinton Parkway, Suite A-113 Lawrence, KS 66047
© 2025 Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC
Lawrence Business Magazine, is published quarterly by Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC and is distributed by direct mail to businesses in the Lawrence & Douglas County Community. It is also distributed at key retail locations throughout the area and mailed to individual subscribers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reprinted or reproduced without the publisher’s permission. Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Statements and opinions printed in the Lawrence Business Magazine are the those of the author or advertiser and are not necessarily the opinion of Lawrence Business Magazine.
Workplace Wellness
IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF EMPLOYEES ONE BUSINESS AT A TIME .
by Autumn Bishop, LMH Health, photo courtesy LMH Health
When you hear the term “workplace wellness,” what do you think of? It may conjure thoughts of pre-employment physical exams and fitness for duty testing. Occupational medicine traditionally focuses on the health and safety of employees in their work environment.
Now imagine a workplace where employees’ health and wellbeing thrive. Welcome to LMH Health’s Workplace Wellness program, designed to help keep the community’s businesses and employees healthy. Greg Windholz is the Director of Workplace Wellness.
“The Workplace Wellness program has three goals – to help injured employees recover and return to work as soon as possible, to help prevent injuries from re-occurring, and to help avoid employee injuries from occurring in the first place,” he explained.
The clinical team at Workplace Wellness includes two nurse practitioners, a physical therapist, and a physician who will join the
clinic in mid-2025. The program provides services that can help reduce costs related to an employee’s healthcare and potential loss due to workplace injuries, including:
y Pre-employment physicals
y Department of Transportation examinations
y FAA Exams (coming soon)
y Drug and alcohol screenings
y Fitness for duty examinations
y Work-related injury treatment
In addition to traditional occupational health components, LMH Health provides the WellCare program, connecting employees with information, programs and events so they can take charge of their health. Windholz explained that robust wellness programs can be key to achieving improved employee health, leading to optimal operational and financial results for an organization.
The City of Lawrence, Douglas County and KU Endowment all participate in LMH WellCare’s wellness programing, which provides a wellness portal for each employee. Windholz explained that the program isn’t one size fits all.
“LMH WellCare is customizable based on the organization’s needs, so the full experience can be different for each company,” he said. “Our team comes to you to learn more about your needs and we’ll design a program that’s best for you.”
Programs may encompass:
y Biometric screenings, including blood pressure testing, height and weight measurements, a comprehensive metabolic and lipid panel, hemoglobin/A1C testing for employees living with diabetes, and PSA testing for men.
y On-site health fairs, providing biometric screenings, flu shots and preventative screenings.
y Wellness coaching with a health navigator (APRN) to empower employees to make changes toward a healthier lifestyle and access wellness program resources.
Conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and being overweight or obese are major risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Through LMH WellCare, employees can be tested regularly so they have a better picture of their health and a chance to detect dangerous conditions early, even when there are no other warning signs.
“One piece of our mission is to identify chronic disease and get employees to the interventions they need to live a healthier lifestyle.
We want to take care of the whole employee and be your partner for lifelong health, from illness to injury to chronic disease prevention,” Windholz said.
Why choose LMH Health’s Workplace Wellness? It’s a service that’s a win-win for both employees and businesses. The program can help employees improve their health and well-being, reducing medical costs for them and their employers.
“From pre-employment physicals to worker’s compensation and wellness checks, we do it all. That’s unique in this space as we’re helping the company look out for the health of their employees and their bottom line.” p
Join LMH Health Workplace Wellness today and invest in the health and productivity of your employees. Contact us at 785-505-3114 or visit lmh.org/workplace-wellness to learn more and customize a plan that fits your needs.
Courtney Sachs, APRN, talking with a patient during a visit as she provides him with the results of his biometric screening
Mental Health
With the vital support of the Douglas County community, Bert Nash continues to provide compassionate and innovative mental health services to its residents.
As the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center approaches its diamond jubilee on July 5, it is celebrating 75 years of “Growing Together” and the community’s commitment to supporting behavioral health care in Douglas County.
Three years after Bert Nash’s untimely death, community leaders established the Bert Nash Mental Health Clinic, as it was initially called, as a “living memorial” to continue the work that the distinguished University of Kansas educational psychologist had begun.
Many things have changed in the daily operations of the Bert Nash Center since its inception in 1950. However, one thing that has remained constant over the past 75 years is the Center’s unwavering commitment to providing compassionate and innovative mental health services to the residents of Douglas County. The Center served more than 6,000 individuals in 2024.
“Thousands of lives have been helped and changed over the past 75 years because of the vision Dr. Nash had for providing behavioral health services to the residents of Douglas County,” says Patrick Schmitz, Bert Nash Center CEO. “We are proud to carry on that work, and we are proud of our community for dedicating a mental health center in Dr. Nash’s name.”
Matters
From the beginning, community support has played a vital role in the Bert Nash Center’s history. After the death of the Center’s namesake in 1947, it was the community’s resolve to continue Nash’s pioneering work that inspired the founding of a mental health clinic in the first place.
With the steadfast backing of both the community and local governing bodies, the 75th anniversary theme, “Growing Together,” reflects the strong bonds that have helped the Center thrive throughout its history.
The Bert Nash Center has been an innovative leader in the field of mental health care throughout its history. Initiatives such as the school-based mental health program WRAP have provided essential support for 28 years, offering Wellness, Resources, Access and Prevention in Douglas County schools. Being one of the first seven pilot sites in the nation to offer Mental Health First Aid classes in 2008, the Center has continued to be a leader. Its recognition as a CARF-accredited facility (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) and the first Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Kansas speaks volumes about its commitment to excellence.
All these achievements were made even more impressive during a global pandemic while still addressing the growing demand for mental health services. The opening of the Treatment and Recovery Center of Douglas County in 2023, a groundbreaking facility in the state, marked the culmination of a yearslong community effort to open a behavioral health crisis facility in Lawrence. The Treatment and Recovery Center team served 1,582 individuals in 2024.
None of these achievements would be possible without the dedicated team at the Bert Nash Center and the generous community that champions behavioral wellness for all. Over the past two years, the Bert Nash Center has significantly expanded its workforce, growing from 280 to more than 400 dedicated professionals and offering a wide range of 46 different programs and services. During this period, there has been a 23 percent increase in the number of clients served, which underscores the community’s escalating demand for behavioral health services. This is also exemplified by the current behavioral health crisis affecting our children and teens. Rising rates of by
Jeff Burkhead photos by Jeff Burkhead
To celebrate the Bert Nash Center’s 75th, Landmark National Bank generously commissioned a portrait of Dr. Bert Nash by local artist John Sebelius. The painting was unveiled in April and will have a permanent home at the Center
a cheer of
suicide attempts and deaths highlight a dire need for accessible emergency psychiatric care for youth in Douglas County.
To directly address this crisis, the Bert Nash Center is developing a new crisis center specifically designed for youth and families. It’s crucial that children and youth experiencing behavioral health or substance-use crises have access to immediate care before it’s too late. The Judge Jean Shepherd Youth Recovery Center will be dedicated to saving young lives and healing families. It is slated to open in 2027.
The Bert Nash Center has had to grow significantly because the need for behavioral health care is so great. With the community’s continued support, the Bert Nash Center will work alongside individuals as they overcome their behavioral health challenges and return to their families, careers and fullest potential.
In 2014, Bob Nash, the son of Bert and Ruth Nash, visited the Center bearing his father’s name. At 83 years old, he reflected on memo -
ries from his youth when his father passed away. While visiting the Center more than 65 years after Nash’s death, Bob Nash expressed his thoughts about his fa
ther’s impact.
“I like to think about all of the lives that have been changed because of my father’s work,” Bob Nash said. “That’s what I think of when I see Bert Nash.”
It’s a legacy that the Center continues to carry on today: restoring lives, responding to needs and building a healthy community. p
-
With
“give care,” the staff of the Treatment & Recovery Center of Douglas County officially opened its doors on April 10, 2023
The Bert Nash Center was recognized with a Community Partner Keeper of the Dream Award at the Lawrence Public Schools MLK ONE DREAM Celebration in January 2024
Team members from Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health and Visiting Nurses Association celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Community Health Facility in August 2024. All three agencies have called the Community Health Facility home since the building opened in 1999.
Sandra Shaw was CEO of the Bert Nash Center from 1979 until her retirement in 2001. During her tenure, the Center staff increased from 9 to 179 team members.
The Sandra Shaw Community Health Park was dedicated in 2014.
The 12th Annual Lawrence Business Magazine Foundation Awards ceremony celebrated local businesses big and small, honoring those that continually go above and beyond in the community.
Lawrence Busi FOUNDATION
A packed, large banquet room, enthusiastic crowd and, most tangibly, record number of esteemed local businesses proved once again that the environment and performance of Lawrence businesses, both large and small, not only thrive but grow stronger each and every year.
The 2025 Lawrence Business Magazine Foundation Awards, the 12th iteration of the event, was held April 22 for the second straight year at Maceli’s Banquet Hall & Catering. This year, a total of 28 local businesses, representing 294 new jobs created in 2024, were honored with Foundation
Awards, having met the criteria of being located in Douglas County, being in business at least three years and having grown their workforces by at least 20 percent, or 20 employees. That brought the total of Foundation Awards handed out over 12 years to 156 for a grand total of 1,760 new jobs created.
One Foundation Award recipient was recognized with the Footprint Impact Award, signifying the company that has gone the extra mile in giving back. And for the third year in a row, in addition to the Foundation Awards, the Minority-Owned Business and Woman-Owned Business Foundation Impact Awards were presented, recognizing outstanding businesses being good stewards of the community and giving back.
Pam Kramer, CEO, KC2026
ness Magazine AWARDS
Also, for the second year in a row, the event sold out.
“Celebrating these businesses adding jobs to our community is an honor each year,” says Ann Frame Hertzog, editor-in-chief of Lawrence Business Magazine, which hosted the event. “We are proud of how this awards presentation has grown and truly appreciate everyone making that happen, especially our sponsors and growing businesses. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to grow a business, whether small and adding one person or a larger company adding 20 or more.
“Steve (Hertzog, co-publisher, chief photographer and radio host for Lawrence Business Magazine) and I believe in supporting local and doing what
by
Bob Luder, photos by Jeff Burkhead and Jason Dailey
we can to advocate for the community and its businesses,” she continues. “As publishers of Lawrence Business Magazine, whether it is our advertisers or businesses we cover, all are important to us. Now more than ever, we must support each other.”
The event was served by two co-masters of ceremony: Beth Easter, market president for presenting sponsor INTRUST Bank, and Gary Rexroad, longtime executive at Microsoft and longtime Lawrence civic leader. They spoke of the strength and cohesiveness of the Lawrence business community and how gathering on this night to celebrate the com-munity’s business achievement and unity makes Lawrence strong and vibrant.
Lawrence Business Magazine Publishers, Ann Frame Hertzog and Steven Hertzog flanked by Masters-of-Ceremonies
Gary Rexroad and Beth Easter
Before Easter and Rexroad announced the awards and celebrated last year’s business successes, the focus shifted to the future with a keynote speech from Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026, the committee leading strategic planning and legacy initiatives for the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, coming to the area next year.
“Lawrence is one of the most important communities we work with,” said Kramer, noting it was 414 days until the opening of the tournament. “Especially as it pertains to a focus on economic impact and economic development.
“This is a big deal,” she continued. “We’ve never had a Super Bowl (in this area), never had an Olympics. This is as big as it gets. We have a lot to do, and we’re operating with a sense of urgency and purpose.”
Kramer noted that more than half of the world’s population will watch the World Cup either in person or on TV, and brought up some surprising statistics from the last time the United States hosted the event, in 1994.
“In ’94, soccer was a new sport in the U.S.,” she explained. “That ’94 World Cup still holds the record for most tickets sold.”
Kramer also noted the Kansas City metropolitan area, which includes Lawrence, has a geographical advantage in the middle of the country and not near any of the other host cities, allowing it to capture not only international travelers but domestic fans, as well. Six matches will be played here, including a quarterfinal match that promises to showcase two of the most powerful soccer nations in the world.
“Getting that quarterfinal match speaks to FIFA’s confidence in Kansas City,” she said.
In all, the area expects to attract 650,000 visitors, 54 percent of whom will be international and will stay an average of 9.7 days, Kramer added. Many of those visitors will travel to Lawrence and spend money here. That especially rings true if Rock Chalk Park gets selected as a team base camp, which any one of the 48 teams in the tournament could use the entire month.
“It’s a top-notch facility and well-operated,” she continued.
Kramer said her committee is focused on what’s left in terms of regional benefits after the World Cup, and all indications point toward a significant, long-term positive impact. There will be celebrations in the area June 10, one year to the day before the World Cup opens, and June 16, one year until the opening game in Kansas City.
In September, volunteer opportunities will be presented. Businesses interested in being involved can visit: kansascityfwc26.com/business-opportunities to register.
Pam Kramer, CEO, KC2026 receiving her honorary FOUNDATION AWARD from Lawrence Business Magazine Publishers Steven Hertzog and Ann Frame Hertzog Master's of Ceremonies, Gary Rexroad and Beth Easter
Following Kramer’s presentation, it was time to hand out Foundation Awards to each of the 28 businesses.
Leading the pack once again was Good Energy Solutions, which earned a Foundation Award for an unprecedented seventh time. Other multiple winners included
y Alpha Roofing (five-time winner),
y Atma Clinic (2),
y Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center (2),
y Bracker’s Good Earth Clays (3),
y Bridge Haven (4),
y Construction Specialties (3),
y Heartland Community Health Center (2),
y Rueschhoff Security Systems (2),
y SERC Physical Therapy (3) and
y Sound Speech Therapy (3).
Next were the IMPACT Awards, businesses committed to impacting the community and creating a local footprint of mutually beneficial relationships, something that strengthens an entire community.
These businesses were asked how they work locally, with whom they work to create local business partnerships, about their philanthropic endeavors and volunteerism, and how much the company’s overall mission is driven by a sense of community and giving back. In effect, they were asked what their footprint or butterfly effect, that one small change or instance of giving back that can have ripple effects impacting many, is.
There were nine women-owned businesses nominated for the WomanOwned Business Foundation Impact Award, many of which also received Foundation Awards. That award was won by Sound Speech Therapy, owned by Kimberly Williams.
“It’s really amazing,” a visibly jubilant Williams said. “I really didn’t know what to expect, but I’m really happy. I know the way I do business is with heart and with people. And I think that really resonates, especially in this day and age.”
Of the three businesses nominated for the Minority-Owned Business Foundation Impact Award, the winner was Bridge Haven, owned by Chaitanya Musham, M.D.
“This is great; we’re so excited,” Haley Patterson, of Bridge Haven, said. “This tells us that we’re doing things the right way. We strive every day to do our best.”
The final award of the evening was the Footprint Impact Award, bestowed on one of the 28 Foundation Award honorees that goes above and beyond, reaching out and contributing to the Lawrence business community, a business with the philosophy of giving back and supporting other local businesses and organizations—their “community footprint.” The winner of the 2025 Footprint Impact Award was Alpha Roofing.
“We’re pretty humbled by this,” Alpha Roofing owner Darin Lutz said. “Our greatest assets are our people. This gives our people the recognition they deserve. They take everything I stand for to the streets and make it happen. This is all for them.”
Kimberly Williams, Sound Speech Therapy, receives the Woman-Owned Business Foundation Impact Award.
Bridge Haven accepts the Minority-Owned Business Foundation Impact Award.
Lance Mullen, MIDCO presents the Footprint Impact Award to Darin Lutz, Alpha Roofing
Foundation Award Recipients
Ali’s Cleaning
Ali’s Cleaning is a small, local and women-owned cleaning company, serving Lawrence as a referralonly cleaning company since 2016. Ali’s has a team-cleaning approach focusing on thoroughness and efficiency, valuing customer satisfaction above all.
Ali’s Cleaning added two new employees for a total of 10 employees.
2XFOUNDATION HONOREE
Amarr
Established in 1951, Amarr is one of the world’s leading brands in design, manufacture and distribution of sectional doors for both residential and commercial markets. With all products being made in the USA, Amarr has a legacy of innovation, quality design and sustainability, operating more than 60 door centers in the US, Canada and Mexico. Amarr added 24 jobs to its workforce.
2XFOUNDATION HONOREE
Atma Clinic
Atma prides itself on being a truly holistic medical clinic in Douglas County. The medical, nutrition and mental health specialists at Atma provide a comprehensive approach to total well-being. They take the time to get to know patients and develop a plan to get you on the road to optimal health. Atma Clinic added four jobs, increasing its total workforce to nine employees.
Ballard Center
The Ballard Center provides high-quality early childhood education and needs based services to families and individuals in need. The agency underwent major growth in 2024, adding to its team and increasing wages across the board. Last year, the Ballard Center also started its own AmeriCorps program, further adding to the organization’s growth.
Ballard Center added eight positions, bringing its total workforce to 26 employees.
2XFOUNDATION HONOREE 3XFOUNDATION HONOREE
Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center
Established in 1950, the Bert Nash Center serves as Douglas County’s designated community mental health center and the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. It is the safety-net provider to anyone grappling with mental health or substance abuse issues, regardless of diagnosis, residence or financial status. Its mission is to advance the mental health of the community through comprehensive behavioral health services responsive to evolving needs and changing environments.
Bert Nash added 47 new employees, increasing its workforce to 428.
Bracker’s Good Earth Clays, Inc.
Bracker’s Good Earth Clays is a family-owned and operated ceramic supply business, now run by the second generation. It supplies potters, arts centers, schools, universities and ceramic enthusiasts with every they need for their creative endeavors across seven states and many points nationwide. Through its sister company, it even produces clay here in Douglas County.
Bracker’s Good Earth Clays added 3 new employees, bringing its workforce to 15.
Childrens Advocacy Center of Douglas County
The Childrens Advocacy Center ensures that children and families affected by child abuse receive a compassionate, community-based intervention through a multidisciplinary team approach to prevent, identify, investigate, prosecute and treat child abuse.
Childrens Advocacy Center added two employees bringing its total workforce to three.
Coneflower Consulting
Coneflower Consulting is committed to helping mission-driven organizations flourish no matter where you’re planted. Clients include major universities, non-profit organizations both large and small and businesses with a commitment to fulfilling a mission beyond turning a profit.
Coneflower Consulting added two employees bringing its total workforce to seven.
3XFOUNDATION HONOREE
Construction Specialties
Construction Specialties provides consultation and construction/remodeling services to homeowners in the Lawrence area. It handles everything from kitchen remodels to bathrooms, home additions and exteriors.
Construction Specialties hired four new employees, bringing its total workforce to 15.
Critter Control of Kaw Valley
Critter Control technicians have the experience and training to find nuisance wildlife, trap and remove the pest animal safely and install wildlife exclusions for long-term pest control.
Critter Control of Kaw Valley added two employees, bringing its total workforce to five.
Fagen & Emert, LLC
Fagen & Emert is a law firm providing legal representation focused on achieving the goals of its clients. The firm provides legal representation in the areas of: commercial litigation, construction, personal injury litigation, business and corporate law, federal and state criminal defense, and real estate/foreclosures.
Fagen & Emert added two new attorneys for a total of seven.
Good Energy Solutions
Good Energy Solutions is a full-service energy partner that is able to provide comprehensive consulting and services in electrical, renewable energy and energy management in the central U.S., including Missouri and Kansas. The company is dedicated to customer satisfaction through quality design and installations and backs its promises with long warranties. The company also works with non-profit organizations helping them to lower their utility costs to enable them to use their resources to help others.
Good Energy Solutions added 15 jobs to its workforce, bringing its total to 57 employees.
2XFOUNDATION HONOREE
Heartland Community Health Center
Heartland Community Health Center is an integrated primary care practice that exists to serve all community members regardless of income or insurance status in Douglas County and the surrounding area. Heartland is recognized as a patient-centered medical home for both acute and chronic health conditions and offers onsite primary care, mental/behavioral health, oral health services and pharmacy services. As the safety net provider for the area, Heartland is the trusted provider of high quality, integrated care serving more than 20,000 patients annually.
Heartland added 34 new jobs, bringing its workforce to 219 employees.
Northside Social
Northside Social is a local bar, serving cocktails and a healthy dose of local music nestled in North Lawrence.
Last year, Northside Social added four employees, increasing its workforce to five.
Hemel Electric
With Hemel Electric you receive quality work, integrity and fast service every time. Serving Lawrence and the greater northeast Kansas area and specializing in residential, commercial and industrial electrical installation and repair, Hemel’s team brings more than 30 years of experience to each and every job site.
Hemel Electric added two jobs, increasing its workforce to five employees.
Icorium Engineering Company
Icorium Engineering Company, woman-owned and women-run, is a chemical engineering startup and University of Kansas spinout developing technologies to make sustainable, circular economies a reality for refrigerants and other complex chemical mixtures.
Icorium Engineering Company added four employees, doubling its workforce to eight employees.
P1 Construction
P1 Construction, LLC is a single-source specialty subcontractor providing facility solutions with all trades under one roof. It takes a holistic approach to all construction projects with complete in-house serves and value-added capabilities, including preconstruction, sheet metal, piping, plumbing, electrical and more.
P1 Construction added 47 new positions to its workforce.
Peaslee Tech
The Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center opened as a training facility in August 2015 with the mission of serving as a catalyst for economic growth in Douglas County. Peaslee Tech provides technical training to a diverse community of learners to meet the current and emerging needs of our communities and employers.
Last year, Peaslee Tech added 13 new employees.
LRM Foundation
The LRM Foundation, established in 2007, provides multifaceted programming through the performing arts, mental health and wellness and STEM education. Originally known as Life Restoration Ministries, in May 2023 the board of directors voted to expand the name to LRM Foundation which encompasses the continued growth and expansion to create solutions and increase access to the areas of theater/ arts, STEM education and mental health and wellness.
LRM added one job for a total workforce of three and increased its volunteer base by 25 percent.
Petz Accounting Services
Petz Accounting Services provides fractional CFO services to small and medium sized businesses, advising companies how to improve their back office functions and other areas to help grow revenue and reduce costs. It helps organize business financials and support ongoing decision making.
Petz added two employees, increasing its workforce to three employees.
PROSOCO
PROSOCO has enjoyed 86 years of success in the construction industry, including 26 years with Lawrence as its national headquarters. As a manufacturer of specialty construction chemicals and products, their success has been made possible through a fine-tuned combination of industry-leading research and development, and a mission to provide exceptional support to its customers, from builders and architects to developers and owners.. PROSOCO added 25 new employees.
Ricks Advanced Dermatology and Skin Surgery
Ricks Advanced Dermatology and Skin Surgery offers general dermatology for the treatment of mole removal, nail fungus, acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis and full-body skin exams. Dr. Matthew Ricks is the only fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon in Kansas outside of the Kansas City metro area.
Ricks added five new employees to its workforce for a total of 10 employees.
2XFOUNDATION HONOREE
Rueschhoff Security
Rueschhoff Security Systems has protected generations of families and businesses in the Lawrence area since 1976. Whether you need access control with video analytics for your business, fullscale fire systems or security and environmental sensors for your home, Rueschhoff is here to help.
Rueschhoff Security added seven new employees.
3XFOUNDATION HONOREE
SERC Physical Therapy
SERC Physical Therapy provides high quality physical therapy services with research supported treatment and quick access available to allow for the best results for patients.
SERC added one full-time employee, bringing its total workforce to five.
Speech Solutions
Speech Solutions is a locally-owned private speech and occupational therapy practice servicing pediatric and adult clients in Lawrence and surrounding areas. It is Speech Solutions’ mission to make a positive difference in the lives of clients by providing highly effective, research-based therapy services to children, teens and adults.
Speech Solutions added three new employees, doubling its workforce to six employees. p
IMPACT
2025 FOUNDATION AWARD HONOREE
&2025 FOOTPRINT IMPACT AWARD WINNER
Alpha Roofing provides residential and commercial roofing services in northeast Kansas. Its team holds the highest certifications in the products it installs and focuses on quality installations, excellent customer service and accountability.
Alpha Roofing is the consummate community partner, not only working with 221 local business partners and services, but also donating locally to schools and youth services, including sponsorships and sports.
5XFOUNDATION HONOREE OWNER
DARIN LUTZ
Owner Darin Lutz encourages employees to donate their time and supports them financially in those efforts and he serves on the Lawrence Schools Foundation Board of Directors.
It is Alpha Roofing’s goal whenever possible to work primarily with Lawrence Businesses. Alpha Roofing added four employees, increasing its workforce to 18.
AWARDS &
2025 FOUNDATION AWARD
HONOREE 2025 WOMAN- OWNED BUSINESS FOUNDATION
IMPACT AWARD WINNER
Sound Speech Therapy is pediatric speech-language, occupational and feeding clinic committed to providing quality service to patients and families using a collaborative approach. In addition, SST offers myofunctional therapy to both children and adults. The company is dedicated and committed to collaboration and building strong relationships built on trust, not only with patients but with their families.
3XFOUNDATION HONOREE OWNER
KIMBERLY WILLIAMS
Owner Kimberly Williams, offers local and surrounding schools professional development opportunities to help educators understand developmental norms, how to use practical strategies in the classroom, determine when more support might be needed, how to talk to parents, and what community resources to refer to. The company serves on the board of the Community Children’s Center and National Charity League and donates to Ballard Center and many other organizations.
Sound Speech Therapy added three new employees bringing its total workforce to 13.
2025 FOUNDATION AWARD HONOREE
2025 MINORITY- OWNED BUSINESS FOUNDATION IMPACT AWARD WINNER &
Bridge Haven is a physician owned and operated long-term care facility comprised of four homes for 12 individuals, each offering full nursing, rehabilitation and memory care services. Bridge Haven runs internal contests for residents and employees to donate time to local non-profits. It has donated time and/or money to Lawrence Community Shelter, Visiting Nurses, the Shelter, Inc. and Lied Center.
4XFOUNDATION HONOREE OWNER CHAITANYA MUSHAM, MD
More than 90 percent of residents are from Douglas County and pay attention to what happens locally. They are actively involved in the Warm Their Hearts and Toes internal project to benefit the Lawrence Community Shelter and the Shelter, Inc.
Bridge Haven added 24 employees, bringing its workforce to 98.
AWARDS
OWNED
AWARDS
IcoriumCompanyEngineering Owner Kalin Baca
Lisa Lahm
BioData Solutions Owner Stephanie Pasas-Farmer Body Specific
Artists Helping the Homeless (AHH)
Owner Kar Woo
Kessler Contractors Owner Dynelle Kessler
More LBM Foundation Awards photos in LOCAL SCENE pages 74-77
These two longtime friends’ lives weaved in and out through the years, finally ending up back home in Lawrence and working together in a joint business venture.
Here and
by
All good stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. The following stories start very near the beginning and have a twist in the middle, while the ending hangs in the balance. Some stories are still being written. If Tom Carmody’s and Dr. Jon O’Neal’s stories were a script, they could be titled, “Here and Back Again: Two Tales of Return to Kansas.”
Carmody and O’Neal’s friendship began in their teenage years. Their adventures don’t exactly parallel each other or always look much alike, but they cross at different times and in significant ways that help drive the arcs of their stories.
In 1970, Tom Carmody moved to Lawrence with his family when his dad took a promotion to manage a manufacturing plant. It was a hard move for Tom, as he was established in a great neighborhood with a plethora of kids his age in the Houston, Texas, area. Thankfully, there was also a great neighborhood with kids in Lawrence, and he was able to get connected in the area quickly. It helped that he was involved in sports and attended Broken Arrow Elementary School and South Junior High School (now Billy Mills Middle School).
Darin White, photos by Steven Hertzog and contributed by Carmody and O'Neal
Tom Carmody and Jon O'Neal at event at Spencer Museum of Art
premiere of
Back Again
A little after Carmody moved to Lawrence, O’Neal moved to Lawrence with his family when his dad retired from the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to become the academic counselor for The University of Kansas (KU) Athletics Department. His parents had met at KU, were involved in the Air Force and lived in many different locations before moving back. Because the Athletics Department wanted his father to reside near the athletes, his family moved into Jayhawker Towers. His parents had one apartment, and O’Neal had his own apartment as a junior high-aged student, eating meals at the KU athletes training table.
It was at South Junior High where O’Neal and Carmody first crossed paths. They continued their journey through Lawrence High School and The University of Kansas, where they were both part of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. After Carmody graduated from KU with a Bachelor of Science degree in business, he stayed at KU to obtain his master’s degree in business administration. O’Neal continued his schooling by joining the Air Force, which financed his studies at The University of Kansas School of Medicine. Carmody and O’Neal moved on to their respective careers in different locations, but they would reconnect later.
At world
AU PAIR, KANSAS (aka THE SOCCER NANNY) at KC Film Festival. To my left in Joan Hoffman, of Lawrence, producer.
Going Their Separate Ways
Carmody headed to Dallas to begin a 20-year career in the energy business. It was in Dallas that he met his future wife. He was then transferred to Denver and eventually took a job in energy in San Francisco, where the couple had their first child. Carmody later took yet another job in energy in Omaha, Nebraska.
In 1996, the family, including two children, moved back to Lawrence, where he started his own energy business. Like his fortuitous move into a great neighborhood in Lawrence during his childhood, he and his family also moved into a great neighborhood in town. Before long, Carmody was working on his own as an energy trader before his previous employer, Aquila Energy, hired him back. He worked for Aquila until the company transitioned away from the type of work he was doing.
At this point, Carmody decided he wanted to invest in himself. He partnered up and helped launch two wellknown local restaurants, 715 and Ladybird Diner. He had always had an interest in journalism and writing, so he also decided to write screenplays.
In the Air Force, O’Neal was stationed at locations such as Colorado Springs, Colorado, Guam and Omaha, Nebraska, where he was chief of flight and mission standards. He was planning on getting out of the Air Force until he was given an offer he couldn’t refuse—a residency in occupational and environmental medicine, and a
master’s of public health from Harvard University. He then became a consultant to the School of Aerospace Medicine, finally leaving the Air Force after 10 years.
When O’Neal moved to Boston, he worked as a corporate physician for Polaroid. After retiring as a lieutenant colonel and senior flight surgeon from the Kansas Air National Guard, he consulted for the USAF, Army, Navy and the Veterans Administration.
One might say he has diverse interests and skill sets. As an art history graduate of The University of Kansas, his photographs are included in major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and the Princeton University Art Museum.
During his time in Boston, while O’Neal was on Cape Cod by happenstance, he met Australian cinemato -
Top two photoe: Jon on location shooting AU PAIR, KANSAS (aka THE SOCCER NANNY) in Lindsborg, KS.
To the right:
Jon with visions of grandeur (and thinking of Kevin Wilmott) at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA
standing with portrait of Traci Lords,
grapher Peter James, who filmed “Driving Miss Daisy.” O’Neal and James struck up a friendship, and O’Neal started hanging out on film sets when he had time off as a physician. He read scripts when he was on set and thought screenwriting was something he could do—so he started writing screenplays.
O’Neal reveals the first script he wrote, titled “Partners Forever,” was based on a true story of his friend’s husband in the Air Force who died from AIDS. The story was modified to having his friend be a doctor in Boston, and her husband was a Major League Baseball player for the Red Sox. This script drew the interest of an agent in Chicago who pitched the piece to Jessica Lang, and it was considered but never realized. But it was enough encouragement for him to continue to write.
The second script O’Neal wrote was about the Kansas City Monarchs, which was part of the Negro League baseball teams. He heard about a book about the Negro Leagues on NPR radio titled, “Only the Ball Was White.” He found out that the Kansas City Monarchs was one of the best teams in the league, and after some fascinating research, O’Neal wrote, “Black Diamond,” a drama about a gospel/jazz singer in the 1940s who falls in love with a Kansas City Monarchs Negro League baseball player trying to be the first Black player in
Jon
lead actress in AU PAIR, KANSAS (aka THE SOCCER NANNY) at the entrance to the John Waters exhibit at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA
the Majors. It was a time when jazz singers would sing at the Sunday afternoon Kansas City Monarchs’ games, and the players would go to the jazz club after the game.
O’Neal’s script started placing high in competitions and received several awards. He submitted his script to the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and the piece won the prestigious UCLA Screenwriters Showcase. O’Neal was accepted to the school and went on to receive his master’s of fine arts in screenwriting from there.
Together Again
Around 2006, O’Neal and Carmody teamed up to create Carmody/ O’Neal Workshop Productions with the goal of producing movies in and about Kansas and the Midwest. The last screenplay O’Neal wrote in film school was titled “Au Pair, Kansas,” about a recently widowed woman who lives on a Lindsborg, Kansas, ranch and hires a Norwegian soccer player as an au pair to help raise her two sons. Carmody was the executive producer, and when the film was released, it was titled, “The Soccer Nanny.” It won the 2011 Winner Festival Prize and AMC Theaters Independent Best Heartland Narrative Feature. Notable actors include Traci Lords and Norwegian actor Håvard Lilleheie.
Carmody and O’Neal also cowrote a screenplay titled “Johnny Pigskin.” Carmody reveals that the basic plot is sports-related and based on Haskell Institute playing Notre Dame in 1915. The piece is in script form now, and they are working to finalize and produce it as a film. When doing research for the screenplay, Carmody found out that Haskell would hire native trackers to find children who left and bring them back. This was the basis for his film, “The Only Good Indian,” which he wrote and produced, and starred Academy Award winner Wes Studi. O’Neal was a coproducer on the film, which was directed by Academy Award Winner Kevin Willmott, with whom Carmody has worked on a number of films.
“The Only Good Indian” premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, and it played on the Starz Western channel. According to IMDb:
Tom Carmody on the set of "The Only Good Indian"
Tom Carmody with Director Kevin Willmott on the set of "The Only Good Indian"
Tom Carmody on the set of "The Only Good Indian"
“Set in Kansas during the early 1900s, a teenage Native American boy (newcomer Winter Fox Frank) is taken from his family and forced to attend a distant Indian ‘training’ school to assimilate into White society. When he escapes to return to his family, Sam Franklin (Wes Studi), a bounty hunter of Cherokee descent, is hired to find and return him to the institution. Franklin, a former Indian scout for the U.S. Army, has renounced his Native heritage and has adopted the white man’s way of life, believing it’s the only way for Indians to survive. Along the way, a tragic incident spurs Franklin’s longtime nemesis, the famous ‘Indian Fighter’ Sheriff Henry McCoy (J. Kenneth Campbell) to pursue both Franklin and the boy.”
O’Neal has five feature screenplays based in Kansas that he says he is excited to finalize, fine-tune and produce. He moved back to Topeka this spring, while the collaborative company Carmody/ O’Neal Workshop Productions is still based in Lawrence. Carmody has a number of irons in the fire, including one he is currently working on titled “Elf Angie,” a North Pole-based script, and is thankful he made the move back to Kansas.
"That’s the other thing, the connections here just are amazing,“ Carmody says.
The lifelong friends say they look forward to having time to collaborate and develop stories based and filmed in Kansas in the future. Kansas power times two. p
Writer, Tom Carmody in his Lawrence Filmproduction office.
This scientist returned to Lawrence to make a home in an atmosphere she feels is ripe to grow the pharmaceutical industry, with local businesses and universities working together to secure and retain talent.
by Tara Trenary, photos by Steven Hertzog
The Future of Tech
For many University of Kansas (KU) graduates from near and far, Lawrence is a place where they feel at home. Whether it’s the community, the university, the culture, the small-town feel with big-city vibes, they move back here to be part of a community where they once got their roots. For many, starting a new business or bringing along an established business is part of that dream.
What characteristics make Lawrence an ideal choice for starting or relocating a business? Quality of life, an inclusive business environment, KU and other local colleges, a community that supports buying local, big-city amenities with a small-town feel, access to a skilled workforce, incentives and funding from the local government, and an emphasis on diversity and inclusion, to name a few.
Stephanie Pasas-Farmer fell in love with Lawrence when she lived here during graduate school, where she earned Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees in pharmaceutical chemistry. She and her husband, a chemist and now a patent and intellectual property lawyer, as well as a KU graduate, had always wanted to move back. The owner of BioData Solutions didn’t want to leave 20 years ago after completing her degrees but felt she had to because of the lack of opportunity here in her field.
“There were a few different contract labs that I could have gone to, but I was looking for a large pharmaceutical company,” she explains. So, after graduating, Pasas-Farmer worked on the East Coast for large pharma companies before moving to biotechnology and then into contract research organization.
Heading West
In 2019, Pasas-Farmer and her husband moved their family back to the Midwest. They wanted to raise their three kids, then in elementary and middle school, in Lawrence, where the cost of living was affordable, and they had family closeby.
“I was really interested in getting the entrepreneurial ecosystem, pharma ecosystem, to grow … here. I thought, if I could come here and help establish that ecosystem, that would be great—but that was lofty goal,” she says.
Pasas-Farmer’s company, BioData Solutions, established in 2015, is a bioanalytical consulting and software firm that serves the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, explains Rashi Jain, director of product management and marketing for the company. On the consulting end, it provides services that range from strategic planning and establishing regulatory labs to data analysis, regulatory submissions and market planning. On the software end, it develops a cutting-edge suite of software, Red Thread, which brings efficiencies, objectivity and rigor to bioanalytical programs.
“BioData has a global presence,” she continues, “and through the work performed via consulting and software, it is addressing an unmet medical need by helping establish regulated labs and programs in developing and underdeveloped countries, such as South Africa; helping numerous oncology programs succeed by providing strategic planning, operational program management, data analysis, regulatory
Stephanie Pasas-Farmer in her Lawrence office.
submissions and market planning; and supporting several drug approvals through strategic planning, regulatory submissions and use of our software in drug development.”
The company is a remote workforce with a brick-and-mortar in Downtown Lawrence and employs about 18 (only four are here in Kansas). “We have seven Ph.D.s and one master’s level consultant,” Pasas-Farmer explains. “We have a master’s level consultant who does quality assurance on the software that’s on the consultant side of things and a KU intern who will start in the summer.”
The company offers full benefits: 401(k), vision, health, dental, long- and short-term disability. “I mean, it’s a pretty instant, comprehensive benefit program for a small company, especially as far as wages are concerned. I believe we’re a pretty high-paying company, because I feel like you should be if you work with the highly educated,” she says. “They probably have many other options, so you have to be up there. But our attrition rate is really, really low.”
BioData “adapts to employees’ needs and promotes a healthy work-life balance, with unlimited vacation time, flexible timings and training opportunities,” Jain adds. “Empowerment is central to our culture, giving employees the autonomy and resources to succeed. Everyone is treated with dignity and consideration, ensuring a respectful workplace.”
Getting funding for BioData Solutions has proved complicated thus far, so for now, Pasas-Farmer is its sole financier. She says the ecosystem of venture capital has to move along with what her sights are and find a way to feel less risk-averse. In the Midwest right now, companies are standoffish when it comes to tech. “They have deep pockets, it’s just they’re not used to it. Tech is definitely coastal. I could go out, I could get money from other places, but then I couldn’t be here.”
Last year, BioData Solutions netted about $2.3 million.
A New Adventure
The core of BioData Solutions is scientific consulting. After moving into contract research organization (contracting out certain parts of the work) when she was in Philadelphia, Pasas-Farmer ran bioanalytical labs and did preclinical and clinical testing on small molecule, biologics, cell therapy, gene therapy and other drug modalities. During that time, people began asking her to problem-solve situations that they were having issues with. “But I couldn’t,” she says, “because it was unethical based on what role I was doing.”
Because the questions were usually related to a different program she wasn’t working on in her firm, they’d have to pay her separately to consultant for them, which was a conflict of interest. “I was a full-time employee at a lab, so I decided that maybe I wanted to start my own lab,” she explains. “I had enough people asking me to consult for them, [so I thought], ‘I’ll just stop for a year, consult for people, and then I’ll start my own lab.’ That was 10 years ago.”
Pasas-Farmer loved consulting so much, she never went back to running the lab. After a year or so, she had so many requests for help, with people
leaving one company to go to another and running into the same issues, she either had to turn down the work or start partnering with other consultants. “And so I brought in a few other consultants … and just started growing that way.”
She added Ariadne Software to her portfolio in 2018 to automate data as a way to help the company increase quality, throughput and efficiency. As a consultant, trying to review enormous amounts of data by reading Excel spreadsheets was overwhelming, Pasas-Farmer explains. Her husband had been reading a book on artificial intelligence (AI) around that time, and as he watched her comb through reports hundreds of pages long with three computer monitors up simultaneously for hours on end, he casually said one day: “You know, software’s taking over the world. Don’t you wish you had a software that could do that for you?”
A lightbulb went off in her head. “I hired a consultant, a software developer part time, and within six months, we had a prototype.”
Removing the Red Tape
Red Thread, as the software is called, has a global presence. Initially a separate entity, two years ago BioData Solutions and Ariadne were combined into one company. With BioData being a consumer of Ariadne, and rather than paying two taxes and two payrolls, Pasas-Farmer chose to consolidate the two into one—both under the BioData Solutions moniker. All of the intellectual property was transferred over from Ariadne, and Pasas-Farmer remains the sole owner of the conglomeration—less paperwork, less hassle.
Jain explains: “Stephanie is an exceptional scientist with strong business acumen. She understands industry trends and the target audience, and has a unique ability to connect with people, which is rare among expert scientists.”
Pasas-Farmer says with the Red Thread technology onboard, she and her employees continually find new things to automate. “I’ve actually had to stop myself this year, because there’s just so much we could do, it is really a never-ending list.” Daily, they perform very risky tasks, and software tools would seem like the obvious help. But she says everyday people can be afraid of big changes.
Allie Renfro, Stephanie Pasas-Farmer, & Brittany Taylor
“We’ve had to wait till people caught up with us. You’re talking about using AI, and that makes people nervous,” she explains. So how do you validate that and make sure the conclusions the software is making are correct? “We focus a lot on human-augmented intelligence. The best way to make software work really well, even AI, is to have the human and the software working together and not alone. They’re a decision-helper, not decision-maker.”
Embracing Differences
Pasas-Farmer says BioData Solutions is a very diverse operation. “Balance is very important for me,” she says. “Being a woman and just the reputation of treating people well and retaining people, I think that has spoken a lot to getting the right people and also being more diverse.”
The company employs about 75% women, as well as sponsors visas. There are employees from China, India, the Philippines, the United Kingdom—women and men of color. “I guess the way I see it is we try to be a safe place for all people and merit-based,” she explains. “And I think that’s honestly why we do have a high percentage of women because of just being more open to inclusions and balanced work life.”
Pasas-Farmer encourages others to take a leap in the area of entrepreneurship. “I really want to encourage individuals to take that chance and strike out on their own. I don’t care if you are a man or a woman. Entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, need to see someone like them out there,” she says.
She donates to and has lectured kids at Bishop Seabury, where her children attend, to encourage them to learn more about the current state of sciences and career opportunities. She participated in the 2024 Douglas County Leadership class, has spoken on panels at the KU Innovation Center and participates on KU’s Conflict of Interest Committee. She also guest-lectures at KU for various departments, most recently speaking to a group of biology graduate students on career paths and AI in drug development. And she will be speaking in June in Denver about women entrepreneurship.
“Leadership and giving back are important to me. So I do give. I try to live through service,” Pasas-Farmer explains. “That’s my love language, if you want to call it that.”
Brittany Taylor , Stephanie Pasas-Farmer & Allie Renfro
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Plans for Growth
She would like to see BioData Solutions grow, and that includes working more with KU. She’s also having discussions with a large ($200-billion) potential distributor and partner for the software side of the company.
Pasas-Farmer feels the partnership with KU could “really grow some entrepreneurial breakout companies from that work and research. I have a lot of crazy ideas in my head, and I’d like to find a group … a couple of different like-minded individuals over there to do some research in that. And those could easily spin out.”
Her family’s choice to move back to Lawrence was the right one, she says, and being back in this environment has been rewarding. She believes having local universities nearby and being able to grow talent locally is beneficial to the business community as a whole. And she really loves this community.
“I just want to see this place become a future tech growth location. It has the ability and the talent,” Pasas-Farmer says. “I see a really bright future if we could just figure out how to get and retain the talent here, and make it attractive to stay. The quality of life is so much better here.”
Her only obstacle to being located in Lawrence is that her potential client base is mostly external to this area, and travel can be tricky. She can’t just drive up and down the coast and run into thousands of clients like she used to. Here, she has to make a conscious effort to do business development and go meet with new clients all over the country. “But the quality of life being here in Lawrence and being able to work with the university has made that worth it,” she says.
Jain says one of Pasas-Farmer’s greatest achievements is turning the idea of creating software into a successful business. Plus, she treats her staff like family, fostering a supportive and trusting environment. “Stephanie encourages her employees to learn and try new things, ensuring everyone feels heard and valued.”
She acknowledges failures and learns from them to improve, encouraging her team to do the same, Jain adds, and is proactive, ensuring a healthy work-life balance for everyone while providing ample opportunities for growth. Ultimately, “Stephanie has a clear vision and works tirelessly to achieve her goals.”
Once a Lawrencian, Always a Lawrencian
From Sin City back to Larryville,
this local brewery owner worked his way back home, where he always knew he’d end up.
by Bob Luder, photos by Steven Hertzog
and contributed by Matt Llewellyn
Spend any time at all with Matt Llewellyn, and it doesn’t take long to realize this is a man who loves life, family and the Lawrence community, which formed the man he is today.
Colorful stories of growing up a huge fan of Lawrence High School (LHS) and The University of Kansas (KU) sports flow easily, most filled with laughter and joyful reflection. It becomes abundantly clear that this is a guy who loves a good adventure and sharing that adventure with his closest friends, which with the way he regards his fellow humans, includes just about everyone.
In fact, you don’t even have to meet Llewellyn to see where his devotions lie. Just take a step into the 23rd Street Brewery, the establishment he’s owned the last 22 years and one of Lawrence’s most popular gathering spots, and that love of Lawrence and KU sports fills the walls in the form of memorabilia and tributes to great athletes and athletic accomplishments, both past and present.
Even when work took him halfway across the country, Lawrence was never far from his mind or heart. The pull of home always was there, and he always knew he’d be back.
“Being back in Lawrence, my network of friends just exploded, especially owning a brewery/restaurant where people are always popping in,” Llewellyn says. “I love talking to people in here. I really enjoy talking to people who knew my mom.
“That’s what you get in Lawrence,” he adds.
Matt Llewellyn at 23rd Stret Brewery
Llewellyn’s loyalty to his hometown was ingrained practically from birth. His parents moved to Lawrence in 1955 and, at one time, owned a home originally built and lived in by James Naismith, the inventor of basketball and a former KU hoops coach, which sat at 1700 Mississippi, two blocks from Lawrence High School. Two of his four siblings still live here, and the other two visit frequently. All remain loyal to LHS and KU.
Over the years, Llewellyn has carried his civic zeal and dedication beyond his business, serving on the board of directors with the Lawrence chapter of the Boys and Girls Club and The Chamber of Commerce, and volunteering time and resources with Kiwanis Club, his church and, through his business, catering events for KU.
It’s been a life full of journeys and adventures for Llewellyn, but throughout his travels—which took him to Nevada and elsewhere—he says he always knew where he’d end up. “Once a Lawrencian, always a Lawrencian” could, and probably should be, this man’s creed.
A Life of Sports
Llewellyn’s love of Lawrence took root early in his childhood, and that love manifested itself through local sports—be it youth athletic events at Centennial Elementary School, Central Junior High, Lawrence High or KU. Llewellyn was enamored with it all.
“Starting from Centennial grade school, I always wanted to be good at all sports, even though I wasn’t very good at any of them,” Llewellyn says. He laughingly remembers Nanny Duver, a local icon and favorite junior high gym teacher and coach, who, while being one of Llewellyn’s greatest role models as an adolescent, also happened to be a lead character in one of his more embarrassing moments.
“I always wanted to impress him,” Llewellyn says of Duver. “I always ran full steam in practice, because I wanted to make sure he saw my effort.
“Well, one day I was running full blast and ran full blast right into him,” he continues. “I went Charlie Brown, bouncing off him and full on the ground. I remember, (Duver) looked at me and said, ‘I didn’t hurt you, did I, Mary?’ ”
At Lawrence High, Llewellyn continued his support for the Lions’ athletic teams by serving as team mascot. If there was a sporting event taking place at the school over those four years, chances are Llewellyn was there cheering on his teams.
Later in his life, he worked in the broadcast booth for LHS games with local broadcasting legend Hank Booth.
After graduating from Lawrence High in 1984, Llewellyn enrolled at KU and continued his pursuit of sports by joining the university’s rugby club. But after one school year—much of it spent with his rugby teammates at the original Johnny’s Tavern—“they asked me to leave,” he says.
Little did Llewellyn know then that the rejection would lead to a great adventure that eventually would circle him back to where he is today.
Top to bottom: Matt Llewellyn and his stepson Micah after a big LHS win over rival FreeState Brian Hanni, Heather and Matt Llewellyn on KU baseball trip, celebrating at Festavile in Fort Worth Texas
Matt with Kim Murphree announcing at the Lawrence Old Fashioned Christmas Parade
Runnin’ With the Rebs
Following his departure from KU, Llewellyn was working as a pizza delivery guy when a friend mentioned he was getting ready to go work at a casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and could probably hook him up with a summer job. He jumped at the opportunity, and it wasn’t long before he was made a supervisor despite only being 20 at the time.
Even though he enjoyed almost immediate success at Harrah’s and was loving life at one of America’s premier resorts, Llewellyn knew that to advance further, he would need to go back to school. An easy choice at the time was the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This was the late 1980s, approaching 1990, which was an exciting time to be a student at UNLV because the Runnin’ Rebels men’s basketball team, led by legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian, was one of the hottest sports tickets in the entire country.
Things got even more exciting when Llewellyn was appointed social director for the school’s hotel association.
“We had front-row seats to every UNLV home game the year we won the championship in 1990,” Llewellyn explains. “I was put in charge of student tickets for the 1990–91 season. We gave away a couple thousand tickets per game.”
All student organizations had to go through Llewellyn to get tickets, and he and his buddies were constantly surrounded by celebrities such as MC Hammer, Wayne Newton and tennis great Andre Agassi. “It was an incredible experience,” he says. “However, those games were nothing like being in Allen Fieldhouse.”
The young, happy-go-lucky entrepreneur was riding high in Sin City. At the same time, however, he was always cognizant that such a lifestyle couldn’t last forever.
At some point, he’d have to grow up.
Working His Way Back Home
Llewellyn had built a strong reputation in Las Vegas as an ambitious go-getter who could get things done. As that reputation grew, job offers poured in. He says it wasn’t a difficult decision to take one that got him closer to home. He accepted a job working for The Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant franchise, first locating in Denver then Kansas City. That and two other restaurant companies led to a management position with the Old Chicago pizza chain, where he worked for the next 10 years in Wichita and Kansas City.
It was during his stint in Wichita that Llewellyn experienced one of his most “infamous” moments. He was chosen as the ceremonial “baby” of a local festival, a duty that included his dressing “down” in a diaper and pacifier, and posing for a portrait that ran on the front page of the Wichita Eagle newspaper.
“It sounded like fun at the time,” he says. “So I just went with it.”
Though he enjoyed Wichita and his time at Old Chicago, Llewellyn says he could sense the lure of returning home intensifying. That opportunity presented itself in a golden way in 2003, when he received an opportunity to partner with KC Hopps and take over a struggling 75th Street Brewery, in West Lawrence, at the corner of Clinton Parkway and Kasold Drive.
“After 10 years with Old Chicago, a sale to a larger corporation and stock option maturation, that gave me some money to partner with KC Hopps to run 75th Street Brewery,” he says. “After six months, KC Hopps wanted to sell to me. So I rounded up some local investors and took on some debt, and was able to buy the restaurant and change the name to something that made more sense—23rd Street Brewery.”
As managing partner of the brewery, Llewellyn knew the importance of being involved and connected to the community.
“I had heard Hank Booth all my life on KLWN 1320, and I loved this fledgling sports radio show called ‘Rock Chalk Sports Talk,’ with Brian Hanni,” he says. “I knew I needed to get involved with these guys, so I advertised with the station, put Hank Booth on the menu and gave food to the sport talk guys.”
Llewellyn also met Sue and Al Hack, who became mentors and two of his closest friends.
“Sue and Al know everyone,” he says. “Al’s a lifelong Lawrencian with involvement in the business community. Sue is a former teacher, mayor and head of Leadership Lawrence, and helped me tremendously.”
That relationship eventually led to Llewellyn spending Friday nights broadcasting Chesty Lions football games, along with a weekly spot on KLWN Thursday mornings talking about local issues. His relationship with Hanni also led to various trips to out-of-town Jayhawks games with local basketball stars like Scot Pollard and Bud Stallworth. To this day, Llewellyn and Hanni take at least two sports or guys trips every year.
“Those relationships made me realize that maybe it wasn’t the best idea to be on the front page of the paper with just a diaper on,” Llewellyn says.
He commuted for more than a decade while raising his family in Olathe before finally moving home to Lawrence for good in 2017.
Matt Llewellyn on the air at KLWN
Home Sweet Home
Over the last 22 years, 23rd Street Brewery has grown into one of Lawrence’s top gathering spots to enjoy time with friends, watch a ballgame and eat a top-notch meal. At the center of it all has been Llewellyn, who not only captained that ship but is one of Lawrence’s greatest and most effective civic cheerleaders and public servants.
He also can’t think of anyplace he’d rather play his most important role, as husband to wife of six years, Heather, and dad to a blended family of five children ranging in age from 17 to 30.
“This is just a great place,” he says. “It’s like a small town. Everyone knows each other. This town just has some things you don’t get anywhere else. There’s no place I’d rather be.” p
Matt Llewellyn - first job after leaving Lawrence (age 20) Harrah's in Lake Tahoe
Matt preparing himself for TRANSFORMATIONS Matt was the Chilenium Baby for the Wichita Chamber
Returning With a Purpose
Amy Pope at her office.
The energy, intellect and sense of community in Lawrence draw people of all ages back here to live and run businesses.
by Emily Mulligan, photos by Steven Hertzog and contributed by Pope and Grace
Lawrence has a magnetic quality for people, there’s no doubt about that. Between with the University, Downtown, the people and countless other community amenities, this little town pulls people in from near and far.
Many people come to Lawrence for the four- (or five- or six-) year stint of a college education. Others come for longer to be the teachers or administrators of that education, whether for their full career or a slice of it, bringing with them families who immerse themselves in schools and the community. Lawrence’s businesses and neighborhoods further attract people in all phases of their lives, both higher-education-related and not, to bask in the energy and intellect of all the town has to offer.
It’s no wonder that Lawrence also has been known to have a boomerang effect of sorts. People are here for college or for a job, then they leave, all the while still feeling a call to return. Some do return, but not all return to Lawrence and launch a new business, as both Shantel Grace and Amy Pope have done.
Grace is the co-owner of Ramen Bowls restaurant, and Pope is the owner of Repetition Coffee. Both native Kansans, the women each came to Lawrence to attend The University of Kansas (KU), then both left the state to pursue careers and additional schooling. It’s fair to say that when they left, neither of them was sure they would ever return, nor did they know that they eventually would be proprietors of a restaurant and coffee roastery, respectively.
Shantel Grace at the new Ramen Bowl location
Roads Lead Away From Lawrence
Grace left Lawrence for Nashville, where she spent 10 years in music as a singer and songwriter. From there, she and her then-husband, Tim, moved to Hawaii for his job as a shipping consultant, where she discovered that happy hour in the Honolulu ramen shops provided delicious, fortifying food at a reasonable cost. As a graduate student in creative writing and editor for the Honolulu Weekly, the couple didn’t have excess funds for dining out.
After a few years in Hawaii, Grace came back to Lawrence for Saint Patrick’s Day in 2012. As dinnertime neared after a day full of celebrating, Grace yearned for a bowl of ramen. That was before the idea of ramen shops had taken hold in the continental U.S., so there was no ramen to behold in Lawrence except the 50-cent packages on grocery-store shelves. Thus, her idea was born: to orchestrate a return to Kansas with plans to open her own ramen shop.
“On the plane back to Hawaii that last time from Kansas, there was an article in the plane magazine about ramen,” Grace says. “I talked to Tim, and within 24 hours, I had contacted a consultant; five or six days later, I had a business plan.”
The couple’s first son, Leo, was 9 months old at that point, and she says it was hard to have his grandparents an ocean away.
“Watching our families have to come all the way, and the pain of saying goodbye every time, I knew I couldn’t do that,” Grace says.
The ramen shop was their ticket back to Kansas and specifically back to Lawrence, where she had been longing to return since she’d first left for Nashville.
“I always knew I would come back, but I needed a purpose. Lawrence felt too special for me to just come back and not have anything to contribute,” Grace says.
Amy Pope top to bottom: Popayán, Colombia 2016Sourcing coffee with Café Imports in the heart of the jungle in Cauca - an area that most Colombians don’t get to see.
Nango, Japan 2003Receiving my job title as Coordinator of International Relation for Nango Town Hall in Miyazaki.
Horseback somewhere in Honduras March 2020.
Traveling with List & Biesler to source coffee.
Pope left Lawrence, degree in hand, to take a job in Japan with the Japanese government. She had a degree in East Asian Studies and Japanese, and she began what would become a fruitful career and the pursuit of a career in diplomacy, which also led her to work in Spain and bicycle across South America.
In 2013, while working on a master’s degree in international trade with a minor in peace studies in Paris, Pope’s father fell terminally ill. Doctors thought he only had hours or days to live, so she flew back from Paris to be with her family and her dad in Topeka. As it turned out, he lived 10 more years, but, “I started to realize the gravity of the situation and that my family would need me,” she explains.
So Pope decided to stay and got a job at a bank in Topeka for what turned into two years. Then, seeing that she was going to need to be in Kansas with her family for the duration of her dad’s protracted battle, she decided to start a business. In 2015, she started Repetition Coffee with her then-husband, Ryan Pope.
“I had to find the correct profession; otherwise, I’m in Lawrence spinning my wheels trying to have an international career. Lawrence was the best place I could be for a small business, and I could create an international career for myself from here,” she says.
Shantel Grace top to bottom:
One of Shantel’s early record covers, released in 2003, and propelling her Nashville music career which spanned from 1999-2008
Some at-home research with turkey red wheat noodles, foraged scallions, and chili prawns.
One of Shantel’s longtime and most beloved employees, Shizuka Pirie, standing under the tent at a 4th of July ramen pop-up in 2014
Landing on a Business in Lawrence
Grace returned to Lawrence and secured a Small Business Administration loan from Intrust Bank to open the ramen shop. The loan took about six months, and, “We should’ve asked for three times the amount, but we didn’t know,” she says.
The Graces rented an apartment for their small family, and they looked at countless potential locations for their shop. Grace says she wanted to be downtown, so when they saw the space at 125 E. 10th St., in spite of it having the reputation as a “cursed” restaurant location, Grace knew the small, quirky spot could work.
“It reminded me of the old ramen shops in Hawaii. The prices of rent in downtown terrified me, but working with the independent landlords in Lawrence was a really good experience,” she says. Ramen Bowls opened in 2013, and Grace says the restaurant reached a turning point at about the four-year mark.
“For the first three-plus years, it was the biggest challenge of my life. The work, the stress, the nonstop adrenaline rush of restaurant life is beyond anything I imagined,” she explains.
Grace launched Luckyberry in 2017 at Ninth and Massachusetts streets, which closed in 2019. Then she had the opportunity in 2017 to move Ramen Bowls to 918 Mass. St. from its long-outgrown spot. Now, the restaurant is at 900 New Hampshire St., where it has been since 2024.
As Pope came to grips with her father’s illness and the necessity of being close to her family, she needed to find a way to combine her international experiences and desire for travel with launching a small business.
“Coffee ticks all my boxes. I studied conflict resolution, which came in handy particularly with the Colombian peace agreement [in 2016]. The coffee belt has a lot of conflict plus the effects of climate change. Going to Kenya and Uganda, I use my understanding of the colonial structure and supply chain. I’m getting to use foreign languages and culturally explore the world,” she says.
Though Pope’s business and the actual coffee roasting take place in Lawrence at her facility at 512 E. Ninth St., Suite C, she travels internationally to build and maintain relationships with coffee growers and suppliers. Even her dad was part of the operation, helping her bag coffee beans for a few years before he passed away.
She says she benefits directly from being in Lawrence, both because of the University and because of the larger community. She has taught one-day courses on international business at KU, where she answers questions from students about issues in international trade and the worldwide coffee industry. And she says the size of Lawrence means that the same people and entities who are her competitors are also her friends and neighbors.
“We don’t have coffee competition here, we have coffee community,” Pope says.
Firmly Rooted
Ramen Bowls has 55 employees and is open seven days a week. The newest location has an expanded bar and outdoor spaces, and Grace says the restaurant offers catering, as well.
In 2021, Grace opened Saltwell Farm Kitchen in Overbrook after renovating a dilapidated farmhouse and transforming it into a unique dining experience alongside co-owner and head chef Rozz Petrozz. She oversees both the operations at Ramen Bowls and manages service and the front of house at Saltwell.
Repetition Coffee roasts and sells its coffee wholesale to stores and restaurants around the region. The company employs five people in addition to Pope, and in 2024, Repetition sold about one shipping container of coffee, she says.
As a business owner, Pope feels a responsibility to be part of the larger community beyond coffee. She rents out part of her space as an incubator program for small businesses, and she has housed the nonprofit Honor Moon period pantry in the space for several years. The incubator has space for four small businesses each to operate a
Amy Pope roasting coffee beans at Repetition
B I G C I T Y A B I L I T Y
w i t h h o m e t o w n v a l u e s
The aperitif was called, “For Women Who Can’t Get a Loan Without the Signature of a Man!” Originally made with yellow and green chartreuse, (made by Carthusian monks with extremely limited production), dandelion liqueur, and bitter Malört.
storefront with low monthly rent and access to any of Repetition’s resources. A few of the incubator businesses, such as The Nostalgia Room and Pocket Studio Creative, have moved out of Pope’s incubator and into their own spaces. Groupie Candles and local artists Molly Murphy and Margo Jane are the current incubator occupants.
and her 76-year old father, Glenn
Now, Grace’s and Pope’s well-established businesses are integral and visible parts of the Lawrence scene that both residents and wannabe residents can look to as they consider staying in or returning to Lawrence. No telling how many Lawrence epiphanies will take place over a bowl of ramen or a cup of locally roasted coffee in the years to come. p
Evening service at Saltwell making sure chef Rozz’s beet & goat cheese crostinis are garnished with a little extra sparkle.
Shantel
Ringler, standing in front of the wheat truck she drove during harvest as a teenager. He continues to farm heirloom wheat for his daughter’s noodle shop as well as Freestate Brewery.
Bursting
by
Brandon Petz, president and CEO of Petz Accounting Services, came to Lawrence and The University of Kansas (KU) from the small southwestern Kansas town of Cimarron. His family moved from Hutchinson to what Petz refers to as a “real tiny town” of about 2,000 people, located between Dodge City and Garden City, when the company for which his father worked was sold. After graduation, it only seemed natural to attend KU, being he came from what you might call a “legacy family.”
“My grandparents went to KU, my mom went to KU, brother went to KU,” explains Petz from the meeting room of his newly acquired office space, near the intersection of Wakarusa Drive and Bob Billings Parkway. “We were kind of always a KU family, so I didn’t really think of any other place to go.”
Nick Spacek, photos by Steven Hertzog
Brandon Petz, CEO, Petz Account Services
After hesitantly moving back, this financial services adviser now sees Lawrence through the eyes of a local business owner instead of a college student—and he likes what he sees.
the
Bubble
His father was in the business field, so Petz followed in his footsteps and enrolled in KU’s School of Business, from which he would graduate in 2006 with an accounting and business degree. After that, he stuck around and obtained his Master of Accounting degree. From there, he went on to work at a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) firm, where he acquired his CPA license.
“I worked for a firm called Kennedy and Co.,” Petz recalls. “It was headquartered out of Salina, but I actually started in their Topeka office and did taxes and financial statement audits.”
From there, Petz moved down to Wichita and worked out of that office for four or five years. That’s where he met his wife, who is also a CPA. After that, he says, he was ready to get out of the public accounting world, so he took a job in Oklahoma City at Chesapeake Energy, where Petz helped run one of the accounting divisions for one of the subsidiaries for about a year and a half, after which he and his wife moved back to Lawrence.
Despite all that moving around, Petz remained involved with KU alumni affairs. Not only was his grandfather on the KU Alumni board at one time, Petz was heavily involved in the KU alumni in Wichita, and he credits meeting all of his friends there to staying active within the KU community.
“When I went down to Oklahoma City, I ran the chapter down there…” Petz notes. “I’ve always been involved with the KU Alumni Association. It’s just one of those things that I dove into right out of college, and so that really expanded my network.”
A Little Help From Friends
That network would come in handy when Petz and his wife wanted to return to Lawrence and were looking for jobs. Heath Peterson, now the current president of the KU Alumni Association, connected Petz with Chris Piper, at Grandstand, and that’s when the couple moved back.
As direct a route as that might seem, it wasn’t always a given that Petz would return to Lawrence, he explains.
“The funny thing is, when I was down at Wichita, I was kind of tired of living in Kansas, and I was looking to maybe move out to the West Coast,” Petz recalls. “But my whole family’s in this area or in Kansas in general, so I just decided to scrap those plans and moved to Oklahoma City to get a little bit more experience down there.”
But he always wanted to come back to Lawrence. While he was in Wichita, he says, he’d come back to attend football games, and every time he came back to Lawrence, he kept thinking he wanted to live here again.
“You just get across the Iowa Street exit off of I-70, and you start getting those butterflies in your stomach,” Petz explains. “Like, ‘I’m excited to be back.’ It’s kind of like I’m back in college.”
Upon returning to town, the couple wasn’t sure if there would be people their age with which to connect, as Petz was in his late 20s and thought it would be more of a community with a mix between retirement aged and college kids—not much in between. But they were pleasantly surprised that many people he knew from college had the same mindset.
“There really was no coordination on any of those people that actually moved back,” he says of the fortuitous coincidence. “We all just moved back at the same time, reconnected with the college bunch and started hanging out again. They all seemed to have the same
thought that Lawrence was where they wanted to settle permanently.”
Working with the screen printing and creative design company Grandstand, a locally owned and operated company, as well as having those connections to the Alumni Association helped Petz feel like a member of the community a little sooner than he might have otherwise. It also helped that he was tasked with and took on the role of attending The Chamber of Commerce events and getting involved in the community as part of his duties.
“Luckily, I dove into that role and also really enjoyed it, because it was a way to meet people,” says Petz, crediting The Chamber, economic development corporations and similar groups in town as supporting one another’s interests. “I immediately just loved going to those events, because everybody was superwelcoming and easy to hang out with and talk, and always interested to hear my story.”
If you’re engaged in functions in the business community, Petz continues, Lawrence can feel like a very small town.
While he speaks fondly of his time at Grandstand, when COVID hit, he and his wife had two young children, and the lack of day care in addition to the stresses of a corporate environment led to him deciding he wanted to work for himself.
L to R: Derek Gates, Bonnie Petz, Brandon Petz, Katie McCormick
Forging Ahead
Petz Accounting Services doesn’t do the traditional taxes and audits of companies one might expect from a CPA firm. The CEO describes himself as a consultant doing fractional CFO (chief financial officer) services. Fractional CFOs “work for extended periods with a portfolio of clients to provide the full gamut of CFO services, albeit on a part-time basis,” according to an article by Bill Hinchberger for Global Finance
Petz serves in the capacity of a CFO of small and mid-sized businesses, helping them run their back offices, supporting business owners making decisions in growing their companies and optimizing their accounting functions along with some human resources duties.
As Petz puts it, he’s looking at every aspect of a company to help elevate the business. “Most of my clients are here in town, and a lot of them are smaller businesses that are growing and very successful,” he says. “I’m having a lot of fun helping them guide that path into the next wave of their business.”
The pandemic environment helped Petz grow his company gradually and navigate how he wanted to help local businesses. He refers to it as a “nice, patient way of starting a business without trying to go crazy at the start and hire people, and make larger mistakes than you have to when you’re just working for yourself and doing all the work.”
At the moment, Petz has three people helping him, mostly on a part-time basis, while gradually taking on more clients at a steady pace. He has between 20 and 25 clients in all different types of industries, which he enjoys.
“All the small businesses have the same challenges and needs for their accounting and financial functions,” he explains. “It’s easy to do those same things for all types of industries, but it’s also enjoyable to see all these different types of companies and how they operate.”
The needs and challenges most clients have to regularly address in their businesses is that their financial statements have become disorderly, Petz says. Understanding of how their business is doing by having basic financials is a must, and once those issues have been cleaned up, most companies can handle those functions themselves. Some do ask Petz and his team to continue to perform those functions on a regular basis, however.
A Whole New World
Working with local businesses has opened Petz’s eyes to Lawrence, allowing him to notice many things about to town he hadn’t been aware of when attending KU as a student.
“When you’re on the KU campus, you’re definitely in a bubble,” he explains, likening KU as a little city of its own. “I didn’t really know what Lawrence was all about as a community outside of that beforehand. I’ve definitely come to the realization of how this community operates and thrives compared to other communities in the state.”
Ultimately, Petz has come to view Lawrence as a very supportive community of local business owners, with everybody working toward the same goals, going back to that small-town vibe to which he earlier referred.
“Coming from a town of 2,000 people to a town of 100,000, I envisioned coming into a big-city vibe,” Petz says. “But it’s not nothing like that. It’s very, very different than Kansas City or Topeka, which is good.” p
Brandon and Bonnie Petz
LAWRENCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOUNDATION AWARDS
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LAWRENCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOUNDATION AWARDS
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BUSKER FEST 2025
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& PEOPLE ON THE MOVE NEWS [ ] MAKERS
MEET THE NEXT (FOURTH!) GENERATION AT PROSOCO
After 12 years in different roles at PROSOCO, Jake Boyer will become President of the family-owned company.
Most family-owned businesses don’t make it to the second generation, let alone the third or fourth. According to recent data, only 3% of familyowned businesses make it to the fourth generation. We like to think that means we’re doing something right.
We are elated to announce that, after months of strategic succession planning, a member of the fourth generation of the Boyer Family, Jake Boyer, has accepted the role of President of PROSOCO, taking the place of long-time employee Kevin Sigourney.
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PROFESSOR EMERITUS MAKES MAJOR GIFT TO PEASLEE TECH
Peaslee Tech Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Kevin Kelley, announced today a gift of $100,000 from Robert & Lois Hanzlik for an endowed scholarship at the Douglas County Community Foundation.
"This wonderful gift serves as the foundation and catalyst to build an endowment at Peaslee Tech that will ensure we are training Douglas
County residents in high skilled, high income careers for generations to come," said Kelley.
Bob then joined the faculty of the Medicinal Chemistry Department at KU in 1971, a position he held for 49 years until he retired in 2020. As Bob's career in teaching and research grew Lois supported him by running their household while gardening avidly and recording books on tape for Audio Reader, the latter affording her anenjoyable 32-year career as a volunteer.
For contributions to help grow the Peaslee Tech endowment, please call Kevin Kelley, 785-856-1801, ext. 101. Peaslee Tech is a not-forprofit organization.
TRUITY CREDIT UNION OPENS NEW CAMPUS BRANCH
This location represents the first branch built from the ground up by Truity in the Lawrence market since 1994 and is designed to expand access to full-service banking for KU students, faculty, alumni and Lawrence residents. The branch features a modern banking lobby, Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs), and extended access through drive-thru services.
“We’re proud to grow alongside the KU community,” said Aaron Beldner, President and CEO of Truity Credit Union. “This new Campus Branch allows us to better serve our members and expand access to financial tools and education for students and the greater Lawrence area.”
Truity Credit Union is the official credit union of the KU Alumni Association. Through this partnership, Truity supports initiatives such as the Jayhawk Career Network and the Student Alumni Network, helping current students and alumni prepare for successful financial futures.
JEFFERSON’S RESTAURANT ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL “TEACHER OF THE YEAR” WINNER
The Jefferson’s of Lawrence is pleased to announce that Kathryn Brooks has been named the first-ever Jefferson’s Lawrence Teacher of the Year! Brooks has been a teacher for two years, and currently teaches science at West Middle School.
Brooks was chosen from a highly competitive pool of nominations submitted by students and community members. The contest, launched in honor of National Teachers’ Day–aims to recognize one of Lawrence’s many deserving educators. Jefferson’s selected Brooks as the Lawrence Teacher of the Year for her passion for science, ability to spark curiosity in her students, and her kindheartedness.
SCOTT R. SOLOMON, CRPC™ FORBES BEST-IN-STATE WEALTH ADVISOR FOR 2019-2025
Scott R. Solomon, CRPC ™ has been named a Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisor for 2019-2025. This honor is awarded to advisors who provide clients with a high-quality experience and lead the way in the industry .
AMERICORPS TERMINATIONS
On Friday, April 25 over 1,000 states, local non-profits, and faith-based organizations received grant termination notices total
ing nearly $400 million, impacting over 32,000 members addressing unmet needs in our communities with the claim they “no longer effectuates agency priorities.”
KANSAS: AmeriCorps funding in the state is overseen by the State Service Commission which consists of bipartisan Governor-appointed commissioners to ensure the funding goes toward state and local priorities.
State and National Program- Local Program Funding Cuts
*Final list of grantees may vary based on final notifications to commissions and grantees.
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