Celebrating the Businesses of the Year
| 2019 Q1 | story by Bob Luder | photos by Patrick Connor
Retired United States Circuit Judge Deanell Tacha, guest speaker at the 6th Annual Foundation awards
She repeated several times that she didn’t want to get political. But when it comes to being successful in business in Lawrence, Kansas – or anyplace else for that matter – Deanell Tacha firmly believes a well-worn political mantra holds true.
Unity is essential. For any business to thrive, all businesses must work together. Divisiveness and working against each other only leads to chaos and, ultimately, failure.
“It takes a whole array of talent to support a community in this ridiculously technological age,” said Tacha, a retired United States Circuit Judge and Dean of the Pepperdine University School of Law, who was the special guest speaker at the sixth annual Foundation Awards held Feb. 27 in The Oread Hotel’s Griffith Ballroom.
“Make it your business to know what all the other businesses do,” she said. “It’s not just about Lawrence it’s about the region and state. We have all got to step up.”
The Red Carpet Radio interviews were broadcast live on KLWN. Hank Booth and Dr. Mike Anderson interviewed this year’s Foundation Award sponsors and honorees.
More than 200 members of the local business community came together to honor and celebrate each other as Lawrence Business Magazine and CadreLawrence, along with presenting sponsor INTRUST Bank, commemorated six years and 567 new jobs created with the Foundation Awards. This year, 11 local businesses were honored with the by-now iconic bricks that serve as the awards. The awards recognize locally owned or franchised businesses that have been open at least three years and shown a 20 percent growth in jobs or added 20 total positions within the past year.
“I love small businesses,” Tacha announced in leading off her speech. “In fact, I am the granddaughter, daughter, wife and mother of small business.”
Tacha said her son today runs her family’s business, which provides school assembly programs across the country. And, she proudly described a photo that she appears in as a young girl alongside her father and grandfather as they helped build the first interstate highway bridges around Abilene, Kansas. That photo today hangs in the Smithsonian Institution, she said.
“It is places like Lawrence that can make a real difference in the world,” said Tacha, her broken left arm in a sling, the result of a fall suffered a day earlier. “It’s the right size to be a laboratory to try all different kinds of things.”
The Red Carpet Radio interviews were broadcast live on KLWN. Hank Booth and Dr. Mike Anderson interview Shanna and Kevin Good- Good Energy – former 3 time honorees and sponsors of the event.
The crux of her speech centered on what she considers the three characteristics of successful small businesses, all based upon the overarching theme of unity: showing kindness, compassion and understanding of each other, maintaining mutual community support for each other, and remembering that it’s not just about what your business does.
“Think about our business community as an organic whole,” she said. “Think about artists working with business. Think about Haskell and all its possibilities. We all need to pitch in and spread out.”
Mike Anderson, local television personality and a writer for Lawrence Business Magazine, served as a late fill-in master of ceremonies for the hall of fame broadcaster Bob Davis, who was ill. He also spoke of the importance of keeping business local, pointing out that 80 percent of local job creation is done by existing businesses in a community.
One by one, Anderson brought to the podium at the front of the Griffith Room representatives of the honored companies, led by two-time Foundation Award winners Bridge Haven Memory Care, Build SMART LLC and M Cubed Technologies.
Robert Wilson started Bridge Haven 12 years ago when he was seeking a different model of long-term elder care for his parents. There is a staff member for every four residents, providing a higher ratio of care and more one-on-one care.
“Business is great,” Wilson said. “We’re 100 percent occupied and have a waiting list. We found the sweet spot, found the need.”
Medhi Honarvar, president and CEO of M Cubed, said his company’s growth in employees has proven what he already knew.
“I’m a business developer, not an IT guy, so I view myself as the least important person on the team,” he said. “The reason we’re able to grow is 100 percent my people.”
Paul Grahovac, vice president of business development and general counsel at Build SMART, said his company has presented to four construction conferences across the U.S. over the last year.
“When you’re small, a little growth goes a long way,” he said. “We were 10 employees last year. Now, we’re 20.”
Other honorees included The Bates Co., Blue Collar Press, Brand New Box, Drs. Dobbins & Letourneau Eye Care Lawrence, Free State Dental, Koprince Law LLC, Solomon & Associates, Ameriprise Financial and KEA Advisors.
The final award of the evening, the Footprint Impact Award, went to The Bates Company.
The Footprint Impact Award honors a Lawrence business committed to impacting the community and creating a local footprint of mutually beneficial relationships which strengthen the community. The award is a recognition not of what a business does, but how it does business. How it works locally, how it works to create local business partnerships, philanthropic endeavors, volunteerism, and how much a company’s overall mission is driven by a sense of community and giving back.
“The overarching mission of Lawrence Business Magazine is to cover people and businesses making a positive impact on the Lawrence community,” said Ann Frame Herzog, editor-in-chief. “We celebrate these impacts with the Foundation Awards, but especially with the Footprint Impact Award, which celebrates giving back to the local community and working in support of fellow local businesses.”
The Bates Co. owners Simon and Codi Bates serve as officers on numerous boards throughout the Lawrence area, donate money to many area organizations, and source as locally as possible for their restaurants, which includes Lawrence eateries The Burger Stand at the Casbah and Bon Bon. Other company holdings include The Cider Gallery Event and Art Space the Cider Gallery offices in East Lawrence.
The Bateses also encourage their employees to donate time to local non-profit and charitable organizations, allowing them to take time off during working hours to give back to the community. Their mission is to build a socially conscious company that takes care of its staff, customers, vendors and community.
“It means a lot,” Codi Bates said of winning the award. “Lawrence has really embraced us. Our mission statement centers around staff first, and this award lets us know we’re taking care of our staff as per our mission.”
The central theme of the evening, that of local businesses pulling together for the success of all, was one that makes INTRUST Bank especially proud to be presenting sponsor and part of the Foundation Awards since the beginning six years ago.
“We’ve always wanted to recognize the importance of small businesses and the importance of businesses that invest locally,” said Beth Easter, commercial relationship manager. “The amount of jobs these businesses create allow for the continuing prosperity of our community. They continue to invest in themselves which adds to job creation and brings people to town to shop.
“These businesses are innovative companies that continue to evolve,” she said, “and we like to be a part of that.”
These companies continue to grow and contribute their unique expertise to the Lawrence community.
The Bates Co. began with its first business, The Burger Stand at the Casbah, and has since grown to include The Burger Stand at College Hill, in Topeka, Bon Bon!, The Cider Gallery Event and Art Space, and The Cider Gallery Offices, as well as owning the historic buildings in which Bon Bon! and The Cider Gallery reside in East Lawrence. Owners Simon and Codi Bates say their mission is to build a socially conscious company that takes care of its staff, customers, venders and community.
Last year, The Bates Company added 22 full-time employees, growing from 111 to 133.
Blue Collar Press is a merchandising company that runs both online white-label retail stores for international clients as well as on-site screen printing and other garment decorating. Established in 1999, Blue Collar Press was borne out of the Midwest music scene. What started as a small, manual screen press with one operator has blossomed over the years to include four auto presses, three manual presses, embroidery, digital printing and other contract services.
Last year, Blue Collar Press added nine full-time jobs, growing from 23 employees to 32.
Brand New Box helps organizations codify processes and systems into value-adding software applications. Its target market is low-level executives starting new initiatives or reaching the limits of what they can build in Excel or within in-house tech teams. The company has been in business six years.
Last year, Blue Collar Press added two full-time jobs, growing from four employees to six.
Bridge Haven provides family-style assisted living in private residential homes, nestled in well-established neighborhoods throughout Lawrence. It specializes in small, long-term care homes for individuals with Alzheimer’s, other dementia, Parkinson’s and strokes who need care for memory and/or physical needs. Started in 2007, Bridge Haven has taken care of hundreds of individuals for anywhere from one day to seven years. In 2019, Bridge Haven will have three custom-purpose-built homes for a total of 36 residents. Its sole owner is J. Robert Wilson Jr.
Last year, Bridge Haven added 13 full-time jobs, growing from 61 employees to 74.
BuildSMART is a partnership between PROSOCO and Adam Cohen designed to create durable, energy-efficient construction that is simple, affordable and accessible for any building, architect or owner. BuildSMART makes Passive House levels of energy efficiency not only possible but simple. Its prefabricated components save time and money to build, are easier to erect than conventional construction and are affordable to own. BuildSMART takes pride in the attention to detail and quality it puts in each and every project.
Last year, BuildSMART added 10 full-time jobs, growing from 10 employees to 20.
The Eye Care Lawrence doctors and team provide complete eye health and vision care in a friendly and professional environment. Comprehensive eye care goes beyond a prescription for glasses or contact lenses. Located in downtown Lawrence and in business for more than 50 years, the optometry practice of Drs. Dobbins and Letourneau utilizes the newest and most advanced technology. Whether it’s a routine eye examination or diagnosis and treatment of eye problems and ocular disease, doctors are available six days a week and by phone for emergencies.
Last year, Drs. Dobbins & Letourneau Eye Care Lawrence added four full-time jobs, growing from seven employees to 11.
Free State Dental is a locally owned dental office providing services ranging from cleaning and fillings to same-day crowns, dental implants, whitening, veneers and Invisalign, all with the same high-quality customer service patients have come to love. In business for 31 years, Free State Dental recently moved into new office space at 4111 West 6th St.
Last year, Free State Dental added four full-time jobs, growing from 12 employees to 16.
KEA offers management and strategy advisory services for commercial truck dealerships. It has professionals in nine states and provides services to customers nationally and internationally. KEA also serves the business system providers for the industry, truck manufacturers and the industry association (National Automobile Dealers Association and American Truck Dealers [ATD]). It has developed content and taught courses for the ATD Dealer Academy since 1996 and performs research studies on dealership and departmental performance. KEA was awarded the Kansas Small Business Development Center existing business of the year in 2018.
Last year, KEA Advisors added nine full-time jobs, growing from eight employees to 17.
Koprince Law LLC is a boutique government contracts law firm. Since opening in 2015, the firm has expanded to 13 staff members to serve the increasing needs of its growing client base. Koprince Law serves a national client base of federal government contractors from its office in Lawrence. Although it is a small firm, it strives to offer clients high-quality legal services most often associated with much larger firms.
Last year, Koprince Law added four full-time jobs, growing from nine employees to 13.
M Cubed Technologies is a business-to-business technology company serving local and regional business with all IT (internet technology) needs. Its philosophy is that if you monitor, maintain and manage your entire network, from your server to your workstation, you will prevent costly downtime some companies face and avoid loss of revenue. The company provides preventive IT every minute and hour of every day, and believes its M techs will already know of potential problems and will have already fixed them. In business for four years, it believes in monitoring, maintaining and managing for peace of mind in your network.
Last year, M Cubed Technologies added two full-time jobs, growing from five employees to seven.
Solomon & Associates delivers personalized financial advice and wealth-management strategies to help mitigate risk and be a steward for its clients’ financial health and well-being. Its financial advisors provide advice to help clients reach goals and realize personal and financial potential throughout their lifetimes. Solomon & Associates has been in business for three years in Douglas County.
Last year, Solomon & Associates added one full-time job, growing from five employees to six.
