VOLUME 1, NO. 2

THE BUSINESS DEANRETURNS TO NURTUREA NEW GENERATION

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IN THIS ISSUE:

FEATURES:

LAWRENCE NON-PROFITSSURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS

THE BUSINESS OF:CATERING A HOLIDAY PARTY

KU BUSINESS DEAN DR. NEELI BENDAPUDI RETURNS TO HER JAYHAWK ROOTS

BLUE COLLAR PRESS & DISTRO FROM THE BASEMENT TO THE BOARDROOM

BTBCDEVELOPING SUCCESS

IN EVERY ISSUE:

DOWNTOWN IN FOCUS

BUSINESS ON THE HILL

PROFESSIONAL SPOTLIGHT

MARKETING

MANAGEMENT

FINANCIAL

TECHNOLOGY

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ON THE COVER:DR. NEELI BENDAPUDI, THE NEW DEAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS. PHOTO BY STEVEN HERTZOG

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T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network not available everywhere. See coverage details at T-Mobile.com.Limited-time offer; subject to change. Taxes and fees additional. Unlimited features for direct U.S. communications between two people. Domestic only. Participating locations only. Small Business Plan: Limit 49 voice lines per account. Data does not include BES. Federal tax ID required. General Terms: Credit approval and two-year agreement with up to $200/line early cancellation fee may be required. Regulatory Programs Fee (not a tax or government mandated charge) of $1.41 per line/month applies. Taxes approx. 6–28% of bill. Coverage: Not available everywhere. Abnormal Usage: Service may be limited or terminated for misuse, abnormal usage or significant roaming. See Terms and Conditions (including arbitration provision) at www.T-Mobile.com for additional information. T-Mobile and the magenta color are registered trademarks of Deutsche Telekom AG.

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CONTRIBUTORS:

VOLUME 1 NO.2

PUBLISHER:

FOUR BIRDS MEDIA

MANAGING EDITOR:

DEREK HELMS

CREATIVE EDITOR:

ANN FRAME HERTZOG

ART DIRECTOR:

DARYL BUGNER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

CATHY HAMILTON, DAISY WAKEFIELD,JOE MONACO

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS:STEVEN HERTZOG, MEGAN AXELSSON, CASEY WRIGHT, TASHA KEATHLEY, ARTEM BAGIEV

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DOWNTOWN IN FOCUS

Downtown Lawrence is a spirited place to shop, dine and work any time of year, but the holiday season reveals its unique, festive charms. With white lights on every bare-branched tree lining Mas-sachusetts Street, green garland and red bows festooning the an-tique lampposts, you’d almost expect Santa Claus to fall from the sky any minute.

And, he does…almost!

Traditions abound in the downtown district, starting with the an-nual Christmas lighting ceremony and Santa’s arrival, scheduled for Friday, Nov. 25th at 5:00 p.m. at 9th & Massachusetts Street. Lighting ceremonies are not unique to Lawrence, of course, but what other city sends the fire department to rescue the jolly old elf one from the roof of its anchor department store?

Weaver’s department store president, Joe Flannery, guesses the tradition started over 20 years ago. Prior to that, Santa made his entrance into town on a horse-drawn carriage.

“The credit has to go to then-Fire Chief Jim McSwain,” Flannery says. “He was the first Santa Claus who stepped off of Weaver’s roof and onto the 50-foot ladder truck. ”

The daredevil role of Kris Kringle continues to be played by a member of the fire department, although the identity of this year’s big guy in red remains hush-hush.

Whoever he is this year, he’ll be making his grand entrance on the fire department’s new pride and joy - Truck No. 5, a platform aerial (ladder truck) with a 100-foot extension ladder that has been in service since August 2011.

Santa will descend on downtown at six o’clock and spend an hour or so taking children’s requests for Christmas presents and posing for photos. Entertainment will be provided beforehand.

by Cathy Hamilton Downtown Lawrence Association

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DOWNTOWN IN FOCUSby Cathy Hamilton Downtown Lawrence Association

The season picks up the pace the following weekend for the 19th Annual Downtown Old-Fashioned Christmas parade, Saturday, Dec. 3rd at 11 a.m. The nationally acclaimed event features exclu-sively horse-drawn carriages, wagons, coaches and riders deco-rated for the season. More than 300 horses from eight states are expected to follow the route, which begins at 7th & Mass. and trots along to South Park at 13th Street. Each year, the parade brings thousands of bundled-up visitors downtown from far and wide to see this old-fashioned spectacle, one of the few horse-drawn-only parades in the country.

The Wells Fargo stagecoach, a perennial favorite, will be among the colorful rigs featured this year. But, the equines sure to make the loudest clip-clop-clip-clops are a team of rare black and white Ex-press Clydesdales. Standing more than eight feet high and weigh-ing over 2,000 pounds, these beautiful horses tour North America as goodwill ambassadors for Express Employment Professionals and have been seen in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Parade goers and Santa enthusiasts are asked to bring canned or other non-perishable food items downtown to donate to Just Food, Downtown Lawrence, Inc.’s Holiday 2011 designated charity.

In our first holiday partnership, Just Food, Douglas County’s own food pantry, is providing dozens of volunteers to decorate down-town lampposts on Sunday, Nov. 20. In exchange, DLI will be mak-

ing a sizable donation to Just Food and merchants will be collect-ing cash donations for the pantry throughout the season.

“We’re excited to be working with DLI this holiday season”, says Just Food Executive Director Jeremy Farmer. “They’ll be partner-ing with us to feed thousands of children and families in Douglas County, and we are grateful for their unwavering support of Just Food.”

As exciting as holiday happenings can be, the main events down-town are always shopping and celebrating. This season, a host of new merchants – mixed with your favorite mainstays – have every holiday need covered.

Located at 717 Massachusetts in the old Bay Leaf space, Sweet! is a one-stop shop for supplies for baking, decorating and packag-ing your holiday cakes, cupcakes and candies, with a good amount of kitchen gadgets and cookware thrown into the mix. Co-owner, Susan Hess, says she has received good advice from the original owners of the Bay Leaf, as to which products local cooks crave.

DOWNTOWN IN FOCUS

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Not a bake-it-yourselfer? The Cupcake Construction Company at 727 Mass., will gladly do the work to provide full-size and mini gourmet cupcakes for your holiday event. Owners Michael and Megan Kricsfeld even have a Mobile Interactive Cup-cake Bar to set up at your next event. Have cupcakes, will travel!

A new arrival in the gift shop category is Made on Mass., owned by Matt and Jenni-fer Richards. Located at 737 Massachusetts St., Made carries modern, locally made items complimented by goods created by regional and national artists. It’s a great place to find a unique gift for that impossible-to-buy-for person.

For all those holiday procrastinators (and you know who you are), Downtown Lawrence gift certificates, for sale at any Douglas County Bank, make the decision-making process a no-brainer and allow the recipient to purchase the gift of their choice at over 100 downtown merchants.

Put Downtown Lawrence on your list this holiday season. The downtown experi-ence is a sure way to get into the spirit. See you on Mass. Street!

DOWNTOWN IN FOCUS

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DOWNTOWN IN FOCUS

8

BUSINESS ON THE HILL

KU NAMES NEW DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRIAL PARTNERSHIPS Building business relationships and enhancing the Kansas economy are high priorities for the University of Kansas (KU). To help further that mission, KU has created a new position and hired an experienced scientist and business strategist to lead the effort.

Julie Nagel joined KU on Aug. 1 as director of industrial partnerships, reporting to Julie Goonewardene, associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. Nagel was previously man-aging director of the Oncological Science Center at Purdue University’s Discovery Park.

Since joining KU, Nagel has been working closely with the KU Center for Technology Commercialization to move university technology into the marketplace through startup companies and licensing agreements. In the process, Nagel will strengthen and broaden relationships with external partners, seek grants in support of these efforts and assist with the development of a strategic plan for technology commercialization and outreach.

“KU is on the threshold of becoming a first-rate center for technology commercialization,” Nagel says. “It has all the piec-es in place. This is an opportunity to join a team that can look at the assets we have and use them to make a difference in peo-ples’ lives. That means fostering innovation, creating jobs and focusing every day on how to make an impact.”

Prior to joining Purdue in 2005, Nagel was a program director for Biotechnology Business Consultants, following service as a technical coordinator with Rubicon Genomics in Ann Arbor, Michigan.“That introduced me to the business side of the life sciences,” Nagel says. “I learned about all sorts of technologies coming out of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. I also learned why some technologies make it and others don’t.”

Nagel’s academic background includes a B.S.E. degree in biology from John Brown University, an M.S. degree in zoology from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. degree in ecology and volutionary biology from theUniversity of Tennessee.

At Discovery Park, Nagel managed a multi-institutional, $8 million cancer care engineering proj-ect that involved proposal development, project management, regulatory compliance, interdisciplinary research and the in-terface with research coordinators at clinical sites.

KU’S NEW RENEWABLE SCHOLARSHIPS MAKE COLLEGE AFFORDABLEA University of Kansas education is becoming more affordable thanks to a package of new, four-year renewable scholarships for freshmen and two-year scholarships for transfer students. Starting with the Fall 2012 incoming class, KU will automati-cally award students renewable scholarships according to their academic performance. Prospective students will now know what scholarships they qualify for even before they apply, and KU will confirm the awards within two weeks of a student’s admission to the university.

Four-year scholarships for Kansas students run as high as $40,000. Students and their families can visit the new affordability.ku.edu to see the range of scholarships, grants and financial aid available.

The university has also created the KU Pell Advantage pro-gram, which will be available to new Fall 2012 Kansas fresh-men who receive Federal Pell Grants and meet academic requirements. The KU Pell Advantage assures high-need stu-dents a gift aid package to fully fund 15 hours of KU tuition and fees each semester for four years, through federal, state and institutional resources.

by Joe Monaco, University of Kansas

BUSINESS ON THE HILL

9

by Joe Monaco, University of Kansas

“We don’t want finances to keep students who are ready to at-tend KU from being able to realize their educational dreams,” says Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little. “These new scholar-ships will open the door to a KU education, and by rewarding academic achievement, encourage students to do well in both high school and college. When combined with our Four-year Tuition Compact, these renewable scholarships add to the af-fordability of a KU education.”

In 2010, KU provided more than $70 million in scholarships and grants to 13,878 students, and tuition and fees at the uni-versity rank 28th lowest among the nation’s top 34 public re-search universities. For more information on the new scholar-ships, visit http://affordability.ku.edu

KU MEETING STATE’S NEED FOR MORE ENGINEERSThe University of Kansas School of Engineering made signifi-cant gains in undergraduate enrollment this fall as part of an ongoing effort to meet Kansas’ workforce needs.

Fall enrollment reached a 29-year high at 1,911 undergradu-ate students. The figure represents a 6.6 percent increase (119 students) over last year.

The enrollment increase is part of the school’s long-term stra-tegic effort to boost the number of students in Kansas who graduate with bachelor’s degrees in engineering. Engineering-intensive industries in Kansas and the Kansas City region have called for the state’s engineering programs to produce addition-al engineering graduates to meet the state’s workforce needs and help fuel the economy. The point was echoed by the Kansas Legislature with the passage of the Engineering Initiative Act this spring, designed to produce more engineering graduates in Kansas. Gov. Sam Brownback signed the act into law in May.

“Our staff has worked very hard to show high school and com-munity college students the great career opportunities that await them as engineers and computer scientists,” Stuart Bell, dean of engineering, says. “Moreover, our alumni stand as a testament to the opportunities they received here. Our alumni

are successful and loyal. When those words appear together it means scholarship dollars are also there to ensure great stu-dents have affordable access to an education that opens doors and helps them change the world for the better.”

The school and its departments provided more than $2 million in scholarship dollars and financial awards to its students in ad-dition to funds from the university. About one-third of students in the School of Engineering receive scholarships. The school also is home to the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows (SELF) Program, a four-year leadership and enrichment program that provides ambitious students in the school with additional lead-ership opportunities, access to top leaders in business and in-dustry, and a generous financial package to help defray the cost of college.

“Efforts like the SELF Program have far-reaching effects and help set the KU School of Engineering apart from other en-gineering programs,” Bell says. “Prospective students see that engineering and computer science are opportunities for inno-vation and greater involvement with the world around them.”Several majors saw significant enrollment gains this fall, in-cluding electrical engineering, petroleum engineering and en-gineering physics.

Student quality also remained exemplary. Thirteen freshmen with National Merit distinction enrolled in the school. Five students in the freshman class – four of whom are National Merit Scholars – earned Perfect Achievement marks with a 36 score on the ACT. Overall, the average ACT scores of freshmen entering the KU School of Engineering remained high with a composite score of 28.19, an ACT Math score of 29.6 and an ACT Verbal score of 27.8. Both the Composite and Math scores represent slight increases over last year’s averages.

BUSINESS ON THE HILL

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MENCURO THERAPEUTICS MOVES INTO BTBC EXPANSION FACILITYThe Bioscience & Technology Business Center at the University of Kansas will house another biotech company with ties to the university.

Mencuro Therapeutics Inc., a drug de-velopment company focused on pain treatment, has leased space at the BTBC Expansion Facility. The company will create one new position — a biologist — and plans to add additional scientists within the next year. Mencuro utilizes technologies developed by Tom Prisinzano, a medicinal chemist at KU, and Laura Bohn, a neuroscientist at The Scripps Research Institute in Florida. Prisinzano and Bohn teamed up with colleagues Robert Karr and Randy Weiss to launch the company earlier this year.

“We’re excited to locate in Lawrence as part of the BTBC at KU incubator system,” says Prisinzano, an associate professor in the medicinal chemistry department. “We considered loca-tions in Iowa City and Kansas City, but the BTBC was clearly the best option. The BTBC gives us great lab space and a range of business and financing services. Most importantly, this loca-tion gives Mencuro access to KU equipment, technology and researchers, including me and my Malott Hall lab. It’s ideal for an early stage biotech company like Mencuro.”

Mencuro will collaborate with various KU units, including the department of medicinal chemistry, as well as the department of pharmaceutical chemistry in the KU School of Pharmacy.Mencuro became the 11th company to locate in the BTBC at KU incubator system, which comprises three buildings — the BTBC Main Facility and the BTBC Expansion Facility in Law-rence, and the BTBC at KUMC Facility in Kansas City. Men-curo became the second tenant in the Expansion Facility, join-ing KU spinout CritiTech.

KU UNVEILS SUSTAINABILITY PLANChancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and the KU Center for Sus-tainability on Oct. 19 announced the completion of Building Sustainable Traditions, the KU campus sustainability plan.

“As a public institution, the University of Kansas has a respon-sibility to operate in an efficient, effective and sustainable man-ner,” Gray-Little says. “We must elevate the expectations we have for ourselves as a community, finding ways to maximize the benefits of the work we do at KU, while minimizing finan-cial, environmental and societal costs.”

The plan was commissioned by the chancellor in spring 2010. Formal work began in October 2010 with the appointment of an advisory council by Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter. In all, more than 150 students, faculty, staff and community members were involved in the process of develop-ing a vision for a sustainable campus and plotting a course to get there.

“KU is engaged in a number of major initiatives, and under-lying the success of each is our ability to responsibly steward fiscal and physical resources,” Vitter says. “Our sustainability plan will fold into everything we do at KU, from the efficiencies pursued as part of the Changing for Excellence initiative to the implementation of our strategic plan, Bold Aspirations.”

Building Sustainable Traditions focuses on creating a commu-nity that is engaged in sustainability, adaptive in its cultural, in-stitutional, educational and operational practices, and efficient in its use of resources. The plan calls for several initial activities, including increased contact and coordination throughout cam-pus, review of standards for facilities and for landscaping and open spaces, expanded recycling efforts, and new standards for environmentally and socially preferred purchasing practices.

The sustainability plan will be integrated throughout Bold As-pirations and the Changing for Excellence initiative. A key as-pect of Bold Aspirations is the development of four strategic initiative themes, one of which is “Sustaining the Planet, Pow-ering the World.” Visit http://www.sustainability.ku.edu/Plan for details.

BUSINESS ON THE HILL

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LBM: What is your company’s most im-portant commodity or service?

MS: Our customer service is what we sell. We work hard to exceed our customers’ expectations in every facet of our business.

LBM: Other than monetary, what is your

company’s most important priority?

MS: We expect our customers to be as happy when they’re leaving as they were when they came. We want to greet them with a smile and we want them to leave smiling, feel-ing like they were treated right.

LBM: What have been the most important aspects of your success?

MS: Being able to attract and keep good people who want to succeed is the key. Without highly ambitious people to perpetuate your philosophy you won’t succeed.

LBM: How do you manage the day-to-day stress of business?

MS: I work with a highly motivated physical trainer to keep me in top physical health. That helps a lot. Also, I wake up every morning expecting something good to happen. I’ve always believed the sun shines on the highest branch of the tree. If I’m pouting or something, people notice that. I have a positive attitude and that rubs off on people.

PROFESSIONAL SPOTLIGHT

MILES SCHNAERCROWN TOYOTA SCION

LBM: How do you reward excellent work performance?

MS: We celebrate revenue generators. Our pay is based on creat-ing revenue for the dealership. If you do that, your paycheck will reflect it. We’re always happy to pay earned bonuses.

LBM: How do you manage poor performance?

MS: Each department head conveys our expectations to their staff daily. Really, we try to avoid the issue by hiring, training and challenging the best people we can find.

LBM: What is the biggest challenge your

company faces?

MS: Our challenge is to attract people who want to make the car business a career. We have work available for anyone who wants to talk about it. Too many people view selling cars as something they’ll do for a while until they figure out what they want their career to be. I was one of those people. One day I made the deci-sion to make this my career. That was more than 30 years ago.

LBM: How many people does your business employ? How many of those l ive in Lawrence? Does your company encourage people to l ive

in Lawrence? What is the benefit?

MS: We employee 90 people, both full and part-time, in Law-rence. Of those, 78 live in Lawrence. I think it’s important be-cause living near your work allows you more time in your life. You can spend more time with your family and less driving to the job.

LBM: What would you change about doing

business in Lawrence?

MS: We really need to get the South Lawrence Trafficway com-pleted. Regardless of the politics involved, having a corridor that shows travelers that South Iowa Street is alive and well is impor-tant. We have a lot of good businesses on this side of town that could be greatly helped by the roadway.

LBM: How does your business make a posi-

tive impact on the Lawrence community?

MS: Having the success of working with so many great people has allowed me to be philanthropic with my resources to help others in our community. As a businesses we go out of our way to support as many charities as we can. We’ve always focused on youth and helping those who can not help themselves.

LBM: You operate in an industry increasingly penetrated by online competition. How have you manage to remain relevant and profit-

able?

MS: We try to advertise as much as possible without spending money. We try to be everywhere we can be financially. But, if we can offer a great consumer experience, people will tell their friends. It’s hard for a website to duplicate that. Also, we are tak-ing advantage of the internet with a new e-commerce department that utilizes social media to reach people looking to buy a car.

LBM: Over the course of your career, what has the been the single largest change in the Lawrence auto environment?

MS: The internet, without question. Today when someone wants to buy a car, they can come in knowing the make, model, year and color they want. Often, they’ll know how much we paid for it and come to the table with an offer.

LBM: What do you foresee as being the big-

gest challenge to auto dealers in Lawrence?

MS: Our biggest challenge, believe it or not, is getting people that live in Lawrence to shop in Lawrence. We have as much to of-fer as the big city and we care about taking care of the people of Lawrence.

I want businesses to make more money with their adver-tising, not waste their time and money. Way too many people put way too little thought into their advertising and marketing plans. That is why there are people like me. My job is to ask the difficult questions. Questions like…

What are you really trying to do with your advertising and marketing? What do you want to make different from what is happening now? “I just want to get my name out there” doesn’t cut it. You need to have a clear and defined destination in mind. If not, you are just getting in your car and driving around.

3 STEPS TO

BETTER MARKETINGWhere are we going?

Heck, we don’t know, but we’re going. We’l l f igure it out when we get there.

This is not the dialogue before a last-minute college road trip. Unfortunately, it is an accurate representation of the

amount of thought many companies put into their advertising and marketing plans.

by Ron CovertGreat Plains Media

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Here is a simple, three-step process to instantly improve your advertising and marketing.

IDENTIFY WHAT YOU WANT TO HAVE HAPPEN

Be specific. Wanting to get more customers doesn’t count. More customers do not translate into more sales. I like to use a drill bit analogy to make this point. Most everyone has bought a drill bit, but has anyone ever really wanted a drill bit? No. What did they really want? A hole? Most likely the drill bit was used to make a hole to hang that new piece of art. If you don’t set specific and measurable goals for your advertising, it is impossible to judge the success or failure of your efforts.

One you have defined a goal, the hard part starts.

PUT A STRATEGY IN PLACE TO MAKE IT SO

Your advertising strategy must persuade your customers and potential customers to do whatever it is you want them to do. You need to speak to the consumer about what they care about in language that resonates with them. If Pavlov had used broccoli paste instead of meat paste to train his dogs, I am pretty sure the bell would have started to just tick off the dogs. You have to speak to the consumer in the language of the consumer. It takes a bit of practice and you must have the ability to look at your business from the end consumer’s point of view. Customers do not care how long you have been in business or that you have a cute family. What they really care about is what you can do for them – and nothing else.

Then the even harder part starts.

EXECUTE THE STRATEGY AND GIVE IT TIME TO WORK

A strong advertising plan will take more than a few weeks to show dividends. Many advertisers start with a good strategy but fail when they don’t allow the proper time to work. You can’t predict a consumer’s time of need. They don’t need what you have because you want them to. It is up to you to communicate why a cus-tomer should do business with you when they have a need for your product or service. While planning your strategy you must keep in mind the time commitment needed for your campaign to reach your goals.Now that you are ready to go, figure out where you want to end. You’re already buckled up.

Ron Covert is VP/GM of Great Plains Media in Lawrence. Great

Plains Media operates radio stations Lazer 105.9, 92.9 The Bull and

1320 KLWN. Ron also operates Strategically Sound, a consulting

company specializing in small business marketing and advertising.

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“Hey, are you two able to swim across

and back?” asked the mustached l ife-

guard.

It was 1971 and my friend, Todd, and I swam toward the

side of the pool in “the deep end.” We knew that you had to

show a lifeguard you could swim across the pool and back

without touching the bottom before you would be allowed

to swim in the deep end. The “deep end” housed the div-

ing boards and, of course, the coolest kids in town. It was

the summer after 4th grade and Todd had convinced me

that we could, “just go into the deep end and no one would

know if we had actually swam across and back.”

He was wrong.

We had to prove that we could do something we had never

been able to do. I could hear my heart pumping so loud; oh

the shame that was about to be placed around our necks.

What felt like an eternity had passed and the “bigger-than-

life” lifeguard pulled two exhausted skinny nine-year-olds

out of the pool.

“Rest for 20 minutes before you get back in the deep end,”

he said.

Todd and I looked like a couple of really small beached

whales on the side of the pool… but we did it! We couldn’t

believe it.

My son, a distance runner says, “When you feel pain, run

harder.” When we are faced with a fight or flight situation

and the amygdala in our brain sends epinephrine (adrena-

line) to our bodies, our flexor muscles increase by 30%.

The thing we have to develop is our ability to regulate

ourselves and use these things in a positive, focused way,

not reactively. For instance, studies have shown that when

pain is introduced into a person’s body, and the objective

in the study is to endure it as long as they can while a fa-

cilitator increases the pain, they will endure much more

pain if they can control the “off switch” rather than having

to ask for it to stop.

Shane M. Jones, LSCSW

MANAGEMENT

17

In my counseling practice, I don’t just help

people overcome a problem, I also help

them discover their strengths and give

them tools that enable them to have more

success over future problems. For instance,

using the previous example, I tell my cli-

ents they need to develop their own “off

switches.” An off switch in our lives can be

as simple as someone saying, “I am going

to work very hard for the next hour, then

take a break.” Another is being more mind-

ful of what healthy boundaries they can set

for themselves and with others, in order to

keep too many things from taking our time

and energy, and as a result feeling used up

and angry about it.

It doesn’t matter what you are facing. Some-

times it could be a literal life or death sur-

vival situation. More commonly you are

battling with the struggles of getting a new

business established; hanging on in a diffi-

cult job, or sticking in there to make a mar-

riage or family stronger. Whatever it is you

may be facing, remember you, and those

around you, are stronger than you or they

think.

Our mind is powerful, but often we don’t

use it well. We will very easily let our

thoughts go down the negative path, un-

less we cause our thoughts to be on what is

good, right, positive and vision driven. We

have to start with ourselves. “I am stronger

than I think” causes us to test ourselves a

little more, expect more from ourselves and

believe in ourselves more.

When you make that positive mental

change, employees, co-workers, and cus-

tomers will sense the attitude in you, and

will respond in like manner. It’s about be-

lieving in the strength in ourselves and

looking for strength in others that makes

the difference. Just ask those who have

served under great leaders, generals, coach-

es, etc., they will often sight the strength of

the leader and how that inspired them to

accomplish more than they thought was

capable.

Henry Ford nailed it when he said “whether

you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re

right.” We are stronger than we think.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION:

The Survivor’s Club, by Ben Sherwood.

JUST ASK THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED UNDER GREAT LEADERS,

GENERALS, COACHES, ETC., THEY WILL OFTEN SIGHT THE

STRENGTH OF THE LEADER AND HOW THAT INSPIRED THEM TO

ACCOMPLISH MORE THAN THEY THOUGHT WAS CAPABLE.

MANAGEMENT

18

In today’s world, we often forget the significance of the past. However, Lawrence city

leaders have been able to work with local business owners to create opportunities within

Lawrence’s historic districts and revitalize once-functioning buildings into new spaces

for commerce and housing.

The Poehler Mercantile Building, 618 E. 8th Street, recently won City Commission approval to be part

of a multi-building redevelopment plan that will create 49 multi-family apartment units, additional art-

ist/office space and event facilities. The building is part of a larger East Lawrence Industrial Historic

SAVING STRUCTURES C R E A T I N G O P P O R T U N I T I E S

by Megan Gilliland City of Lawrence

19

District which houses several historic buildings with archi-

tectural integrity associated with the city’s industrial past.

The District’s historic integrity and importance in com-

merce def ines

a rare, concen-

trated and intact

area of industrial

resources dating

from the 1880s

through the Great

Depression.

The city will complete infrastructure and public improve-

ments, including street improvements on Delaware Street

and 8th Street, parking lot pavement, sidewalks, replace-

ment of utility water line, fire sprinkler installation and

street lighting. Although the improvements will contribute

to the Poehler project, the City Commission hopes they will

also benefit the neighborhood community by spurring fur-

ther redevelopment in the area. This type of development

opportunity is often cited as one of the ways that historic

preservation can be linked with economic development.

By targeting areas for improvement, the city may be able to

create opportunities to modernize and develop the public

infrastructure and set the stage for future redevelopment,

revitalization and growth.

By revitalizing existing structures in Lawrence, the city

has been able to keep its downtown a thriving center for

retail activity and entertainment. Throughout the past few

decades, local businesses and city leaders have worked to-

gether to create opportunities to reclaim buildings that may

20

have otherwise been demolished and left as vacant spaces or re-built in

a style that does not fit within the historic characteristics of downtown

Lawrence. Downtown Lawrence’s main street, Massachusetts Street,

was recognized by the American Planning Association in 2010 as a

“Top 10 Great Street” in America through the “Great Places” program.

The recognition largely focused on the city’s commitment to keeping

downtown a viable retail and entertainment corridor that remains rel-

evant today when competition presents many options for consumers.

As a city, Lawrence has taken great steps to develop policies that bal-

ance the use of public funds with overall benefit to the community. The

historic Union Pacific Depot filled a void in the community when it

was transformed from a rail depot into the Lawrence Visitor’s Center.

The Union Pacific Depot, with its towering steeple and lush gardens,

welcomes visitors to Lawrence and provides a quiet respite to residents

looking for relaxation. The Carnegie Building, 9th and Vermont Streets,

was renovated in 2010 to serve as the home of the Convention and Visi-

tor’s Bureau and as the central location for the Freedom’s Frontier Na-

tional Heritage Area. Both the Depot and Carnegie Building celebrate

Lawrence’s prominence in history and recognize the significant role the

town’s founders played in shaping the nation through the struggle for

freedom and the westward expansion of the country.

Opportunities to preserve and restore sig-

nificant historic structures in the community

will continue to present unique challenges for

community planners. As opportunities arise,

the city will use previous principles to balance

community impact and the desire for historic

preservation.

As a community, Lawrence embraces its fiery

past and continues to look for ways to retain

the structures that hold a key place in its col-

lective history. The buildings, regardless of

years of deterioration, have stood the test of

time and help write the history of Lawrence.

Through both public and private revitalization

efforts, Lawrence will continue to place a high

value on history and the substantial benefits

that historic structures provide.

21

Nonprofits never have it easy, but these days, it seems like they have it pretty darn hard. As

the economy continues to drag, charitable organizations that provide material assistance

and resources to financially struggling populations are being especially stretched. Previ-

ously only accessed by those who hover at poverty income levels, nonprofits are now being

tapped by a widening berth of people. The line between middle class and poverty becomes a

slippery slope when factoring in rising food costs, unexpected medical bills, and unemploy-

ment or underemployment.

For three local organizations, these trends knock at their door on a daily basis. They meet the needs as they can, always with the long-term objective of helping their clients become self sufficient.

LAWRENCE NONPROFITS

Daisey Wakefield

22

WIDER THAN EVEROPENING THEIR DOORS

23

JUST FOOD

“The economy is in a weird spot,” says Jeremy Farmer, ex-ecutive director of Just Foods, “Our numbers of people we serve are increasing, even though we are seeing some families achieve self-sufficiency and graduating out of the system. But more new people are are coming in to receive help. Last year at this time, we directly served 1200 people a month. Now it’s 2200 a month.”

An outreach of the East Central Kansas Economic Opportu-nity Corporation (ECKAN), Just Food goes beyond typical food pantry services by providing both perishable and non-perishable food as well as extended hours of operation. It is the largest emergency food provider in Douglas County, act-ing as a distributor for Kansas City-based Harvester’s Com-munity Food Network to its local partner pantries.

With a bare bones annual budget of $139,000, Just Food keeps its overhead costs low by partnering with local farm-ers and grocers to provide food at free or discounted costs. A staff of one to two and a crew of volunteers keep the opera-tions running smooth. Even so, the organization was on the brink of closing in February 2010 from lack of funding. Local contributions of $115,000 granted an 11th hour reprieve to the pantry.

With the increasing needs and numbers, Farmer, who be-came director in July, is feeling the pressure of increasing their funding sources. He is applying for grants and planning fundraisers. ($60,000 in grant funds and $13,000 raised in a golf fundraiser adds a boon to the 2011 books.) With the support of local businesses, Just Foods was able to provide 300 Thanksgiving meals. Farmer says they are soliciting busi-nesses to help provide 300 meals for Christmas as well.

Just Food Holiday Opportunities:

Individual and business donors

for holiday meal boxes

23

Cars line up to help distribute food for the once-a-month mobile food bank.

Over 40 tons of food distributed each month.

BALLARD CENTER

Though its initiatives have broadened over the past 30 plus years, the core mission at the Ballard Community Center has remained the same: to provide quality early childhood care and preschool for low income fami-lies. The main site Ballard Center site in North Lawrence serves 58 kids in 5 classrooms, and another one at Brookcreek Learning Center serves 45 kids in 4 classrooms. A third, the Petey Cerf Early Childhood Center, is slated to open at the end of 2012 and will serve 88 infants and toddlers in a new and green sustainable building designed by Gould Evans.

“Children tend to not learn as well when they are hungry or tired or worried about what’s going to happen to their families,” Dianne Ensminger, CEO Ballard Center, explains. The organization also provides wraparound services for families in need. These social services include food pantries at Ballard Center, a clothing closet at Penn House, emergency rent and utility assistance through the Douglas County Emergency Service Council, among others.

Ensminger echoes the trend of seeing a new class emerge, those who are between abject poverty and solid work-ing class. “We are seeing families who never even thought this would happen, but now are facing foreclosure or job loss. These are hardworking people — but they are right above ‘just making it.’ It’s a delicate balancing act for families to keep from falling over the edge.”

To meet these increasing needs, Ballard raised their tuition in 2010, but even so, it is only half of what it costs to run the program. Funds from private donors and foundations have increased, as have funds from city and county sources. Ballard is also the largest recipient of the Douglas County United Way, receiving $250,000 in 2010. And for the past two Septembers, the Ballard B3 (Blues, Brews, and Barbeque) Fundraiser has helped to bridge the gap in meeting the overall operating budget of $1.4 million.

Ballard Community Center Holiday Opportunities:

Individual and business donors for Adopt-a-Family Christmas program

Petey Cerf Early Education Center

SALVATION ARMY

It’s a familiar sight and maybe even more familiar sound — the bell ringers from Salvation Army in front of stores during the holiday season. A token of generosity goes into the kettles - but as with any global organization, one wonders how much influence a dollar actually has in the local area.

“Eighty three cents,” replies Wesley Dalberg, director of the Lawrence chapter of the Salvation Army, “Some money flows up to our headquarters for administrative and overhead, but eighty three cents of every dollar stays here in our local community for our operational and outreach costs.”

Those operational costs include the staff and overhead necessary to provide social services like emergency housing, utilities, and food assistance, a warming/cool-ing center each evening where people can come for snacks and drinks, community lunches three times a week, and special outreaches held throughout the year. A major component of Salvation Army’s mission is the case management that they provide for the homeless or tran-sient. Three case managers work with clients to receive transitional or permanent housing, with an emphasis on life skills training. Salvation Army is also a church de-nomination, holding religious services through the week and on Sundays that reach out to a population that may not feel comfortable in a traditional church setting.

Funded by the United Way, HUD, and private dona-tions, the Lawrence Salvation Army has yearly operating budget of $1 million. (The Salvation Army thrift store is a separate entity that provides funds to the Kansas City chapter of the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilita-tion Center). The kettle program, which draws in funds from nineteen Lawrence locations, is hoped to bring in $95,000. Dalberg also plans to do a major gifts solicita-tion and a direct mail solicitation this holiday season to raise a total of $300,000 in holiday drive money.

Salvation Army Holiday Opportunities:

Individual and business donors for holiday meal boxes

Individual and business donors for Adopt-a-Family and

Angel Tree Christmas programs

Individual and business volunteers for the Kettle Program

Each of the three nonprofits highlighted are doing holiday outreaches and would welcome individual and business sponsorships.

Additional information can be found at:

Eckan.org/justfoodBallardcenter.org

Wesley Dalberg 785-843-4188

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THE BUSINESS OF: CATERING A HOLIDAY PARTY

Photos by Casey Wright

29

The end-of-the-year holiday season

is a time to reflect. Either quarterly

budgets and goals were met or

January’s great expectations have

given way to the financial reality of a

bad year. For most, it’s a time to relax

and enjoy the company of friends and

family while feasting at office parties

and family gatherings.

For caterers in Lawrence, the holiday

season is one of the busiest, and most

profitable, times of the year. Three

local companies describe how they

handle the stress, expense and joys of

helping others celebrate.

Evan Williams, owner of Evan Williams

Catering, loves the holiday season.

“It reminds me of why I got into the business,”

Williams says. “I grew up in an entertaining

house. My mother was always cooking for

guests and hosting parties. A lot of them were

for my dad and his football friends, but the

holiday season was a very busy time in my

mother’s kitchen. So cooking for other’s cel-

ebration is a real pleasure for me.”

THE BUSINESS OF: CATERING A HOLIDAY PARTY

30

Williams has been fine-tuning her

cooking and business practice for more

than 20 years. Her dedication to the

craft cannot be questioned. In fact, she

finished her first paying job the day she

was due to give birth to her first child.

“I was catering a luncheon at a bank

and kept having these pains,” Williams

recalls. “I called my doctor, who wasn’t

too pleased with me. He subtly remind-

ed me I was due and let me know I was

having contractions.”

Williams finished serving the meal, po-

litely thanked the bank president and

headed to the hospital. “My son was

born 45 minutes later,” she says. “May-

be I should have bowed out sooner,

but that was my first gig, I had to get

it right.”

That type of resolve to make each dish,

and every event, fantastic is both a

challenge and a goal for any good ca-

terer, Williams says. People trust you to

make their party or event a success, and

disappointing a client can have disas-

trous consequences. When you work as

a caterer, you’re not cooking for one or

two people; you’re cooking for a room-

ful of people. Since dishes are planned

and prepped well before the event, if

you get it wrong, it is incredibly diffi-

cult to make changes.

“Luckily, we haven’t had that happen,”

says Regan Pillar, who owns Culinaria

with her husband Aaron. “We’ve been

at it for more than 2 years, and I hope

we never have a horror story to tell. We

make it a priority to communicate as

clearly as possible with clients about

what they want and what we can pro-

vide. Managing expectations is a top

priority. We have as many conversa-

tions about the event as possible to help

ensure we get it right the first time, be-

cause there isn’t a second time.”

Stephen Maceli, owner of Maceli’s in

downtown Lawrence, agrees.

“Many people don’t understand that

most restaurant food doesn’t always

translate into catering,” Maceli says.

“The reality of catering is that most

food is prepped and cooked at one lo-

cation, then transported and served at

another. Food must be resilient to this

delay in serving without sacrificing

taste, texture and temperature.”

Williams says working on other peo-

ple’s ideas can be difficult.

“I know what I like and I know how to

Evan Williams, Evan Williams Catering

31

make it,” she says. “I think most cater-

ers are like that. We didn’t get into the

businesses because we wanted to cook

other people’s recipes. One of the biggest

challenges for me is letting go of some

of the creative control. I’m lucky enough

to be in the position now where people

know me for my food, so I have to con-

form less. But reminding yourself you

are working for your client is important.”

Most holiday parties are smaller affairs

than, say, a wedding reception. Aaron

Pillar says that is both a blessing and a

curse.

“At a wedding you have fairly solid head

count,” Pillar says. “Often you are serving

by the plate and you have budgeted your

food and service for that certain number

of plates. Smaller, holiday events tend to

be buffet style and hosts are often un-

certain of the headcount. Pricing for the

food is a fine line, because if you charge

too much and have a bunch of leftovers,

your client won’t be happy. Of course,

that’s much better than not ordering or

preparing enough food.”

Maceli says having a definite policy on

food orders helps in two ways, he doesn’t

have to worry about leftovers and the cli-

ent knows exactly what they are getting.

The policy, he says, helps maintain the

bottom line.

“When you order food from us, you get

to keep the leftovers,” Maceli says. “We

will even pack them up for you as long

as you request them in a timely man-

ner. My philosophy is we make what is

ordered and you get to keep what you

ordered. People always ask if we plan

for extras. We let them know that if they

think that more guests will show up, or-

der more, and if they don’t they get to

keep the food, so nothing is wasted.

Since the price of food changes so fre-

quently and unpredictably, budgeting for

an event is difficult.

“You have to figure in some wiggle room

on pricing,” Williams says. “The price of

an ingredient may increase 5 or 10 per-

Evan Williams, Evan Williams Catering

Aaron and Regan Pillar, Culinaria

32

cent between the time you price it and

the time you purchase it. If you already

priced it too low, you have to eat that

cost.”

Aaron and Regan at Culinaria factor

unstable food prices into quotes.

“We always estimate high when calcu-

lating the cost of food,” Regan says. “Es-

pecially as a young company, we cannot

lose money on a job. We work very hard

to make our margins on food as solid as

we can.”

Food, though the center of a caterer’s

business, is often not the biggest ex-

pense.

“Labor is the greatest expense in our

type of catering,” Maceli says. “One big

difference between Maceli’s and other

companies is service fees or gratuities.

At Maceli’s, there is no 18-20% service

fee that is added on to one’s bill. All

food and beverages include some type

of service.”

The Pillars say they spend less on labor

and more on hardware.

“There is always another pot to buy or

warmer to get,” Regan says. “Every event

we cater is different, and almost all need

a unique piece of equipment. The profit

from the first job we ever catered was

spent entirely on equipment. Now we

budget a percentage of every job toward

equipment costs.”

Making a living working at other’s par-

ties gives caterers a keen sense of what

makes a party work. Maceli says plan-

ning ahead and making it interesting is

the key to hosting a great holiday party.

“Holiday entertaining is more special

when there is great food and plenty of

MACELI SAYS HAVING

A DEFINITE POLICY ON

FOOD ORDERS HELPS IN

TWO WAYS, HE DOESN’T

HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT

LEFTOVERS AND THE

CLIENT KNOWS EXACTLY

WHAT THEY ARE GETTING.

THE POLICY, HE SAYS,

HELPS MAINTAIN THE

BOTTOM LINE.

Steve Maceli, Maceli’s

33

it,” Maceli says. “I recommend having one or two items that people can talk about. When entertaining at home, try to choose

items that can be prepped ahead of time and reheated easily. Your menu should also reflect the production capacity of your

kitchen. If your kitchen is small, potlucks can be great. Since guests would likely bring something they are proud of, potlucks

can make for superior buffets, unless everyone brings chips.”

Aaron Pillar tells clients to think a little differently. “Try to make it something people actually want to do, “ he says. “We’ve all

been to the party in the conference room and had a tray of cold cuts with punch. Boring. Have us make a signature cocktail,

host the party at someone’s home and get some great food. And be sure to have booze. It makes interesting people more in-

teresting and boring people more tolerable.”

Interesting people help, says Williams, but food can save almost any party.

“Good food can be the savior of almost any party,” she says. “Let’s face it, well-planned, great tasting food is one of the great

pleasure of life. The holidays are a great time to indulge.”

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36

At a young age, her father introduced Dr. Bendapudi to

the University of Kansas. Though her father’s passion for

KU was strong, it had little to do with the Jayhawk bas-

ketball team. When Dr. Bendapudi was 5 years old, her

father left their home in India to begin work on a doctor-

ate at KU on the American Playwright Arthur Miller.

“When you’re a child, anywhere your parents go is like

a mystical place,” Bendapudi says. “My father was in the

mystical land of Kansas. He would tell us all about this

beautiful place called Lawrence and send us these great

pictures of things called Jayhawks. I was five or six and

already enamored with KU.”

Her appreciation for KU was instilled almost as early as

Bendapudi had set her career goals.

“Teaching and academics are always what I’ve wanted to

do,” she says with a laugh. “When other kids were playing

and maybe getting a little rowdy, I was always the one to

bring everybody back to focus on learning. I’m sure my

sisters will confirm that.”

After earning her undergraduate degree and MBA from

Andhra University in India, Bendapudi, along with hus-

band Venkat, moved to Lawrence to begin work on her

doctorate (she graduated in 1994).

NEEL I BENDAPUDI

Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, the new Dean of the University of Kansas School of Business, leans

forward and emphatically taps her office table with her forefinger. She squints her eyes

and slightly lowers her head.

“This,” she says with the passion of a preacher and the seriousness of a judge, “is the

University of My American Dream.”

And with that, a broad smile graces her face; she sits back in her chair and gazes out of

her office window at the passing students.

“The University of Kansas has been very good to my family,” she says. “I am so thrilled

to be able to return the favor.”

K U S C H O O L O F B U S I N E S S

37

Lawrence welcomed her with some very unexpected challenges. “I had always been told

how flat Kansas is,” she says. “After a few hours walking around campus I thought ‘Wow,

if this is flat, I don’t need to see the rest of the state.’ Of all the things my father mentioned

about KU, the hills were not one of them.”

Family photo - taken the day her father was leaving for the USA and Lawrence. Neeli is the oldest girl in the front.Father- Ramesh Dutta Thippauajjala, Mother- Padma ThippavajjalaMiddle Sister - Gowri (lives in Austin, TX), Youngest Sister - Chitra (lives in Richmond VA)

38

Bendapudi’s primary research focus is on how cus-

tomers evaluate which service providers and organi-

zations are best able to meet their needs and when

they merit long-term relationships. The second area

of interest has to do with how organizations can

effectively communicate their ability to meet cus-

tomer needs. Her research has been published in the

Journal of Academic Medicine, Harvard Business

Review and Journal of Marketing, among others.

Bendapudi is so respected in the field, she was asked

to give a TED lecture on the topic.

After a time as an assistant professor of marketing

at Texas A&M University, Bendapudi started at Ohio

State University. She began as an assistant professor

in 1996, before becoming an associate professor in

2002 and earning full professorship in 2008. While

at Ohio State, Bendapudi founded and ran the Initia-

tive for Managing Services, a center within the Fish-

er College of Business representing a consortium of

companies that partner with the college on teaching,

research and outreach regarding service manage-

ment.

“Neeli is missed,” says Dr. Stephen Mangum, Senior

Associate Dean at the Fisher College of Business. “She

was one of our most respected

faculty members, most popular

instructors and most friendly

co-workers. I can’t think of a

University teaching award she

didn’t win. She published of-

ten and really invested herself

in her work. Not only that, but

her connections with the busi-

ness world are invaluable. The

Business School at Kansas is

lucky to have her, that’s for sure. I don’t think they

could have found someone more qualified or pas-

sionate for the position.”

Of all the candidates for the position, something

about Bendapudi stood out.

“In addition to being an outstanding researcher,

teacher and administrator, Neeli brings a bold vision

for the School of Business,” James P. Guthrie, search

committee co-chair and business professor says. “Her

understanding of what it will take to move the school

forward is based upon her unique blend of business

and academic experiences. And as a KU alumna, she

brings an obvious love for the university and a famil-

iarity with the state’s business climate that will benefit

This photo of the three sisters (Neelie, Gowri, Chitra) was sent to their father when he was in Lawrence.

39

the school, its programs and its graduates.”

The opportunity for Bendapudi to return to Lawrence was

completely unexpected.

“I can’t speak highly enough about my time at Ohio State,”

Bendapudi says. “The faculty, the Provost, the President and

the students at Ohio State are absolutely fabulous. Honestly,

I hadn’t ever considered leaving. Ohio State felt like home.

KU was the only other university at which I could ever imag-

ine working. When the search committee at KU contacted

me, I was shocked and absolutely thrilled. Ohio made every

effort to keep me. But I told them, ‘KU is home.’”

Bendapudi has three very simple goals for the

Business School.

“This must be a great place to learn, a great place to work

and a great place to invest,” she says. “All three are directly

tied to the others. That said, we cannot concentrate on only

one or two. We, as a school, must accomplish all three goals

if we are going to continue to be a great university and serve

our students.”

Students, without question, must be the main focus of ev-

eryone at the university, according to Bendapudi. If KU is

a business, the student body is the consumer. As a dean,

Bendapudi feels a great responsibility to ensure the experi-

ence of her customers is second-to-none.

“As a KU alumna, she brings an obvious love for the university and a familiarity with the state’s business climate that will benefit the school, its programs and its graduates.”

Students from India in front of Strong Hall (1969)- Neeli’s father (Ramesh Dutta Thippavajja) is the second from right.

Dr. Neeli Bendapudi today, at the University of Kansas.

40

“KU is already a fantastic place to get an education,”

Bendapudi says. “My job is to make it even better for our

students. I think we, as an administration, can’t forget that

the students pay our salary. I mean let’s face it: their tu-

ition dollars are how we make a living. We are here to serve

them.”

Bendapudi has clearly put a lot of thought into how to at-

tract and keep the best students and her business acumen

is apparent when relating her ideas.

“We have to evaluate the value of an education from our

Business School in respect to the burdens,” Bendapudi

says. “We have to let students know we offer three things:

security, esteem and justice. Students can be secure that

they made the right decision to enroll at KU. They will

feel respected and fairly treated by their professors. And

finally, they will leave with a degree that serves them in the

future. If those benefits outweigh the financial and time

burden of attending KU, we will succeed.”

Providing security, esteem and justice to students are all

nice points, but Bendapudi points to a more tangible mea-

suring stick.

“Job placement,” she says definitively. “The market speaks;

there’s no way around it. If our graduates find quality, chal-

lenging work in the their fields, then we have succeeded as

a business school. I recently met with the parent of an in-

coming freshman and he said something that really struck

a chord with me. He said ‘The set of letters I care most

about after my child’s name when she graduates aren’t

MBA or Ph.D. It’s JOB.’ That articulates my point exactly.

Our graduates must be able to compete for the best jobs.”

Bendapudi believes KU must also be a great place to work.

That, she says, means ensuring faculty understand both

the opportunity and responsibility of working for a world-

class university. Too many professors, Bendapudi says,

take a laissez faire attitude toward teaching.

“The faculty here is, really and truly, fantastic,” Bendapudi

says an excitement that can’t be faked. “They understand

that if they aren’t excited to be here teaching, they can’t

expect their students to be excited. I mean really, what’s in

it for a student with an instructor who isn’t engaged? Our

faculty must remain engaged, energetic and excited to be

here. It’s my responsibility to make sure that happens.”

Being stuck on campus without venturing into the busi-

ness world may not be the best way to teach business,

Bendapudi argues. She values “real world” experience for

faculty. After all, if you haven’t done it, how can you teach

it, she asks.

41

Bendapudi has served as Executive Vice President and Chief

Customer Officer of Huntington National Bank and has con-

sulted for dozens of the world’s largest companies, including

Cessna and Proctor & Gamble. Bendapudi is a Leadership

Foundation Fellow of the International Women’s Forum, one

of 27 women selected worldwide.

Bendapudi says faculty must feel satisfied and appreciated

in their positions, but remain challenged. “Being happy and

comfortable is okay,” Bendapudi says. “But being complacent

is not. We must always be ready for a challenge.”

Business involves the transfer of currency from one party

to another. Having alumni of the School of Business send

in their currency is not a concept missed by Bendapudi. She

took over the reins in August and hit the ground running.

Much of the past four months has been spent traveling the

country glad-handing alumni and school donors. If the Busi-

ness School remains a good investment, Bendapudi is con-

vinced, donors will continue to be generous with their cur-

rency.

“I haven’t had a bad trip yet,” Bendapudi says. “Our alumni

are so proud of their involvement with the school and very

excited about the future. Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk.”

When she refers to alumni of the school being among the

most accomplished and distinguished people in the business

world,” she says it with a sincere smile. She’s been on the job

a short while, but it is apparent Bendapudi feels a sense of

ownership and responsibility for the Business School.

“My father, my sisters, my husband and I all have degrees

from KU,” Bendadupi says with pride. “I know how fortunate

I am to be in this position, and I plan to make the most of it.”

“ONCE A JAYHAWK, ALWAYS A JAYHAWK.”

42

Sean Ingram’s understated office at Blue Collar Press & Distro is quiet and

clean. As he sits at his desk sending an email, the bottom of an arm-length

tattoo shows under his shirt cuff. Clean cut with black glasses, the tattoo

is the only hint of his “other” job: lead vocalist for the influential hardcore

band Coalesce.

BLUE COLLAR PRESS

photos by Casey Wright

Jim David, Burton Parker & Sean Ingram

43

Through sweat equity, reinvesting profits and

sticking to a punk rock Do-It-Yourself ethos,

Ingram has grown a small start-up t-shirt shop

into an internationally recognized promotional

merchandise business.

Years ago, Ingram’s band, and every other band he knew,

had the same problem with merchandise. Either they

couldn’t get what the wanted when they needed it, or the

quality was so poor they felt they couldn’t sell it to their

fans. “Unfortunately, because of the industry we are in,

there isn’t always a lot of accountability,” Ingram confesses.

“Not a lot of guys in punk rock want to keep a 9 to 5 job

taking care of inventory, invoices and quality control. I had

already been doing that with the wallpaper job.”

Ingram was helping his mom run her wallpaper stripping

business in Kansas City. It wasn’t glamorous, but the pay

was good and Ingram soaked in business lessons. He knew,

however, stripping wallpaper wasn’t going to be his career.

In the late 1990’s iMacs had just been released and Ingram

was teaching himself graphic design. One night while

online, Ingram found a screen press for sale on Ebay. He

bought the press for $200 and, with the help of his dad,

drove to Denver, picked up the press and headed back to

Kansas. He made a few calls to friends and found a spot

to plant his press: the basement of Black Lodge Recording

Studio on Main Street in Eudora.

In many circles, Black Lodge Recording Studio is a legend-

ary place. The list of bands and artists that have recorded at

the facility reads as a who’s who of local music lore. The Get

Up Kids (who’s founding members owned the building),

the Appleseed Cast and the Ultimate Fakebook have all re-

corded in the 150 year-old building. Kurt Cobain recorded

with William S. Burroughs at Black Lodge in the ‘90s. It

seemed like the perfect atmosphere in which to produce t-

shirts for bands. According to Ingram, it was, almost, per-

fect.

“I don’t give a damn what anybody says,” Ingram says with

a defiant smile. “That damn place is haunted. I’m man

enough to admit I was scared more than once by the hap-

penings. But, being scared is great motivation for getting

your work done. I sure as hell didn’t waste any time. I got in.

I got my work done and I got the hell out of there.”

The first orders filled were simple. He started by printing

shirts for his band. Then friends in a band asked for some

t-shirts. The orders were small, manageable and produced

very limited, if any, profits.

Ingram lived the DIY and entrepreneurial lifestyle. He con-

tinued to work the wallpaper job during the day and would

crank out t-shirts orders at night. Time not working the two

businesses was spent working with his band.

“I didn’t sleep much those first few years,” Ingram says.

“Days were spent with wallpaper. I’d clock out, hop in my

car and head over to Eudora. I’d print and fill orders at night

until the job was done. The next day I’d do it all over again.

photos by Casey Wright

44

It was, really, a pretty simple existence. I knew what I had to do and I got it done.”

Ingram’s reputation with the press screen spread like a Kansas grass fire on a windy day. His work ethic,

combined with the respect other musicians had for his band, created an easy marketing campaign. Bands

from across the country started calling in orders.

“I don’t think I’ve ever made a cold call in my life,” Ingram says with a hint of relief. “Since the beginning,

all business has come from word-of-mouth and references. To this day we don’t have a sales staff or a single

salesperson. I learned very early that if you do what you say you will do, and deliver a quality product when

the client wants it, they will tell their friends.”

And they did tell their friends. It didn’t take long for the business to grow. With the growth, Ingram had to

quit working with his mom. “It was time,” he says with a nod. “I was more than tired peeling wallpaper, and

the hours and gas were getting to be too much.”

Jim David had done contract work with Ingram for a few years and was well versed with both the t-shirt

and music industries. David had been touring with his band The Anniversary and, with a partner, operat-

ing a boutique t-shirt line called Breakdance America. The music was good, but David was growing tired of

partnering in a business he didn’t have daily, hands-on control.

“I sold my shares of Breakdance America,” he says. “Right around that time, one of Sean’s silent partners

wanted out. Sean and I had been talking about me coming on board with Blue Collar for awhile, but I wasn’t

really interested unless there was an option for ownership. Having one of his partners step down opened

the door for me.”

45

Burton Parker moved to Lawrence with his band in 2001

and also started doing contract work for Blue Collar. A

Wichita-area native, Burton had taught himself graphic de-

sign, Photoshop and some computer programming while

working at a Kansas City Barnes and Noble. He help develop

early forms and sites for Blue Collars’ online capabilities that

launched in December of 2002. Parker left the job in Kansas

City and signed on as partner in June of 2003.

“It’s not sexy, but it makes money,” Parker jokes. “I set up the

system that allows us to accept credit card payments online

and developed the first individual online stores for bands to

sell their products directly to their fans. Most of what I do

now is based off that platform.”

Soon Blue Collar found themselves with 5 employees, mul-

tiple presses and occupying a 4,000 square foot warehouse in

Eudora. The business was printing merchandise for several

well-known national acts and for independent record labels

such as Hydra Head, Doghouse and Vagrant. In addition,

they were managing their ever-expanding online capabili-

ties. In 2005 the business moved to a warehouse in East Law-

rence. Recently the shop relocated to its current location on

Delaware Street.

As business has grown, so have services. What was once a

guy in a basement with a screen press is now a team of inno-

vative entrepreneurs grabbing a big piece of the independent

music merchandise pie. Blue Collar Press has grown to Blue

Collar Press & Distro. The company prints shirts, of course,

but makes a lot of their hay through distribution models and

a thriving online services department.

The platform Parker built is the base for Blue Collar’s on-

line stores. Almost 150 different bands have set up ‘stores’

through Blue Collar that feature their merchandise. The in-

dividualized stores highlight t-shirts, posters, bags or even

books from the band or record label. The crew at Blue Col-

lar maintains inventory and processes orders, payments and

shipping from the Lawrence shop. Bands are able to get real

time updates on what is selling and what isn’t. The staff at

Blue Collar even model merchandise, when needed.

As founder and president, Ingram is the face of the business.

Humble and uncomfortable with adulation, he is quick to

spread credit to David, Parker and the staff of Blue Collar.

“In the aspect of worrying if things are going to get done,

this is a low-stress business. Jim and Burton get the job done

and they make sure their departments get the job done.”

Ingram deals a lot with billing, individual accounts, record

labels and Fixcraft (Blue Collar’s newest revenue stream:

manufacturing bike polo equipment). Parker handles on-

line stores and e-commerce ventures while David manages

production and, according to both Ingram and Parker, “does

everything else.” Though roles are roughly defined, roles and

responsibilities are often blurred. “We do the job that needs

to be done,” David says.

“IF YOU DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL DO, AND DELIVER A QUALITY PRODUCT WHEN THE CLIENT WANTS IT, THEY WILL TELL THEIR FRIENDS.”

46

“Working with Blue Collar will increase our merchandise profit by 75 percent,”

beams Portia Sabin, president of Kill Rock Stars Records. “By not having to maintain

an offsite warehouse, and worry about staffing and insuring the site, we eliminate

so much expense, our profits will undoubtedly increase. Throw in the fact that Blue

Collar prints most of the inventory on site, and it is a no brainer for us.”

Sabin says Kill Rock Stars had been looking for an outside agency to handle their

merchandise. She was asking others in the industry, and nearly everyone she spoke

to recommended Blue Collar.

Landing the Kill Rock Stars account was a major win and undertaking for Blue Col-

lar. Their warehouse now features rows of empty shelves in anticipation of KRS mer-

chandise. The label is one of the most respected independent labels in the industry,

and earning their business is a badge of honor for Blue Collar.

“I think they are working on a monopoly,” Sabin jokes. “Everyone I talked to said

‘Talk to the guys at Blue Collar.’ So, I did. After our initial conversation, it was clear

we would be able to work together. We’ve been around for 20 years, so we come with

a lot of product. Blue Collar is working with us to set up great online stores for our

bands and our label. They’ve already had really great ideas on the most cost-effective

way to transfer our pre-existing inventory to their warehouse in Lawrence. And they

are nice guys. That goes a long way in this industry. I am really so excited to be work-

ing with them.”

The fact that almost everyone at Blue Collar is, or was, in a band lends credibility. “I

think it does help them understand what the artists are doing,” Sabin says. “Because

they’ve been in the position, they’ve been on tour; they know that the bands aren’t al-

BLUE COLLARMERCHANDISE

The Rakes: 4 Pin Set

Motion City Soundtrack: Lion T-Shirt

The New Amsterdams: Vacation T-Shirt

The Cardigans: Swan Tote Bag

The Submarines: Tiger Poster

The Get Up Kids: Script Logo Tour T-Shirt

Josh Ritter: Idaho Wave T-Shirt

Website for Kill Rock Stars.

47

ways planning ahead with their merchandise orders. It’s great

to get that call from them saying ‘hey, so and so band is low on

a certain t-shirt, should we ship some to their next tour stop?’

Their insight is great.”

Nobody in the office wears a tie, or even dress pants. T-shirts,

jeans and Vans is the understood dress code. Music plays and

laughter abounds in the warehouse. It’s clear the people who

work at Blue Collar do it because they want to. Almost every-

one who works at Blue Collar is either a musician, or loves

music, and helping independent bands and artists remains

an important part of what they do. In fact, bands have been

known to crash on the office floors after they play shows at

local clubs.

The crew at Blue Collar understands that a personal connec-

tion to each artist is important. The office most often deals

with a band’s manager with some being more hands-on than

others. “It’s a crap shoot,” Ingram says. “Some managers call 3

or 4 times a week to check inventory and billing. Other bands

we won’t hear from for weeks or months at a time.”

Darius Zelkha of Tough Love Artist Management thinks of

Blue Collar Press as part of his team. Zelkha manages Josh

Ritter, a rising singer-songwriter and author.

“Josh and I are both pretty particular when it comes to the

merchandise we offer fans,” Zelkha says. “It’s important to us

to have a personal relationship with our vendors, and work-

ing with Blue Collar has been effortless. Their rates are good.

They do what they say they will do. They return calls with

answers. What we really like is how proactive they are. I get

calls from Burton with suggestions on products and orders

and distribution ideas. They really take what works for other

artists and help us mold it for our model.”

Though known nationally for their work with musicians and

artists, Ingram wants people to know they are thrilled to work

with local businesses. “Yeah, we work with hardcore death

metal bands,” he jokes. “But we also like making shirts, coffee

mugs and promotional garb for Lawrence accountants.”

No longer a DIY project in a friend’s basement, Ingram is

happy with the business, but sometimes longs for the past.

Gone are the days of him and the press, pumping out orders

for his friends. Blue Collar Press and Distro has 19 full-time

employees and one part-timer. Ingram never imagined run-

ning a business this large. He’s not complaining, but it took

some getting used to.

“At some point, you have to become comfortable with feeding

the beast,” he says with a very matter-of-fact tone. “We need

to find revenue streams and new products that help our busi-

ness grow. Sure, sometimes I think it would be fun to go back

to just making a few dozen shirts for my friends’ bands, but

we have employees that depend on us to provide health insur-

ance and mortgage payments. If we close up shop tomorrow,

what are they going to do? How am I going to feed my family?

I do it by making t-shirts for some of my favorite bands. I have

the coolest job.”

Website for Kill Rock Stars.

48

In new business ventures, expectations can be a tricky thing. Aim too high and flirt with

the hassle and embarrassment of missed expectations. Shoot too low and risk appearing

too cautious or insecure in your product. Lucky are those that aim high and end higher.

The Bioscience & Technology Business Center at the University of Kansas opened its doors in August of 2010 with a

plan to reach 33% occupancy by 2012. With recent lease signings in the books, the BTBC will end 2011 with nearly

85% occupancy, years ahead of schedule

That’s meeting expectations.

BIOSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS CENTER

DEVELOPING S U C C E S S

The Bioscience & Technology Business Center at the Univer-

sity of Kansas (BTBC) consists of three multi-tenant facili-

ties that provide modern wet and dry lab space in which to

conduct business, access to world-class research, access to

capital through various sources and business development

services. The group serves life science and technology-based

companies.

The BTBC’s main facility is located on KU’s west campus.

The modern, 21,400 square foot structure is set amongst lush

landscape. Walls of windows and a second floor overhang

stand out against a backdrop of green vegetation. The build-

ing looks, and feels, contemporary with clean lines, abun-

dant glass and sleek furniture.

The building, and the companies it houses, is the product of

a well-executed business plan. In 2005 the Lawrence Region-

al Technology Center (LRTC) decided it needed a building.

The group had been recruiting businesses to locate in Law-

rence, and convincing venture capital firms that investing

in Lawrence start-ups was a good idea. According to Matt

McClorey, Director of the BTBC and President and CEO of

the LRTC, their efforts were successful, but not nearly to the

degree they wanted. McClorey and company had raised $180

million in venture capital for area companies but felt they

kept leaving money on the table.

“We could help in so many ways,” McClorey says. “But far

too often KU scientist would want to take their research and

develop it into a marketable product. They would ask if we

had suitable lab space and I wouldn’t have a good answer. We

knew we needed that space.”

The LRTC and the Lawrence Douglas County Biosciences

Authority (LDCBA) began work on a strategic plan that

would provide infrastructure and business planning support

to both local start-up companies and national companies

looking to relocate.

McClorey said the group focused on three critical business

areas: infrastructure, capital and talent. If they could provide

all three, they would attract great companies. “We knew if we

could offer those three things in Lawrence, on the University

of Kansas campus, we would keep our technology start-ups

here and attract growing companies to town. In the BTBC

we provide wet and dry labs facilities for infrastructure, ac-

cess to potential capital investment, and the talent at KU is

second to none.”

Funding the $7.5 million BTBC construction was, in effect,

a community effort. The LDCBA committed $500,000. Law-

rence City Commission and Douglas County Commission

DEVELOPING S U C C E S S

both committed $75,000 per year for 10 years. The univer-

sity and KU Endowment each invested in the project and

the Kansas Bioscience Authority provided $3.25 million for

the effort.

Finding business to locate to the BTBC has been an easy sell,

McClorey says. “We are offering world-class facilities and a

pipeline to world-class talent.”

“When we started the project, we knew there was some de-

mand,” says E. LaVerne Epp, President & Chairman of the

Board for LDCBA. “We took a very strict business approach

to the plan and carefully wrote our business plan. We built

the facility based on what our research said the market

wanted.”

Argenta, a global provider of drug development services

and contract product manufacturing for the animal health

industry, has announced it will locate a new lab facility at

the BTBC. Argenta will bring 27 new jobs and $500,000 in

laboratory equipment to the facility.

Assurant Employee Benefits, a division of insurance leader

Assurant, will lease space at the BTBC Main Facility spe-

cifically to establish a year-round internship program with

the KU School of Engineering. The company is the seventh

to lease space in the BTBC Main Facility since it opened in

summer 2010 and the 12th in the three-building BTBC sys-

tem at KU. Other Main Facility tenants include 360 Energy

Engineers, an engineering and energy management firm;

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51

Garmin, a global leader in navigation and communication

devices; BrightEHR, an electronic health records company;

Sunlite Science and Technology, a producer of specialty LED

products; and Propylon, a producer of software systems for

state legislatures.

“We considered other Midwestern schools,” Tim Bachta, ap-

plication development director for Assurant Employee Bene-

fits, says. “However, the University of Kansas was the obvious

choice because of the experiences we’ve had with KU interns

and graduates in the past. KU engineering students are so

well rounded. And once we chose Lawrence, the BTBC Main

Facility was easily the best location, thanks to its new space,

its business support services and its location on the KU bus

route. This is an ideal setup.”

The BTBC main facility serves as a temporary location for

tenants. Start-ups or small, growing companies are able to

use the building and all amenities on a 3-5 year lease. When

the lease is up, the business is expected to have outgrown the

facilities. The goal, McClorey says, is to have the businesses

stay in Lawrence.

“We may have under built,” Epp jokes. “The truth is Matt and

his team have done a phenomenal job marketing the build-

ing and available services. They are executing a nearly flaw-

less business plan.”

McClorey stresses that the BTBC is much more than an emp-

ty room that a business can fill with employees. “The goal of

the BTBC is to be more than a facility,” he says. “We want the

BTBC to become the hub of entrepreneurial activity for the

region. It can be a place where entrepreneurs can share ideas,

innovate together and grow successful businesses.”

Business development services for BTBC tenants are provid-

ed by the LRTC. From corporate formation to exit strategy,

the BTBC helps developing businesses grow into sustainable

companies. LRTC staff can assist with nearly every aspect of

starting a business from writing a business plan to locating

capital investment and operational management.

“I hate to use a bad sports analogy,” McClorey jokes. “But it is

like the minor leagues. We help the businesses develop into

solid companies.”

The overwhelming success of the BTBC’s main facility has

kick-started work on phase II. Plans are made for a second

20,000-30,000 square foot building to be attached to the

current facility. Phase II will feature wet and dry labs, office

space and meeting rooms.

Though funding isn’t set, the success of Phase I certainly

doesn’t hurt expectations. “I think everyone involved, espe-

cially investors, is very pleasantly surprised with just how

successful the first building has been,” McClorey says with

a smile. “We are all very happy with the first 18 months and

excited for the future.”

GYRASOL TECHNOLOGIES HITS THE GROUND RUNNING AT BTBC MAIN FACILITY

It’s only been 10 weeks since Gyrasol Technologies announced it would relocate from New Mexico to the BTBC, but the company’s founders say they’re already realizing the benefits of their new location.

“I honestly thought we’d have more downtime in the weeks after the move,” says Susan Burgess, Gyrasol co-founder, president and CEO. “But our office and lab space was in great shape when we arrived, and we were able to get up and run-ning very quickly.”

A great start, indeed. Since coming to Lawrence, the early stage molecular diagnostics company has seen a spike in demand for its drug assay kits, which are now being shipped from the BTBC to customers nationwide. Gyrasol has hired two scientists – both of them KU grads – and plans to add as many as 12 new positions in the next two years.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better first few months,” co-founder and chief science officer Frauke Rininsland says. “The BTBC, the university and the town have been wonderful.”

Gyrasol has invented and patented a sensing system that detects how a cell’s signaling network is changed in cancer. With this information, doctors can select those drugs that in-teract with the faulty signaling targets and test the efficiency

of a treatment outside the body – before subjecting patients to costly and potentially harmful treatments.

Burgess, who earned her PhD in pharmacology from KU in 1980, cited the BTBC’s facilities, its access to KU resources, and the financial support network provided by the BTBC and its partners in the decision to move to Lawrence. She said Gyrasol considered other locations, including San Diego, but decided Kansas is “at the exciting end of the growth curve.”

“The BTBC at KU – and more broadly, the state of Kansas – is on the front end of some big things in biotechnology and entrepreneurship,” says Burgess, who has founded or co-founded four bioscience companies. “We were looking for a strong intellectual environment and a strong financial support system, and we found both in Kansas.”

In May, Burgess and Rininsland visited with Matthew McClo-rey, executive director of the BTBC, and LaVerne Epp, presi-dent of the Lawrence Douglas County Bioscience Author-ity (LDCBA), as well as Julie Goonewardene, associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship at KU, and key academic collaborators. Burgess and Rininsland quickly became convinced that Lawrence provided the environment that would support Gyrasol’s growth plans. With funding assistance from the LDCBA and Douglas County Develop-ment Inc. and support from the Lawrence Regional Technol-ogy Center, they soon began the process of moving operations from Santa Fe to Lawrence.

“We’re driven to make a difference in human health care, to benefit our investors, to do cool science and to provide jobs for talented young workers,” Burgess says. “We’re delighted to find all the elements in place here to achieve success, and we’re grateful to be part of the BTBC. We’re especially thankful to Matt McClorey and LaVerne Epp, who have done so much to ensure alignment and convert good intentions into real actions.”

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54

Bob and Lydia Neu came to Lawrence in 1968 and 1973, respectively, to study at the University of Kansas. They fell in love with each other and with Lawrence, and stayed here. Lydia, who majored in physical therapy, started a private clinic out of their home. In 1996, they moved into their own constructed space at 1305 Wakarusa Drive. Bob took over the business aspects of the operation: accounting, insurance, HR, general administration.

With an exercise gym, six treatment rooms, and shower/dressing room space, the therapy clinic uses both traditional equipment as well as new state-of-the-art technology. But the shining jewel in the clinic is the heated 20x40 foot pool where individual and group therapy classes are held.

“When I worked for Visiting Nurses,” remembers Lydia, “I would rent a pool at the Holidome and volunteer my time for group water therapy. It was always packed, and I knew that someday I would have my own pool to work in.”

And work she does. The clinic is open each weekday from 5 am to 7 pm, and 8 to noon on Saturdays. Two satellite clin-ics, in Baldwin City and Tonganoxie, also demand her time. “We wanted to be able to accommodate people’s needs, with-out them having to take time off from work to do rehab. So we’ve always opened early and closed late.”

Among its 25 employees, Neu Physical Therapy staffs physi-cal and occupational therapists, a certified hand therapist, a craniosacral therapist, a chiropractor, and a myofacial release therapist. Specialists in pediatrics, urinary inconti-nence, postural restoration, lymphedema, weight loss, ath-letic training, and massage are also available.

“We use a holistic approach to treatment,” says Lydia, “Our job is to help our clients meet their goals, whether it is to walk again, to continue to work, to manage back pain, or whatever else their goal is.”

If you happened to be in Lawrence from 1974-1993, you might have heard Big Blue Bob Neu’s voice an-

nouncing Jayhawk basketball and football games on radio stations KLWN and KLZR. It was a great gig

and he misses it to this day. But sacrifices are made when starting up a family business, so when Bob

joined his wife Lydia in 1993 to run Neu Physical Therapy Center, he put his whole lot in. He took his busi-

ness and marketing experience and marshaled them into the development and operations of the business

that is now in its 23rd year.

by Daisy Wakefield

54

55

To that end, sessions at Neu Physical Therapy can run for one or two hours or more. Clients range from infants to the elderly, and Lydia says that people with every diagnosis of illness or pain has walked through their doors, from lower back pain to TMJ.

Bob and Lydia’s son, Bob Jr., joined the operation three years ago after finishing his chiropractor’s training — at the top of his class, his proud mother interjects. Bob is certi-fied in acupuncture, which he uses in his practice. Another son, Jacob, also lives in Lawrence and helps with marketing. Daughter Angie is currently in Kansas City getting an os-teopathic degree, and may join the fun after her graduation.

“We are blessed to have our family close, and especially with our first grandbaby on the way!” exults Lydia. And is there a downside to being in business with family? “Only that it never leaves us,” answers Bob Jr., “We talk

business during meals and get togethers. We can’t shut it down, even when we’re not working.”

Neu Physical Therapy engages with the larger community through sponsorships for disability support groups, fund-raising events, and at the two high schools. They are also veterans with an 11 year history of participation in Cotton-wood’s employment program.

As another defining mark of their commitment to health and community, Neu Physical Therapy only charges clients what their out-of-pocket payment would be with an in-net-work therapy provider, even if Neu Physical Therapy does not happen to be in network for their insurance.

“We never want people to have to choose where to get their rehabilitation or care based on cost,” says Lydia, “After all, these people are trying to get well!”

55

56

If you own a small business, there are many retirement plan alternatives available to help you and your eligible employ-ees with retirement planning. For most closely-held business owners, a Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retire-ment Account (SEP IRA) was once the most cost-effective choice. Then the Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employ-ees (SIMPLE IRA) became a viable alternative. Today you may find that a defined-benefit or 401(k) plan best suits your needs. To make an informed decision on which plan is right for your business, review the differences carefully before you choose.

SIMPLIFIED EMPLOYEE PENSION INDIVID-

UAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT (SEP IRA)

This plan is flexible, easy to set up and has low administra-tive costs. An employer signs a plan adoption agreement and IRAs are set up for each eligible employee. When choosing this plan, keep in mind that although it does not allow em-ployees to save through payroll deductions, contributions are immediately 100% vested.

The maximum an employer can contribute each year is 25% of an employee’s eligible compensation, up to a maximum of $245,000 for 2011. However, the contribution for any indi-vidual cannot exceed $49,000. Employer contributions are typically discretionary and may vary from year to year. With this plan, the same formula must be used to calculate the contribution amount for all eligible employees, including any owners. Eligible employees include those who are age 21 and older and those employed (both part time and full time) for three of the last five years.

SAVINGS INCENTIVE MATCH PLAN FOR

EMPLOYEES (SIMPLE)

If you want a plan that encourages employees to save for re-tirement, a SIMPLE IRA might be appropriate for you. In order to select this plan, you must have 100 or fewer eligible employees who earned $5,000 or more in compensation in the preceding year and have no other employer-sponsored retirement plans to which contributions were made or ac-crued during that calendar year. There are no annual IRS fill-ings or complex paperwork, and employer contributions are tax deductible for your business. The plan encourages em-ployees to save for retirement through payroll deductions; contributions are immediately 100% vested.

The maximum salary deferral limit to a SIMPLE IRA plan for 2011 cannot exceed $11,500. If an employee is age 50 or older before December 31, then an additional catch-up contribution of $2,500 is permitted. Each year the employer must decide to do either a matching contribution (the less-er of the employee’s salary deferral or 3% of the employee’s compensation) or non-matching contribution of 2% of an employee’s compensation (limited to $245,000 for 2011). All participants in the plan must be notified of the employer’s decision.

DEFINED-BENEFIT PENSION PLAN

This type of plan helps build savings quickly. It generally produces a much larger tax-deductible contribution for your business than a defined-contribution plan; however, annual employer contributions are mandatory since each partici-pant is promised a monthly benefit at retirement age. Since this plan is more complex to administer, the services of an enrolled actuary are required. All plan assets must be held in a pool, and your employees cannot direct their investments.

FINANCIAL PLANNING

WHICH

RETIREMENT PLAN IS RIGHT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?Joe Paul, Financial Advisor

Wells Fargo Advisors

FINANCIAL56

Certain factors affect an employer’s contribution for a plan, such as current value of the plan assets, the ages of employ-ees, date of hire and compensation. A participating em-ployee with a large projected benefit and only a few years until normal retirement age generates a large contribution because there is little time to accumulate the necessary value. The maximum annual benefit at retirement is the lesser of 100% of the employee’s compensation or $195,000 per year for 2011 (indexed for inflation).

401(K) PLANS

This plan may be right for your company if you want to mo-tivate your employees to save towards retirement and give them a way to share in the firm’s profitability. 401(k) plans are best suited for companies seeking flexible contribution methods.

When choosing this plan type, keep in mind that the em-ployee and employer have the ability to make contributions. The maximum salary deferral limit for a 401(k) plan for 2011 is $16,500. If an employee is age 50 or older before Decem-ber 31st, then an additional catch-up contribution of $5,500 is permitted. The maximum amount you, as the employer, can contribute is 25% of the eligible employee’s total com-pensation (capped at $245,000 for 2011). Individual alloca-tions for each employee cannot exceed the lesser of 100% of compensation or $49,000. The allocation of employer profit-sharing contributions can be skewed to favor older employ-ees, if using age-weighted and new comparability features. Generally, IRS Forms 5500 and 5500-EZ (along with appli-cable schedules) must be filed each year.

Once you have reviewed your business’s goals and objectives, you should check with your Financial Advisor to evaluate the best retirement plan option for your financial situation.

Thank You:

201111 AM Saturday, December 3rd

Downtown Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence Christmas Parade.org

This article was written by Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Joe Paul, Financial Advisor in Lawrence at (785) 842-7680. Wells Fargo Advisors does not provide legal or tax advice. Be sure to consult with your tax and legal advisors before taking any action that could have tax consequences. Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANK-GUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE

Viruses. Spyware. Malware. Scareware. Worms. Chances are you or someone you know has been affected by one of these little buggers at some point. If not, count yourself among the lucky. Almost all users will be hit more than once in their computing lifetimes.

Viruses have progressed from little annoyances that only displayed unwanted messages on your monitor to full-blown, data destroyers and credit card stealers. It has changed from a game of “I did it because I could” to “I did it to make money.” Viruses used to be only the domain for PCs. Macs and other Apple products seemed to be com-pletely immune. This is no longer the case, and while the vast majority of viruses are still written for PCs, Mac-friendly viruses are on the rise.

Needless to say, computer viruses are serious business.

COMPUTER VIRUSES AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM

by Lance KeltnerUNI Computers

59

HOW TO STAY SAFE

1 . DON’T. TRUST. ANYTHING.

More than 95% of all email sent today is spam email. That’s

not a typo: 95%. This means most of the messages you re-

ceive do NOT have your best interest in mind. Messages that

say ‘Go here and check this out!’ or ‘You have 23895 viruses,

click here to remove!’ New favorites of mine are Paypal and

Ebay messages that say ‘We need your account information

so that we can verify blah blah blah.’ It’s almost all fake. If you

receive a message like this and think it may be real, open up

a web browser, go to the actual site (e.g. www.paypal.com)

and log in. If they have something that needs verifying, they

will let you know right there. This is doubly true for anything

concerning your bank account or credit card.

2. KEEP UP-TO-DATE

ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE

You’d think by now it would be obvious, but we run into

people all of the time that have let their protection expire, or

don’t have any at all! There are many options to stay protect-

ed. Subscriptions to updates usually last one year, and can be

easily renewed via credit card. Be careful to only use name

brand products. If you can’t find it on the shelf of your favor-

ite software place, double check before you install. There are

5 fake antivirus programs for each legitimate one.

3. THE MAGIC OF ALT+F4

A little-known way to get rid of those annoying pop-ups is

Alt+F4. Hold the Alt key while you tap the F4 key, and then

letting go of both. This is the universal close command in

any version of Windows (on Mac it’s command + Q). Pop-

ups have gotten quite a bit smarter recently. They have re-

mapped that red ‘X’ button at the upper right to be an ‘OK’

button instead of the standard ‘Exit’ button. Sneaky. Lucky

for you, they can’t re-map Alt + F4. Keep in mind that if you

have a laptop, sometimes you have to activate the F4 (or any

F-key) by holding an additional ‘Fn’ button.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET HIT

1 . RUN A FULL VIRUS SCAN

Run a full virus scan if you think you’ve been hit. Most an-

tivirus software supports doing periodic scheduled scans. If

yours is not already setup, get it done.

2. SHUT DOWN AND VISIT YOUR PRE-

FERRED REPAIR SHOP OR EXPERT

FOR REMOVAL

Unfortunately, sometimes a full virus scan doesn’t clean a

machine all the way and more drastic measures are needed.

This is when you contact your trusted computer repair shop

and have them do an in-depth cleaning. Once in a while, a

full clean can’t be achieved and a full format will be required.

Make sure you have prior backups (i.e. Dave Greenbaum’s

article in the last issue).

3. CHANGE PASSWORDS TO WEBSITES/

BANK ACCOUNTS

You’re doing this on a regular basis anyway, right? Even if

you are (and most aren’t), if you have any reason to suspect

you’ve been hit with something, change all of your important

passwords. This includes banks, credit cards, mortgage ac-

counts, facebook, twitter, email, you name it. Also, don’t use

the same, or similar, passwords for multiple accounts. Once

a virus obtains one, it will try various permutations of that

password on major sites. If it gets lucky, you’re going to lose

more.

Keeping your computer files safe from viruses must be ad-

dressed daily. Never let your guard down and you can keep

your computer up and running.

COMPUTER VIRUSES AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM

59TECHNOLOGY

60

The economic landscape of Lawrence has changed signifi-cantly in the past year with the addition of several new com-panies, growth of local businesses and revitalization of an abandoned property.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Economic Development partnership brings together the efforts of the city, county and Chamber of Commerce to attract new investment and help existing businesses grow in Lawrence and Douglas County.

“2011 has been a good year for business development,” Beth Johnson, Vice President of Economic Development for the Chamber of Commerce says. “Working with the Lawrence-Douglas County Bioscience Authority and Lawrence Region-al Technology Center, we have been successful in bringing new businesses that will benefit our community now and in the future.”

The Bioscience Technology and Business Center on the KU campus continues to be effective in attracting capital invest-ment to Lawrence. Two companies have joined the rapidly growing bioscience community located in the BTBC bring-ing its occupancy rate to 75 percent in its first year of op-eration. The most recent additions to the BTBC are Argenta, a global company providing drug development services and product manufacturing for the animal health industry, and Gyrasol Technologies, a molecular diagnostics and drug test-ing company that is relocating from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Argenta and Gyrasol join four other companies leasing space in the BTBC main facility.

Existing businesses also are choosing Lawrence and Doug-las County when it’s time for growth. McFarlane Aviation of Baldwin City is building a 24,000 square foot warehouse and production plant at its Vinland Airport location to support its growing business needs. Berry Plastics is investing almost $20 million in building a 600,000 square foot warehouse just off Farmer’s Turnpike in Douglas County. The expansion would create 11 new jobs.

The East Hills Business Park is enjoying a surge in occupancy with the arrival last year of Plastikon in the old Serologicals facility. Plastikon has leased an additional 10,000 square feet of warehouse space in the Franklin Business Center. In Octo-ber, Grandstand Sportswear and Glassware finalized a deal to move into the former Sauer-Danfoss facility in the East Hills Business Park. Grandstand is expected to invest more than $5 million with this expansion and create approximately 40 jobs in the next five years. CAL Testing, located on Clinton Park-way, has expanded its operations into an adjacent building to provide additional space for new and existing staff in support of growing demand for its services.

The City of Lawrence continues its work to revitalize the for-mer Farmland Industries property on K-10 Highway just east of the city. With the old structures demolished and environ-mental clean-up underway, the property will provide space, rail service and proximity to utilities and infrastructure for future industrial and business park tenants.

“Attracting new business investment allows us to provide em-ployment opportunities for our residents and an increased tax base to fund needed city services,” Johnson says. “We are constantly striving to showcase the capabilities that exist in our area.”

A new partnership between Lawrence, Topeka and Manhat-tan will market the capabilities within that nine county region in an effort to bring new companies to the area. The Kansas Research Nexus partnership will highlight the three major universities found in the region and their groundbreaking research in animal health, drug development, food safety and research in cancer treatments.

2011 ECODEV YEAR IN REVIEW

60

Creative Road StudioLawrence Kansas

www.CreativeRoadStudio.com

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY

Your LOCAL source forQUALITYschool photography

with OPTIONS.

Doesn’t it just make sense to keep your school photography local?

62

NEWSMAKERS PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.

ORTHOKANSAS,

PA WELCOMES

ORTHOPAEDIC

SPINE SURGEON

TO PRACTICE

OrthoKansas, PA proudly announces the addition of Dr. Ryan M. Stuckey Fellowship-trained Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon to their staff. Dr. Stuckey specializes in both non-surgical and surgical treatment of spine disorders, including minimally invasive spine surgery, spine trauma and fractures, spinal tumors, osteoporo-sis, sports injuries, degenerative spine disease, lumbar and cervical disc herniations, lumbar and cervical ste-nosis, and myelopathy.

DPI HIRES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Brenda joins DPI as an Account Executive and is bringing over ten years with Multifunctional Copiers/ Printers and other office equipment to DPI. Brenda re-cently received training in Kyocera’s new line of Multi-functional Printers and is ready to help local business owners manage all of their office document needs. Brenda has lived in Lawrence since 1985 and has more than 20 years of sales and customer service.

EMPRISE BANK ANNOUNCES ADDITIONS

TO COMMERCIAL BANKING TEAM

Emprise Bank is pleased to announce that Grant Ryan and Rhonda Scott have joined the bank’s commercial banking team as Commercial Banker and Commer-cial Banking Specialist, respectively.

EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS

CELEBRATES ONE YEAR UNDER NEW

OWNERSHIP SERVING LAWRENCE

The Lawrence, Kansas Express Employment Professionals office celebrated it’s one year anniversary under new own-ership on September 13, 2011.

The Express office opened in May 2001 and has been pro-viding businesses and job seekers with temporary and full time staffing solutions in a variety of fields including com-mercial, administrative, and technical.

Since purchasing the franchise last September, own-ers Barry Kingery and Kate Turner have worked hard in marketing their business as locally owned and operated. “Every day Barry and I are talking to other local busi-

“Grant and Rhonda bring an outstanding commitment to their customers and the community, and we’re thrilled to have them as part of the Emprise team. This is a good day for Emprise and, more importantly, for our customers,” says Cindy Yulich, Emprise Bank president.

Ryan is a graduate of Kansas State University with a B.S. in Business Administration. He has been in the financial ser-vices industry for 15 years, most recently at The Univer-sity National Bank in Lawrence where he served as Chief Lending Officer.Scott has been in the financial services industry since 1975, with the past nine years spent at The University Na-tional Bank in Lawrence.

Emprise Bank is headquartered in Wichita, andstretches across the state of Kansas. The Emprise system includes 42 locations in 24 communitie.

63

PATRICK BROWN, FOUNDER: ABRAM

BROWN FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS LLC,

LAWRENCE.

The firm works to provide clients with efficient and transparent financial solutions, with a focus on com-prehensive wealth management strategies.

Brown, a financial consultant, founded the firm after working as a senior advice consultant for American Century Investments, financial adviser for Smith Bar-ney and financial adviser for Merrill Lynch, having worked with high net worth clients and large institutions in designing in-vestment portfolios.

Brown is a graduate of Kansas University, where he played football (#47) and was team captain in 1998. He received a master’s in business administration from the University of Phoenix.

nesses about how to maintain our local job force. It is important we keep them working in our community, in turn we hope they will be a more active and productive citizens,” said Turner.

The Lawrence office, located at 1000 Iowa accepts online applications at www.expresspros.com. Businesses seek-ing employees are welcome to call the office or email Kate Turner at kate.turner@expresspros.com.

The Lawrence Business Magazine invites you to share

news of new employees or promotions in 50 words or less.

Please submit an electronic color photo no less than 300 ppi, JPGs or TIFs, saved on CD or emailed to: NewsMakers@LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com. Because of space and layout considerations, photos are

not guaranteed to run. Send CD to:

Lawrence Business Magazine, 1617 St. Andrews Drive Lawrence, Kansas 66047

64

TASTE OF LAWRENCE

photos by Artem Bagiev

65

2011 LIVE IT LOCAL BUSINESS EXPO

TASTE OF LAWRENCE

photos by Artem Bagiev

66

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY WOMEN BUILD LUNCHEON

67

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VALOR GOLF TOURNAMENT

68

1300 WILLOW STUDIO LLC1720 LOUISIANA STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66044

8 FLAVORS LLC2210 IOWA STLAWRENCE, KS 66046

817 MASS, LLC817 MASSACHUSETTSLAWRENCE, KS 66044

846 PENN LLC618 WALNUT ST.LAWRENCE, KS 66044

AESTHETICARE OF LAWRENCE, LLC116 RUNNING RIDGE RD.LAWRENCE, KS 66049

AMY TRETTEL LLCRR 618LAWRENCE, KS 66044

ANR SAVINGS LLC1720 LOUISIANALAWRENCE, KS 66044

BAD COMPANY BONDS & RECOVERY, L.L.C.1083 E. 1200 ROADLAWRENCE, KS 66047

BANDORBAR PRODUCTIONS LLC25511 LINWOOD RDLAWRENCE, KS 66044

BAT CAVE, LC935 N KANSAS AVE.LAWRENCE, KS 66608

BAYSINGER FILMS LLC1904 W 3RD TERLAWRENCE, KS 66044

BHR CONSULTING, LLC.4026 PARKWAY CIRLAWRENCE, KS 66047

CELESTIAL IRON ART, LLC537 LOCUST STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66044

CUSTOM FABRICATION, LLC1017 N 1156 ROADLAWRENCE, KS 66044

D BUI SKY, LP3107 COTTAGE LNLAWRENCE, KS 66049

EMILY PETERSON, LLC3531 SWEETGRASS COURTLAWRENCE, KS 66049

EUCO LLC839 1/2 MASSACHUSETTSLAWRENCE, KS 66044

EVERYTHING DOMESTIC SERVICES LLC4501 WIMBLEDON DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66047

FINANCIAL SERVICING, LLC300 ROCK FENCE PLACELAWRENCE, KS 66049

FINISH CARPENTRY SPECIALIST LLC2328 MANCHESTER RDLAWRENCE, KS 66049

FLAT CREEK HOMES LLCPO BOX 128LAWRENCE, KS 66044

FLIGHT TEST ENGINEERING SERVICES INC.1568 N 2000 ROADLAWRENCE, KS 66044

FOOTPRINTS, LLC511 SAMANTHA AVENUELAWRENCE, KS 66049

FOURFIRE STUDIOS, LLC3900 MONTEREY PLACELAWRENCE, KS 66049

GEEKBAUCHERY.COM LLC3612 LAKECREST CTLAWRENCE, KS 66049

GERMAN SCHOOL OF NORTHEAST KANSAS INC1275 N 1108 ROADLAWRENCE, KS 66047

GHR, LLC3520 W. 22ND ST #G1LAWRENCE, KS 66047

GPW ENGINEERING, LLC1001 NEW HAMPSHIRE STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66044

GREENHOUSE LLC1347 NEW HAMPSHIRELAWRENCE, KS 66044

GYRASOL TECHNOLOGIES INC2029 BECKER DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66047

HECK LAND COMPANY, L.C.805 NEW HAMPSHIRE STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66044

HI FRIENDP.O. BOX 804LAWRENCE, KS 66044

HOOP MAMAS LLC2619 BELLE CREST DRLAWRENCE, KS 66046

HPH LLC1135 BRYNWOOD CT.LAWRENCE, KS 66049

I TILE, LLC508 SAMANTHA AVENUELAWRENCE, KS 66049

IBA CONSULTING AND MARKETING, LLC401 ELDRIDGELAWRENCE, KS 66049

IRON MOUNTAIN PRODUCTS LLC511 CANYON DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66049

ISLAY EXPLORATION, LLC520 LOUISIANA STLAWRENCE, KS 66044

ITEMIZED RECORDS, LLC409 N. OLIVIA AVELAWRENCE, KS 66049

IVPACKS LLC1119 KANZA DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66049

IXL MARTIAL ARTS, LLC4505 FREEDOM CREEKLAWRENCE, KS 66049

JACKPOT, LLC4209 TAMARISK COURTLAWRENCE, KS 66047

JAGTAT TRUCKING, LLCPO BOX 912LAWRENCE, KS 66044

JASON ROBINSON, INC.1304 MORGAN ST.LAWRENCE, KS 66049

KANSANS UNITED IN VOICE & SPIRIT, INC719 MASSACHUSETTS STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66044

KANSAS HOTEL CORPORATION904 CONGRESSIONAL DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66049

LAWRENCE BLUE SANTA PROGRAM INC.4820 15TH STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66049

LAWRENCE FAMILY THERAPY LLC510 KASOLD DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66049

LAWRENCE PEDIATRICS, P.A.5710 LONGLEAF DR.LAWRENCE, KS 66049

LH ENGINEERING, LLC2402 LANCASTER DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66049

MAJESTIC CONSTRUCTION LLC6344 CANDY LANELAWRENCE, KS 66049

MEDICAL REVENUE SPECIALISTS, LLC2040 W. 31ST ST.LAWRENCE, KS 66046

MENDEZ, INC.903 LAWRENCE AVENUELAWRENCE, KS 66049

MISSION SPEC LLC1403 W 23RD STLAWRENCE, KS 66047

NEW LAWRENCE BUSINESSES REGISTERED WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE IN

DOUGLAS COUNTY FOR SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 2011

69

MVP FARMS, L.L.C.3712 QUAIL CREEK COURTLAWRENCE, KS 66047

NETSHELL, LLC1301 W 24TH STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66046

NORRIS MEDIATION, L.L.C.324 EDINBURGH RDLAWRENCE, KS 66049

ONLINE SALES CONSULTING LLC1025 COLLEGE BLVDLAWRENCE, KS 66049

PAUL MEIER DIALECT SERVICES, L.C.4316 WIMBLEDON DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66047

PERSONAL TOUCH LAWN CARE LLC3524 YALE RD.LAWRENCE, KS 66044

PESCON LLC2524 KENSINGTONLAWRENCE, KS 66046

PIX NINJA LLC1720 LOUISIANA STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66044

PLANET POLLARD PRODUCTIONS, LLC730 NEW HAMPSHIRELAWRENCE, KS 66044

R L C PROPERTY LLC725 N 2ND STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66044

R.P.M. ENTERPRISES, LLC1009 E. 1296 RDLAWRENCE, KS 66047

RCH, LLC4704 CHERRY HILLS COURTLAWRENCE, KS 66047

REDESIGN4LIVING/ SELLING, LLC5802 SAGAMORE COURTLAWRENCE, KS 66047

RELATIONSHIP MATTERS, LLCP.O. BOX 804LAWRENCE, KS 66044

SABR HOLDINGS INC530 ELDRIDGE STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66049

SANDERS ELECTRIC, INC814 W 28TH STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66046

SEEKEDGAR, LLC1300 SUNNYSIDE AVENUELAWRENCE, KS 66047

SHAFEEN RETAIL, LLC2337 MURPHY #7LAWRENCE, KS 66046

SIDE STAGE LLC1206 PENNSYLVANIA STLAWRENCE, KS 66044

SLOAN LAW FIRM, PA5030 BOB BILLINGS PKWYLAWRENCE, KS 66045

SMS CONSTRUCTION INC6117 PALISADES DRLAWRENCE, KS 66049

SO BIG FITNESS LLC1709 LAKE ALVAMAR DRIVELAWRENCE,, KS 66047

SUNFLOWERS, LLC1065 E 1326 ROADLAWRENCE, KS 66046

TAKE THE FIELD! FOUNDATION15264 254TH STREETLAWRENCE, KS 66044

TANGO LIMA FLYING, LLC920 SUNSET DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66044

TANKED & SMASHED, LLC2601 HARPER STLAWRENCE, KS 66046

THE SOCIETY OF CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS2410 W 25 ST.LAWRENCE, KS 66047

THE STRIVE, LLC409. N. OLIVIA AVELAWRENCE, KS 66049

TINY SHINY OBJECTS2313 BRETT DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66049

TLS INVESTMENTS, LLC4301 NICKLAUS DRIVELAWRENCE, KS 66047

UDL IMPLEMENTATION AND RESEARCH NETWORK, INC.4407 GRETCHAN COURTLAWRENCE, KS 66047

VSAP CONSULTING INC3514 CLINTON PARKWAYLAWRENCE, KS 66044

70

WHOSE DESK?Be the first to correctly guess which local business figure works behind this desk. Winner receives a $50 gift card to 23rd Street Brewery.facebook.com/lawrencebusinessmagazine

photo by Tasha Keathley

WHOSE DESK?

“ Lawrence Memorial Hospital gave me options, including the right cancer research trial. They gave me hope and saved my life.”

Tammie Breast Cancer Survivor Lawrence, KS

3 2 5 M a i n e L a w r e n c e , K S 7 8 5 - 5 0 5 - 5 0 0 0 w w w . l m h . o r g

Quality Matters

Excellence in cancer care is measured in many ways, including

patient satisfaction. At The Oncology Center at Lawrence

Memorial Hospital, 100 percent of our cancer patients say they

would recommend us to others fighting cancer.* We treat

everyone like family, and it shows.

Our board-certified oncologists offer individualized therapies that

include more than 150 cancer research trials, all approved by

the National Cancer Institute. For many patients, trials offer

advanced treatment options that may be more effective or easier

to manage.

Visit www.lmh.org/qualitymatters to learn more about

our clinical outcomes and why quality matters.

* HealthStream Research Q1-Q2 2011.

Tammie was devastated when she learned she had breast cancer. Then she

chose to participate in a cancer research trial at The Oncology Center at

Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Empowered with knowledge and backed by

a dedicated team of providers – a team she considers family – Tammie

is now cancer-free. To hear Tammie’s story, visit lmh.org/qualitymatters.