If you would like to showcase your business by hosting a Chamber meeting and/or luncheon at your location, please let us know. This is a great way to familiarize other business owners with the tools and resources you have to offer the community and show off your physical space. Or you can cater the lunch and hold it at the Wellsville City Library or Wellsville Health and Rehab has also offer their space and can cater on site.

LUNCH IS SERVED -

• The Wellsville High School FBLA will host a lunch for our January monthly meeting at the library on Tuesday, January 10th at Noon! We hope to see you there!

• Pleasant Ridge will host at 11:30AM on February 14th. Additional details to come.

• USD #289 will host on October 10^th and provide a tour of all the new updates at the high school. FACS class will provide food. Additional details to follow.  

Russ Moyer - Midwest Auto Center

Russ Moyer is the entrepreneurial business owner of Midwest Auto Center in Wellsville, Kansas. His business is located at 710 S. Main Street. Russ opened Midwest Auto Center in 2005.

Russ comes from a family of entrepreneurs. His great-grandfather on his mother’s side opened a tractor dealership in Wellsville in the 1930’s. It is still operated by his family today in Lawrence KS. His grandfather on his father’s side was the manager of a successful automotive service department for an Overland Park Buick dealership, where he retired. Russ’s dad owned and operated an auto repair shop in Wellsville through the 90’s, where he spent countless hours learning the trade. Russ spent several semesters of his senior year attending Olathe Advanced Technical Center, pursuing automotive repair technology and competing in SkillsUSA/Vica at the state level. He is still active on the OATC advisory board and attends student relation activities at the facility on the Olathe North Campus. Post high school Russ attended Oklahoma State University and gained an associate’s degree in applied science, along with certifications in automotive repair from Daimler Chrysler and ASE. 

After college, Russ worked as a technician at a Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealership. Due to an injury he moved to working in customer service and finally asst. manager of an Overland Park Buick/Isuzu dealership. When asked why he decided to quit working for “the man” and start his own business, Moyer replied, “I wanted to get away from all the politics of the dealerships and be my own boss. I always felt like I could do it better than whoever was leading me at the time. No better way to prove it than to start your own business. You are the be all end all, good, bad or indifferent.”

We talked about how he marketed his business in the early years. Russ said, “Direct marketing was the most effective way to get the word out about his new business.” He also said, “We’d go out to lunch locally and meet people and find we could help them with their automotive needs. We’d meet our customers one at a time.” 

We discussed how being an entrepreneur has affected his family life. Russ admitted that it is hard to keep from taking the stress home to his wife, Crystal, and their kids. When asked, he said, “big points of stress are employee’s calling in, parts not showing up when we expect them to, or when equipment would quit working. All these things affect the outcome and/or timeline of completing jobs.” He also said, “in the first 5 years, there was a lot of stress trying to build a customer base, keeping those customers happy and ensuring the employees he was paying were busy with work.” 

Ten or so years ago, Russ told me he “drew a line in the sand and decided to not work late or work on the weekends.” I liked his personal motto, “This business is not my life, it’s a job.” Along the way, Moyer learned the hard lesson that you can’t make everyone happy all the time. As hard as he and his staff try, sometimes things get delayed or go wrong. The business motto at Midwest Auto helps to guide technicians in making decisions about work to be done to a car is, “If this was my car, would I recommend this service/repair?” He said that has really helped his customers realize that Midwest Auto Center is not going to recommend any service that isn’t necessary just for the sake of a sale. He knows his customers know where to find him and will be back with other issues in the future if they can trust Midwest Auto Center is looking out for their best interest. 

Russ said it took about that same 10 years to establish Midwest Auto Center enough to where he felt comfortable taking off time when he wanted or needed to. Midwest Auto Center currently employs a full-time service advisor, and two full-time technicians and several part time employees. Russ described the culture there as “laid back” no one likes to be stressed. He said that all the employees working there are around the same age, have similar interests, listen to the same music, and have a good work ethic. Russ’s employees know he trusts them and has their back when issues arise. He said one of his biggest challenges about finding the right employee is that younger people today aren’t willing to start at the bottom, learn the basics and work their way up to higher positions. He said they start as a new technician and don’t want to change oil or tires. He said, “these are basic duties that every technician needs to master.” Russ also mentioned that he takes work experience over bookwork or certifications any day. He has found that some people might know the philosophy of mechanics from classes, but they don’t have the aptitude for working on automobiles. 

When I asked Russ about how entrepreneurial “tricks” he’s discovered along his journey, he said having a to-do list or list of goals is imperative. He also mentioned that you need to ensure you have a market and a need for your service before establishing a business of any kind. He also recommended avoiding debt as much as possible. He feels that the best way to start a business is to save money for the initial investment, then launch your business to reduce financial stress.  

We talked about his top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur. Russ said, “you have to stay determined, keeping an eye on what you want your business to look like.” He said, “it’s important to set goals and know what you are striving and working so hard for.” Russ said from the beginning, he had a goal to find the right person to run the daily operations, so he could feel comfortable taking time off from his business and leave it to someone he could whole-heartedly trust.  Another goal was to purchase the property his business is located on. Russ had been able to make both of those things happen. And last, but not least, Russ said, “You have to have passion about the business you start or even the profession you pursue. Every growing business goes through growing pains, you need to have that passion to get you through those tough times. I had a vision of what I wanted my business to be, and I never lost focus of that.” 

When asked about what the best part is of being an entrepreneur, Russ said, “the gratification of building it from the ground up.” He mentioned the worst part as being the one responsible for everything about the business. He said, “that can be a lot of stress at times.” 

For fun, I asked a couple off topic questions. I asked Russ if he had a magic wand, what are a couple things you’d like to change in the world. His reply was, “work ethic and the way people treat each other.” Don’t we all wish he had a magic wand to make those things happen? I also asked him what part of his life experience he would alter if he could. His response was, “I’d be more active in high school. I’d go out for more sports and get involved in more organizations. I’d apply myself more.”  

If you have an automotive need and would like to visit Midwest Automotive Center, please call them at 785-883-2611, check out the website at https://www.midwest-autocenter.com/, or contact them through Facebook!

Paul Bean - Franklin County Development Council

The Franklin County Development Council (FCDC) is a private entity and includes a county-wide focus on our county. FCDC works to support existing business and industry in Franklin County and promotes our county to future business and industry. The organization exists by receiving public funding from Franklin County, Ottawa, Princeton and Wellsville and support from all Franklin County school districts. Membership from businesses, organizations and individuals also contribute to supporting FCDC. 

Paul Bean is the executive director for FCDC. He has held this position for three years. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Southwestern College in Winfield, KS and his master’s degree from Baker University. Prior to his job with FCDC, Paul worked in development and fundraising for Ottawa University and his alma mater of Southwestern College for a total of 26 years. He worked in banking for 10 years prior to that. 

When Paul Bean took over as Executive Director at FCDC, it had a very Ottawa-centric focus, mostly working with Proximity Park in Ottawa. Paul’s initial goals were to expand the reach of the organization to more of Franklin County, downtowns, retail, and commercial businesses of the cities of Franklin County. One of his goals for 2023 is to strengthen FCDC’s relationship with the agriculture industry in Franklin County. His goal is to support economic growth throughout the county. He has grown the membership from 60 members to 90 members. 

When asked how the FCDC differentiates itself from the local Chambers of Commerce and how they work together, Paul Bean, stated that the FCDC works more closely with industry by supporting businesses with recruiting, housing, and childcare concerns. Paul mentioned that an example of this was during COVID when FCDC awarded $135,000 to various small businesses across the county from a grant. The Chambers of Commerce work more closely with retail businesses of their towns. Both the FCDC and Chambers are working to support economic development, which is an investment in future growth of our communities. 

Bean indicated that the largest challenge of the FCDC is currently the workforce issues. He is partnering with school districts in the region to help build future employment pipelines from the high school students to the area employers. This includes the Franklin County Career Day and coordinating with high school students to determine industry interest and to build pipelines to regional business and industry. He equated this program to a college coach recruiting high school kids to play sports at their college, including a signing day to build culture. Paul said, “These days, employers must sell themselves to prospective employees. It’s different from back when we were looking into jobs out of school.”

Bean learned that Franklin County is designated an E-community. The “E” is for “entrepreneurship in business. This program has its own board of directors and operates as a subsidiary of FCDC. The E-community is for individuals wanting to establish or grow an existing business. These business owners can request supplemental capital over and beyond what the bank will finance. Bean was careful to indicate, “This program doesn’t compete with banks. It’s merely additional funding.”  

Through the E-community, there is a Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. This program is for grades 6-12. The students create a business, write a business plan, and make a presentation about their business to a panel of judges. The students can win money for their organization through which they are participating (FBLA, FCA, etc.) and advance to regional and state competitions. 

One last aspect to the E-community is that it provides training for business owners who want to make their business a destination. This training will be available online and at regional locations. There will be funding provided for participation. 

Regarding specific FCDC projects with Wellsville, Paul Bean tells me that the FCDC has been working closely with our town to put together and submit Moderate-Income Housing proposals (MIH). This is considered “workforce” housing. Basically, FCDC works to help recruit the developers. And the municipality passes with a vote and then submits the proposal to the state. Currently, Wellsville is awaiting response regarding a proposal recently submitted. New MIH grants are offered each quarter for a total of $5 million for building apartments, duplexes, and single-family homes.   The program has a total funding level of $60 million.

When reflecting on the future, Paul mentioned the impact Wellsville will feel as the Panasonic plant comes to Douglas County. The plant will bring 4000 new jobs and other industry and commercial/retail businesses that will come alongside and add an additional 4000 jobs to this area. Wellsville is within the radius where workforce would relocate. For 2023, FCDC is working to help with the Panasonic Wave (the projected effect of the plant and its impact on our economy). The organization will be working to determine how to protect existing industry and business from the workforce pull to this new growth in Douglas County. The plant is projected to open the 4^th quarter of 2024 or early 2025.  

Wellsville has a unique opportunity to excel with the continual growth of the intermodal and the upcoming Panasonic Wave. Paul mentions, “We want the community to grow in a controlled way. We don’t want the exploding growth we all see in other communities.”  FCDC will help Wellsville maintain its community character but allow for more economic vitality. Paul said, “We need a strategic vision for the county and the communities as we enter this opportunity for growth.” He plans to meet with Franklin County and the major cities of our county, Wellsville being one of those, within the next year to engage in strategic planning. He also plans to grow FCDC to at least 100 members soon. We are thankful for our partnership with Paul Bean and the FCDC as we navigate Wellsville’s exciting chapter ahead.  

Wellsville Chamber Sign Advertising program -

If you would like to advertise to the thousands of cars passing by our billboard on Highway 33 each day, we can help produce and display a banner designed just for your business. This Chamber sign is especially important to your business if you are a business located somewhere other than on 33 highway. Many people who live outside Wellsville or are coming off the highway to stop at Bert's or Casey's don't know what other businesses Wellsville has to offer. They might make it a point to use your services each time they are in town if they only knew where you were!

Our 2022 spots are already filled, but if you would like one (or a few) in 2023, now is the time to book your dates! Please reach out if you would like to book a spot.

511 Main -

• 3 large offices available
• $700 per office
• Includes utilities, common area and bathroom access
• Phone/wifi not included.
• Contact Shawn Faruqi 913-221-5869 for more information

December Monthly FCDC Report -

Housing continues to be a topic that is front and center with FCDC. We are working with the City of Ottawa and the City of Wellsville to support and promote interest in the Moderate Income Housing (MIH) grant program. This program provides at least $5 million on a quarterly basis for developers and communities to work together for workforce housing across the state of Kansas. Both Ottawa and Wellsville have grant request submitted for the first round. We expect to hear the winners by the middle of December. Both are already processing applications for round two.

Governor Kelly Announces Over $23M to

Expand Broadband in Rural Kansas 

~~Funding will Connect Nearly 4,200 Homes, Businesses, Schools to Internet~~

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced that $23.1 million will be awarded to six service providers that will bring high-speed broadband service to nearly 4,200 homes, businesses, schools, health care facilities, and other institutions in unserved and rural areas of the state. This is the second of three rounds of awards from the Kansas Capital Project Funds (CPF) Grant Program. 

The goal of this funding is to solve the “last mile” of broadband need in critical areas. The targeted counties have as few as five locations per square mile, which until now has prevented companies from investing the resources to deliver a quality broadband option. The CPF Grant Program provides the funding needed to implement high-speed broadband in these areas of the state.  

“By connecting nearly 4,200 more Kansas homes, businesses, and schools to high-speed internet, we’re continuing to deliver on our goal of giving every Kansan a connection to the world,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This funding knocks down a barrier for Kansans looking to participate in the digital economy, access telemedicine, and take advantage of online education.” 

The grant program results from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s approval of Kansas’ Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) broadband infrastructure plan. The federal CPF program is a $10 billion initiative available to states, territories, and tribal governments under the American Rescue Plan Act to fund capital projects. Kansas was one of the first eight states in the country approved for funding under this program and was allocated $83.5 million. The CPF program opportunity resulted in 141 applications from providers requesting $693 million in funding support to build out broadband infrastructure across Kansas.  

“The Capital Projects Fund program provides the funding necessary for providers to connect Kansans located in some of the most underserved areas of our state,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “We will continue to work with partners across Kansas to ensure all communities have the high-speed broadband they need to compete and succeed.” 

Once matching funds from the service providers are included, the total broadband investment in Phase 2 surpasses $30 million. 

“The Capital Projects Fund represents the largest grant opportunity to date from the Office of Broadband Development,” said Jade Piros de Carvalho, Director of the Office of Broadband Development. “We are excited about partnering with providers to make a positive impact in communities that have fallen in the digital divide.” 

Grant awardees and communities that will benefit from the second phase of the Kansas CPF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program include: 

• IdeaTek (Finney, Haskell, Scott, Seward counties) - $7,943,385 to connect 1,121 premises 
• KwiKom (Franklin, Lyon, Osage counties) - $1,810,941 to connect 1,333 premises 
• Mokan Dial (Franklin County) - $6,948,173 to connect 663 premises 
• PGB Fiber, LLC (Finney County) - $1,811,463 to connect 137 premises 
• S&T Communications (Wallace County) - $997,844 to connect 118 premises 
• WTC (Geary, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee counties) - $3,599,749 to connect 814 premises  

Franklin County Optimist Club -

The Franklin County Optimist Club is pleased to recognize November WMS Student of the month:

• Wyatt Leintz - 6th Grade
• Graceyn Hedrick - 7th Grade
• Addy Speer - 8th Grade
• Each tudent received a certificate from the Optimists
• Each student received a gift card from Hot Off The Press donated by Bill Lytle

Student of the Month Pizza Party -

Size Up Franklin County -

This is a new software program provided by FCDC to anyone. It is a program for businesses new and existing. It can help new businesses build a business plan and existing ones tweak their plan. It provides access to location of competition, suppliers, workforce, and much more.

Kansas Income tax Credit -

Franklin County is now designated as an E-Community. One of the benefits of this is we can offer you access to Kansas Income Tax Credits. The attached document will provide further information.

Here are some key points:

• You get a 75% tax credit from your investment
• You may be able to deduct your full investment on your federal income tax return
• Your support provides funding for the GAP loans we can offer to new businesses
• We will get a 20% commission locally on all tax credits we sell for use for economic development in our county

IMPORTANT:

• We currently have only $250,000 to offer here in Franklin County this year
• You must run this through me if you would like us to receive the local benefits of your investment

PLEASE let Paul Bean know if you would like to purchase tax credits this year for your business or individually. It will be first come first serve.

*Always seek professional tax advice when making these types of decisions

Wellsville School District Projects and Programs -

Facilities Update

The USD 289 bond and supporting capital outlay projects continue to move forward. Below are updated pictures of our project and status updates.

• The wrestling room addition is progressing nicely.
• The interior renovation of the middle school is nearly wrapped up. Once the metal panel is delivered, the exterior will be wrapped up. This is scheduled to take place this month.
• The interior renovation work at the high school is progressing as well, with new areas being worked on in phases so that construction can take place in areas separated from student learning and activities.
• New Bleachers are being installed in the KD Gym and will be completed this week.
• New Scoreboards have been installed in the Blue Gym.
• There will be NEW updates in January.

Kansas - A Friend Asks

While we often go to the doctor for help with a fever, etc., we are not always as quick to get help if we are feeling down or depressed. I would offer that our mental health is equally as important as our physical health. USD 289 is excited to be able to offer a new resource to students and parents to assist in this endeavor. “A Friend Asks” is a FREE smartphone app that helps provide the information, tools, and resources to help a friend (or yourself) who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide or depression. We are working to have the app added to each 6-12 student school-issued technology device and all staff devices. While we are only adding the app to 6-12th grade devices at this time, we are sending this information to elementary families, as well as parents may wish to share the resource with their student and/or access the app themselves.  We would invite each of you to download the app today and encourage friends and family to do the same. Education is the key to prevention, and we never know when this information will be needed and could help save a life.



The “A Friend Asks” App contains the following information:

• Warning signs of suicidal ideation
• How to help a friend
• How to get help now
• What to do and what not to do

The app can be downloaded from the apple store or Google Play from the link below.

https://ag.ks.gov/victim-services/youth-suicide-prevention 

USD 289 counselors and social workers are readily available to answer any questions you have and/or to assist you in supporting your student's mental health needs. 

Monthly Meeting -

January 10th at 11:30AM lunch provided by the FBLA, meeting at noon at Wellsville City Library

Annual Chamber Events

The Chamber has brainstormed some new and exciting events for Wellsville for 2023. The details are still in the works. Please stay tuned for exciting information about these new, fun events guaranteed to bring in people from all around!

This will be an opportunity for the downtown businesses to showcase themselves and for all our Wellsville businesses to benefit. Let us know if you'd like to be part of the planning process!

Library Updates -

• The Wellsville City Library is looking for a new board member that resides within the city limits.
• If you are interested please call the library at 785-883-2870.

• The Wellsville City Library is excited to announce that they are moving forward with the building project.
• The architect, Emig & Hauff Associates Architects, and contractor will be going over the plans and then they will be looking for subcontract workers.

Movies entertain us, but can they teach us something deeper? Definitely! During At the Movies, we’ll learn about God through the lens of our favorite films.

When you attend, you’ll experience a welcoming environment, powerful worship music, and a timely message. It's the most fun you've ever had at church. We can’t wait to see you At the Movies!

Sunday Service -

• Three identical in-person services at 8:00AM, 9:30AM, and 11AM
• Live online service at 9:30AM

At the Movies- 

Movies entertain us, but can they teach us something deeper? Definitely! During At the Movies, we’ll learn about God through the lens of our favorite films.

When you attend, you’ll experience a welcoming environment, powerful worship music, and a timely message. It's the most fun you've ever had at church. We can’t wait to see you At the Movies!

•  Begins on November 13th and runs through December 18th
• Additional Saturday evening service will be added at 6PM

Christmas Eve Candlelight Services -

• Sat Dec 24th
• 4:00pm, 5:00pm, and 6:00pm
• More info at familychurch.xyz/christmas 

Helping Hands Food Pantry Grocery Distribution -

• Fri November 18
• Sat November 19

Christmas Eve Services -

• Saturday Dec 24th
• 6:00pm

Christmas Day Services -

• Saturday Dec 25th
• 10:00am
• No Sunday School

New Year's Eve Game Night-

• Saturday Dec31st
• 7:00-10pm
• Bring a snack to share

Sunday Service -

• One in-person service 9AM
• Sunday School for all ages at 10:30AM

Sunday Service -

•  In person worship and Church@Home - 10:45AM

Christmas Eve Service -

• The story of Christ's birth through scripture and song
• 8:00PM
• Informal- Christmas pajamas welcomed

2022/2022 Wellsville Chamber of Commerce Officers