This Veterans Day, connect our military members and veterans with loving pets by shopping at Gordmans. All Gordmans stores will donate 5% of the Nov. 11 Veterans Day sales, up to $50,000, to Pets for Patriots.
Pets for Patriots gives the gifts of fidelity, joy and love to veterans and service members through companion animal adoption. The national nonprofit helps veterans at all stages of their careers adopt the most overlooked dogs and cats, offering them a second chance at life through adoption.
Gordmans invites guests to help honor our military heroes who keep our nation safe. Pets for Patriots partners with military and veteran organizations, U.S. shelter and veterinary networks, and the public to honor the lives of the most vulnerable and heroic among us.
When Gordmans guests shop on Veterans Day, Pets for Patriots can help ensure veterans find, adopt and afford lifetime care for their adopted pets. Donations allow Pets for Patriots to provide ‘welcome home’ contributions for each adoption, and follow up with every veteran who adopts for at least one year. In addition, the nonprofit procures exclusive discounts to help veterans in the program save money on pet health insurance, medication, pet food, treats and supplies, all while giving access to quality, affordable pet care from veterinary partners in the communities they serve.
About Stage Stores Stage Stores, Inc. is a leading retailer of trend-right, name-brand values for apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear and home goods. The Company operates in 42 states through 614 BEALLS, GOODY’S, PALAIS ROYAL, PEEBLES, and STAGE specialty department stores and 158 GORDMANS off-price stores, as well as an e-commerce website at www.stage.com.
About Pets for Patriots Pets for Patriots gives the gifts of fidelity, joy and love to veterans and pets through companion animal adoption. The nationally operating nonprofit organization helps veterans and service members adopt the most overlooked dogs and cats, including adult, special needs, long-term homeless, and large breed pets, offering them a second chance at life through adoption. Pets for Patriots partners with U.S. shelter and veterinary networks, military and veteran organizations, and the public to value and honor the lives of the most vulnerable and heroic among us. For more information, visit www.petsforpatriots.org.
Although Coy Pollmeier, 19, is a professional bull rider, he has taken up boot repair as a side job.
“Riding bulls is what I do most of the time and leather/ boot-repair is what I do on the side,” he said. “I only do boot-repair on the side because I also travel a lot …professionally, in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.”
Pollmeier purchased the leather/boot repair shop equipment from John Renard earlier this year. Renard retired after providing the service to Bourbon County for decades.
If one has a good pair of boots, they can last for years, with a few repairs now and then.
Pollmeier is providing that service to those who want to keep a good pair of boots for a long time.
CP Leather and Boot Repair is the name of his new business.
“I… work out of my house,” he said. “I have a drop off site in town.”
He is in the process of perfecting the craft.
“I have spent time with a few other repairmen picking up things here and there but it has been mostly trial and error,” he said. “I have been working on repairing boots for probably about the last eight months and I’m just now going public about it.”
A boot before repair. Submitted photo.
The same boot after being repaired by Pollmeier. Submitted photo.
“I can repair most boots and shoes to an extent,” Pollmeier said. “I am the only one in the shop, so it is all done by myself. It usually takes me a few hours to completely redo a pair of boots.”
The leather/boot drop off site is Hills Service Gas Station, 308 No. National Avenue.
David Foster, Chief Executive Officer of Terrakat LLC.
David Foster, who is a fourth-generation Bourbon County dairyman, still makes his living providing for his wife and children on the family farm at 1035 Hwy 39.
In addition to tending to his milk cows, he started a new business this year called Terrakat LLC.
The equipment spreads the manure that his herd of dairy cows produces daily.
“The equipment allows the farmer to spread manure on the field providing nutrients to the soil that is needed to raise crops,” Foster said. “Manure is fertilizer.”
Terrakat manure spreader. Submitted photo.
“Terrakat (his business) was formed in March once I knew I had found a product that not only would be beneficial for Foster Dairy but also be beneficial for others as well,” he said.
The equipment is manufactured in Turkey.
“I flew over to Turkey in March (2019) to meet with the manufacturers, that I would then contract to produce my first ag equipment product of a manure spreader,” Foster said.
He had done his research but wanted to see first hand the product.
“I have a good company with good quality steel, good workmanship and willingness to allow me to make any changes I feel necessary to make the product better,” Foster said.
“Once I had returned, I placed an order for two units that had a capacity of 20 tons of manure each,” Foster said. “We planned to keep one for ourselves at Foster Dairy and then to sell the second unit.”
Foster began the business to save money on agricultural equipment for Foster Dairy, and then to build a business that can save others money on needed equipment, he said.
“I am providing a quality product that is more cost-effective and (additionally)then spending dollars locally for my business needs, for example, Captured Images Photography, SkyyFoxx, My1Stop.com to name a few,” he said.
It’s been a project that has unfolded this year.
“They (two pieces of equipment) arrived in a shipping container in July during the Bourbon County Fair,” Foster said. “After getting them unloaded and finishing some assembly, we waited for a window to demo the spreader where the ground was not too wet to spread manure. Which was difficult this year. When we did, we hired a drone company to take some professional footage as well as a photographer to take some high-end photos.”
He made his first sale this month.
“I took one of the units to the Ozark Fall Farmfest farm show in Springfield at the beginning of October where I made my first sale!” he said. “To my surprise, it wasn’t the model on display but one size bigger. That order for a T28 Terrakat Manure Spreader was placed last week and expected to ship this Friday.”
“The highlight of my first farm show wasn’t simply making a sale, but more importantly, to get feedback from other farmers and ranchers in the four-state area and to compare Terrakat to five other well-know brands of manure spreader,” Foster said. “After hearing from them, I was even more pleased to learn that I not only beat the competition on unit price, but had more features packed into a lower maintenance design with more volume capacity!”
“I also had a promising meeting with one of the country’s largest farm cooperatives last week in partnering with Terrakat to offer my manure spreaders to all of their 14000 members across the country,” he said. ” I have generated a lot of interest in a very short time. Terrakat is still in the startup/launch phase. I’m booked to go to the Tulsa Farm Show on December 12-14th. I have already had people tell me they are looking forward to seeing a Terrakat spreader at that show.”
“Meanwhile, I have been working on some added features to include scales, removable beaters, and GPS-ready variable rate flow control to name a few,” he said.
Besides being a dairyman and this new business venture, Foster owns another business called Cash Cow Enterprise LLC where he has reclaimed and salvaged used metal buildings for the last 12 years.
Foster is still working on website design for Terrakat LLC, a promotional video, establishing a nationwide dealer network, designing feature enhancements, and “my next product- line rollout, and another trip to Turkey to work on designs and other products with my manufacturer.”
Foster graduated Uniontown High School in 1998, Fort Scott Community College in 2000, and Kansas State University with a degree in animal science and a degree in agricultural communications
He is involved in his community through Farm Bureau, 4-H, FFA, Bourbon County Fair Board, and Dairy Farmers of America.
Foster is the only employee at this time for Terrakat LLC, but expansion will require employees in the future, he said.
“Overall, I believe my new company will be successful because I am modeling it after my successful business of Cash Cow Enterprise LLC,” he said. ” I have learned that I don’t sell anything that I don’t use myself. I work on slim margins to make the best deal and to remain competitive. I take pride in feeling like I am helping farmers and ranchers like myself by providing a good quality alternative at a lower price than the competition.”
As part of the 16th Annual Forks & Corks, A Taste of Fort Scott, the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces there will be a Salsa Contest. Restaurants, caterers and individuals are welcome to enter. Entry in the contest only takes 2 quarts of your homemade salsa. One quart will be used for the tasting, and the other quart will be included in the auction. Event attendees will vote on their favorite and an award will be presented at the end of the evening, although it is not required to attend the event to enter salsa in the contest. To enter, bring 2 quarts of salsa to the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce (include name and contact info.), 231 E. Wall St., by Friday, November 1st.
The Forks & Corks event will take place Saturday, November 2, 2019 with the food & beverage tasting from 6:30 to 9pm, and a DJ/Dance by The Hull Experience following until 11pm. The theme this year is “Viva Fort Scott”, Las Vegas style. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door including a souvenir wine glass and all the tasting attendees can endure. Fourteen local restaurants and caterers are registered as food vendors. Standard Beverage will provide tasting of the latest in beers, wines and liqueurs and non-alcoholic beverages will be available as well. There will also be silent and live auctions, special raffles, a 50/50 drawing, and The Selfie Bar photo booth to capture memories of the evening. Donations are also welcome for the auctions to promote your business or organization.
Food vendors registered to have a booth for tasting include Bronson Locker, Butcher Block, Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, For Goodness Cakes, G & W Foods, Holmtown Pub, Kinede’s Cakes, La Hacienda, Luther’s BBQ, Mason’s Belltown BBQ, Nate’s Place, Papa Don’s Pizza, Perry’s Pork Rinds, and Sharky’s Pub & Grub. Attendees will also vote on the People’s Choice award to be included in the awards presenation’s that evening along with the Best Presentation award, and the Taster’s Choice award which is the committee favorite.
Contact the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce with any questions or to purchase tickets. Tickets may also be purchased online at fortscott.com.
The Chamber Coffee for Thursday, October 31, 2019 will be hosted by the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation Grants. The Chamber Coffee will be held at the Landmark National Bank, 200 S. Main St. Fort Scott, KS.
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation’s mission is to help our donors establish long-term charitable funds, using the most tax-advanced methods, to benefit their causes and our community.
The Chamber opens the floor and encourages members to make an announcement about their business, organization, or the community of upcoming events by donating $1.00.
If you are not a member but would like to explore and experience the community support that is developed at the weekly Chamber Coffee, you are welcome to come and talk to our Executive Director Lindsay Madison for more information. We offer member pricing from just Community supporters to Executive Business Owners and Organizations!
TOPEKA – The Cold Weather Rule, designed to help Kansans who are behind on their utility payments avoid disconnection during the winter months, will begin on November 1 and remain in effect through March 31.
The Kansas Corporation Commission, the agency that regulates public utilities in the state, encourages Kansans who are past-due on their utility bills and at risk for disconnection to prepare for the colder weather by contacting their utility company to make the necessary payment arrangements.
The Cold Weather Rule was first enacted by the Commission in 1983 to prevent utility companies from disconnecting a customer’s natural gas or electric service during periods of extreme cold. Utility companies are prohibited from disconnecting a customer’s service when temperatures are forecast to be at or below 35 degrees within the following 48 hour period.
The Cold Weather Rule also requires utility companies to offer a 12-month payment plan to allow consumers to maintain or re-establish service. Any residential customer with a past due balance will qualify for payment arrangements; however, it is the customer’s responsibility to contact their gas or electric company to make those arrangements.
Payment plan terms to maintain or restore service require that customers agree to pay 1/12th of the total amount owed, 1/12th of the current bill, the full amount of any disconnection or reconnection fee, plus any applicable deposit to the utility. The remaining balance must be paid in equal payments over the next 11 months, in addition to the current monthly bill.
The Cold Weather Rule applies only to residential customers of electric and natural gas utility companies under the KCC’s jurisdiction. More information about the Cold Weather Rule is available on the Commission’s website (http://www.kcc.ks.gov/consumer-information/cold-weather-rule). Kansans may also contact their local utility company or the KCC’s Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at (800) 662-0027.
