TOPEKA – The Department of Revenue is giving Kansas corporations more time to file returns due to the complexity of the 2017 Federal Tax Reform legislation.
Corporations filing Kansas tax returns will have an additional 30 days with no penalty, making the new deadline November 15. While the extension applies to filing corporate returns, it does not correspond to the deadline for corporate tax payments, which are required to be submitted on the 15th day of the fourth month following the end of the corporation’s tax year.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act significantly changed the landscape of tax law for corporations, and the extra time is designed to give corporate filers more time to ensure accuracy and compliance with the new law.
The extension applies to 2018 corporate income tax returns filed by November 15, or within an additional month for an extended 2018 corporate income tax return for corporations that file on a fiscal year basis.
From left: Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison, Aaron Watts, and Lindsey Watts, Bourbon County E-Community loan recipients, Bill Michaud, Geoff Southwell and Darcy Smith, Chamber members.
Aaron and Lindsey Watts, who own Smallville Crossfit, are the recipients of the first Bourbon County E-Community loan in the amount of $40,000.
The loan is a locally controlled loan fund for business entrepreneurs.
“What’s good about the loan is it’s working capital,” Lindsey Watts said. The Watts will be using the money for new equipment for the fitness business, and new services, she said.
Workers work on the air-conditioned room and rentable office space, which are very close to being finished, Lindsey Watts aid. Submitted photos.
Additionally, they are doing some updates to the new facility they purchased, the former Fort Scott Lumber, 1905 S. Judson.
New air conditioning, flooring, and heating will be part of the remodel of the former warehouse space, which they hope to have complete in November, she said.
The second workday at the new facility, shelves are being torn down in the middle room. Photos submitted by Lindsey Watts.
One of the new services offered at the new facility will be dance fitness, Watts said.
In addition, the Watts are working with Kansas Works to hire an intern in the future, Watts said.
Smallville Crossfit is currently located at 15 S. National and can be reached at 620.644.5124.
The Gordon Parks Celebration began its annual event, Oct. 3 with the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee.
Winners of the Gordon Parks annual photo contest were given their awards during the coffee.
First, second, and third place winners received cash prizes of $100, $75, and $50 respectively and all finalists received a set of prints of Gordon Parks photos.
There were five honorable mention awards given: “In Death Lies The Erosion of Truth.” by Alexis Michalski (La Cygne, KS ); “Finding Joy in your Friends.” by Alexis Marchiano (Fort Scott); “The Master and the Apprentice.” by Jezeriah Simpson (Fort Scott); “Escape.” by Lawson Hall (Fort Scott); and “Lots of Trust.” by Julia Allen (Fort Scott).
The contest was open to any non-professional photographer and was inspired by a quote by the Gordon Parks-directed film The Learning Tree.
“We received a lot of great entries this year and the judges were very impressed by the skill level of the photographers. It was very difficult for the judges to determine the winner with all of the great entries,” said museum director Kirk Sharp.
The photo exhibit is on display in the Lunt Lobby of the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College through October 14. The building is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Ashton Nolan, a student at Fort Scott Community College won first place with a photo entitled: Always Choose FamilyAshton Nolan, first place winning photo.Elli Milburn, Fort Scott High School student won second place with a photo entitled: No Quit.Elli Milburn’s second-place winning photograph.Ashton Nolan also received third place with her photo entitled: Cherish ChildhoodAshton Nolan’s third-place winning photograph.
The Merle Humphrey Photography sponsored the photo contest.
There were 65 entries in the contest that was themed: “My Learning Tree, Life Lessons Learned.” Judges for the contest were Kassie Feugate-Cate, Tammy Helm and Merl Humphrey.
Also on display were some of Park’s photos and poems and in addition a section of behind-the-scenes photos of the film “The Learning Tree”, which was filmed in Fort Scott in 1969.
Artists recognized for their entries to the Gordon Parks Photography Contest, from left: Lexi Marchiano honorable mention; Elli Milburn, second place; Ashton Nolan, first place; Lawson Hall, honorable mention and Julia Allen, honorable mention. Nolan is a Fort Scott Community College student, the other artists were from area high schools. Not pictured: Alexis Michalski and Jezeriah Simpson.From left: FSCC Development Administrative Assistant Tabitha Stultz and Gordon Parks Museum Executive Director Kirk Sharp, look over donated photos of the film “The Learning Tree” with Chamber coffee attendees Thursday morning.
Below are scenes from the morning coffee:
To view the events of this weekend’s celebration events, click below:
Fresenius Medical Care, 2526 S. Main, Fort Scott was the county’s only local dialysis center. It closed its doors on September 30, 2019.
Fresenius Medical Care, a kidney dialysis center, closed the Fort Scott center on September 30, 2019.
Patients have made arrangements to either drive to Pittsburg, 30 miles away, or Chanute, 50 miles away, to get this specialized treatment or do home dialysis.
Fresenius was renting the building from Phoenix Realty Management, Southbury, CT. Plans are indefinite for the building at this time. The building was built in 2014 and is over 7,000 square feet.
“We…own the property with Fresenius being our tenant,” said Mike Panek, President of Phoenix Realty Management. “We are just as disappointed as the community is to see this happen. As a commercial property owner, you never want to see a building go dark. At this time we will be working with Fresenius to see what their plans are for the site as there is a lease in place for that location. My ultimate hope is the building can be transformed into another viable community business in the near future.”
Fresenius spokespeople did not give a reason for closing the kidney health care facility.
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Film The Learning Tree
begins TOMORROW, October 3rd and continues through October 5th
at the
Gordon Parks Museum
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW
for special events at the
16th Annual Gordon Parks Celebration! Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Film The Learning Tree
Karole Graham, Stephen Perry and S. Pearl Sharp, cast members in The Learning Tree film by Gordon Parks, will receive “Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award” at the annual celebration this TOMORROW,
October 3rd, and continues through
October 5th, 2019 in Fort Scott, Kansas. The celebration is in honor of Fort Scott Native Gordon Parks, noted photographer, writer, musician, and filmmaker. This year’s celebration is a special one as we will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the
Gordon Parks-directed film The Learning Treethat was filmed in Fort Scott.
The celebration events will take place at the Gordon Parks Museum, located at the Danny and Willa Ellis Fine Arts Museum at Fort Scott Community College,
2018 S. Horton St., in Fort Scott.
There are 3 special events during the celebration that require ticket reservations:
“A Night of Jazz”
“Picnic at the Park”
“Celebration Tribute Dinner”
SEE THE FULL SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION FORM BELOW
(Tickets also available from the Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St.)
For a printable copy of the event schedule and the registration sheet, clickHERE
Luke Halsey, left, and Bryan Pitts are account executives for Key for Business, a new embellishment division of Key Industries.
Luke Halsey and Bryan Pitts are the new account executives for Key for Business, a newly created division of Key Industries, Inc.
The division was started this summer and has the ability to embroider or screen print clothing and other items.
“Key for Business is focused on working directly with businesses to provide quality workwear for the company and their employees,” Halsey said. ” We can provide work uniforms with the company logo on it, which, we do here in-house in our new embellishment center.”
The new embellishment machine produces a Fort Scott logo.
The advantage of being produced locally is the turn-around-time, Halsey said.
“We can do a project in a few days and (for a business) to send it off it would take about two weeks,” he said.
Pictured is a shirt and caps that Key For Business has produced.
The division employees have the ability to embellish almost all of Key Industry garment items with either direct-to-garment printing or embroidery services, he said.
Key for Business employee Bud Moore begins an embroidery project on the machine.
“We are offering company discount programs with no contract necessary, as we believe enough in our quality and services we won’t need to lock customers in,” Halsey said.
The company believes this feature will keep customers coming back, he said.
Although Halsey has been working at Key Industries for only a short time, Key has been in business for over 110 years and is known for making “The Nations Finest” workwear for the American worker. Halsey said.
The following is a list of what Key produces:
Regular workwear: work shorts, jeans/dungarees, work pants, T-shirts, polo shirts, and button-down work shirts.
The foyer of Key Industries displays some of the workwear the company is known for.
Outerwear: premium work coats/jackets, vests, sweatshirts, overalls/coveralls.
Specialty: High visibility items and fire-resistant apparel
Luke Halsey holds a high visibility sweatshirt that can be embellished to suit a client.
Anyone interested in being a part of this project/organization is welcome to attend.
Meeting will be held at
Fort Scott Washateria
501 S. National Ave.
Greetings!
My mother, Carol Oakleaf, and I have
opened the new laundromat, Fort Scott Washateria at 501 S. National. As part of our commitment to community service, we have organized a 501(c)3 association,
“Fort Scott Community Closet Association”,
to collect clothing donations and distribute clothing to those in need in our community.
We are uniquely qualified to host this endeavor as we are committing to provide a collection site at our laundromat, laundering of the clothing donated and have put in place a building from which to distribute the clothing.
The 2nd organizational meeting will
take place TONIGHT, October 1st, at 6pm
at the laundromat.
Please attend if you are interested in participating as a volunteer in this initiative.
We would love to have many more church and civic organizations involved.
Please feel free to call or text me at 620-215-1314.
The Chamber of Commerce hosts Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet at a different location for Downtown business owners or representatives, or anyone in the community with an interest in Downtown to attend and share thoughts and ideas related to Downtown, and to stay current on new happenings.
Employees of Diehl, Banwart and Bolton, CPA’s: front from left Donna Banwart CPA, Monica Mullins, Kelli Bryant, Karla Cox, Carol Hill CPA, Amanda Lancaster CPA, 2nd Row, Allison Ramsey, Grace Sweat, Tawny Pool, Kelly Burrows, Mark Bolton CPA, Jim Regan, 3rd Row, Randall Phillips CPA, Leon Chesnut, Vicky Mueller, Jamie Pollmeier, Matthew Keys, Daryl Eagon CPA, Jim Banwart Jr CPA, and Terry Sercer CPA. Submitted photo.
Not many businesses can claim to be still providing services in their community after 70 years.
But Diehl, Banwart, Bolton CPA’s PA has been serving southeast Kansas since 1949.
Through the years the certified public accountant firm has seen many changes in business, Jim Banwart Jr. said.
Banwart is a partner in the business.
John Diehl. Submitted photo.
When Jim, Sr. applied to work for John Diehl in 1963, “John was excited to show him their new copier—a dry paper copier, a great improvement over what had been available previously,” Banwart said.
Jim Banwart, Sr. Submitted photo.
“In 1966, the firm became the first accounting firm in Southeast Kansas to install what was in those days a room-sized, punch card computer to be able to offer computing services,” Banwart said.
“Larry Dixon was the first programmer at the firm, and in 1971, James Regan arrived to become the IT officer at the firm. He was joined by Don Casida, Allen Ward and numerous other programmers over the years,” he said.
“In 2000, the firm became one of the first accounting firms to post compilations to the web for client viewing. In 2017, we converted from our own inhouse general ledger software to a cloud-based software. The firm continues to stay on the cutting edge of technology,” Banwart said.
John Diehl Starts Is All
“In 1948, following his service as a United States Marine pilot in World War II, John E. Diehl came to Fort Scott to work for the Winchell Manufacturing Company, bringing with him his young wife, Ina Mae,” he said.
Diehl then opened an accounting office for Senderson, Little and LaChelle, a Kansas City firm.
In 1949, Diehl purchased the business and renamed it John E. Diehl and Company.
Maurice Fletcher joined the firm and it became Diehl and Fletcher.
“The company was located in several buildings in what is now the downtown historic district,” Banwart said. “In 1974, the shareholders purchased the Milrose Block at Wall and National where they continue today.”
In the fall of 1963, James L. Banwart joined Diehl and Fletcher. followed by Mark Bolton joining the firm in 1973. Jim Banwart Jr. joined in 1991, according to the firm’s website.
In 1976, the firm became Diehl, Banwart, Bolton, CPA’s.
“Mr. Diehl died in 2017 at age 99, having retired some years earlier,” Banwart said. “He was a much-involved member of the community and a much loved and respected employer and partner.”
Currently, there are nine Certified Public Accountants at the firm- Jim Banwart Sr, Mark Bolton, Randall Phillips, Daryl Eagon, Donna Banwart, Jim Banwart Jr, Terry Sercer, Carol Hill and Amanda Lancaster.
There are two IT people, Jim Regan and Tawny Pool.
“James Regan, the long-time information technology officer, joined the firm in 1971,” Banwart said.
In addition, there are ten more experienced accountants and a number of support staff, he said.
The business started in Fort Scott, then branched out to Pittsburg and Girard.
Services offered at the business:
-Business design and development
– Municipal and commercial auditing
– Preparation of monthly compilation reports
– Payroll processing
– Estate planning and estate tax services
– Income tax planning and income tax services
-Retirement and succession planning
– Software training and support
Future
“The future is bright,” Banwart said. “As talented young people stay and return to Southeast Kansas, Diehl Banwart Bolton will continue to support entrepreneurs in their business endeavors.”
The firm currently has business clients in virtually every state in the country, he said.
“Technology has made it possible to communicate and advise people regardless of where they are located and our expertise continues to help them succeed in their businesses,” he said.
Diehl Banwart Bolton CPA, 7 1/2 East Wall Street, Fort Scott, KS
Minority and women-owned businesses are important to the Kansas economy, said David Toland, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Because of this, the department is recognizing businesses across the state, with two from Bourbon County being honored.
“We greatly value the contributions these businesses and advocates provide to our state, from the jobs they create to the way they enrich communities and lives,” Toland said. “On behalf of Governor Kelly, the Department of Commerce and citizens across the state, thank you for keeping our economy strong and vibrant.”
Lindsey Watts, submitted photo.
Lindsey Watts will be honored as Young Enrepreneur by the department.
Watts and her husband own Smallville Crossfit Center in Fort Scott.
To qualify for the Young Entrepreneur, nominees must:
Must be under the age of 30
Must be a minority- or woman-owned business
Must be a small business located in Kansas
Must be in business for at least six months
Thaddeus and Kelly Perry, submitted photos.
Thaddeus and Kelly Perry, owners of Perry’s Pork Rinds, Bronson are honored in the Supplier/Distributor Firm category.
Criteria for this award is they must be a small business located in Kansas, must be a minority or woman women owned business and must be in business for at least one year.
“In the judging process we have a committee that rates the nominations we receive,” said Rhonda Harris, Director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, at the Ks. Dept. of Commerce. “The ratings are based on the impact the businesses have made in the community i.e. revenues brought to the community and jobs created. We also look at their growth and development, as well obstacles they have overcome. Their community involvement is also important in the judging process.”
The Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Minority and Women Business Development will host its 35th Annual Minority and Women Business Awards Luncheon at Capitol Plaza Hotel’s Emerald Ballroom in Topeka on October 10, 2019, with doors opening at 11:20 am.
The event will take place during Kansas Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week and will recognize 12 minority- and women-owned companies, three individuals and one corporation from across the state for their support and efforts to create new opportunities.
Registration for the luncheon is $45 per person or $360 for a table of eight.
This event is open to the public, but registration is required and must be submitted by October 1.
Please visit KansasCommerce.gov/MEDWeek to register or contact Rhonda Harris, Director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, at (785) 296-3425 or [email protected].
Companies being recognized include:
Women-Owned Businesses:
Construction Firm
CJ Industries, LLC
Kansas City, KS
Manufacturing Firm
Safely Delicious, LLC
Overland Park, KS
Professional Service Firm
Century Business Technologies, Inc.
Topeka, KS
Retail Firm
Monroe 816
Garnett, KS
Service Industry Firm
Rosewood Services
Great Bend, KS
Supplier Distributor Firm
Technology Group Solutions, LLC
Lenexa, KS
Minority-Owned Businesses:
Construction Firm
CJR Construction Group, LLC
Overland Park, KS
Kansas Leadership Center’s book “Your Leadership Edge: Lead Anytime, Anywhere.”, and the afternoon session includes a community guest speaker & tour related around the leadership topic of the month.
