Local gardeners and sellers of food will soon have a chance to meet and begin partnerships.
On Thursday, May 3 there will be a ” Buy and Eat-Meet and Greet” event hosted byThe Healthy Bourbon County Action Team and Live Local BB.
It will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall, 1 East First.
The purpose of this meeting is to introduce buyers and sellers of food and start a directory to benefit both, according to Jody Hoener, chair of The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team.
Consumers, retailers, restaurants, businesses, and food service providers can have access to locally grown food, and also strengthen the communities local food system and economy, Hoener said.
The meeting is open to the public and is free.
Specifically, the following are listed by Hoener as people who might benefit from the “Buy and Eat-Meet and Greet,” Hoener said.
A food service director, chef, restaurant owner or other professional willing to learn/ share expertise with peers and implement best practices to buy and use local foods.
A local grower interested in selling to restaurants, institutions, food retail and other producers.
A caterer or restaurant owner, to showcase a food item from a menu item, which includes locally produced food in its ingredients.
An insurance provider willing to provide information to help protect our local farmers and producers to sell and buy local produce.
About the meet and greet hosts:
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team has a vision of a community where people feel safe, earn a living wage, find healthy food, have access to sidewalks, ride safe bike routes and have opportunities for recreation, among other opportunities.
Live Local BB is a group of locally owned businesses that want to bring awareness to the importance of buying locally in the community where we live.
City State Bank, downtown Fort Scott is slated for a remodel.An artist’s depiction of the future facade of City State Bank, following the remodel.
City State Bank is remodeling its downtown branch at 202 Scott Ave.
“The building was built in 1957,” John Hill, bank president said.”We are sticking with mid-century design.”
The canopy over the drive-in window will be replaced and a new ATM island will be installed in the drive-through, Hill said.
“It will be wider for easier access for automobile traffic,” he said.
This canopy will be replaced and the drive-through made wider, in addition, the ATM will be more accessible.
The remodel includes a new metal fascia system, new fabric awning, new wrap around awning, new stone entrance, new stone veneer and wall in the front of the building. Additionally, there will be a new sign.
Fifty-percent of drive-through transactions occur at the downtown branch, Hill said.
From 1957 to 2001, the downtown branch was the main facility.
Then a new facility was built at 1012 Hwy. 69, just south of Walmart.
“We’ve been here 18 years,” Hill said from his office at the Hwy. 69 address.
Work on the remodel will begin within 90 days and construction will take about 90 days.
“It should be completed by September 30,” he said.
JOB FAIR TO BE HELD TUESDAY, APRIL 24TH IN FORT SCOTT
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Job Fair on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton St.
Fort Scott employers currently registered to attend include Briggs, City of Fort Scott, Firstsource Solutions, Medicalodges, Mercy Hospital, Niece Products, Peerless Products, Presbyterian Village, Russell Stovers Chocolates of Iola, Southeast Kansas Mental Health, Timken, Tri-Valley Developmental Services and WK Holdings (Ward/Kraft, Inc. and Fort Scott Munitions). KANSASWORKS will have a booth on employer and job seeker resources and Fort Scott Community College Phi Theta Kappa will be offering soft skills tips on interviewing, resume writing, and more.
Positions employers will be hiring for are include those shown below:
Briggs of Fort Scott: Full-time Sales, Full-time Service Techs, Full-time Service Advisors, and Full-time Sales Managers
City of Fort Scott: Police Officer and Seasonal Park Laborer
Firstsource Solutions: Full-time Claims Examiners and Full-time Call Center Representatives
Mercy Hospital: Clinical and non-clinical positions including Food Service staff and Nurses
Niece Products: Skilled Mechanics, Welders, and Painters
Peerless Products, Inc.: Full and Part-time Process and Production Engineer, Project Manager, Assembly 1st Shift, Press or Saw Operator 2nd Shift, and Part-time Mechanical and Plastic Engineer
Russell Stovers Chocolates, Iola (all full-time): Utility Operator, Material Handler, General Mechanic, Electronics Technician, Service Workers, Lead, Production Supervisor, Plant Scheduler, and Training Coordinator
Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center: Full-time Adult Case Manager (Bourbon County), Full-time Chemical Abuse Counselor (Neosho County), Part-time Children’s Aides for after-school and summer program
Timken SMO, LLC: Maintenance Technician off-shift
Tri-Valley Developmental Services: Full and Part-time Residential Service Specialist
WK Holding Co., Inc.: Ward/Kraft Production Operators, Sales Reps for both Ward/Kraft and Fort Scott Munitions, Shipping Clerk for Fort Scott Munitions
Job seekers are encouraged to dress for success, bring copies of a resume, and be prepared to connect with employers. Attendees may enter a drawing for a door prize of $50 in Chamber Bucks that may be used at over 50 Chamber member businesses. Contact the Chamber for more information on having an employer booth at 620-223-3566 or email [email protected].
John LeBeouf converses with Amanda Bourassa during the weekly Chamber of Commerce coffee Thursday morning. In the background is Bailey Lyons and Penne Moore. All three women are agents for Stutesman’s Action Realty, who hosted the event. In addition, Scott Tice is also an agent in the Fort Scott branch office.
Stutesman’s Action Realty was the host for the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee Thursday.
The event took place at the real estate office at 119 S. Main, Ste. A, just north of city hall.
Bourassa told the attendees its real estate agents provide professional services that include not only signing contracts but help with the loan services and the negotiation process.
“The Fort Scott businesses work together to make Fort Scott a better place to work and live,” Bourassa said.
Bourassa can be contacted at 417-684-5681.
Lindsay Madison, executive director of Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce videos the weekly coffee drawing that the hosts provide.
Amy Heitman, a welder at Niece Equipment LLC Kansas, 3904 Liberty Bell Road in Fort Scott’s Industrial Park.
Amy Heitman never imagined she’d grow up to be a welder.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” she told the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee attendees. “I took a welding course in high school, I grew to have a passion for it.”
Heitman started researching why there weren’t more women welders and found only two percent of welders are women, she said.
“In the war (World War II) women stepped in to do jobs,” she said. “When men came back, women were pushed back. In manufacturing now, it’s predicted there is a shortage of 400,000.”
Rosie the Riveter, an American iconic poster, featured during World War II.
“I’m a welder and I weigh 107 pounds,” Heitman said. And “I’m building water tanks.”
“We are still building this world, if we don’t have welders and manufacturers, where does that leave America? ”
“I’m encouraging people to step up to non-traditional spots,” she said. “I want to help women know they can step up.”
Heitman welds and fabricates the metal pieces in water tanks that the Niece Equipment builds, she said in a later interview.
“I do some of the internal plumbing on the piping,” she said.
The facility she works in is climate controlled: fans in the summer and heat in the winter.
Heitman said there are 40 employees at Niece and of those, approximately nine are welders.
The salary range for the welding positions range from $15 to $19 per hours, she said.
Heitman, 25, and husband, Josh Heitman moved to Fort Scott from Austin, Texas in January 2018.
She worked for Niece Equipment in Austin and was recruited to Fort Scott.
They have two children, Gabriel and Ayden. Because it was in the middle of the school year, Ayden stayed behind in Austin with his grandmother temporarily. Ayden has autism.
“Because of his autism, I didn’t want to bring him yet, into something completely new…it would throw him off,” Heitman said.
Her first impression of Fort Scott: “I was enchanted,” she said.
“This is the kind of place I want to raise my kids,” she said.
“There is not a ton of things to do like in Austin, but so many things the whole community gets involved in. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Heitman got connected with Fort Scott Community College and together they are working on a plan to talk to high school students that tour the school, she said.
She is going to try to solve the issue of getting more people into non-traditional careers where they are needed.
Amy Heitman speaks to the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee attendees Thursday morning at Fort Scott Community College’s Arnold Arena. City Manager Dave Martin listens in the background.
Bailey Lyons is a new agent with Stutesman’s Action Real Estate Agency in downtown Fort Scott. She can be reached at 620-224-7795.
Bailey Lyons and husband, Nate have been restoring or “flipping” houses, in addition to property management in their business Lyons and Lyons, LLC.
“Nate and I will soon have a downtown location,” she said. “We have been immersed in real estate in Fort Scott.”
That exposure to the real estate market in her community led to her next career move: real estate agent for Stutesman’s Action Realty.
Stutesman’s Action Realty in Fort Scott is located at 119 S. Main.
Lyons started with Stutesman’s Action Realty the end of March when she received her Kansas real estate license. She will receive her Missouri license in a few weeks, she said.
Lyons earned a bachelor of science in financial accounting from Kansas University and will graduate in May with a master’s in business administration from KU.
She has a background in banking which she feels will enable her to help a client with the “financial side of things,” she said.
“A lot of people renting don’t realize they can purchase a home and build equity,” Lyons said. “There are a lot of financing options available. USDA loans are zero money down payment, FHA is 3.5 percent down. There are options other than conventional formats. Military vets have a VA loan option with zero dollars down.”
She would be glad to do a buyer’s or seller’s consultation, she said.
In addition, Lyons can offer suggestions on how to make a home more aesthetically appealing to sell it, she said.
She can help young home buyers view homes they want to update, and offer suggestions, with a “starter home or a forever home,” she said.
Lyons can be reached at 620-224-7795.
Courtesy photo.
Seller’s Market
It’s a seller’s market currently in Fort Scott, Lyons said.
“Inventory is low, there are more buyers than sellers which is good for negotiations,” Amanda Bourassa, the broker/associate at the Stutesman Real Estate Agency said in agreement.
“The median home price in Fort Scott is $90,000, with most of our buyers in the $100,000 to $150,000 range,” Bourassa said.
Economic Development and real estate will always go hand in hand,” Lyons said. “Some jobs require residency within the county.”
“Within the last year or two, things have taken off economically in Fort Scott,” Bourassa said.
Relocation packets and tours of the community are offered through the real estate agency.
Lyons is active in the community
Lyons is the Young Professional League President this year, on the Visioning Committee for the City of Fort Scott, member of PEO, and recipient of the 2016 Young Professional of the Year.
In the recent past, she and husband Nate led fundraising for the public skatepark, she is a Lead Bourbon County graduate and was the chairperson for Relay For Life for three years.
She and Nate have four children Addison, 16, Jaxon and Jhett, 4, and Lute, four-months-old.
In their business Lyons and Lyons LLC, Bailey does the design work and Nate does the labor.
“I think there is a gap in market homes, those that are move-in ready for clientele. We are trying to fill in that gap. We do structural work: electric, plumbing and aesthetic stuff,” she said.
Fort Scott Broadcasting Company, Inc., owns and operates KOMB-FM and KMDO-AM Radio Stations in Fort Scott, KS. Owners of the company, Tim & Deb McKenney, have a long family history in the broadcast business. Pictured is Tim McKenney speaking at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Weekly Coffee this morning.
KOMB Radio will be hosting the Fort Scott Home Show starting tomorrow from 5 to 8 p.m. at Arnold Arena on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.
Approximately 60 vendors will be available to tell about their products and services, along with thousands of dollars of prizes and giveaways, Tim McKenney, owner of the radio station said.
McKenney stated the annual event is a collaboration between the radio station, the college, and the City of Fort Scott.
Jude Ward and Harold Kraft had a vision in 1972 of opening a company that would allow people a chance to grow financially and career-wise.
Mr. Ward and Mr. Kraft started up a printing company that would not only outperform the competition but would help create more opportunities for people who wanted a career and not just a job. Now over 45 years later, that “legacy” continues as Ward Kraft still stands at the top of the list when it comes to employers in Fort Scott, Kansas.
Ward Kraft employs 340 people.
That thirty-five percent of their current workforce has been employed at the company for ten years or more shows that Ward Kraft is a place that a person can call a career and not just a job.
What started out as a forms company in the early seventies has evolved into a company that specializes in forms, labels, plastics, and specialty products; working out of three divisions at their campus in Fort Scott.
Competitive wages (with wages ranging from $10.40 to $22.00 depending on the work area and skill level), good benefits, stability, advancement opportunities, and a good working environment are a just a few of the reasons the employees at WK have made the company their working home for so many years.
Dee Covey, who has been with the company for over 12 years says, “I have been blessed to have an awesome job. I work with great people who believe in teamwork and a boss who is very understanding and always listens to me”.
When asked about Ward Kraft and the longevity of their members, President of Manufacturing Phil Quick (a 28-year member) said, “I feel we keep good members at WK because of the work environment, and family atmosphere. Our managers and members care about doing the right thing for the customer, and the team. Attitude and effort are the main ingredients for being successful at WK.”
During the company’s annual Christmas dinner, service awards were handed out to members that were celebrating 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service.
Five-year service awards, pictured (from left to right) Richard Racer, Ashley Farmer, JoAnn Dugan, Chris Thurston, Jay VanBuskirk, Cindy Schroeder, Brad Matkin, Daniel Gauthier, and Wayne Racy
Celebrating 5 years: JoAnn Dugan, Ashley Farmer, Daniel Gauthier, Bryan Hughes, Brad Matkin, Mike Pyle, Richard Racer, Wayne Racy, Cindy Schroeder, Scott Smith, Chris Thurston, and Jay VanBuskirk.
Ten-year service awards pictured (from left to right) Reva Dent and Roberta Anderson.
Celebrating 10 years: Roberta Anderson, Ryan Kraft, Thom McCreedy, and Reva Dent
Fifteen-year service awards: pictured (from left to right) Ben Morrell, Matt McClellan, Dana Ruhl, Bob Piotrowski, Jeanette Sisseck, Lisa Hull, Steve Williams
Celebrating 15 years: Ken Ash, Lisa Hull, Matt McClellan, Ben Morrell, Bob Piotrowski, Dana Ruhl, Jeanette Sisseck, Joshua Smith, Steve Williams, and Teresa Zimmerman.
Twenty- year service awards –pictured (from left to right) Michelle Heaton, David Budd, Twila Milburn, Sara Griffith, Carey Mooney, and Randy Thurston.
Celebrating 20 years: David Budd, Sara Griffith, Michelle Heaton, Twila Milburn, Carey Mooney, and Randy Thurston
Twenty-five-year service awards (from left to right) Bill Meech, Billy Cowan, and Steve Denton
Celebrating 25 years: Billy Cowen, Steve Denton, Billy Hill, Bill Meech, and David Zimmerman
Thirty-year service awards pictured (from left to right) Melinda Collins, Raymond Mauck, and Jesse Crum.
Celebrating 30 years: Mark Christy, Melinda Collins, Jesse Crum, Ray Mauck, and Joy Wiltse
Thirty-five-year service awards pictured from left: Dennis Harper, Danny Harper, and Gary Bosley.
Celebrating 35 years Gary Bosley, Danny Harper, Dennis Harper, and Roger Kraft
Forty-year-service award, pictured is Patty Gauthier.
Celebrating 40 years: Patty Gauthier and Jerry Parsons
2017 Retirees – (from left to right) Danny Harper and Jimmy Tucker
Celebrating the retirements of Jimmy Tucker (31 years of service), Danny Harper (35 years) and Joy Wiltse (30 years).
Ward Kraft, Inc. is part of the WK Holding Company which also includes local companies FS Munitions, KW Cattle Co., ReproLogix, 4 State Sanitation and Recycling, and Christian Learning Center.
Ward Kraft will hold a job fair on April 10th at the Empress Event Center, located at 7 North Main, from 10 am to 2 pm and will be looking for people who want to be part of their team.
Positions that are available are production members, sales personnel, and office staff to name a few. WK staff will be present to talk to prospective members about these opportunities and to answer any question you may have about the company.
Ward Kraft management believes the employees have made the last 45 plus years possible and successful and are still committed to hiring the “Person Not the Position”.
Helicopters will fly low to capture images of selected transmission lines, substations.
Topeka, Kan., April 5, 2018 – Westar Energy is inspecting power lines using specially equipped helicopters to fly along sections of the transmission system. The images captured will help identify areas that may need maintenance and create a more modern record of the
transmission system.
The flights provide a more precise and searchable visual record of the transmission system, which improves power grid efficiency and reliability.
Flights are planned through mid-April. Flights will generally be from two hours after dawn until two hours before sunset and may occur on the weekends. They will take place throughout the eastern Kansas area served by Westar Energy.
Two small helicopters will be used for the project: one yellow and white and one red.
Thomas Concrete Construction workers pour the footings for the Bartelsmeyer loft renovation Wednesday afternoon, in the alley behind the loft on north Main street. They will lay blocks on each side of the footings, then come back to pour the flooring, said foreman Luke Thomas.
