Although Tricia Wilson and her husband, Brandon, didn’t expect to start their own business, they slowly moved from side-projects to creating Icon Structures.  Tricia shares their journey of humble beginnings to statewide success with Don and Ebony.  On this episode we discuss:

• Starting in the basement and growing to 80 employees
• Having well defined roles
• Success is about the people around you
• The value of relationships as the business began
• Receiving the Wichita Chamber Small Business award
• Facing an uncertain future during the pandemic
• Merging with another construction company
• Being solution makers
• What entrepreneurship looks like at the family dinner table

Learn more about Icon Structures:

https://www.icon-structures.com

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Icon Structures, Inc. is a general contracting firm providing complete construction services to fit the needs of each individual client, large or small. From new construction to remodels and general building maintenance, Icon strives to build allegiance by exceeding expectations.

With experience in all major industries, Icon is accomplished in providing every aspect of a client's unique vision from concept to completion.

Over the years, many Wichita, Kansas building owners, property managers and architects have given Icon the chance to prove our expertise. Their positive experience on previous projects has led them to work with Icon time after time, structure after structure.

Icon's ultimate goal is to raise the bar for integrity and quality in the local construction industry.

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This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

Andrew Gough has shaken up with coffee scene in Wichita with Reverie Coffee Roasters.  He shares with Don and Ebony his perspective on empowering and supporting employees and the community.  On this episode we discuss:

• Expanding to a new location in Newton
• Pivoting to areas with growth
• Getting and supporting employees for your business
• The creation of a “daydream”
• Inspiring others to do their best work
• Creating opportunities for the local community to bloom
• The inspiration Andrew received from his mother and father

Learn more about Reverie Coffee Roasters:

https://www.reverieroasters.com/

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Andrew Gough started Reverie Coffee Roasters in 2013 while working as an educator in the financial services industry. His curiosity for continued learning drove him to start a specialty coffee business. In just a few years, Reverie grew from a small coffee roaster-retailer concept into an award-winning Midwestern coffee institution.

Reverie's desire to revitalize the community it serves has created increased demand for specialty coffee in Wichita. In 2018, the business relocated its flagship location into a new permanent home across the street from the historic East High School. Simultaneously, Founders Bakery was created to fulfill the food service and catering operations for the cafes.

Reverie established Principal Coffee Equipment Solutions, a full-service coffee equipment maintenance and repair company, to keep coffee and water flowing in its own café and many other customers in the region.

Today, Andrew leads a team of 17 coffee professionals determined make the coffee industry a viable career option though sustainable business practices and shared vision. In his extra time, he works directly with leaders at the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) to develop curriculum to make better coffee business owners. At a local level, Andrew and the Reverie team are committed to improving childhood literacy by directing their giving and volunteer efforts to causes making Wichita the future Literacy Capital of America.

Other Resources:

Reverie Coffee Roasters Finds Revenue by Opening Kitchen to Startups (article)
Midwest Living’s 2021 Best of the Midwest Winners (article)
WCF, KMUW and Local Coffee Shops Partner to Encourage Voting (article)

Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail [email protected].

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

Vicki Bond has always been ready to pick up the phone.  From growing and selling her own business to starting a new non-profit while attending Leadership Wichita, she shares with Don and Ebony how she has been inspired to lift up the community with the Raise My Head Foundation.  On this episode we discuss:

• Stating in the local healthcare industry
• Building a business from the basement
• How the phone just kept ringing
• Selling her business and looking for an opportunity to give back to the community
• Leadership Wichita and a call-to-action
• The power of the river running through Wichita
• Loving your local community

Learn more about the Raise My Head Foundation:

https://raisemyhead.org/

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​Vicki knew early that mission work was needed in her life.  She became passionate about finding something that made a difference. In 2016, she founded Raise My Head Founation, a 2-year residential program for women who have survived lives of prostitution, trafficking and addiction.  The first residents entered a beautiful residential home in 2017.  Since then, Raise My Head Foundation has grown from an idea to a solid opportunity and solution for women who have identified a need to transition from lives of sex-trafficking and abuse into a more healthy lifestyle. 

Vicki has served on the Board of Trustees for Southwestern College.  She has served as a member of the Center for Economic and Business Development at WSU.  She was an honoree of the Wichita Women in Business awards in 2014 and a member of Leadership Wichita Class of 2016. Vicki speaks frequently proclaiming love as the most powerful force for change in the world.  Vicki has most recently presented on topics of human trafficking to the Dole Institute for Politics  at the University of Kansas and brings her message to various churches and small groups throughout Wichita and the surrounding area.

Other Resources:

Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail [email protected].

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

The first episode of 2022 starts with a bang as incoming Chamber Chair Damon Young joins the program.  He shares his perspectives on leadership and entrepreneurship in Wichita with Don and Ebony and unveils the guest for the upcoming Chair’s Lunch at Intrust Bank Arena on February 9th. On this episode we discuss:

• How a social entrepreneur supports other businesses
• Getting a business to find their voice
• Not re-creating the wheel
• Local resources available to help businesses get started
• How faith is infused with his vision and leadership
• The challenge of unchecked hate in our culture
• Creating a common goal and a shared vision
• Announcing the Chair’s Lunch guest speaker
• Why it’s hard to hate up close
• How a business is like soup

Learn more about Damon Young:

https://www.maydaygroup.net/damon-young

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Damon Young is a proud member of the Kansas Business Community with a passion for the intersection between community development and economic development. He is on the Board of Directors of the Wichita and Kansas Chambers of Commerce and other industry specific boards.

As a speaker, Damon’s diverse background of collegiate debate, Christian ministry, and business leadership inform a unique perspective that he brings to MayDay as he speaks and writes on topics that impact individuals, businesses, and community organizations. Expect Damon to offer unique insight and ‘challenge the room’ as he shares with your team or organization. 

As a consultant, Damon leverages over 20 years of business leadership to enhance his client’s personal and business development and organizational development strategies. 

He has a degree in organizational management and leadership from Friends University. Damon is happily married and has 5 children ranging from Elementary School to College age.

Other Resources:

Conversations Are a First Step Toward Trust and Transformation (article)

After Workforce Crisis, Roofer Becomes 2nd Chances Inc. (article)

Wichita Construction Company Known for Building in Wichita Wants to Help Build Employees’ Lives, Too (article)

Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail [email protected].

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

As we take a short break to prepare for the new year, we thought it would be a good time to bring back one of our favorite episodes from the first year of the Wichita Chamber Business Accelerator.  We hope that you find inspiration from Mary Billings’ story as you make resolutions for your own business.  See you all in 2022! Cheers!

Beginning as a passion side-project, Mary Billings came to a crossroads with her party company, Love of Character.  Faced with uncertainty, she left the safety and security of a corporate job to pursue growing her own business full time. Join hosts Don and Ebony as they explore the origin success story of this Chief Fun Officer.  On this episode we discuss:

• Where the business name came from
• The invitation to expand into Bradley Fair
• The corporate background at Koch Industries
• Standing out from the competition by providing unique touches
• Jumping head-first and leaving the full-time job to run her business
• The business spark on a flight back from Florida
• Growing through a pandemic
• The supportive local community
• Always being kind to others
• The challenges of maintaining a work / life balance as a business owner

Learn more about Love of Character:

www.loveofcharacter.com

3200 East Douglas Avenue

Wichita, KS 67208

316-351-5527

2142 N Rock Rd

Wichita, Kansas 67206

316-352-7266

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Love of Character is a paper goods & party supplies shop based in Kansas. In the shop you can find creative work by Mary, her team, and some of her favorite finds perfect for gift giving and parties. “For the Love of Character” blog started in 2013 as Mary and her husband, Dustin, started working on home improvements in their old house. The name came from their love of character when searching for the "perfect" house to start their life together. It was the little touches such as the staircase, crown molding and woodwork that sold them on it. Sharing ideas on decorating, party throwing, and gifts, Mary realized she wanted to help others add some character to their lives. Mary reached out to her fabulous Aunt Mary to get the business going who passed away in 2018. 

There are currently two Love of Character locations, one in College Hill, one in Bradley Fair; they also do a lot of business on our website across the country. The College Hill shop will be 5 years old this summer. Their balloon business started as an addition to events but has grown to be one of their biggest categories. They have expanded their product selection over the years - when they first opened, they focused on paper goods & party supplies, they now have expanded into more items for baby, toys, home accessories and gifts.

Other Resources:

Love of Character Blog

Good Day Kansas Feature (video)

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail [email protected].

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

It’s a milestone today as we hit 50 episodes!  Danielle Johnson, Executive Director of the Wichita Habitat for Humanity joins Don and Ebony to share her experiences with the Leadership Wichita program and how it has impacted her perspective on the community.  On this episode we discuss:

• Getting through to Danielle’s people
• The role of Habitat for Humanity providing affordable housing
• Working at Wichita State in the office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Having tough conversations with other leaders
• How to listen to others when we are “hyperpolarized”
• Looking behind the scenes of our community before offering commentary
• Getting connected with other leaders she might never interact with normally
• Putting tangible goals in front of yourself
• The impact of being mentored by Ann Fox

Learn more about Habitat for Humanity:

https://wichitahabitat.org/

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Danielle Johnson is a Wichitan through and through. She prides herself on being an affordable housing advocate, conversation catalyst, inclusion and diversity educator, community mobilizer, and super volunteer. Danielle was educated in USD 259 and continued her education at WSU earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public administration. Danielle has served on a number boards to currently include Community Operations Recovery Empowerment (CORE), Rise Up for Youth, and HealthCore Community Clinic. She and her husband Brandon Johnson are the proud parents of three children ages 16, 8, and 2. Danielle has extensive nonprofit and community engagement experience. She most recently worked with WSU as assistant director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Ultimately, what drives Danielle is her passion for our community as a whole without ever forgetting that community is made up of individuals coming together.

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Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail [email protected].

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

Half of the guests on the podcast have mentioned her and now we get to hear directly from the legend, Christina Long.  Don and Ebony explore with her how CML Collective and the Create Campaign have lifted other minority-owned businesses in the community.  On this episode we discuss:

• Starting out in journalism through the Wichita Eagle, covering the ethnic and minority communities
• Small beginnings with a t-shirt company and evolving
• Becoming a creator and not just a consumer
• A time of homecoming
• The critical need to create a flow of capital and mentoring for minority-owned businesses
• The risk of missing the opportunity we currently have
• “I am because we are”
• Having birthday resolutions
• A rising tide lifts all boats
• What she learned from a red rubber ball

Learn more about CML Collective:

https://www.cmlcollective.com/

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Proudly located in the heart of Wichita, Kansas in the e2e Incubator/Accelerator, CML Collective is an award-winning company that takes projects from conceptualization to completion at highly-competitive rates. Their company executes using a streamlined service delivery model that keeps us nimble, responsive and able to provide excellent services at maximum value for their clients. They also prioritize maintaining a supply chain, vendor base and partner network that is nearly 100 percent Wichita-based.

Christina Long is an entrepreneur and community-builder who is passionate about diversity, inclusion and economic development through entrepreneurship. Long is a native of Wichita, Kansas; Wichita State University graduate and owner of CML Collective, LLC, an inclusive communication and design firm. She is also the Founding President/CEO of Create Campaign, Inc., a tax-exempt nonprofit she established to help urban entrepreneurs in Kansas to launch, innovate and grow. 

Long leads the Wichita Urban E-Community, has served on the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and is an author of her debut book, “For the Greater Success.” Her numerous honors include being named among 50 Kansans Who You Should Know by Ingram’s Magazine; earning the Chamber’s Exceptional Young Leader Award; receiving a Wichita Business Journal Leaders in Diversity Award and being named the Kansas Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Minority and Women Business Development. Long is married to Jonathan and the couple has three brilliant children, Amarah, Malcolm and Jordyn.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail [email protected].

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

When it opened, The Monarch was not necessarily in the best location in Delano, but owner Jen Ray trusted her intuition and has been able to thrive over 9 years in business.  She shares her challenges through the COVID pandemic with Don and Ebony and her perspective on the local business community.  On this episode we discuss:

• Jen realizing she needed to do something else than she was doing
• A costly tax mistake
• How the Delano area has developed around her
• Creeping out of the status quo to stand apart
• Watching people try to navigate the roundabout
• Having no Plan B
• How the small business community has supported The Monarch
• Getting employees back after the COVID shutdown
• The impact of the new baseball stadium
• How local leaders Ben Hutton and Damon Young inspire her

Learn more about The Monarch:

https://monarchwichita.com/

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The Monarch has been proudly serving Wichita since 2012. They are dedicated to providing every customer with one-of-a-kind service, from beginning to end of every dining experience. In addition, they have a variety of food items to satisfy every taste. Also, they boast a vast selection of bourbon, whiskey, scotch, and other tasty spirits.

They guarantee you’ll find something you love at our restaurant. Come experience who we are and what they have to offer at The Monarch.

Other Resources:

Monarch Owner Experiences Success, Stress and Lots of Lessons (article)

The Monarch Owner Talks About Six Years of Success in Delano (article)

Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail [email protected].

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

We are so excited to have the new Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Rolfe join the podcast to share his vision for what the Chamber does for our community.  Don and Ebony get inside his vision for supporting businesses in the region.  On this episode we discuss:

• Native son of Wichita
• How the Chamber impacts the quality of life in the community
• Being an advocate for local businesses
• What “Pride in Place” means
• Maintaining civility in contentious times
• Moving forward at rocket speed
• Who inspires John Rolfe
• What makes Wichita unique
• His love of “old school” music
• Always looking for people to hire that are smarter than you
• Living a balanced life

Learn more about the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce:

https://www.wichitachamber.org

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John Rolfe is the President and CEO of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce.  Prior to joining the Chamber, he served as the Chief Business Officer at the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC), where he directed all business operations, business development and community outreach efforts. Before joining KLC, John served as Chief Operating Officer for Houston First Corporation, Houston, TX and was the CEO and President of Go Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau.  He has also served as Deputy Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce and in other economic development and marketing positions. 

John is a graduate of Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, holding a bachelor’s degree in business administration.  He continues to be involved in various boards and civic organizations which focus on education, youth, travel & tourism, the arts and leadership. 

John is married to Felicia, an Anchor at KWCH 12 and they have two daughters. He enjoys sports, working out, traveling, dining out and spending time with his family.

Other Resources:

Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail [email protected].

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net

Troy Houtman was always supposed to be an accountant, but he found a passion for growing communities through Parks and Recreation.  He shares with Don and Ebony how the Leadership Wichita program challenged him in new ways and gave him a network of support across the city.  On this episode we discuss:

• Why Troy got started in Parks and Recreation
• How the 2016 Leadership Wichita class is the best
• Non-profits helping people falling through the gaps
• Wichita getting a “pickle-plex”
• Adding Cultural Arts to his responsibilities
• The four (4) legs of a great city
• The similarities between Wichita and a kitchen appliance
• The untapped potential of Wichita
• The impact his first boss had on Troy and how he cared for his employees and community

Learn more about Wichita Parks and Recreation:

https://www.wichita.gov/ParkandRec/Pages/default.aspx

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Troy Houtman is the City of Wichita Park & Recreation Director and started in November of 2014. Troy brings over 30 years of experience to the job with previous working locations at the City of San Antonio and the City of Austin. His background includes working in many areas of Parks and Recreation to include aquatics, youth and adult sports, golf, park maintenance, CIP projects, and general recreation programming. Specifically, the depth of his experience involves development of partnerships, contract development, park development, budget management and employee development.

Several mentors have had a huge impact on Troy’s management style and desire to become a Parks & Recreation Director. These influences have shaped his vision of public service and the passion for delivering quality service to the community to include arts and cultural activities. It is his belief that local government is the most important tool for creating and providing a high quality of life for its citizens. The function of the Park and Recreation Department is to enhance these opportunities and further develop pride in the community. The Park and Recreation Department is the most important department for outreach and cooperation with Wichita residents in order to achieve their vision of what the community should be and what programs should be offered.

His goals include more exposure for the department, more partnerships, more interaction with the community, more programs offered, upgrades to parks and park amenities. All of these contribute toward the departmental goal of enhancing the quality of life in Wichita.

Other Resources:

Join the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce!

This podcast is brought to you by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and is powered by Evergy.  To send feedback on this show and/or send suggestions for future guests or topics please e-mail [email protected].

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.  For more information visit ictpod.net