tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39475039014017286512024-03-05T23:21:45.094-08:00A shingle on Main StreetProfiles of businesses making it work in small town America.Katherine Nessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833091227314674794noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947503901401728651.post-33270848069115069362013-07-09T11:12:00.002-07:002013-07-09T11:22:10.717-07:00Quality Record Pressings (Salina, Kansas)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5giSRF4QI0eaNwgeI5cBPftITdoWSUXZ396LaZ4vRVrvyn4LwfSSz-4dLHaN02qGQv-HJNlZqq_QhDX9hS5Tr-JifSBOZhsxG3v2IYiT1qRnUDgaj4Pc6tGxfXhyxzCYiny8kF7PsiwZC/s1600/130705_QualityRecordPressings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5giSRF4QI0eaNwgeI5cBPftITdoWSUXZ396LaZ4vRVrvyn4LwfSSz-4dLHaN02qGQv-HJNlZqq_QhDX9hS5Tr-JifSBOZhsxG3v2IYiT1qRnUDgaj4Pc6tGxfXhyxzCYiny8kF7PsiwZC/s320/130705_QualityRecordPressings.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a cluttered office, Chad Kassem,
owner of <a href="http://www.qualityrecordpressings.com/">Quality Record
Pressings</a> (and <a href="http://store.acousticsounds.com/">Acoustic Sounds</a>,
<a href="http://www.analogueproductions.com/index.cfm">Analogue Productions</a>
and several other vinyl-related businesses), said to me, “Sit here,” pointing
to his own chair. As I watched him load one of his reissues of a <a href="http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/80111/Shelby_Lynne-Just_A_Little_Lovin-200_Gram_Vinyl_Record">Shelby
Lynne</a> record onto the player he commanded, “No, face the speakers.” As the
music began, I instinctively glanced around for Shelby Lynne herself – her
voice was so clear and immediate. I likened the experience to the first time I
put on glasses. “I didn’t know you were supposed to see this well!” I exclaimed
to my mother. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At home, we play old records. By
“old,” I mean the type you pick up at a garage sale or thrift store. I enjoy
the round, mellow sound of vinyl but I never imagined how much of the sound I
was missing. Analogue Productions has reissued many old favorites from the <a href="http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/78318/The_Doors-LA_Woman-45_RPM_Vinyl_Record">Doors</a>
to <a href="http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/64372/Nat_King_Cole-After_Midnight-45_RPM_Vinyl_Record">Nat
“King” Cole</a> to <a href="http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/84860/Elvis_Presley-24_Karat_Hits-Hybrid_Stereo_SACD">Elvis
Presley</a>, and even some relative newbies like <a href="http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/81826/Norah_Jones-Come_Away_With_Me-200_Gram_Vinyl_Record">Norah
Jones</a>. Chad started Quality Record Pressings because his small company,
Analogue Productions was dropping to the back of the line at record pressing
companies as records have become a popular way to release albums at large
record labels. For a vinyl-o-phile like Chad, the only option for pressing his
own records was to make the best pressings possible. They now not only press
their own reissues and the artists they produce, they also press records for
almost every major label out there. They have been featured on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Okv7RG6wa7M">NPR</a>
and in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/10/arts/music/vinyl-records-are-making-a-comeback.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">New
York Times</a> with awed confusion. What is the best record pressing company
doing in rural Kansas?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is what I call historical
accident. There is no reason that the company is here except that it is where
Chad moved in 1984 from Lafayette, Louisiana. He did not move to start a
business, or for some spectacular incentive package, but, “to get sober.” He
started buying and reselling records. As he expanded he moved from his
apartment, to a house, to a commercial space. Then he started adding more
businesses to his portfolio. He reissued vinyl albums. Then he produced his own
artists, such as legends like <a href="http://www.aporecords.com/artist_details.cfm?artist_ID=3505">Honeyboy
Edwards</a> and <a href="http://www.aporecords.com/artist_details.cfm?artist_ID=2728">Weepin’
Willie</a> as well as young blues artists like <a href="http://www.aporecords.com/artist_details.cfm?artist_ID=4235">Noah
Wotherspoon</a> and <a href="http://www.aporecords.com/artist_details.cfm?artist_ID=16807">Marquise
Knox</a> in his <a href="http://www.blueheavenstudios.com/">Blue Heaven Studios</a>,
a renovated church down the road from Chad’s offices. His most recent addition
has been Quality Record Pressings (QRP).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“You can say it’s in the middle of
nowhere or you can say it’s in the middle of everywhere.” Chad said about
Salina Kansas. Perhaps that was his pitch to Gary Salstrom (pictured above
inspecting a master after the initial bath). Gary left <a href="http://www.recordtech.com/">RTI</a> in Southern California to join Kassem
and manage QRP. He takes the master through the plating process to produce the
stampers. The stampers are then used in the room next door to stamp the records
using vintage record presses (new record presses have not been produced since
the early 1980s). The presses have been re-engineered and include electronic
sensors to gauge temperature so that the operator now has even higher quality
control of the record. The records are tested for quality and the ones that do
not meet the exacting standards are recycled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chad brought in Gary to manage the
plant but the people who operate the machines are not specially trained in
record making. Many have backgrounds in HVAC systems and are comfortable with
the types of operations that record machines perform. The re-engineering of the
machines was also done locally. The innovation happening “in the middle of
everywhere,” is a combination of Chad’s vision, Gary’s expertise and about 50
employees who were able to adapt to a “new” product. Would it be possible for
this company to exist anywhere?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Probably not. Chad is committed to Salina
because of his employees and his daughter. He likes the quality of the
workforce and the quality of the schools. Though he speaks longingly of
Southern Louisiana, he seems disinclined to move his family and employees down
there despite its well-established blues music industry. “You meet a child here
and they are very educated and very smart and very well spoken, you know….This
is a good place to raise children, I think….The schools are better. It’s a big
plus.” When I look at a company like Chad’s suite of businesses and listen to
his story, I see the future of rural America. It is not a call center or an auto plant or a
distribution center that will save Small Town, USA. It is the guy out of rehab
that has a passion for records.</span></div>
<br />Katherine Nessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833091227314674794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947503901401728651.post-18324553660003482872013-04-16T08:18:00.000-07:002013-04-16T08:26:47.601-07:00Slattery Vintage Estates (Nehawka, Nebraska)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vra2tsD4bpTUAPVYar2UhhinkRd3oeMUS65PkUn9nHymgmV5uoI3cl7PXMGT8rOZUxX2gQR_J5nBEQKUE4hcq3LaEVFZKfSOnIVJ-cgPlPGQ3VyBqlLoYdF6jOuauvxWimtKm9eQ9IO8/s1600/130412_SlatteryVintageEstates.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vra2tsD4bpTUAPVYar2UhhinkRd3oeMUS65PkUn9nHymgmV5uoI3cl7PXMGT8rOZUxX2gQR_J5nBEQKUE4hcq3LaEVFZKfSOnIVJ-cgPlPGQ3VyBqlLoYdF6jOuauvxWimtKm9eQ9IO8/s320/130412_SlatteryVintageEstates.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
One stop on the <a href="http://www.visitthevalley.org/">Scenic
Weeping Water Valley Trail</a> is <a href="http://www.svevineyards.com/">Slattery
Vintage Estates</a>. At the end of a rolling road in rural Cass County, the
vineyard and tasting room is a Saturday night dinner date, a weekend retreat,
or an afternoon tasting the best of Nebraska. It is hard to pin down exactly
what it is because it is continually evolving but you can bet it is a good
time. </div>
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Barb and Mike Slattery bought the land when they retired and
planted the vineyard. They both came from families with farming roots and
fondly hoped to be able to retire on a little plot of land in the country.
Initially, they planned a bed and breakfast in the vineyard setting. Then they
opened a tasting room and restaurant. They added live music on Saturday nights.
Their most recent addition is four “bungalows” that are somewhere between a
tent and an antique bedroom. Soon, they will even be bottling some of their own
wine.</div>
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The wine industry has come a long way since the 1976
“Judgement of Paris” when California wines – Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in the
red category and Chateau Montelena in the white category – won over French
wines at the <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947719,00.html">Paris
Wine Tasting</a>. Since then, new world wines – those from the US, Latin
America and Australia – have come to dominate the wine market. This is driven
in part by an increase in wine consumption in the US.** As wine consumption has
increased so have the number of vineyards and wine makers. In 2012, 41 states
reported taxable production to the Alcohol and Tabacco Tax and Trade Bureau and
a total of 651.1 million gallons of still and sparkling wine was bottled.* Almost
any state that could call itself an “agricultural” state now has a wine
industry. I attribute this to the growing interest in local foods.</div>
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A part of the local food movement is an interest in where
and how your food is grown. Farms that participate in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-supported_agriculture">community
supported agriculture</a> programs often encourage their members to come out
and watch the cucumbers grow. When we lived in Illinois, we were members of <a href="http://www.triplesfarms.com/">Triple S Farms</a> in Stewardson, Illinois.
They have an annual “visit the farm day” and send monthly emails to members
detailing what they have in stock and what is happening with the cows, pigs and
chickens out on the prairie. Grapes are considerably more picturesque than
pigs, even naturally raised pigs, so when you visit a vineyard, you might want
to hang around a little longer.</div>
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That is what the Slatterys are hoping for. In their tasting
room, they focus on Nebraska made wines and are eager to explain the nuances of
grape growing in Nebraska. They have learned their technique from the foremost
grape growers in Nebraska, Dr. Paul Read and Steve Gamet, who currently head
the <a href="http://agronomy.unl.edu/viticulture">viticulture program</a> at
the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Dr. Read and Mr. Gamet have been
instrumental in developing, testing and promoting grape varieties that grow
well in Nebraska. The Slatterys and other vineyards have benefited from this
research. They are members of the <a href="http://www.nebraskawines.com/">Nebraska
Winery and Grape Growers Association</a> and are active in the annual winery
and grape growing conference held each year to support wine makers and growers
of the Northern hybrid grapes. </div>
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“I’m proud of Nebraska wines now. At first it was touch and
go. But now!” Barb said. “People that come in and say, ‘oh, Nebraska wines,’
I’ll say, ‘I’ll challenge you. I’ll show you some that you will like. Even if
you’re from California or Washington, we can find some that you’ll like.’”
Perhaps it is time for a Judgment of California.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
* Kurtzleben, Danielle. “U.S. Beer
and Wine-Making Growth Spikes.” US News and World Report August 9, 2012. (<a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/09/us-beer-and-wine-making-growth-spikes">http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/09/us-beer-and-wine-making-growth-spikes</a>)</div>
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** Monthly Statistical Release –
Wine. January 2012 through December 2012. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade
Bureau (<a href="http://www.ttb.gov/wine/wine-stats.shtml">http://www.ttb.gov/wine/wine-stats.shtml</a>).
The states that did not report taxable production are Alaska, Mississippi,
Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, Wyoming.</div>
Katherine Nessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833091227314674794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947503901401728651.post-48096405798368864332013-03-26T14:31:00.002-07:002013-03-26T14:32:26.724-07:00Custom Wood Products (St. Marys, Kansas)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtMReZVVkpCRz9jfA8jcQvinKLl1EB8_vl_PBm6RswlR_NPRSgBqijS3WcGYGpUbCnbbe0i8O1Sj4jBaQVPECm5eYYPoPyH256fMKXBWjOhRY5n4uOVZoAWve6GtFIrkhswCMITMIe4i2/s1600/130325_CustomWoodProducts2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtMReZVVkpCRz9jfA8jcQvinKLl1EB8_vl_PBm6RswlR_NPRSgBqijS3WcGYGpUbCnbbe0i8O1Sj4jBaQVPECm5eYYPoPyH256fMKXBWjOhRY5n4uOVZoAWve6GtFIrkhswCMITMIe4i2/s320/130325_CustomWoodProducts2.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Can I take pictures?” I always ask before touring a
manufacturing facility. To me, pictures are a representation of the industrial
aesthetic that I admire and an embodiment of the creative process at work (and
I mean, “creative” in the literal sense!). However, pictures may give away
trade secrets to competitors – the secrets of the trade that are NOT in the
air, to paraphrase <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Marshall">Alfred
Marshall</a>. When I asked Kevin Gray, CEO of <a href="http://www.cwponline.com/">Custom Wood Products</a> if I could take
pictures during the tour of his 100,000 square foot cabinet making facility, he
readily agreed. Then he paused and qualified it, “There’s some things that I
would like for my competition not to see…I’ll let you know.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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At about 135 employees, Custom Wood Products is one of the
largest employers in St. Marys. There are complementary businesses in the area,
such as the <a href="http://www.onyxcollection.com/">Onyx Collection</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">,</span> from which Custom Wood Products sources some
counter tops. But other suppliers are located in the upper Midwest, the
Northwest and other parts of the country. Those firms, in turn, source wood
from all over the country. The finished cabinets are delivered across the
central plains, Florida, Texas, and Arizona with the possibility of expansion
to the West Coast soon. The secrets learned by employees at Custom Wood
Products may be in the air in St. Marys but there are not many other places
that they can be put to use without going pretty far away.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was fascinated to learn that the secrets Kevin referred to
are not in the fabrication of the cabinets. The machines – industrial table
saws that will not cut your hand when you run your fingers through the moving
blade, enormous tools that can make tens of feet of French dovetail joints in
minutes, devices that detect flaws in the wood and maximize each board for the
day’s projects – are available to any cabinet maker. The secrets are in the organization
of the shop floor and the process of moving projects through from unloading the
lumber to loading the delivery truck. The specialized format allows the company
to focus on the crafting of the product instead of moving it around the shop
(because 100,000 square feet is a lot of shop to move around!). The secrets are
also in the employees who still do some of the process by hand. All of the
cabinets are custom. The designers’ imaginations may not have limits but the
machines do. Special pieces are crafted by hand and the cabinets are finished by
individuals applying a particular combination of finishes or distressing techniques
to the doors for an antique, lived-in feel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In an agglomeration economy, the trade secrets are
supposedly are no longer secrets at all, but common knowledge among the skilled
labor pool. Often when economic developers discuss agglomeration, they are
talking about many firms in one industry <a href="http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/">NAICS</a> code. But agglomeration,
in the sense that Alfred Marshall speaks of it, is a group of complimentary
firms. This is especially apparent in rural areas where the market and the
labor force will not support multiple firms engaged in creating similar
products. Custom Wood Products was started in 1981 by Don Lake, a local home
builder. The construction industry (though it has taken a hit in recent years,
consistent with the rest of the country) still employs close to 2,500 people in
the Manhattan metropolitan area (St. Marys is on the edge).* In addition, there
are firms like the Onyx Collection that have commercial relationships. Custom
Wood Products is located in an industrial park-like area on the edge of St.
Marys. The businesses there may not have formal relationships but all benefit
from the public goods, such as the easy truck access, that St. Marys provides. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the shop, most employees are from around St. Marys but
some travel for almost an hour for work every day, a commute that rivals that
of many urban workers.. They come in with unfinished wood and, each doing his
or her piece of the process, create kitchen cabinets, home entertainment
cabinets, bathrooms, and other storage areas. They are the true creative class.
They literally create.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
* County Business Patterns 2010. Construction industry
includes the establishments in NAICS codes 236, 237, and 238.</div>
Katherine Nessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833091227314674794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947503901401728651.post-15821026095892888122013-03-21T10:38:00.001-07:002013-03-26T14:32:39.801-07:00Make It In America Challenge<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]-->I find manufacturing of all types to be inspirational. I get
a kick out of seeing things being made and witnessing the results of innovative
thinking. I feel patriotic when I see the “Made in USA” slogans. That said,
I am enough of an economist to understand that trade makes us stronger and to
believe in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_advantage">comparative
advantage</a>. If China manufacturing iPhones allows people in the US to make
more of other stuff, I think that is a good idea. However, if the product is
not being made in the US simply because of bureaucratic obstacles or because of
other entry barriers (remember, free entry and exit is a primary tenant of Adam
Smith’s free market), we should remedy it.<br />
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I was excited to learn about a new grant opportunity from
the <a href="http://www.eda.gov/">Economic Development Administration</a>. The <a href="http://manufacturing.gov/make_it_in_america.html">Make It In America Challenge</a>
is an initiative that pulls together the Economic Development Administration,
the <a href="http://www.nist.gov/mep/">National Institute of Standards and
Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership</a> and the Department of
Labor’s <a href="http://www.doleta.gov/">Employment and Training Administration</a>.
Through the challenge, these agencies will be awarding up to $40 million to
states, local governments, and other entities to implement projects that will
help companies expand jobs, train workers, upgrade business resources and develop
municipal infrastructure. All things that will lower the entry cost for new firms
and help existing businesses be successful in America, the beautiful.</div>
Katherine Nessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833091227314674794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947503901401728651.post-24162469118703474272013-02-27T07:00:00.000-08:002013-03-26T14:33:20.346-07:00Box Lab (Manhattan, Kansas)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8FlfAnh19SohzkJw8LC5mVkvX2grqgqReZbcgBo0QgtKdZNzq1p6AT4fy-YlnY1VGVd8Qhiieau0vHlPHY0CSZffwATBMfp18712MPSU13N6PbxjxtwHg6df2yX96F4c6zd-zoulnMab/s1600/130227_BoxLab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Box Lab image" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8FlfAnh19SohzkJw8LC5mVkvX2grqgqReZbcgBo0QgtKdZNzq1p6AT4fy-YlnY1VGVd8Qhiieau0vHlPHY0CSZffwATBMfp18712MPSU13N6PbxjxtwHg6df2yX96F4c6zd-zoulnMab/s400/130227_BoxLab.JPG" title="Box Lab" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The blessing (or curse) of being an academic is that
whenever I am talking to a small business, business association or local
government about their activities, I am always comparing their practices with
economic development theory. When I went to visit Christopher Spaw at <a href="http://www.boxlab.org/">Box Lab</a> I was contemplating Adam Smith’s pin
factory and how businesses increase productivity. Smith’s basic thesis is that
the more stuff a community can make per person, the more prosperous the
community is and a community can accomplish this by specializing. Smith’s
famous example is the pin factory where, he says, one person can make one pin a
day if he is to do each of the steps himself. If 8 people work at it, each
focusing on a different step in making the pin (one person stretches the wire,
one person cuts the wire, another sharpens it, another adds the head, etc.)
they can make 1,000 pins a day. Specialization has increased to the degree that
it is not one person dedicated to stretching the wire but one company. Another
company cuts the wire and another assembles the pin. Within each of those
companies, people focus on even more specialized tasks. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then I walk in to Box Lab. Box Lab is part architectural
office, part contractor, part landlord, part retail shop, part building
material dealer; in short, the opposite of specialization. Christopher says it
evolved this way because he wanted to demonstrate possibilities. As an
architect, his design aesthetic evolved in a European context. He designed
summer homes for Norwegian clients, drew inspiration from European cities. But
he is a K-State grad and wanted to bring innovative modern design and cutting
edge materials to Kansas. And not the bustling, metropolitan Kansas City but
two hours west, in little ol’ Manhattan.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Box Lab began as a specialist, a modern architectural
office. Christopher designed buildings that were modern and environmentally
responsible. Then the client would have to find someone to build the building
and find a supplier of the innovative and technologically advanced materials such
as the <a href="http://www.quadlock.com/">Quad-Lock</a> insulated concrete
forms or the <a href="http://www.alpenhpp.com/">Alpen</a> windows. In the
middle of Kansas, that can be difficult. But Christopher located here because
he believed that Kansans should have access to the same forward thinking design
that is available in Europe or big US cities. Box Lab began building the
buildings themselves and became a distributor for many of the materials used in
the building. Now the client can get the building they want and get it at a
lower cost than if they order each component separately.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christopher said he wanted, “in a small-scale way to
showcase what can be done, what we are talking about.” He is not just talking about
a modern design aesthetic. He is talking about creating buildings that are
environmentally responsible, have lower utility bills, resist fire and natural
disasters. People come to Box Lab for many reasons. Opening the storefront on
Poyntz Avenue (the main business district in Manhattan) and expanding their
product lines is another way to reach people. They may come into the store for the
<a href="http://www.luceplan.com/Site/index.php?intLangID=1">Luceplan</a> light
fixtures or the <a href="http://www.vola.com/">Vola</a> faucets. The store
captures their imagination about what is possible in their home. Sometimes it
leads to a remodeling project or addition. Other times it leads to ooh-ing and
ahh-ing over the jewelry by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.512130462132563.126224.166093130069633&type=1">Susan
Richter-O’Connell</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How does a place like Box Lab fit into the quest for higher
productivity? They do not specialize in a product but they do specialize in an
idea. They demonstrate that my house does not have to be a sieve for warm air.
I can protect my home and family from disaster. Our house can be designed for
the ebb and flow of contemporary family life. Without the vision, without the
research in and access to pioneering design that Box Lab provides, I may never
know what is possible. “If you can show people other options, then they say,
‘yes, I get it.’” Christopher said.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When my family was in town last month, we
visited Box Lab because my mother-in-law wanted to get some of the <a href="http://www.habausa.com/">Haba</a> toys for her (almost 9!) grandchildren.
My parents, in the middle of a kitchen remodel were ogling the <a href="http://www.mieleusa.com/">Miele</a> appliances. Having downsized his tool
collection, my brother-in-law was captivated by the <a href="http://festoolusa.com/">Festool</a> line of tools, and contemplated
immediately rebuilding. My daughter, though 3, wanted to hold the <a href="https://www.iittala.com/">Iittala</a> glassware (and I followed her
around repeating, “Look with your eyes, please.”) Box Lab began as an architectural
office and became a curator of modern life. </span></span>Katherine Nessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833091227314674794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947503901401728651.post-27538876837573185382013-01-31T07:48:00.000-08:002013-01-31T07:48:30.622-08:00A New Beginning<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I was living in Boston and told my friends and
colleagues that I was moving to Minneapolis, they stared at me like I was
crazy. “Why would you ever go so far away from everything? What could possibly
be in Minneapolis that would be worth moving for?” they were thinking. When I
moved from Minneapolis to Champaign in Central Illinois, it was understandable.
“She is moving for school. Is there any other reason to move to such a remote
location?” And now I have moved to a city half the size of Champaign:
Manhattan, Kansas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the US, 71 percent of people live in urbanized areas.* Most
of them cannot conceive of why the other 29 percent do not live in cities. But
that 29 percent are doing a lot of creative, forward-thinking things. Of course
most of the domestic food supply is grown and harvested by them. But there are
many other enterprises out here. With this blog I aim to highlight the
start-ups, the small businesses, and companies that populate these less
populated places.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope this blog will help acquaint both you and I with the
reasons they located here, the issues they face, and the activity that takes
place out here. As a new Kansan resident, I plan to begin with businesses in
this state and gradually expand the reach of the blog. If you know of an
interesting business out here on the prairie, tweet me @katenesse. I would love
to hear about them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">* 2010 Census Summary File 1, table
P2. An urbanized area is any incorporated city, town or village with at least
50,000 people.</span></div>
Katherine Nessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833091227314674794noreply@blogger.com0