FOR WICHITA’S YOUNG, DIVERSE AND TALENTED STATE OF URBAN MAGNATE VOL. 1 ISSUE 2. DECEMBER 2014 www.ictup.org “The issue is, how do we increase opportunies for people... How do we create a value that people want to be part of and, if we do those things, Hillside becomes a street you drive on. It doesn’t become a barrier. It doesn’t become a boundary.” WSU President, Dr. John Bardo talks innovaon and inclusion Urban Magnate explores the emerging opportunities for community advancement in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship
Transcript
FOR WICHITA’S YOUNG, DIVERSE AND TALENTED
STATE OFURBAN MAGNATE
VOL. 1 ISSUE 2. DECEMBER 2014 www.ictup.org
“The issue is, how do we increase opportuniti es for
people... How do we create a value that people want to
be part of and, if we do those things, Hillside becomes a
street you drive on. It doesn’t become a barrier. It doesn’t
become a boundary.”WSU President, Dr. John Bardotalks innovati on and inclusion
STATE OFSTATE OF
Urban Magnate explores the emerging opportunities for community advancement in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship
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“Life is the stuff that happens while you wait on moments that never come.”
This line from HBO’s critically-acclaimed drama, “The Wire,” has become one of my favorite explanations of life. This phrase also provides some context to the waiting that I feel could leave Wichita’s minority communities behind in light of all of the “stuff” happening in the city to gain ground in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.
What’s becoming clear is that Wichita is now placing its bet on Wichitans. The ability to create solutions to problems — some that don’t even exist yet — coupled with strong work ethic is emerging as a clear answer to the city’s long-standing desire to transform its potential into reality.
Wichita State University’s Innovation Campus, emerging initiatives to boost and scale up small businesses and technology’s growing importance through it all are helping to shift mind sets about the city’s new reality. The end-results of the efforts aim to connect people, ideas and opportunities in ways that make the region economically competitive and sharpen the skills of the city’s workforce.
The foundation that Wichita will stand upon for the next fi ve- to 20 years is being built right now.
Sadly, though, too many of us are unaware and uninvolved.
As you read this issue of Urban Magnate, ask yourself how you can take your interests and connect with the work happening in the city now.
We can’t afford to miss out on the stuff happening now because we’re waiting on some sort of moment that may never come such as a special invitation or the moment when lots of people who look like us hop aboard these moving efforts.
We might just have to show up and blaze the trail ourselves. We may have to grow comfortable in the discomfort that can accompany us as an “only.” But understand, in doing so, we’re also connecting with a broader community of like-minded people who are passionate about these efforts, as well.
I know this fi rst-hand. I attended an event where I was one of a handful of minorities and the only black male. Through this event, I was invited to Start-Up Wichita, an entrepreneurial initiative that aims to grow businesses from a variety of pitches made in one weekend. Again, I was the only black male and was outside of my comfort zone but I didn’t leave, nor did I hide. I actively participated and had a tremendously thought-provoking learning experience.
Life should be more than the defi nition above. The moments are here. Now, it’s time to seize control of these moments to help shape the way they affect our lives.Jonathan Long, PresidentWichita Urban Professionals
URBAN MAGNATE • 5
Wichita Urban Professionals (ICT-UP) exists to develop a network of rising leaders to improve the quality of life in the urban communiti es of Wichita. Urban Magnate is the premiere publicati on of Wichita Urban Professionals covering events and issues of interest to the city’s young, diverse and talented. This bi-monthly publicati on is available in electronic and hardcopy formats. CML Collecti ve, LLC oversees the editi ng, layout and design of this publicati on in partnership with ICT-UP.
Hardcopy editi ons are strategically distributed to ICT-UP members and city, civic and business organizati ons.
On the front cover: Wichita State University President, Dr. John Bardo. On Locati on: President’s Offi ce, WSUOn the back cover: Jonathan Long being photographed with Dr. Bardo. Photo credits: Jeff Tutt le Photography
IN THIS ISSUE:ON THE SCENE ICT-UP Lunch and Learn • 7
Urban Magnate launch • 8-9
Mural Series • 10
SPOTLIGHTCommunity Operations Empowerment
Recovery • 11
COVER STORY Collisions - WSU Talks Innovation• 13
Collisions - Technology • 16
Collisions - Entrepreneurship • 17
ICT UPCOMING EVENTUrban League Guild Mixer • 19
PARTNER FEATURESKansas Leadership Center • 21
SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Fundamental Fitness by Renaire Palmer • 22
PHOTO SPREAD • 24-27
PROFESSIONAL EVENTS LISTING • 28
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PUTTING LEADERSHIP IN CONTEXT
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Wichita Urban Professionals kicked off its Lunch and Learn series with “Hallmarks of a Good Leader” presented by Assistant County Manager, Ron Holt, at the Cox Lounge at Intrust Bank Arena. The event, sponsored by Cox Business, drew a wide-range of
parti cipants from across the city and included a behind-the-scenes tour of the arena.
Photos by Christi na M. Long
PUTTING LEADERSHIP IN CONTEXT
urban Magnate release partyWichita Urban Professionals took over the Penthouse at Mayfl ower Plaza to celebrate the
launch of Urban Magnate, the organizati on’s premiere publicati on. The magazine received overwhelmingly positi ve feedback from att endees, who enjoyed an upscale networking event set to the smooth sounds of musician Kevin Harrison in one of the city’s newest spaces. Photos by Photography by Michael E. Woods, LLC
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YOUNG ARTISTS ADD FLAIR TO DESIGN DISTRICT
AROUND TOWNURBAN MAGNATE • 10
Mural
locations
Josh Tripoli and Tom Murillo were given complete creati ve
control to bring earth, fi re, air and water to the Douglas Design District. In doing so, Tripoli and Murillo have shared their arti sti c gift s to the district – and Wichita – in the form of four murals.
“When I go to bigger citi es, key spots always have art on it or near it,” said Murillo, 23, who worked on the “Water” and “Earth” murals,
which were installed in March and October, respecti vely.
Tripoli, who is also 23, worked on the “Fire” and “Air” murals,
which were installed in June and September, respecti vely. He calls the project a blessing that comes at a ti me when other arti sts are also beauti fying Wichita with gift s of art. Tripoli, for example, points specifi cally to the North End Urban Arts Festi val, which took place in October, and the work of the ICT-Army of Arti sts as indicati ons of the growing interest in murals and public art throughout the city.
“I think this eff ort is a huge step showing what the young people of this generati on have to off er this city,” Tripoli said of his project.
Jennifer Comes, who wrote the grant that helped fund the project, celebrates this as a “local,
local, local eff ort.” “I’d like to think that people
really respect these works,” she said of the project, which the arti sts began working on in Fall 2013.
Murillo says the series helps further anchor the artsy vibe the district is known for.
“Starti ng from Oliver all the way to Washington, it kind of brings all of Douglas together; it redefi nes it,” he said.
Both arti sts say they’re pleased that the public has been so recepti ve to their work, and they look forward to future projects and to keep the momentum going.
“I’ve heard it has transformed people’s concepti ons of what can be done in Wichita on a public art level, and I think people haven’t really seen anything like this In Wichita,” Tripoli said. “I think we’ll see a lot more of it now that people know there’s no limit to what this community can do.”
“Air” by Tripoli at Douglas Photographic Imaging, 2300 E.
Douglas“Earth” by Murillo at Watermark
Books, 4701 E. Douglas“Fire” by Tripoli at Logan Street
Fine Wood Products, 1824 E. Douglas“Water” by Murillo at The Anchor,
1109 E. Douglas
Courtesy photos: “Air” by Josh Tripoli and (directly above) “Water” by Tom Murillo.
Tom Murillo, artist Josh Tripoli, artist
YOUNG ARTISTS ADD FLAIR TO DESIGN DISTRICT
Community Operati ons Recovery Empowerment
(C.O.R.E.) brought to Wichita the nati onal Rock the Vote eff ort earlier this fall. The event combined music with appearances by candidates and various groups including those for and against the formerly-proposed sales tax initi ati ve.
“What we really wanted to do was bring the att enti on to voti ng and show that your vote has power,” said Brandon J. Johnson,
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C.O.R.E.’s executi ve director, in an interview with Nubi People TV.
News sources reported November’s general electi on drew a turn-out of 51.1 percent.
“We plan to do this for every major electi on, even if it’s a City Council electi on, which is next year, we want to do a Rock the vote just to bring att enti on to it and to get people registered so they can go make their voice heard,” Johnson said.
For more informati on about C.O.R.E., visit
coreofwichita.org. To view the enti re
Nubi People TV interview, visit: htt p://bit.ly/1xKbA3V.
Courtesy Photo of Brandon J. Johnson, Executive Director,
C.O.R.E.
Photo Credit: Christina M. Long shot on location at McAdams Park
AROUND TOWN
C.O.R.E. ROCKS THE VOTEC.O.R.E. ROCKS THE VOTE
URBAN MAGNATE • 12
COLLISIONS are happening across the city, and they’re breaking open opportunities in the areas of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. A growing number of organizations are in plan, do, study, check mode and momentum is intensifying. Whether it’s Wichita State University’s push for an innovation campus, multiple efforts to wrap resources and supports around start-up and minority-owned businesses or the motivation to get more women and girls into coding and technology, activities are fl ourishing and organizers say now is the time for people to
jump in and take part.
STATE OF
A multi-story package
by CHRISTINA M. LONG
STATE OF
Across the street from some of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods lies the economic hope of the heartland.
Wichita State University is gearing up to lead the way in reviving a sluggish economy by creati ng a hub for innovati on. It’s a place where companies collide with classrooms; where students earn valuable experience and paychecks alongside their degrees; where maker spaces encourage entrepreneurial advancements and where research becomes products and services
funneled to the marketplace. “I think the community should
be there on the ground fl oor” of the planning, said WSU Professor of Psychology, Dr. Rhonda Lewis.
She says that WSU is making every eff ort to make sure the community
is included but, “I think the problem is, the community’s always the last to know.”
Photo Credit: Jeff Tuttle Photography
Wichita State University
To simultaneously bridge disconnects while achieving its Innovati on Campus goals, WSU is also laying infrastructure to boost campus diversity among minoriti es and internati onal students and creati ng entry points for the community to access campus technologies and resources.
Rather than focus on real or perceived barriers, WSU President Dr. John Bardo said, “The issue is, how do we increase opportuniti es for people? How do we create overall relati onships? How do we create a value that people want to be part of and, if we do those things, Hillside becomes a street you drive on. It doesn’t become a barrier. It doesn’t become a boundary.”
It’s not about buildings“People will think success is buildings,” said Dr.
John Tomblin, vice president for Research and Technology Transfer and executi ve director of the Nati onal Insti tute for Aviati on Research. “People
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will think success is student growth. But true success is making our graduates desired by the industry.”
In positi oning WSU as a major research insti tuti on and innovati on hub serving diverse students and the community in ways that have far-reaching economic impact, Bardo says his campus is simply becoming what it always was intended to be.
“I’ve never accepted Wichita State as a ‘commuter’ school,” Bardo said. “I’ve always accepted Wichita State as a major research university that didn’t have the right confi gurati on to achieve its mission.”
Bardo’s aggressive pace at transforming the way WSU achieves its mission takes cues from his background in sociology, urban studies and research-based recommendati ons from sources including the Brookings Insti tute. The results have led to new constructi on projects on campus including a remodeled Rhati gan Student Center, Shocker Hall, and planned constructi on of an experienti al engineering building; the fi rst building on the Innovati on Campus.
A Maker Space, planned for 17th Street, would also be accessible to the community regardless of whether or not a person att ends WSU. Bardo said the university is seeking grant funding to allow the space to be used for free by people who meet the same criteria of those who apply and are awarded with Pell Grants.
The buildings are an outgrowth of a mind shift that Tomblin says is “about us being a leader, an economic driver for the community. We can be the ti p of the sword, but we need the community behind this to embrace it.”
NetApp is among a growing number of tech-affi liated companies embracing the
opportuniti es by establishing collaborati ons with WSU in ways that support student learning.
Another indicator of success is the new resources and platf orms the university is making available to help faculty, staff and community innovators transform
their research into marketable products, said WSU Ventures’ Director, Dr. Cindy Claycomb,
“We’re challenging the status quo by doing things diff erently in ways that add value,” she said.
new realities and opportunitiesClaycomb, who has spent two decades at WSU,
says the campus has changed its focus in how it interacts with the community.
“I think we used to be more insular, like we were the campus and we didn’t really reach out,” she said. “And I think, now we’ve realized we’re part of this whole community… and we’re talking about being very inclusive in bringing the community into our campus.”
Likewise, Dr. Robert Weems, the university’s Willard W. Garvey Disti nguished Professor of Business History said he realizes there may be some historical perspecti ves which might explain any reluctance on the community’s part to engage. Sti ll, he encourages people to release the skepti cism otherwise, “you’ll block yourself off from new realiti es and opportuniti es.”
Dr. Marchè Fleming-Randle, Assistant Dean for the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, also encourages the community to get involved, att end events, follow Bardo’s updates, hold functi ons on campus and read the informati on the university puts out in newslett ers and through news channels.
“We’re about to become the next Yale, the next Harvard in the Midwest,” she said. “I want to be on the bandwagon.”
Courtesy photos (Page 13. Dr. Lewis; Page 14, Dr. Tomblin, Dr. Claycomb, Dr. Weems and Dr. Fleming-Randle)
I N F O B O XThe number and percentage of high school students, by race/ethnicity, in Wichita Public Schools who are
enrolled in selected Career and Tech Educati on Pathways. Data provided by the
Kansas State Department of Educati on.
2014Business Entrepreneurship and Management: 132 total
• African-American 20/15%• American Indian 4/3%• Asian 9/7%• Hispanic 42/32%• Multiracial 10/6%• Pacifi c Islander 2/2%• White 45/34%
Engineering and Applied Mathematics: 450 total
• African-American 84/19%• American Indian 8/2%• Asian 58/13%• Hispanic 89/20%• Multiracial 35/8%• Pacifi c Islander 1/.2%• White 175/39%
Programming and Software Development: 560 total
• African-American 66/12%• American Indian 11/8%• Asian 55/10%• Hispanic 106/19%• Multiracial 43/8%• Pacifi c Islander 1/.1%• White 278/50%
Stephen Khumbo Kawonga solves problems for a living.
The 35-year-old’s dramati c career change from banking to industrial engineering made him one of nine classifi ed “African-Americans” of 472 total students who graduated with an engineering degree from Wichita State University in the spring of 2014 semester. Upon graduati ng Cum Laude, Kawonga found immediate employment with Spirit Aerosystems; a well-known and reputable company in the Wichita area.
“I come home and a workday seems like it’s only two hours long; that’s how much fun I’m having,” said Kawonga, who now holds an even higher regard for Wichita and the possibiliti es it aff orded him.
“There are a lot of opportuniti es in Wichita if you’re serious about fi nding them, having the right atti tude and making the most out of them,” Kawonga said.
Kawonga’s buddy, Chikondi
Grey Kafaamveka, is on track to graduate next fall with an electrical engineering degree from WSU. He says it’s exciti ng that he’s studying at a ti me when plans are developing for the Innovati on Campus. Kafaamveka even had an opportunity to give feedback to his advisor and responded to an e-mail from Wichita State University President, John Bardo, who recently sought input on plans for the campus.
Kafaamveka says he’s parti cularly fond of the experienti al engineering building, which is set to break ground in a few months, and the lab spaces for engineers to “go in freely and just play with stuff , experiment with things and bounce ideas around with like-minded engineers from other disciplines.”
“It does feel real,” Kafaamveka said of the progress happening.
Kawonga and Kafaamveka say being in a fi eld that’s not overly-populated by minoriti es requires people to look at diversity in a diff erent context.
“It’s beyond the diversity of skin colors, more or less,” Kawonga said. “It’s the ability to work with others and welcome their ideas, views and perspecti ves. When you fi gure that part out and have a sound communicati on plan with everyone you work with, you break down barriers.”
BY CHRISTINA M. LONG
Courtesy Photo
women who code wichitawomen who code wichitawomen who code wichitawomen who code wichita
URBAN MAGNATE • 16
Britten Kuckelman, City Lead for Women Who Code Wichita. Photo by Christina M. Long.
A recent Women Who Code Wichita Panel held at Baseline Creative.
Courtesy Photo.
They speak in code.HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, Ruby and more languages help to solidify a
network of novices and experts grounded in an interest in technology. In doing so, Women Who Code Wichita has localized a nati onal movement to help ladies break through a historically male-dominated industry. The group, now in its sixth month, hosts a series of casual events to get like-minded people in the same room to talk and work through projects of various sizes and scopes.
“Since I started coding, so many doors have opened that I didn’t even know existed,” said Britt en Kuckelman, City Lead, for the local Women Who Code chapter.
Kuckelman said growing membership is among the group’s prioriti es but that events, including a panel discussion and several networking mixers, successfully drew a wide-range of parti cipants with various experience levels. Kuckelman also appreciates the insight that the local agency, Baseline Creati ve, is aff ording members by allowing them an opportunity to watch real-life website coding project s unfold.
The result is a safe space to learn at a ti me when Wichita’s tech industry is bubbling with acti vity. Kuckelman says the following examples just scratch the surface of what’s happening in Wichita around technology:
• Code schools, such as Ad Astra Academy at Butler Community College, are emerging
• The creati on of Startup Wichita Third Thursday’s where the city’s tech, business, design and other communiti es gather and network informally
• Initi ati ves from groups such as devICT, a soft ware development organizati on, which started work on the hub now known as startupwichita.com
• Mentoring eff orts such as A STEM’s, a program of Children First: CEO Kansas, Inc., which connects low-income girls with women in the areas of Aviati on, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
• And the existence of Maker Spaces such as, MakeICT where, as the organizati on says, “creators, craft ers, DIYers, and hobbyists assemble in a collaborati ve workspace to share tools, equipment, and knowledge, while socializing and connecti ng with others.”
“If you are brand-new to coding and even thinking about getti ng into it, joining a group is, I feel, necessary,” said Kuckelman. “You have to do it. It may be outside of your comfort zone, but taking the fi rst step out will be extremely useful.”
BY CHRISTINA M. LONG
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Growing kansasLeadership Entrepreneur Task Force
Members of the Wichita E-Community's Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, Fall 2014. Photo by Christi na M. Long.
Wichita business leaders are betti ng on
entrepreneurship to mount a strong defense in the fi ght against a sluggish economy.
“We’re casti ng this broad net in order to capture everybody,” said Gary Oborny, co-chair of the Leadership Council Entrepreneurship Task Force. The Task Force is one of several convened by the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce to help identi fy soluti ons to some of the city’s toughest challenges.
“We want to make sure that everybody has an opportunity in Wichita to be entrepreneurial,” he
said.The policies, programs and
funding (in the millions) being put forth are helping start-ups overcome the historical barriers of lacking capital, credit and, even, confi dence. Yet, organizers say there aren’t enough minority business owners, parti cularly African-Americans, involved or benefi ti ng from the eff orts.
Kyle Williams, a lifelong Wichitan, has been named by the task force as a liaison to the African-American community.
“I want to ensure that our communiti es see business ownership as a real career
opportunity, not as something unatt ainable,” Williams said.
Likewise, Keshia Ezerendu, a program director with the Kansas Leadership Center, has worked in collaborati on with the Small Business Administrati on’s Wichita District Offi ce on a minority business initi ati ve called ‘Growing Kansas.’
“As we become more of a diverse state, it’s going to be very important to not exclude those minority business owners,” said Ezerendu.
Momentum is just now building, Ezerendu said of her group’s eff orts. The group worked
BY CHRISTINA M. LONG BY CHRISTINA M. LONG
URBAN MAGNATE • 18
Contact Keshia Ezerendu for Growing Kansas, an initiative of
the Kansas Leadership Center and the Small Business Administration’s
Wichita District Offi ce. 316-712-4950
Kyle Williams with the Leadership Entrepreneurship Task Force
recommends people visit www.startupwichita.com to get
connected.
A number of Wichita-area and
state organizations offer resources to
entrepreneurs. Here are just a few:
Kansas Small Business Development Center, Wichita State UniversityWeb: www.wichita.edu/ksbdc. Phone: 316-978-3193
Network Kansas Web: www.networkkansas.com. Phone: 877-521-8600Kansas Business Center www.kansas.gov/businesscenter
Wichita Metro Chamber of CommerceWeb: www.wichitachamber.org. Phone: 316-265-7771
Wichita Hispanic Chamber of CommerceWeb: www.wichitahcc.com. Phone: 316-265-6334
Small Business Administrati on (SBA)Web: www.sba.gov/ks. Phone: 316-269-6616
The Wichita E-CommunityWeb: www.wichitaecommunity.com. Phone: 877-521-8600Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council
Web: www.rmmsdc.org/. SCORE
Web: www.score.org. Phone: 316-269-6273
I N F O B O X
diligently to identi fy concerned community members willing to invest ti me to help make changes. She says those who emerged set out to examine barriers and set prioriti es. They’ve spent ti me drilling deep, and have honed in on initi ati ng a minority business mentoring eff ort. The group also wants to help minority business owners become more comfortable seeking out existi ng resources to help stabilize their enterprises.
“We realize there are structures out there, but how do you connect with the group we’re trying to help and make those structures more welcoming to them?” Ezerendu says.
Meanwhile, the chamber’s entrepreneurship task force and its more than 12 liaisons are experiencing tremendous momentum because, as Oborny says, “We’re pushing as fast as we can.”
The task force and its liaisons’ successes keep coming and include: StartupWichita.com’s launch as a central connector and resource hub; task force liaison, Network Kansas and its Wichita
E-Community’s successful fi rst installment of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program and the task force fast-tracking the development of a downtown innovati on, business accelerator and co-working center in 2015 to help launch and grow businesses. These are just a few examples.
“If we fi nd that there’s a barrier,” Oborny said, “we’re going to work hard to bring them down.”
Recognizing that some fear exists when people consider the risk involved with launching a business, Oborny says, he hopes all of the eff orts that are happening now create an environment that allows for “the freedom to fail and rebound again, as long as people are learning.”
Through it all, both Ezerendu and Oborny want to tap more African-American business owners and organizati ons to help push the issue forward. The state’s economy depends on it, they say.
“We’ve got to get these groups in play,” Oborny says, “because you never know where you’re going to fi nd an entrepreneur.
“They’re everywhere.”
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URBAN MAGNATE • 21
LEADERSHIP TRAINING CONNECTSHispanic college students gain connection, support through leadership organization
By Erin Perry O’DonnellWriter, The Journal (Kansas Leadership Center)
In her biology classes at Emporia State University, Vilma Magana
is usually the only Hispanic person in the room. She used to feel
isolated by that. Then a friend invited her to a meeti ng of the campus’s Hispanic American Leadership Organizati on, or HALO. And just like that, Magana was welcomed
into a community.“It’s nice knowing there are
people like you who share the same upbringing,” says Magana, now a senior in pre-medicine. “It makes me feel more at home, like this is my campus, too. And we can make others feel the same way.”
That feeling of community is becoming ever more important on college campuses in Kansas and around the nati on as Hispanics enroll in record numbers at higher educati on insti tuti ons. Hispanics are, by leaps and bounds, the fastest-growing group of students att ending state universiti es in Kansas, jumping 67 percent over the past fi ve years.
But they sti ll represent just under 6 percent of all university students in Kansas, even though Hispanics accounted for about 13 percent of the state’s high school graduates in 2012.
Hispanic youth have historically lagged in college att endance and graduate at lower rates than whites. Such gaps loom large as Hispanics represent an ever-greater share of the state’s populati on. Groups such as HALO can play a key role in helping
move those numbers by providing a place of connecti on, support and involvement for the state’s growing ranks of Hispanics att ending universiti es and community colleges.
This past spring, Magana joined more than 40 HALO members from colleges around Kansas for a conference at the Kansas Leadership Center. Eleven Kansas colleges have chapters of the nati onal organizati on. A main purpose of HALO is to encourage Lati no youth to get a college educati on, but it also serves as a support system for Lati nos on campus, many of whom don’t have family or friends who have been to college.
Read the full story in the most recent issue of The Journal, published quarterly by the Kansas Leadership Center: htt p://klcjr.nl/halogrp
Uriel Marti nez, president of the Hispanic American Leadership Organizati on at Garden City Community College and Felipe Lopez, a Wichita State University student from Ulysses (pictured below) joined more than 40 other HALO members from colleges around Kansas for a conference at the Kansas Leadership Center earlier this year. Photos by Jeff Tutt le
LEADERSHIP TRAINING CONNECTS
URBAN MAGNATE • 22
Courtesy Photo
Feature story by Jonathan Long
URBAN MAGNATE • 23
Balance is easier to obtain when your core is strong
says Renaire Palmer. And he would know. Palmer, a Wichita nati ve, always had a love for physical training but, as a young college graduate, he was more focused on trying to make money. That focus led him to a medical soft ware sales positi on in Dallas, TX. When the company folded and he was without a job, Palmer heeded the advice of a relati ve and realized he had to develop new core values to fi nd the balance that he was looking for.
“I was training on the side at the ti me and I loved it, but I didn’t see a lot of money in it, so I wasn’t really thinking about it as a career,” Palmer said. “But I wasn’t really happy doing anything else and one day my God sister said, ‘Wouldn’t you rather be happy as opposed to just getti ng paychecks?’”
Shift ing from the paper chase to happiness, Palmer decided to become a full-ti me physical trainer and to open his own gym, Fundamental Fitness. While in Dallas, he saw that the fi tness industry was booming but felt that he lacked the personal relati onships and opportuniti es to compete as a start-up.
Palmer recognized those problems didn’t exist fi ve hours to the north.
“The market was open in Wichita. You know, things get here a litt le slower than in larger markets,” Palmer said. “I had the connecti ons and people always wanted to work out with me so it seemed like the best move. And things got started faster than I thought they would.”
In 2009, Palmer was training individuals outside at city parks and other open spaces. That exposure allowed him to conti nue using space at other gym locati ons in the city unti l he was able to fi nd his current 1,100 square ft . facility at 257 S. Hillside in March of 2010. With only a handful of clients to start, Palmer has become successful in growing his business by providing a family atmosphere.
“I sti ll don’t do a lot of adverti sing, so I have to be creati ve,” Palmer said. “The biggest thing that’s helped me is that people go out and recruit others for me. We work hard, but we get things done. Even if you’re new you jump right in. It doesn’t take long to become part of the group. It’s
real comfortable.” Davett e McCoy is one of
Palmer’s living commercials. McCoy has lost 75 pounds in the three years she has been training at Fundamental Fitness.
“I used to work out on my own and I got frustrated because I was exercising, but didn’t really know what I was doing,” McCoy said. “It’s a real comfortable atmosphere and he does a great job of making people feel relaxed and that makes it fun and not like it’s a chore.”
Palmer now has a wide variety of clients ranging from regular, daily customers to college students to hometown professional athletes who seek him out to stay on their game during breaks. Palmer brought on another trainer, Bobby Berry, to help with classes and is currently looking for new space to expand his gym due to increasing clientele.
“We’ve grown tremendously, and I’m going to have to fi nd a bigger place, Palmer said. “I’m probably going to need about 3,000 square feet.”
URBAN MAGNATE • 24
URBAN MAGNATE • 25
Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by Photography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured withPhotography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured with
Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by Photography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured with
Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by
The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.Photography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured withPhotography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured with
The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.Photography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured withPhotography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured with
Visit www.snslimo.comVisit www.snslimo.comThe “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.
Visit www.snslimo.comThe “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.
URBAN MAGNATE • 25
New Year’s Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by
Photography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured withPhotography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured withRone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by
Photography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured withRone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by Rone and Tiare Smith photographed in Old Town by
The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.Photography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured withPhotography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured with
The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.Photography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured withPhotography by Michael E. Woods, LLC . The couple is featured with
Visit www.snslimo.comVisit www.snslimo.comThe “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.
Visit www.snslimo.comThe “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.The “Mammoth” Limo provided by S&S Limousines.
New Year’s New Year’s Night Out
URBAN MAGNATE • 26URBAN MAGNATE • 26
URBAN MAGNATE • 27
DECEMBERUPCOMING EVENTS
URBAN MAGNATE • 28
10 • Meeti ng the 3 M's: Learning the Basics of Marketi ng, Management,
and Money 10:00-12:00 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. More info: WSU KSBDC, 316-978-3193.
• Metro Jingle Mingle, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Hotel at Old Town Wichita, 830 E. First St. $10-$20. More info: Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, 316-265-7771.
16• Beginning QuickBooks 8:30-12:00 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex,
5015 E. 29th Street North. $119. More info: WSU KSBDC, 316-978-3193• Intermediate QuickBooks 1:00-4:30 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex,
5015 E. 29th Street North. $119. More info: WSU KSBDC, 316-978-3193• Beginning QuickBooks 8:30-12:00 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex,
5015 E. 29th Street North. $119. More info: WSU KSBDC, 316-978-3193. • Intermediate QuickBooks 1:00-4:30 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex,
5015 E. 29th Street North. $119. More info: WSU KSBDC, 316-978-3193.
17 • Sunrise Scrambler-Annual NonProfi t Showcase 7:30-9:00 a.m. at the
Hyatt Regency. $10-$15 members. More info: Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce 316-265-7771.
18 • Meeti ng the 3 M's: Learning the Basics of Marketi ng, Management, and
Money 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. More info: WSU KSBDC 316-978-3193
• Quick Start Business Planning 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. More info: WSU KSBDC 316-978-3193.
• State Tax Workshop for Contractors 9:00-11:30 a.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. More info: WSU KSBDC, 316-978-3193.
• State Tax Workshop 1:00-4:30 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. More info: WSU KSBDC 316-978-3193.
ICT-UPMEETING
9 - Wichita Urban Professionals meeti ng, 7 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Urban League of Kansas, 2418 E. Ninth St. Open to members and prospecti ve members.For more informati on, call 316-285-0518.
JANUARYUPCOMING EVENTS
URBAN MAGNATE • 29
6 • Women's Alliance Luncheon 11:45-1:00 p.m. at the Wichita Boathouse, 515 S.
Wichita St. $15. More info: Wichita Independent Business Associati on 316-201-32648 • Meeti ng the 3 M's: Learning the Basics of Marketi ng, Management, and
Money 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. More info: WSU KSBDC, 316-978-3193.
13 • Wichita Independent Business Associati on Monthly Luncheon, 11:45-
1:15 p.m. at the Wichita Boathouse, 515 S. Wichita St. $20. More info: Wichita Independent Business Associati on 316-201-3264.
16 • Meeti ng the 3 M's: Learning the Basics of Marketi ng, Management, and
Money 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. More info: WSU KSBDC, 316-978-3193.
• Quick Start Business Planning 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. More info: WSU KSBDC 316-978-3193.
24• Wichita SCORE Data Base Informati on on the Knowledge at Your Finger Tip, 1
p.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Central Branch Wichita Public Library, 223 S. Main. Free. Call, 316-261-8500 to register.
26 • State Tax Workshop for Contractors 9:00-11:30 a.m. at the WSU Metro
Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. More info: WSU KSBDC 316-978-3193.• State Tax Workshop 1:00-4:30 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th
Street North. Free. For more info: WSU KSBDC, 316-978-3193.• Meeti ng the 3 M's: Learning the Basics of Marketi ng, Management, and
Money 10:00-12:00 p.m. at the WSU Metro Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street North. Free. For more info: Wichita WSU KSBDC 316-978-3193
GET LISTED - The Urban Magnate Upcoming Events Page is devoted to listi ng professional, economic, small business and other development opportuniti es and select area events from ICT-UP collaborators and partners. Listi ngs are free and are from a compilati on of sources. Urban Magnate publishes bi-monthly. Staff members reserve the right to select calendar content and to format informati on according to layout.
To submit a listi ng for considerati on, please e-mail cmlcollecti [email protected].
ICT-UPMEETING
13 - Wichita Urban Professionals meeti ng, 7 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Urban League of Kansas, 2418 E. Ninth St. Open to members and prospecti ve members.For more informati on, call 316-285-0518.
