Blog

Now in its 40th year, The Chamber's Leadership Wichita program has helped motivate individuals to take up influential roles in their community. Kim Doze-Lohmann and Joseph Shepard share with Don and Ebony how the program has shifted to helping the community have leaders of all levels engaged in tackling big challenges we share.

Cindy Carnahan has been growing her business in the real estate industry for the past 40 years. But what you might not know is she has had a passion for growing flowers in downtown Wichita. Find out with Don and Ebony what adventures this has brought.  

Sometimes we lose touch of dreams as we grow up. But for Darrin Teeter, he sees his company at Fiber Dynamics as an opportunity to let his team pursue their own passions. He shares his vision with Don and Ebony.

With a population of 7,000 and an economic impact of $825-million, McConnell Air Force Base operates as a small city. But as an Air Force pilot whose 25-year career included being stationed three times at McConnell, Cathy McClain tells Don & Ebony the real impact to the Wichita community is the people who work and live there.  

When Cody Beard and his wife started on their journey to find a franchise business they could run together, they focused on their own lifestyle desires. Cody shares with Don and Ebony how that led them to Prime IV.

Ben Arnold started his catering business with only $30,000 in the bank, his Dodge Intrepid and a couple of ice chests. He shares with Don and Ebony how his energy, hustle and creativity led him to find a steady stream of clientele. 

Stan Shelden grew up loving art and technology. So naturally, he combined the two into a career in architecture, bringing the experience he gained in Chicago back to his hometown with Shelden Architecture.

Sam Foreman is on a mission to change the way legal firms operate, starting with his own practice, Foreman Law. He shares his views on mental health and balance in the workplace with Don and Ebony (and a few dad jokes, as well).

Do you know what a bramble is? Don and Ebony didn’t. Katherine Elder walks through how her family farm has continued to grow into a larger culinary experience, culminating in the opening of 1400 by Elderslie at the Wichita Art Museum.

Leadership is an action, not a position. Julia Fabris McBride from the Kansas Leadership Center joins Don and Ebony to talk about the steps anyone can take to lead.

When Kianga Kelley-Crowley was tempted to criticize others, she heard the call to help instead. Now she shares with Don and Ebony how she has been blessed by the way the Wichita community has embraced her Simply a Lady journey.

Despite what you may have heard, print is alive and thriving in some industries. Ashley Martin shares with Don and Ebony how the family business, Valley Print Logistics, has grown in recent years and serves as a major component to any marketing campaign.

When Audra Dinell was reflecting on what she would do if she were her most audacious self, she was inspired by another leadership experience to come back home and start The Thread: A Women’s Leadership Collective. She shares with Don and Ebony the journey that has taken her on and the confidence others have poured into her.

As Black History Month wraps up, we are joined by the legendary Regina Miller of Trailblazers Academy, who shares how she measures her success as an entrepreneur by the people she helps succeed.

Government advocacy can be a game-changer for business, but it's often reserved for larger companies with significant assets. Gabe Schlickau and James Krstolich share with Don and Ebony how the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce provides these valuable resources for smaller businesses in our region.

Has a love story ever led to launching a successful business? Hear the unusual connection Jacob Wayman and his wife made at Orangetheory fitness. He shares his unique journey to entrepreneurship with Don and Ebony.

It took some time, but Bonita Gooch’s father eventually convinced her she needed to buy The Community Voice and bring African American perspective to the news in our community. She shares with Don and Ebony the key mentors who helped her grow this valuable business and
resource.

When Brandon Converse left a career in engineering to join his brother at The Converse Team, he wanted to help others secure their financial future. He tells Don and Ebony how The Converse Team helps make that possible for companies and individuals.

Mark and Summer Guerrero are all about supporting and empowering others with Affinity Automotive Services. They share with Don and Ebony how this empowerment first started with each other in an after hours garage in their home.

When Jenny Helms-Calvin arrived in Wichita, she already had a two-year plan to get out. But as she shares with Don and Ebony, she recognized her misconceptions and saw an opportunity to launch and grow SOMA Therapy to help improve mental health in our community.

The Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce 2023 Chair, Joy Eakins, is challenging the business community to make faithful investments in people. She shares her vision for this year with Don and Ebony.

The holidays are a great time to take stock of our mental health! While our hosts take a break, please enjoy this episode with Stacey Winter, epac CEO, as she shares ways we can see that our friends and colleagues need support and help. Winter shares with Don and Ebony how her EAP brings that help directly to businesses, where we and our employees spend the majority of our time.

Justin Eklund's primary goal with Grove9 is helping businesses and organizations focus on their mission and the good they provide the community. He shares with Don and Ebony his journey through ministry and how it eventually led him to take a new approach in a profit driven world.

Tevin Manual has had a clear vision of his future for a long time, and he’s chasing it with Tandem Cyber Operations. He explores his past with Don and Ebony and how it led him to provide services to schools and universities to fulfill an unmet need.

For this special occasion, we are putting our producer behind the microphone. How do you accidentally become an entrepreneur? Bryan Steele will tell you it happens one day at a time. He talks with Don and Ebony how the creation of Forge Podcast Co. was a long journey that he never saw coming.

When Bill Maness left his sales job over disagreements about what it meant to support clients, he never imagined Syndeo, his own business, one day celebrating its 20th anniversary. He shares with Don and Ebony his thoughts on service, outsourcing and the value the Chamber provides to local businesses.

For this episode of the podcast, Don and Ebony were live from the 2022 Wichita Chamber Business Expo at Century II on September 29 meeting with business owners, organizations and attendees.

The financial services industry finds itself with an aging workforce, but Margaret Dechant and 6 Meridian are focused on bringing a youth movement to their business. Join her as she shares her story with Don and Ebony.

Maddie Butler thought she would be on tour with her background in theater productions. But she has found herself running a wide variety of events with Kent Audio Visual. She shares with Don and Ebony how her career led her here and how Wichita has been the perfect place to grow.

Andrea Hattan had a vision for women to have their own place to collaborate and encourage one another on their entrepreneurial journeys. She talks with Don and Ebony how The Hive has created that space for the Wichita community.