Kansas City/Leavenworth Northeast Kansas–Day One
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Submitted by: Jerrod Prebyl
With a packed schedule ahead. Justine started the meeting a little early with a warm welcome back to everyone.
Jill took a quick moment to give an update on current happenings. Fun facts KARL is 35yrs old and the current Class XVII with round us out to a total of around 480 associates.
World Trade Center & Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Melissa & Hannah took the floor. Both came from agriculture backgrounds.
KC Chamber covers a wide range of services. Below are some examples.
Public Policy
Welcoming & Belonging
Personal Development
Leadership & Community Enrichment
Small Business
Things That Worry KC Chamber
KC Chamber holds the License for the area World Trade Center
This World Trade Center covers the largest service area in the country.
What The World Trade Center does:
KC is the 40th Biggest Metro Exporter, 10.6 billion in goods exported, 5.6% Share of Export GDP.
Top 5 trade partners & product traded:
Questions
1. Justine – What is an example of trade barriers & cultural problems?
a. 4 is an unlucky number in Asia. Items can’t be packaged in fours.
2. Janae – Are the Chiefs leaving KC?
a. There is no guarantee they will stay and this would be detrimental to the local economy.
3. Trevor – Is there a deadline on the Chief’s decision?
a. Short answer no. Needs to be soon though.
4. Lucas – What is the difference between US Commerce Service & World Trade Center?
a. WTC can make referrals and help launch in new markets. UCS has more government backing & market research.
5. Lucas – How does a company pay a Tariff?
a. Customs & Borders Patrol notifies companies or customs broker of assessment of tariff.
6. Ryan G – Is KC courting or being approached by new businesses.
a. Yes, KC is a great location. Can get 2 day shipping anywhere in the US.
Justine thanked and excused Mellissa & Hannah.
Dr. Emily Lehning Co-Founder of Roots & Legacies Consulting Inc.
A very strong discussion about strengths ensued.
Everyone has all 34 talents we just have them at different levels than others. We see the world through our talents. Talents are what become your strengths.
5 Clues of Talent
4 Selfs
Top 5 Strengths of KARL Class XVII
Northeast Kansas–Day Two
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Submitted by: Aubrie Schaefer
Lansing Correctional Facility
Our day started with a walking tour of the Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, Kansas.
Our guide took us through the medium security portion of the prison, where we walked amongst the residents as we were shown the yard, the living pods, the library, and the dining hall.
Every incarcerated individual in the Lansing facility has the opportunity to complete their GED or access to some sort of education or program as part of their rehabilitation program to help them transition back into society.
Zephyr Products
The next stop for the day was Zephyr Products in Leavenworth, Kansas. Here we learned a bit about the company’s partnership with the Kansas Department of Corrections to provide vocational training and employment to incarcerated individuals, which leads to better outcomes when the time comes for prisoners to reintegrate into society.
The program was started in 1977 after businessman Fred Braun took a tour of a prison and observed men laying around. His idea to help these men learn a skill while incarcerated proved to be a successful way to both run a business and help incarcerated individuals get back on their feet. The program started with 15 inmates and today there are 110 men that participate.
Our group had the opportunity to observe Zephyr’s laser cutters, robotic welder systems, and powder coating systems in action. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, having been through the program himself and climbing the ranks in the company to his current leadership role.
Fort Leavenworth
Our driving tour of Fort Leavenworth was next on the agenda. We learned that the Fort was founded in 1827 as protection for forward expansion. Today there are over 1600 homes on the fort, and 300 buildings on the historic list. There are 2 prisons on base, as well as 2 burial grounds-one of which is a national cemetery. There are three elementary schools, one junior high school and one college-the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, located in the Lewis and Clark building which we were privileged to tour. Notable features of the Lewis and Clark building were the stained-glass windows and the Eisenhower room, which is the largest auditorium in Kansas.
Grand Street Café/Patterson Family Foundation
Our evening concluded with a meal at Grand Street Café sponsored by John Deere Ag and Turf. Our guest speakers for the evening were Lindsay and Emily with the Patterson Family Foundation. We learned that Kansas is the only state with a community foundation in every county, and that the Patterson Family Foundation loves to work with these community groups. The foundation promotes the vision of helping rural communities thrive with all the elements needed for a good place to live.
The foundation believes that access to education, economic opportunities, community engagement and healthcare are key components to making an area a good place to live. In 2024 the Patterson Family Foundation distributed 261 grants for $57.3 million dollars in rural Kansas.
Northeast Kansas–Day Three
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Submitted by: Dena Bunnel
KARL Class XVII held their last session of their final seminar of their first year on Thursday, May 1, at the Dairy Farmers of America corporate office in Kansas City, Kansas.
DFA graciously hosted us for the day.
We began the day with a reflective session amongst our class in which we discussed our experience in DC and Gettysburg, reflected on areas in which we had built culture as a class and areas in which we want to grow further.
From here we had the opportunity to hear from our hosts. Jackie Klippenstein, Senior Vice President and Chief Government and Industry Relations Officer, and Lucas Hatmaker, project specialist for farm practices and sustainability, provided us with an overview of DFA’S structure and organizational makeup.
As a cooperative, decisions are member-driven through a multi-layered system of committees and boards that allow for decision-making and engagement at multiple levels of the organization. DFA makes a concerted effort to create leadership opportunities for younger farmers who represent the future of the organization but also have many on and off farm responsibilities as the primary producers on their operations and often as parents of young children.
As the largest raw milk processor in the world, they also shared about their long-standing work in conservation and sustainability. DFA also provides a robust set of services to their members from insurance and financing support to agronomist services for crops that are supporting dairy feeding to farm supply provision.
Following this session, we got a tour of the building from Emma Reynolds, manager for dairy policy and industry relations, and Jaden Castinado, strategy and insights coordinator. The thoughtful design of the building with elements of the dairy industry throughout and a clear emphasis on employee wellbeing was an impressive aspect of the building and DFA as an organization.
Next we got to hear from Kim Young, President of the KC Animal Health Corridor. She shared about the journey and mission of the organization, which began in 2011. It is a unique partnership of competitors committed to moving forward the corridor, which spans from Manhattan, KS to Columbia, MO, as the number one global hub for animal health companies. Her team of two supports this work through four pillars: 1) workforce development, 2) innovation, 3) public policy, and 4) industry engagement.
We finished off the day with a sponsored lunch by DFA and further reflections on the weeks’ seminar and Year 1 key takeaways. We can’t believe year 1 is already complete, and we anxiously await our reunion and year 2 kickoff in August.
