HRN Performance Solutions to move to Farm Credit Bank Building on North Waco

Aug. 30, 201210:54 a.m.

UPDATED — HRN Performance Solutions is moving from the High Touch building at 110 S. Main St. to 2,541 square feet at the Farm Credit Bank Building at 245 N. Waco.

“We were just looking for a space that allowed us more collaboration and teamwork,” says vice president Lea Ann Gabbert.

She says as the company expanded in the High Touch space, it resulted in a long, skinny row of offices and cubicles. Gabbert says the new space will be a big square “so that we could all be together.”

The company, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City and provides compensation and performance management solutions for clients nationally, will be in its new space Sept. 24.

Tony Utter of Utter Commercial Real Estate and Don Arnold of NAI John T. Arnold Associates handled the deal.

The lease brings the Farm Credit Bank Building to 100 percent occupancy.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Real estate | Comments Off

City closes 9-level parking garage at Market and William

May 10, 20124:21 p.m.

WICHITA — As of 4 p.m. Friday, the 9-level parking garage at the southwest corner of Market and William, which several buildings in the area use, will no longer be available.

“We are having the building closed for some structural concerns that we have about the facility,” says Rick Stubbs, co-assistant director of the city’s central inspection department.

He says two engineering reports say the building has “severe structural problems.”

Stubbs says the city has been talking to the garage’s owners – all of whom are from outside of Wichita – about the issues for several years.

There are barricades on some of the sidewalks around the garage, which Stubbs says are a safeguard even though there aren’t immediate safety concerns.

“They’re overdoing it just a little bit to protect the public,” says property manager Joe Young. “It’s not going to come crashing down or anything. We go in there on a weekly basis and just look for soft spots on the concrete and take them down.”

The structure, which is a former Macy’s parking garage, was built in 1966.

Young says it will cost at least $1 million to fix, but he says it most likely will be more than that.

Read More »

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Downtown, Real estate | Comments Off

Leon Trammell shares business experience in “How Underdogs Win”

Dec. 10, 20105:08 a.m.

leonUPDATED — Looking for a little inspiration during this tough economic time?

Tramco founder Leon Trammell has some insight to offer.

He and freelance writer Brian Whepley have written “How Underdogs Win” about Trammell’s experience in business (available at Amazon.com and CreateSpace.com).

“It’s scary as hell to start a business,” Trammell says.

Several other companies share their stories for the book as well, including Wichita businesses Hiller Inc., High Touch, Greenway Electric and Kansas companies Solomon Corp. and Cobalt Boats.

Trammell founded Tramco in 1967. The company manufactures bulk material-handling conveyors and does business in every state and 57 countries.

“I did not give myself a chance to fail,” Trammell says. “You just cannot have a failure plan. If you have a failure plan, you’ll probably fail.”

So what’s his plan for success?

“You need a niche, and then be persistent,” Trammell says, quickly adding, “But you know, being persistent is kind of elusive.

“I’ve been persistent on an investment I made, and it hasn’t paid out.”

Trammell says you have to relentlessly pursue being excellent.

“Whatever you do you have to be the best at it,” he says. “You never share with your neighbor a mediocre job on anything, do you? No, you share the good job. The good service. So you have to be the best.

“Then it boils down to the Golden Rule. And I know that is hokey. . . . But you have to treat people the way you want to be treated.”

Why bother?

Read More »

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , Filed under Manufacturing, Publishing | Comments