Biztalk With Bill Roy

2020 brought challenges, chaos, heartache and pain. But more than two-dozen Wichita leaders show us that the year just ended also provided us with valuable lessons.

Five Wichita companies agreed to let us tell their stories of trying to survive and thrive during the pandemic. Some are doing better than others but each has a compelling story that other small and medium-sized business owners might be able to learn from.

Stephanie Byers is a former Wichita music educator elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in November. She is the first transgender woman to serve in the state Legislature.

Timirie and Patrick Shibley say operating their popular Doo-Dah Diner has become a game of survival. Their story is one of many tales of struggle among small-businesses fighting through the impact of the pandemic.

Wichita businesses and organizations have had to adapt to new working conditions during the pandemic. The Wichita Business Journal is no different.

Kaye Monk-Morgan says think of diversity as inviting people to a dance and inclusion as playing the music they like.

Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas CEO Keith Lawing says the future remains murky for Wichita’s economy as we move into 2021. But groups are collaborating on workforce solutions.

Do you want to avoid further business shutdowns due to Covid-19? Wear a mask. Practice social distancing. Avoid large groups of people. Wash your hands often. Don’t touch your face. That’s the advice from the Centers for Disease Control and from Sedgwick County Health Officer Garold Minns. Minns saw how Sedgwick County Coronavirus numbers continued to spike through October and into November. They are alarming: Positive tests nearing 25%; Hospitalizations at their highest levels; No ICU beds available.

The McPherson College Student Debt Project combines financial literacy education, jobs and mentorship.

KNSS radio host Ted Woodward admits there were dark times when he was fighting for air as a hospitalized Covid-19 patient.

AgEagle is moving from southeast Kansas to Wichita with the promise of significant growth tied to an as yet unnamed big commercial customer.

Frank Waugh was born in Kansas City, raised in El Dorado and plans to be in Wichita for a long time.

Jennifer McDonald’s urban winery Jenny Dawn Cellars at Union Station was only a few months old when she had to reduce operations due to the pandemic. But she cut back, innovated and is looking forward to the future.

Wichita Business Journal Editor Bill Roy provides a third update on his journey with ALS, which began a year ago.

Sedgwick County has made available CARES Act money to help Wichita-area businesses. County Manager Tom Stolz describes how businesses can apply for that funding.

Businesses have had to be creative and innovative in these challenging times. The Wichita Business Journal is no different.

You might be able to learn a few things from these manufacturing Hall of Famers.

There’s cautious optimism surrounding 737 MAX recertification and return to service.

Wichita State’s president has created a new innovation and business council.

The 2020 Women in Business Hall of Fame honorees say mentoring is a matter of paying it forward.