Member Directory | Member Login | Contact | Search JOIN WELCOME TO WICHITA EVENTS ADVOCACY YOUR MEMBERSHIP YOUR CHAMBER Share | Print | A A A Business Accelerator Podcast Wichita Chamber Business Accelerator is a weekly podcast devoted to supporting and learning from area business owners. Produced by Forge Podcast Co, managed by the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Evergy, the stories featured on this podcast are devoted to learning from local business owners about their experiences owning and operating companies in Wichita. Don Sherman (Community Affairs) and Ebony Clemons-Ajibolade (Economic Development) from Evergy co-host the podcast that features business owners and managers from a variety of industries. The guests operate businesses across metro area and range from solopreneurs to companies employing nearly 150 people. Some of the businesses are fairly new to the community, while others have a long history of serving Wichita. This free podcast is listed in popular podcast directories and aggregators, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Pandora and ICT Podcast Network and available on the Chamber website. New episodes will be released every Wednesday. Want to be a guest on the podcast? If you are interested in being a featured guest on the Wichita Business Accelerator, or know of a company that you'd like us to interview, please review the guidelines below, then submit the business's information for consideration using this online form. Guidelines for submitting a guest referral: Eligibility: Podcast guests should be chamber members in good standing, who have maintained membership for at least one year. Requirements: If selected, applicant will be asked to complete an informational sheet on their business prior to recording. Recording sessions generally take place on the first Tuesday of each month; we offer four to five 30-minute time slots. Wichita Chamber Business Accelerator Episodes Listen to all sessions or learn more about each episode below. Episode 1 Sheryl Wohlford with Automation-Plus discusses everything from how her company utilizes LinkedIn to connect with customers to finding the "sweet spot" in their company size. Learn more about Sheryl > Released January 13, 2021 Episode 2 Jennifer McDonald, founder and CEO of Jenny Dawn Cellars. Jennifer crafts and bottles her wines on-site, with grapes and juices sourced from the finest growers in California and Kansas. Learn more about Jennifer > Released January 20, 2021 Episode 3 Jennifer Barnard, co-owner of Tillie’s Flowers. Jennifer shares how flowers help communicate a unique language and how Tillie’s has connected with the community and earned the title of second oldest business in Wichita. Learn more about Jennifer > Released January 27, 2021 Episode 4 Clint Cornejo, of AllMetal Recycling talks about how leading a recycling and scrap business has turned into his passion. Learn more about Clint > Released February 3, 2021 Episode 5 Brandon Huynh discuss how the KimSon Asian Market was founded in a recession but has continued to grow and thrive over the years. Learn more about Brandon > Released February 10, 2021 Episode 6 Stacy Edmundson discusses her passion for helping her customers at Red Door Three, offering latest in trade show booth design & custom fabrication. Learn more about Stacy > Released February 17, 2021 Episode 7 Janice McClelland of McClelland Inc., a business staple in Wichita providing audio, video lighting and control services for a variety of industries. Learn more about Janice > Released February 24, 2021 Episode 8 Chrissy Robben, co-founder of Hexcode Designs, discusses how embracing business diversity and diving into her clients’ businesses has helped her to deliver a great customer experience. Learn more about Chrissy > Released March 3, 2021 Episode 9 Eddie Sandoval started Pinole Blue in his dorm room at Wichita State and now finds his products on grocery store shelves. Learn more about Eddie > Released March 10, 2021 Episode 10 April Albert owner of Four Feathers Boutique shares how she unexpectedly pivoted from eCommerce to having her own storefront. Learn more about April > Released March 17, 2021 Episode 11 Luis Rodriguez is convinced that Wichita is a location for growing any kind of business, particularly the technology kind. He discuss his roles at KeyCentrix and Method Productions. Learn more about Luis > Released March 24, 2021 Episode 12 Chad Hanson from Emprise Bank guides us through things to consider as you succession plan, in our first deep dive conversation. Learn more about Chad > Released March 31, 2021 Episode 13 Ethan Eck, owner of Eck Fabrication shares how his Chem-Blade product revolutionizes a pain point for farmers across America. Learn more about Ethan > Released April 7, 2021 Episode 14 James Barfield, discusses being a franchisee for a larger brand, Squeegee Squad, and how he focuses on being a resource partner locally in Wichita. Learn more about James > Released April 14, 2021 Episode 15 Sherrie Hill, who expanded Martinizing Dry Cleaning mere weeks before the pandemic, explore how she has found opportunities in the midst of struggle. Learn more about Sherrie > Released April 21, 2021 Episode 16 Mary Billings, of party company, Love of Character, explores the origin success story of the paper goods & party supplies shop based in Kansas. Learn more about Mary > Released April 28, 2021 Episode 17 Krissy Buck, Program Director of Digital Marketing at WSU Tech, joins the show to talk all things social media and digital presence. Learn more about Krissy > Released May 5, 2021 Episode 18 Carla Lawless and her three daughters have leveraged their own unique skills and experiences to create a whole different kind of beauty company. Learn more about Carla > Released May 12, 2021 Episode 19 Wayne Bell, District Director of the Wichita SBA, talk about the programs that the Small Business Administration has available to support small businesses, from sole proprietorships to companies with up to 500 employees. Learn more about SBA > Released May 19, 2021 Episode 20 Conan Fugit and his wife, Katherine, turned their love of campers and photography into a thriving photo booth business, Lamphouse Photo Booth Co., that travels to events all over the Wichita area. Learn more about Conan > Released May 26, 2021 Episode 21 Joy Eakins and the consultants at Cornerstone Data work with businesses to understand the questions leaders are asking and identify the unique data required to answer those question. Learn more about Joy > Released June 2, 2021 Episode 22 Hear directly from Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers co-founder and COO Scott Redler on how this business came to be and how the approach they took that brought them so much success. Learn more about Scott > Released June 9, 2021 Episode 23 Stacy Ward-Lattin shares the Hopping Gnome story, from home brewing to deciding to create something brand new in Wichita in an effort to enhance the community. Learn more about Stacy > Released June 16, 2021 Episode 24 Mike Mathia and Jason Toevs, co-founders of Quicc, join co-hosts Don Sherman and Clemons-Ajibolade to explore everything from starting out with heavy involvement of investors and pivoting into new opportunities amid explosive growth. Learn more about Mike and Jason > Released June 23, 2021 Episode 25 Ajamu Webster discusses Dubois Consultants, with co-hosts Don Sherman and Clemons-Ajibolade. Hear about how he expanded from his first location in Kansas City to the Wichita market and how he has approached growing and building his business over 30+ years. Learn more about Ajamu > Released June 30, 2021 Wichita Chamber Business Accelerator - Journey Unseen The Journey Unseen podcast series features three stories of women who have had a profound impact on our community through their leadership and achievements. Episode 26 Yolanda Camarena, dedicated leader for the past 40 years advocating for the Latino community, shares about the value of mentorship in her life, Learn more about Yolanda > Released July 7, 2021 Episode 27 Vera Bothner of Bothner and Bradley, shares her desire to champion causes and clients that can make her small corner of the world just a bit better, working side-by-side with great leaders and teams on important and complicated issues, opportunities and projects. Learn more about Vera > Released July 14, 2021 Episode 28 Amy Williams of Spirit AeroSystems, shares about how she learned to own her own space when she entered the room. Amy joined Spirit AeroSystems in December 2015 and is currently the Senior Manager for Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I). Learn more about Amy > Released July 21, 2021 Wichita Chamber Business Accelerator Episode 29 Sarah Bagby has been leading Watermark Books & Cafe through difficult challenges, but has always been able to move forward, partly by having the right focus. She share what makes her business stand out. Learn more about Sarah > Released July 28, 2021 Episode 30 Dan Reisig and Jeff Ollenburger to talk about how UV&S has grown into Wichita and worldwide from their original business beginnings in Hutchinson. Learn more about Dan and Jeff > Released August 4, 2021 Episode 31 When Jessie Sterling saw a unique opportunity for a new business in Wichita she jumped right in with Paint the Towne. Jessie shares what led her to become an entrepreneur and her unique perspective on success. Learn more about Jessie > Released August 11, 2021 Episode 32 Bill Gardner has been around the brand creation game for a long time and has a ton of insight to share. Don and Ebony dive into what has made him successful with Gardner Design and how others can be successful at building their own brands. Learn more about Bill > Released August 18, 2021 Episode 33 When one thinks of dynamic and evolving industries, funeral services does not immediately come to mind. However, Ashley Cozine is continuously looking for opportunities to innovate with the Cozine Memorial Group and he shares those developments with hosts Don and Ebony. Learn more about Ashley > Released August 25, 2021 Episode 34 It’s a simple story, where a desire to capture great photos of his children eventually led to Milt Mounts moving his photography from hobby to business. But as he shares with Don and Ebony, his Essential Images business did not necessarily go in the direction you would expect. Learn more about Milt > Released September 1, 2021 Episode 35 There aren’t many companies that can claim they have been in business longer than electricity has been available in Wichita, but that’s what the four-generation Dondlinger Construction can hang their hard hat on. Tom Dondlinger and Raymond Dondlinger share with hosts Don and Ebony what has contributed to their long term success over a century in business. Learn more about Tom and Raymond > Released September 8, 2021 Episode 36 Sometimes your super-power just finds you. That’s what happened to Dawn Monroe as she began her first job out of college helping others learn how to use Word Perfect and Lotus. From there, she shares with Don and Ebony how she built her own technical education business, Dawn Monroe Training, from the ground up. Learn more about Dawn > Released September 15, 2021 Episode 37 For the past 25 years, Steve Dixon has been helping others to live their best life through providing career opportunities at P.B. Hoidale. He shares with Don and Ebony his passion for the community and people in it while providing critical needs through the gas stations his business builds. Learn more about Steve > Released September 22, 2021 Episode 38 The Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting is coming up. Which makes this a great time for us to catch up with the 2021 Chair Ben Hutton, CEO of Hutton. He joins Don and Ebony to talk about his leadership path as well as what to expect from special guest speaker Patrick Lencioni at the Annual Meeting. Learn more about Ben > Released September 29, 2021 Episode 39 In the world of providing marketing and media to the local Hispanic community, Claudia Yauiar-Amaro is all over the place. She shares with Don and Ebony how AB&C Bilingual Resources has created a bridge to the Spanish-speaking community in the Wichita area through intentional and thoughtful engagement. Learn more about Claudia > Released October 6, 2021 Episode 40 Imagine for a moment just how much media has changed over the last 30 years, from TV and radio to internet and social media. Bonnie Tharp, founder of Copp Media, has been in the middle of that transition and shares her story of growth and transition with Don and Ebony. Learn more about Bonnie > Released October 13, 2021 Episode 41 When Brandon Gaide helped to start the strategy and innovation firm Sevenfold, he found an unlikely partnership with construction firm Hutton. Brandon shares with Don and Ebony how that partnership has allowed the creation of something new to help businesses make work more human. Learn more about Brandon > Released October 20, 2021 Episode 42 When businesses come to Kansas Business Services, LLC it’s about more than just business. Donna Wright shares with Don and Ebony how she and her son are supporting the community and culture through this work that they do. Learn more about Donna > Released October 27, 2021 Episode 43 When the pandemic started in 2020, Taishma Council saw business opportunities to support others in the midst of chaos. Through a team of virtual assistants, she shares with Don and Ebony how the Virtual Goals Assistant Agency helps others grow and become successful. Learn more about Taishma > Released November 3, 2021 Episode 44 Being a dentist that intentionally considers their practice a business is rare. Dr. Ashley Humlicek, with Humlicek Family Dental, talks with Don and Ebony about her unique perspective as a healthcare provider that focuses on her practice as an entrepreneurial opportunity. Learn more about Ashley > Released November 10, 2021 Episode 45 Josh Oeding and Mary Beth Jarvis aspire to grow the Wichita business scene through NXTUS by capturing the rapid change created by new startups. They share how all of us can be involved in supporting startup growth with Don and Ebony. Learn more about Josh and Mary Beth > Released November 17, 2021 Episode 46 Troy Houtman was always supposed to be an accountant, but he found a passion for growing communities through Parks and Recreation. He shares with Don and Ebony how the Leadership Wichita program challenged him in new ways and gave him a network of support across the city. Learn more about Troy > Released November 24, 2021 Welcome to Wichita Welcome to Wichita Why Wichita Living Here The Basics Jobs Things to Do Relocation Packets History of Wichita Events Calendar Host Proposal Form Speaker Proposal Form Annual Meeting City-to-City Leadership Visit Golf Classic Honors Night Leadership Wichita Small Business Awards W / Young Professionals Wichita Business Expo Advocacy Government Relations South Central Kansas Transportation Coalition Policy/Legislative Agendas State Legislative Agenda Regional Legislative Agenda Local Policy Agenda Elected Officials Take Action Now Local State Federal Candidate Interviews Military Presence Overview Friends of McConnell Wichita Regional Chamber PAC Your Membership Benefits & Value Overview Certificates of Origin Members Discounts Member Milestone Events Testimonials Keeping It Local Get Involved Overview Committee Opportunities Sponsorship & Advertising Member Directory Join Member Login Your Chamber About the Chamber Who We Are Affiliates and Partners Lead Well Strategic Priorities Overview Diversity and Inclusion Talent Annual Accomplishments Chamber History Board Staff Available Positions Investors Blog Business Accelerator Podcast News & Media Center Frequently Asked Questions COVID-19 Resources Small Business Resources Contact Us Join Today See the benefits of Chamber membership Learn more © 2021 Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce 350 W Douglas Ave Wichita, KS 67202 316.265.7771 | info@wichitachamber.org Website & Software by Accrisoft