We live in SE Kansas about 200 miles from the geographical center of
the US. The closest coastal area is the gulf coast about 900 miles to
the south. This company is steadily becoming the largest employer for
our town of 800.
http://www.westhoffco.com/
It is owned and operated by two brothers from a local family. Both
graduated from the wood technology program and Pittsburg State
University (Kansas, about 30 miles east) several years ago. One of
the brothers worked for the founder of this yacht interior outfitter
and eventually bought him out. The original company used to
subcontract work to specialty shops around the country. They figured
out, about 10 years ago, that they could build a facility in their
home town, centralize management and production, and take advantage of
local cost of living standards. That doesn't mean they skimp on
talent. They attract specialty craftsmen from across the nation with
good wages, a rural atmosphere and a strong school system that they
actively support. They also recruit fairly heavily from the Pitt
State technology programs.
They travel the world working with yacht manufacturers; and they
attend trade shows across the US, Europe and South America. They can
always count on at least one person looking at their display and
saying "Now where is it that you say you are from?"
RonB
On Mar 4, 4:55=A0pm, Larry Jaques <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 11:39:40 -0800 (PST), RonB <[email protected]>
> >here.
>
> Oh, I missed something. Where's "here"? I thought you were talking
> about Lenexa when I read "westhoffco" and "our town" there, pard.
>
> --
>"Here" is St. Paul in the southeast corner of Kansas. We are 30 miles fro=
m Missouri and and 45 miles from Oklahoma. The company still has its origi=
nal corporate headquarters in Lenexa, a Kansas City suburb about 2 hours no=
rth. They have their manufacturing operations here which includes factory,=
planning, assembly and shipping.
Yes. Compared to the KC metro area we are a click on the map.... and
its great! 800 fine citizens in one of the oldest communities in the
state. Kansas is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. We
celebrated in 1997.
RonB
"RonB" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> http://www.westhoffco.com/
> It is owned and operated by two brothers from a local family. Both
> graduated from the wood technology program and Pittsburg State
> University [snip]
Cool, and they learned their craft at a public college and are smart enough
to take an interest in local public schools to attract qualified
craftsmen--what a refreshing story.
On Mar 6, 5:15=A0am, WD <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 17:13:07 -0800 (PST), RonB <[email protected]> wrote=
:
>
> I used to live in Shawnee KS, just beside Lenexa. I drove by frequently o=
n my
> way to OK. It's a small town. Once I make a stopover, walked around the c=
ity and
> at the antique=92s shop which I love to browse around. Yea, KS is indeed =
a good
> place to live. I still love KS and been thinking of moving back. It=92s t=
he
> tornado my wife is afraid of and we had a few near missed.
>
>
>
> >On Mar 4, 4:55=A0pm, Larry Jaques <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 11:39:40 -0800 (PST), RonB <[email protected]>
>
> >> >here.
>
> >> Oh, I missed something. Where's "here"? I thought you were talking
> >> about Lenexa when I read "westhoffco" and "our town" there, pard.
>
> >> --
> >>"Here" is St. Paul in the southeast corner of Kansas. =A0We are 30 mile=
s from Missouri and and 45 miles from Oklahoma. =A0The company still has it=
s original corporate headquarters in Lenexa, a Kansas City suburb about 2 h=
ours north. =A0They have their manufacturing operations here which includes=
factory, planning, assembly and
> shipping.
>
> >Yes. Compared to the KC metro area we are a click on the map.... and
> >its great! =A0800 fine citizens in one of the oldest communities in the
> >state. =A0Kansas is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. =A0We
> >celebrated in 1997.
>
> >RonB
Kansas takes a lot of bad-mouthing. I suspect much of it from people
who have never been here; or did a fast pass on I-70 or I-35. Even
that is weird because either interstate gives you an excellent cross-
section of the state. It is a beautiful place and a great place to
live.
An investment rep that serves some folks in our town told us "there is
just something different about St. Paul folks. I think they have
retained some of the pioneering confidence that they can succeed." We
were one of the gateways to the west during the mid 19th century.
RonB
On Mar 4, 11:58=A0am, Larry Jaques <[email protected]>
wrote:
> On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 06:30:10 -0800 (PST), RonB <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >We live in SE Kansas about 200 miles from the geographical center of
> >the US. =A0The closest coastal area is the gulf coast about 900 miles to
> >the south. =A0This company is steadily becoming the largest employer for
> >our town of 800.
>
> >http://www.westhoffco.com/
>
> Super stuff, Ron. =A0I'm sure the pics don't do the wood justice.
> That's a sweet little rowboat, too.
>
> Where's the nearest river to float those toys, eh? It doesn't look
> like a drive-thru location, all landlocked like that.
>
We are pretty much landlocked. The Neosho River, just west of town is
navigable once it gets into Oklahoma but not here.
They are pretty high tech. They get the yacht manufacturers plans and
contours digitally and "build" a mock-up of the areas of the boat they
must match inside of the factory. Then they build the components and
interior to match the mock-up. Much of the manufacturing is NC from
CAD data. Their finishing is extraordinary, but then they have fussy
customers. When an interior is finished they load it on shipping
containers and it is sent to its destination. They provide on-site
management and tech support at destination.
They are a class act all around. When a young local fellow recently
got cancer, the town had a benefit dinner and auction. They built a
portable bar to the same standards as one of their interiors.
Imported veneers, top-quality hardware and stocked with the best
drinking stuff. It auctioned to an area doctor for about $7,000. I
asked one of their guys if they were pleased with the auction price
and he smiled and said it was about where they thought it would be.
It more than covered materials.
They still maintain a corporate presence two hours north in Lenexa (KC
area) but we are lucky to have all of their planning and operations
here.
RonB
I always liked the kansas tents in the old days. Now they are made from
synthetics and they seem much cheaper in quality.
-------------------------------
"RonB" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Kansas takes a lot of bad-mouthing. I suspect much of it from people
who have never been here; or did a fast pass on I-70 or I-35. Even
that is weird because either interstate gives you an excellent cross-
section of the state. It is a beautiful place and a great place to
live.
An investment rep that serves some folks in our town told us "there is
just something different about St. Paul folks. I think they have
retained some of the pioneering confidence that they can succeed." We
were one of the gateways to the west during the mid 19th century.
RonB
On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 06:30:10 -0800 (PST), RonB <[email protected]>
wrote:
>We live in SE Kansas about 200 miles from the geographical center of
>the US. The closest coastal area is the gulf coast about 900 miles to
>the south. This company is steadily becoming the largest employer for
>our town of 800.
>
>http://www.westhoffco.com/
Super stuff, Ron. I'm sure the pics don't do the wood justice.
That's a sweet little rowboat, too.
Where's the nearest river to float those toys, eh? It doesn't look
like a drive-thru location, all landlocked like that.
>It is owned and operated by two brothers from a local family. Both
>graduated from the wood technology program and Pittsburg State
>University (Kansas, about 30 miles east) several years ago. One of
>the brothers worked for the founder of this yacht interior outfitter
>and eventually bought him out. The original company used to
>subcontract work to specialty shops around the country. They figured
>out, about 10 years ago, that they could build a facility in their
>home town, centralize management and production, and take advantage of
>local cost of living standards. That doesn't mean they skimp on
>talent. They attract specialty craftsmen from across the nation with
>good wages, a rural atmosphere and a strong school system that they
>actively support. They also recruit fairly heavily from the Pitt
>State technology programs.
I'll bet they attract superb craftsmen!
>They travel the world working with yacht manufacturers; and they
>attend trade shows across the US, Europe and South America. They can
>always count on at least one person looking at their display and
>saying "Now where is it that you say you are from?"
"East BF. Why do you ask?"
--
The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.
-- Okakura Kakuzo
On 3/4/2011 1:39 PM, RonB wrote:
...
> We are pretty much landlocked. The Neosho River, just west of town is
> navigable once it gets into Oklahoma but not here.
...
Mom grew up along the Neosho just upstream from you'se guys a piece...
If you think you're landlocked there, come out here to the other corner
(either, actually, but we're on the same latitude edge as your). :)
--
On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 17:13:07 -0800 (PST), RonB <[email protected]> wrote:
I used to live in Shawnee KS, just beside Lenexa. I drove by frequently on my
way to OK. It's a small town. Once I make a stopover, walked around the city and
at the antiqueâs shop which I love to browse around. Yea, KS is indeed a good
place to live. I still love KS and been thinking of moving back. Itâs the
tornado my wife is afraid of and we had a few near missed.
>On Mar 4, 4:55Â pm, Larry Jaques <[email protected]> wrote:
>> On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 11:39:40 -0800 (PST), RonB <[email protected]>
>
>> >here.
>>
>> Oh, I missed something. Where's "here"? I thought you were talking
>> about Lenexa when I read "westhoffco" and "our town" there, pard.
>>
>> --
>>"Here" is St. Paul in the southeast corner of Kansas. We are 30 miles from Missouri and and 45 miles from Oklahoma. The company still has its original corporate headquarters in Lenexa, a Kansas City suburb about 2 hours north. They have their manufacturing operations here which includes factory, planning, assembly and
shipping.
>
>Yes. Compared to the KC metro area we are a click on the map.... and
>its great! 800 fine citizens in one of the oldest communities in the
>state. Kansas is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. We
>celebrated in 1997.
>
>RonB
On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 11:39:40 -0800 (PST), RonB <[email protected]>
wrote:
>On Mar 4, 11:58Â am, Larry Jaques <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>> On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 06:30:10 -0800 (PST), RonB <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >We live in SE Kansas about 200 miles from the geographical center of
>> >the US. Â The closest coastal area is the gulf coast about 900 miles to
>> >the south. Â This company is steadily becoming the largest employer for
>> >our town of 800.
>>
>> >http://www.westhoffco.com/
>>
>> Super stuff, Ron. Â I'm sure the pics don't do the wood justice.
>> That's a sweet little rowboat, too.
>>
>> Where's the nearest river to float those toys, eh? It doesn't look
>> like a drive-thru location, all landlocked like that.
>>
>We are pretty much landlocked. The Neosho River, just west of town is
>navigable once it gets into Oklahoma but not here.
It looked a veritable crick on the map, it did.
>They are pretty high tech. They get the yacht manufacturers plans and
>contours digitally and "build" a mock-up of the areas of the boat they
>must match inside of the factory. Then they build the components and
>interior to match the mock-up. Much of the manufacturing is NC from
>CAD data. Their finishing is extraordinary, but then they have fussy
>customers. When an interior is finished they load it on shipping
>containers and it is sent to its destination. They provide on-site
>management and tech support at destination.
Hi-tech all the way. Cool.
>They are a class act all around. When a young local fellow recently
>got cancer, the town had a benefit dinner and auction. They built a
>portable bar to the same standards as one of their interiors.
>Imported veneers, top-quality hardware and stocked with the best
>drinking stuff. It auctioned to an area doctor for about $7,000. I
>asked one of their guys if they were pleased with the auction price
>and he smiled and said it was about where they thought it would be.
>It more than covered materials.
Cha Ching! (Now watch that same doctor make back his price operating
on/treating the guy. ;)
>They still maintain a corporate presence two hours north in Lenexa (KC
>area) but we are lucky to have all of their planning and operations
>here.
Oh, I missed something. Where's "here"? I thought you were talking
about Lenexa when I read "westhoffco" and "our town" there, pard.
--
The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.
-- Okakura Kakuzo