Growing up in a small town in the heart of Kansas, I
understand the meaning of hard work and small-town values. My grandfather
owned an oilfield machine business and was a self-taught master design engineer.
Ingenuity and determination run in the family. If he needed a tool, he didn’t
buy it—he manufactured it. Similarly, my in-laws built and operated a
successful western store for 31 years, growing it from the ground up. I am the daughter and grandda...