By Michael Glenn
Teen-age Dirtbag
“Who would’ve thought that the worst year on record would be the breakthrough year for Kansas?”
That’s from Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland, who gave an address to business leaders and entrepreneurs at the 2025 To the Stars: Kansas Business Awards banquet in Pittsburg, Kan.
Toland referenced the economic growth that happened during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic: 2020. According to commerce statistics, the state saw a several hundred million dollar increase in business investment, especially international investment, when most of the world was brought to a halt.
I had the opportunity to attend the banquet thanks to the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, which nominated me for the Under 30 Entrepreneur award. After nomination, the committee selected me to be the winner of the South Central Region.
Entrepreneur is a silly word, even to say. I think we all have our own vision of what a young entrepreneur these days looks like: I imagine someone waking up at 4 a.m. to read, meditate, contemplate the world’s problems and be productive by 6 a.m., all to then continue working like a robot until nighttime and do it again the next day.
I’m lucky to get out of bed by 9 a.m. on a weekday—10 a.m. at the earliest on the weekends.
Safe to say, being an entrepreneur was something that wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. Even with Gina and I starting the Tribune, local journalism and storytelling were the priority, not turning a profit or running a business like an “entrepreneur.”
However, entrepreneurship comes in many different forms, including in journalism. Most journalism to this day runs on a profit motive and seeks to be successful both in reporting and in the books.
I’m very proud of the company we were able to build in a little under two years before giving the keys to Kansas Publishing Ventures. Many newsrooms can no longer be run as a business, relying on non-profit organizations or other means to keep the lights on. These reporters and publications are noteworthy and important, but to do it “the old-fashioned way” in keeping a newspaper alive is something worth celebrating.
While I’m very grateful for the award, the real winners of the night were the two ladies who worked and continue to work to represent our county’s economy: Debra Teufel and Jennifer Weathers with the Chamber.
There are many other positive changemakers at the chamber, but both of them traveled to Pittsburg to join me at the awards banquet, and I had a great time meeting both new and familiar faces during the evening.
For Reno County, there were over 30 nominations for 11 different awards, with me being just one of them. Each nomination required the work of the chamber to advocate and present different companies and businesses that contribute to our community, such as through employment, taxes and goods and services, all benefiting multiple sectors.
Not only did the chamber win at the banquet, but they’re also capturing wins at home. Talks of a potential new nuclear power plant could bring in waves of new revenues and high-paying jobs for Hutchinson.
Hutchinson’s economic future is imperative to its success, and the chamber is working to ensure that Hutch is a place families want to live and young people want to stay.
While the Tribune wasn’t a part of the Sunflower State’s economic success in 2020, we have been a part of it since 2023. One of Toland’s final messages was to lay down the screens for once and humanize the people around us, even those whom we may not like or agree with.
“Contrast the gloom and doom with the possibilities and potential of tomorrow,” Toland said.
Whether it be through economic or personal, let’s all work to grow a healthier, happier and better community for tomorrow.
Michael Glenn is the founding publisher of The Hutchinson Tribune and a current student at the University of Kansas. He can be reached at mglenn@hutchtribune.com.