ACDC recognized several new businesses at the annual meeting. New Business Award recipients, from left, to right, were: front row – Carol Mears (The Gas Spot), Renae Luke and Katey Kroeger (Luke Therapy Services, LLC), Reva Benefiel (Benefiel Truck Repair & Towing), Julie Koop Stanton (Hope N Reigns Counseling, LLC), Stevie Pritt (Hometown Honey), and Gena Mitchell (Hair by Gena); and back row – Chelsea Cooper (VitaFuel), Mike and Dena Wennihan (The Grainery), Derek Larson (Larson Electric),  Nathan Nell (Nell Aircraft Services, LLC), Jaycee Graves (KG Buds Designs By Jay), Philip Angle (Angle & Hive, LLC),  Treyton Green (Green’s Exterior), and Breanna VanSickle (Flying Designs).

 

Milestone Achievement Awards were presented to Dick Grebe (Grebe Family and Grebe Farm Supply, Inc.), W.C. Farmer (Atchison County Mail), Bill and Mary Ann Hull (Quality Auto Repair), and Kent and Janice Ray (Rays’ Dairy Diner).

 

Monica Bailey, left, presented a Founding Board Member Award to retiring board member Bob Alldredge, right. Bob has been ACDC’s sole treasurer for the entirety of its existence.

 

Roger Martin accepted the Community Improvement Award on behalf of the Fairfax Kiwanis/Optimist Club Program.

 

Julie Koop Stanton received a 2025 Business Expansion Award for her business, Ruffled Feathers Salon.

 

Ethan Piveral (Ameren), top, and Tawni Ellis (Rock Port School), above, shared their stories of choosing to establish their careers and live in Atchison County.

The Atchison County Development Corporation (ACDC) held its annual meeting September 10, 2025.

ACDC Director Monica Bailey welcomed nearly 90 guests to the Velma Houts building in Rock Port, recognizing elected officials in attendance. Board member Roger Martin led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and offered the invocation. Guests enjoyed an excellent dinner by Groovy’s Grub and amazing cupcakes by Among 3 Measures.

Board member W.C. Farmer and Bailey acknowledged this year’s New Business Award recipients.

• 4U Contracting, LLC, owned by Kamron Woodring in Fairfax, offers excavation, grading, site prep, drainage, etc.

• Among 3 Measures is a home bakery owned by Melissa Heintz in Rock Port, offering breads, sweets, and more.

• Angle & Hive, LLC, owned by Philip Angle in Rock Port, offers live bee removal and relocation, pure, local honey and hive products.

• Benefiel Truck Repair & Towing, owned by Kent and Reva Benefiel, is located in Rock Port, and offers repair services to cars and light trucks and tow and roadside service in the region.

• Bleacher Boutique, an online business in Rock Port, is owned by Tabitha McNeely and offers game time apparel for fans of local teams and the athletes who make us so proud.

• Charlie Smith Photography, owned and operated by Charlie Smith in Fairfax, provides affordable photography that captures timeless memories for our community.

• Curbside Cravings by Payt is a home-based bakery in Rock Port owned by Payten Shrader, which hosts a help-yourself roadside stand on Cass Street, plus online ordering and community deliveries.

• The Flower Mill, now owned by Brendon and Madison Bruns and located on Main Street in Tarkio, offers fresh floral arrangements, gifts, and home décor as well as coffee at The Buttercup.

• Flying Designs, LLC, owned by Breanna VanSickle and located on Main Street in Rock Port, specializes in embroidered and pressed shirts and hats, and custom and sublimation tumblers.

• Greene’s Exterior, owned by Treyton and Katelynn Greene, is a Watson-based business offering roofing, gutters, soffit, fascia, siding as well as deck builds and repair.

• Hair By Gena, owned by Gena Mitchell, is located in Hidden Beauty on Main Street in Tarkio, and offers hair care and pedicure services.

• Hometown Honey, owned by Stevie Pritt in Rock Port, is a small online clothing boutique that currently carries women’s clothing, but plans to expand into outfits for the whole family.

• Hope N Reigns Counseling, LLC owned by Julie Koop Stanton and located in the Curnett Center at Tarkio Tech, offers mental health services, certified peer support, and classes and support groups for anger management, parenting, grief, and more.

• Jones Lawn Service & Snow Removal, based in Rock Port and owned by Jeff and Bianca Jones, provides comprehensive lawn care, seasonal services like spring cleanups and all leaf removal, and efficient snow removal and ice management.

• KG Buds Designs By Jay, managed and operated by Jaycee Graves, is a floral shop for everyday gifts and events located on Main Street in Fairfax.

• Larson Electric, owned by Derek Larson and based in Rock Port, offers residential and agricultural electrical service needs.

• Luke Therapy Services, LLC, owned and operated by Renae Luke, with service provided by Katey Kroeger, is a speech therapy clinic in Rock Port dedicated to providing exceptional speech, language, literacy, cognition, and feeding services across the lifespan.

• Nell Aircraft Services, LLC, owned by Nathan Nell, is based in Fairfax and provides aircraft maintenance.

• Power Washing Rangers, LLC, in Rock Port is owned by Chase Chamberlain and offers pressure and soft washing services for house siding, gutters, driveways/sidewalks, decks/patios, and fencing.

• Rock Creek Seeds, owned by Mike Krutz and Mark Cofer and based in Rock Port, serves as a trusted Beck’s Hybrids seed dealer.

• Scooper Troopers, located in Rock Port and owned by Tyler Jones, is a waste management company specializing in dog excrement removal.

• Shelby Alsup Photography, located in Tarkio, offers child, family and senior photography.

• Squeakily Clean, LLC, owned by Aspen Marie Jorgensen and based in Rock Port, offers honest and reliable residential and commercial cleaning services.

• The Gas Spot, located in Fairfax and Tarkio and owned by Inconvenience, Inc., offers pizza, sandwiches, drinks, snacks, fuel, and more.

• The Grainery is a hometown friendly bar and gathering place located in Tarkio and owned by Mike and Dena Wennihan.

• The Inn on Main Fairfax, owned by Marisa and Chris Hedlund, offers nightly and extended stay rooms with private bathrooms for guests, and hosts events and gatherings.

• VitaFuel, LLC, located on Main Street in Rock Port and owned by Chelsea Cooper, provides weight loss medication and IV infusions for athlete recovery, energy, hydration, immunity, detox, migraines and other health needs, with more services coming soon.

• You With a New View, owned by Mandy Whipple and located on Main Street in Tarkio, offers wellness tools such as their halo sauna, which offers infrared heat, salt, and optional red-light therapy, and BrainTap technology.

Board member Mary Ann Hull presented two Business Expansion Awards. Ruffled Feathers Salon, owned by Julie Koop Stanton in Fairfax, opened a second location this year on the Tarkio Tech campus. White Tee’s, owned by Melissa White in Tarkio, moved to a bigger location and added an embroidery machine to diversify her product line.

Eryn Stepp, secretary, and Roger Martin then presented Milestone Achievement Awards to the following businesses and thanked them for serving Atchison County for decades:

Kent and Janice Ray purchased the Dairy Diner from Merle and Helen Barr. In April 1996 it opened as Rays’ Dairy Diner, and the Bulldog was born! (It was so popular they had to get a second machine.) Over the past 30 seasons, the Rays have employed a multitude of young people in their first jobs, teaching them people skills that high school students can only learn in local businesses where customer service is everything. Our county has been grateful for every summer we’ve had Rays’ Dairy Diner as a place to gather, build memories, and have a Bulldog!

In October 1990, a mechanic named Bill Hull (and his wife Mary Ann) opened Quality Auto Repair in a small section of the old Super Chevrolet building on the 100 block of Main Street in Tarkio. The business grew and a few years later they moved to a larger four-bay space on the other end of the building. By that time they had four employees. In 1999, Bill and Mary Ann bought Tarkio Tire from Harry Wright and moved to their existing location, adding Murf’s Auto Supply (NAPA) in 2010. Over the years Quality Auto Repair added tire repair, tire sales, brake work, motors, transmissions, farm trucks, and many other services, and has saved the day of hundreds of Tarkio and Atchison County residents along the way.

The Atchison County Mail was established in 1878 and was run by members of the Stapel family until Bill and Marilyn Farmer purchased it in 1984. Their son, W.C., joined the business full time in 1991, with Mike joining in 2001. In 2005, W.C. and Shauna and Mike and Lisa took over as owners, and W.C. has been the publisher ever since. In 2010, Farmer Publishing purchased the Tarkio Avalanche and the Fairfax Forum, and in 2017, these were combined into a weekly countywide paper covering all corners of Atchison County. From hot metal presses to Compugraphic equipment, to Macintosh computers in 1985, to offset presses and digital photography in the mid-90s, to digital presses and an active online/social media presence of today, the technological advancements during the Farmer family’s 40-year tenure have been amazing. Atchison County Mail is a mainstay in our county, capturing memories, moments, news, and events.

In 1953, Hayden Pyeatt opened Fertilizer Service Company on Broadway and Main in Fairfax. In 1978, Hayden passed the business on to Bruce, who passed the baton to Logan in 2012. For three generations, Fertilizer Service Company (FSC) has been a critical part of Atchison County’s agricultural community, providing custom application of fertilizers and farm chemicals, in liquid, suspension, dry and anhydrous ammonia. FSC moved to its current location in 1995 and has expanded and diversified its services multiple times over the years, now providing dry fertilizer to Atchison County’s Meyerkorth Aviation and Kurtz Agricultural Aviation in Mound City, and employing 12 full-time employees.

There is a block on 1st Street in Tarkio that has been the location for Grebe family entrepreneurs since 1952. That year, when Richard Grebe, Jr. was nine years old, his dad (Richard Grebe, Sr.) started Grebe’s Machine Shop. A few years later Rich opened a Massey Fergusen dealership at that location and ran these businesses until he retired to the farm in 1970. By this time, Richard, Jr. had officially joined the family business. Dick kept the machine shop going and started Grebe Farm & Home Supply in 1974, which employed his wife Sharon and eventually his son Terry. In 1987, Dick also started a Pioneer Seed business on this block. The formal farm supply store closed about a decade ago, but the Pioneer Seed business is going strong (as evidenced by the new building across the street from Hy-Vee), and the coffee chat group is alive and well, with multiple shifts happening almost daily.

Mary Ann Hull presented a Community Improvement Award to the Fairfax Kiwanis/Optimist Baseball Program for upgrades made to the ballfield in Fairfax, including a new field surface and supplies (including new bases), along with new batting cage, dugouts, scoreboard, outfield/homerun fencing, backstop and a flagpole.

Monica Bailey presented a Founding Board Member award to retiring board member Bob Alldredge, sharing about his role in the formation and history of the organization, his service as ACDC’s sole treasurer for the entirety of its existence, and his abiding commitment to the betterment of Atchison County. Bailey, the board, and attendees conveyed gratitude and appreciation for Bob’s 47 years of tireless, dedicated service to ACDC.

Ethan Piveral (Ameren) and Tawni Ellis (Rock Port School), two outstanding Atchison County natives, shared their stories of choosing to establish their careers and lives in their home county.

Monica Bailey presented the current slate of ACDC officers: Lori Seymour, president; Mary Ann Hull, vice-president; Eryn Stepp, secretary; and Craig Corken, treasurer. Alldredge then presented current financials and reminded attendees that this information is always available to the public.

Executive Director Monica Bailey thanked ACDC board and staff for their support and discussed several good things happening around Atchison County. She then highlighted the following ACDC efforts:

• Traditional economic development through incentive creation and management, working regionally on workforce issues like housing and childcare, and responding to leads from the state for businesses looking to establish a new location.

• Business Improvement Grant for existing businesses and helping new businesses get started.

• Shop local efforts: annual Shop AC event (November 20 this year), #ShopAC Facebook group, and the fourth annual Atchison County Artisans Holiday Makers Market (November 8 at Tarkio Tech).

• Emerging workforce programs: Careers on Wheels, Youth Professionalism Workshop, 8th Grade Career Day, and Job Shadowing.

• ACDC Scholarships for graduating seniors and local individuals enrolled in Tarkio Tech programs.

• Nonprofit Support Grant: two projects funded this year.

• Community Enrichment Fund: three events and organizations supported this year.

• Staff support of Tarkio Renewal and Restore Rock Port

• Community Cleanup & Beautification Grant: two projects supported so far this year.

• Promoting and advocating for Atchison County (including Great Northwest Day).

Bailey dismissed the group, reminding them that #ACisAwesome.