Ingram's March 2023

Jim Remar Cosmosphere International SciEd Center & Space Museum, Hutchinson You could say space kept calling him back. Jim Remar first joined the Cosmosphere as curator in 2000, but after four years away, he rejoined the Smithsonian-affiliated museum and now serves as the president and

Greg Prieb Prieb Homes, Olathe His father started the residential

construction firm that Greg Prieb owns today, so building homes is in his DNA. But he’s building more than places for people to live: He’s building communities. “It’s very satisfying and rewarding to be able to drive back through one of the communities we’ve built and developed and see that

it’s all working,” says the Prieb Homes owner. “There are people barbecuing in their back yards or watering their lawns; there are kids on bikes riding in the cul-de-sacs, people are walking dogs on the sidewalks, the mailman is pulling up to deliver mail—it’s literally building a community that people are willing to participate in, live in, buy into. It’s cool to know that we, as a company, can do that.” He grew up in southern Johnson County, a region with a long history of explosive residential growth, then studied business administration at K-State. His return to the family enterprise was always the plan. The company specializes in developing large tracts, often with about 400 homes each. “It’s more fun with residential and larger projects,” he says. “It’s more local. Commercial and industrial or retail tend to be more on a national level.” The closer a project is to highways, the more he likes it, which is why a 10-mile span from Olathe to Shawnee has been the company’s sweet spot. With a 10-year pipeline of 1,500 lots to develop, the long-term outlook remains bright, giving Prieb Homes ample opportunities to add to a construction portfolio of roughly 2,000 homes built in his 20 years there.

CEO—a recognized expert in museum administration, strategic planning,and space artifact preservation. “I have always enjoyed history, and this field gave me an opportunity to explore my passion,” he says. “The museum field provides me with the ability to help tell a story that is important to our history but also provides a product—a destination attraction. Tourism is incredibly important to the state economy, and it’s an honor to be a part of what drives tourists to our state.” Remar earned his bachelor’s from Washburn University, a master’s from the University of Nebraska, and his mini-MBA from Wichita State University. He then settled in Hutchinson and jumped at the opportunity to work for one of the foremost space museums and education centers in the U.S., right in his hometown. And now that the U.S. is once again resuming human spaceflight, he’s excited to see a resurgence of interest. “I could go on about why I love working here, but at the end of the day, our ability to impact and inspire young minds is why I walk through the front doors every day,” he said. “The Cosmosphere is in my blood!”

Sara Ritter Chamber of Commerce/EDC, De Soto Living in De Soto all her life, Sara Ritter is especially excited about the upcoming Panasonic Energy plant project coming to her area. “It was a dream come true,” she said. “We always knew the potential for the area and what De Soto meant to Johnson

Brett Robinson Integra Technologies, Wichita As a lifelong Kansan and Wichita resident, Brett Robinson would like the rest of the world to realize that manufacturing in the state goes well beyond airplanes. “What doesn’t get as much attention is the area also has a great advanced-manufacturing capability,” he says. “Couple that trem-

endous manufacturing acumen with the attitude and work ethic of a typical Kansas worker and you have a recipe for success.” That mixture is the key reason his company, Integra Technologies, is excited about its plans to invest $1.8 billion in a large-scale semiconductor facility right in Wichita, creating approximately 2,000 high-paying jobs. The now president and CEO started his career at Integra (then called NCR) as a part time production operator as he paid his way through school. These days, he’s busy planning for his company’s next big step forward, working with local organizations and universities to locate and train the talent of the future—to ensure the pipeline is full before the new facility is finished. Through it all, he said, he’s pleased he can be a part of this massive project in his home state. “As you know, we had an obligation … to make sure we had a backup plan should Kansas not work out. We went out and talked to multiple other states … and found the Kansas group on par or exceeding everyone else we talked to. … The state of Kansas has been a wonderful partner throughout the entire process.”

County and the State of Kansas as an economic generator. … Having the privilege of working with the team and Panasonic representatives showcased our ability to continue to provide the community with high-paying jobs and bring our children back to De Soto to live, work and play.” Now serving as executive director, Ritter first joined the Chamber back in 2002 because she wanted to work in her hometown and contribute to its economic development. She has since earned her IOM designation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management and a bachelor’s in public administration from Mid-America Nazarene University. It has all helped prepare her for the profound downstream effects coming De Soto’s way with this new project. “Our partners with the community colleges and universities will give us a huge wealth of information and connections,” she said. “We plan to work with all area communities to reach out and find out how they’d like to partner and be a part of the Panasonic success and story. This is a regional opportunity that will have regional solutions.”

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