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Chuck Comeau was born, raised and educated on the open plains of western Kansas.
For the first 15
years of his professional life, his projects ranged from oil to agriculture to
financial services. In 1993
Comeau decided it was time to do something he truly enjoyed.
Comeau is co-founder, co-owner, CEO, CFO, creative and marketing director of
Dessin Fournir Company
Holdings, a holding company based in Plainville, Kansas that owns and manages
six renowned
home furnishing design and manufacturing firms for the wholesale trade market.
The firms include
Dessin Fournir, Classic Cloth, Gérard, Palmer Hargrave, Rose Cumming and
Kerry Joyce for Dessin
Fournir. Dessin Fournir Company Holdings also owns C. S. Post & Co., a nationally
recognized retail
concept store located in the historic downtown of Hays, Kansas.
In addition, Comeau is the President and founder of Liberty Group,
Inc., the primary developer charged with the renovation and
management of over 20 buildings in the Chestnut Street District of
Hays' historic downtown. Comeau's involvement in the Chestnut
Street District is a continuation of his entrepreneurial spirit and his
passion for design, architecture, history and his Northwest Kansas
heritage.
Comeau is also one of the founders and owners of the Chestnut Street
Food Group. This venture represents his first foray into another long
time passion - food and entertainment. Gella¹s Diner and Lb. Brewing
Company located in the Chestnut Street District is nothing less than a
remarkable dining and entertainment experience, known for its
regionally inspired menu, its award winning handcrafted beer, its
innovative interiors and its genuine, heartfelt commitment to
customer service. Comeau continues to live and build his businesses
in the small rural community of Plainville. Comeau explains, "My
family and I have enjoyed the benefits of this community our entire
lives, we were raised here and have chosen to raise our own families
here so we feel we have an obligation to the community to help
rebuild the economy in any way we can."
Terry Woodbury
Terry is the product of “deep rural” western Kansas: a wheat & cattle
ranch 25 miles from town in northwest Wichita County, a one-room school house,
a small community church and an active 4-H Club. After graduating from Sterling
College in central Kansas and from Princeton Seminary, five denominations selected
Terry to organize an ecumenical faith community in Kansas City to reach people
not being served by mainstream congregations.
Five years later, he moved to the inner city to work with neighborhoods and
businesses trying to combat the changes brought about by urban flight and economic
decline. For 26 years, Terry invested himself in every aspect of Wyandotte
County's development: renovating and transforming a closed school into a community
center; starting a neighborhood grocery and restaurant; consulting in the private,
public and non-profit sectors; serving on many community boards; and leading
United Way to a prominent role in community development both in Wyandotte County
and greater Kansas City. He retired as United Way's CEO in March of 2004.
Terry is a teacher and frequent public speaker on that which he has modeled
for many years: Community Leadership. He organized and directed a 500-voice
choir singing his original song, Together , adopted as Wyandotte
County's official song after its use in helping win the coveted All-America
City award in 1992. After creating the video
Partnerships for Life about the resurgence of Wyandotte County,
Terry was named “Tourism Advocate of the Year” by the Visitors and Convention
Bureau. And in 2004, the Best of Wyandotte Celebration awarded him “Citizen
of the Year.”
Meanwhile, Terry's rural roots are alive and well. For a dozen years, he has
crossed Kansas monthly to oversee the ranch where he was raised. Going from
far west to far east, from deep rural to inner city, from Republican to Democrat
country, he sees similar struggles –economic development, health care, keeping
young people and sustaining community leaders. To address those challenges,
Terry founded Kansas Communities LLC to “build and rebuild community across
Kansas.” He is working with seven communities in both eastern and western Kansas,
leading workshops across the state, and speaking to organizations about how
to provide community leadership.
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