Along-time Ellsworth business has received significant recognition from the State of Kansas.

During an Oct. 20 banquet in Topeka, hosted by the Kansas Department of Commerce, Cashco, Inc. was announced as the 2022 winner of the To the Stars: Kansas Business Awards in the North Central Division for the manufacturing/ distribution category. Cashco was also selected as the statewide winner for the manufacturing/distribution category.

“It was a surprise,” Cashco President Clint Rogers said.

“Honestly, we didn’t know that we’d been nominated. Being nominated was very appreciated, just the acknowledgement, but then to win both the regional and the state was even a bigger surprise.”

Rogers said the award points to the individual employees at Cashco, as well as some of the advancements the company is making.

“We’ve got a really good team, and the award recognizes that,” Rogers said.

According to information provided by the Kansas Department of Commerce, the To the Stars: Kansas Business Awards program recognizes businesses across the state for the valuable contributions they make to the Kansas economy and to the wellbeing of their communities.

Cashco was one of 237 businesses, organizations and individuals nominated in 10 categories of the awards.

“These recipients are driving local and statewide success with their innovation and entrepreneurial spirit,” Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Because they are doers, I also challenged these amazing businesses and businesspeople to help normalize the incredible run our state is on.”

Rogers said the award reaffirms Cashco is doing the right things.

“We are trying to be good stewards in the community, but also good commercial partners for the state, bringing revenue into the state, job security within the area and that type of stuff,” Rogers said. “I think it reaffirms that we’re going down the right path.”

Rogers said being based in rural Kansas, Cashco has been very pragmatic about what its options are.

“We’ve tried to solve some of the staffing problems by working with the high school on some trade programs, bringing students in, whether it’s during the day or in the second shift in the evening for four hours to try to help teach them a trade,” Rogers said, “because we know that not everyone wants to go to college, not everyone wants to leave the community. We want to be able to build careers at a very early age, where they can grow within the organization.”

Rogers said that includes the bulk of Cashco’s entire platform, whether it’s working in the shop, in sales or in engineering.

Rogers said there are both positives and negatives to having a business in either a rural area or bigger cities.

“We have a very small fixed-labor pool,” Rogers said, “and the area is very blessed with a lot of manufacturing per capita for this area, between Ellsworth, Salina and some of the surrounding communities, so, there’s a large demand for it. But you also know the individuals you are working with and you get to build a rapport.

These relationships go beyond these doors. You run into them at the grocery store, see them downtown, you’re interacting with them and your kids are going to school and you don’t get that in a large city.”

Rural communities also offer a unique work ethic that is all their own.

“There is a lot of capable hands out there in a variety of different aspects,” Rogers said. “Out here, you kind of have to be pretty resilient, and I think that shows in the workforce.”

On the other hand, Rogers said larger cities have a larger labor pool.

“But you also get that drift, probably from facility-to-facility, much more than what we see here,” Rogers said, “so there’s good and bad, and we try to make the best out of what we have.”

Stacie Schmidt, executive director of Ellsworth County Economic Development, nominated Cashco for the award.

“Every year I try to think about a business, a manufacturer or a young entrepreneur that I believe is exceptional in providing service, opportunity or economic strength to our community,” Schmidt said. “I had just had the opportunity to do another tour of Cashco, along with the Department of Commerce, and I was reminded of their (Cashco’s) continuous innovation, and I wanted to give them the opportunity to shine and to have the state recognize the products, the innovation and the stability that Cashco provides us right here in a rural community at an international level.”

Schmidt said Cashco is one of Ellsworth’s economic cornerstones.

“In addition to providing jobs, they contribute to our community — in sports, in community engagement and in really whatever way we ask of them,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said rural Kansas has as many opportunities as any other area does.

“We have a thriving quality of life and neighborly way of living,” Schmidt said, “so, we just look for ways to just level-up and provide opportunities for our community, just like anyone else.”

Noting that Rogers, and Cashco in general, are very humble, Schmidt said they need to take this award as the long-overdue recognition that it is.

“This is a huge accomplishment for Cashco, and they need to be given proper credit,” Schmidt said.