Multimedia Reporting (Kuhr-Volek)

An ornate metal divider separates a working college student from the empty dining room where she is supposed to be waiting tables. There is simply no work to do. All that was left was to serve the people that weren’t coming. It was just another slow Wednesday.

Junior, Ramsi Lindgren spent her day at work cleaning a little and standing around. She had two tables between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and went home that night with only $6 more than she came there with.

“There wasn’t anything for me to do at the restaurant, so I just read the newspaper,” Lindgren said.

Lindgren works at Stone Creek at 3801 W. Sixth. The restaurant has seen great business on the weekends, but it has sometimes been poor on weekdays. This is a problem that some businesses away from Massachusetts Street have to deal with. Restaurant managers say there are advantages and disadvantages to both locations. Namely, restaurants downtown have substantially more pedestrian traffic and neighboring shops around their location. But they don’t have ample parking like other restaurants situated elsewhere.

David Clemente, the owner of Stone Creek, also recognized the problem. There is nothing around the restaurant for people to shop at, he said. That problem adds to business being poor during the week, Clemente said.

According to lawrence.com there are 232 restaurants in Lawrence. Of the 232 restaurants, 60 (about one fourth) are located downtown.

Fee Monshizadeh, Manager of Marisco’s at 6th and Wakarusa, said that the average person’s busy schedule is to blame for weekdays being less busy.

“Weekends are a strong for any restaurant,” Monshizadeh said. People don’t usually go out during the week because when they get home from work it’s too late to go out to eat, he said. Business has also been very consistent, he said.

Junior Daniel Ohlemeier had his own assessment of an average weekday night. Ohlemeier used to work at Marisco’s and said that the restaurant was much slower on weekdays.

“We’re pretty slow on many weekdays,” Ohlemeier said. The reason for this was that people aren’t looking to just grab something to eat at a finer dining place, he said. He said that he believed sports bars, with more casual patron might be less affected by fewer customers during the week.

Doug Holiday, the manager of Zig and Mac’s on Wakarusa and Bob Billings Parkway, said that his restaurant wasn’t going through the same business fluctuations as the other restaurants. He also didn’t say that a location downtown, with the constant traffic, would be better or worse than his.

“There are advantages and disadvantages to both locations,” Holiday said. One advantage to his restaurant that wasn’t available downtown was the ample parking.

To be expected, more restaurants are on Massachusetts Street than any other street in Lawrence.

Free State Brewery Manager, Debbie Fey, also said that the availability of parking for restaurants farther away from downtown is something to be desired.

“Good restaurants outside of downtown have the advantage of parking,” Fey said. Patrons from outside of Lawrence often come into Free State Brewery angry about the parking situation downtown, Fey said. With all the foot traffic around downtown, business is more consistent, Fey said.

That following weekend, Lindgren went back to work. Friday she took a bigger party that was more secluded in the bottom floor of the restaurant. On Saturday, she was busy.

“I always had something to do but I wasn’t always rushed.” Lindgren said.

It was good she made the money that she did those nights because her future earnings are unpredictable until next weekend.

Ramsi Lindgren – 224-1385
David Clemente – 830-8500
Debbie Fey 843-4555
Doug Holiday 856-0606
Daniel Ohlemeier – 979-8286
Fee Monshizadeh 312-9057
www.lawrence.com
www.city-data.com/city/Lawrence-Kansas.html

With gas prices and housing costs rising, people find tithing and sharing money with charities more challenging. But now philanthropists can give to their favorite nonprofit organizations without losing money or time. The search engine Goodsearch.com lets users donate a portion of the Web site’s ad revenue to charity of the user’s choice.

GoodSearch, a private company, donates “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to more than 32,000 charities, churches and schools, said Ken Ramberg, the site’s co-founder. Three Lawrence groups use the search engine to raise funds: the Lawrence Humane Society, Boys and Girls Clubs of Lawrence, and Meals on Wheels of Lawrence. All three began using it last year.

“It’s pretty easy on our part,” said Erica Zimmerman, program manager for the Boys and Girls Club at South Junior High. “All we have to do is spread the word. It doesn’t cost us or our supporters anything.”

Lawrence Humane Society director Midge Grinstead and Zimmerman agree that GoodSearch lets new and old contributors donate.

“We’re reaching the people who aren’t able to hand over large amounts of money,” Zimmerman said. “It doesn’t hurt their wallet, and they already search the Internet anyway.”

Nigeria senior Ugo Okoronkwo started using GoodSearch to help the Lawrence Humane Society last month. He said that a tight budget keeps him from giving money on a regular basis.

“I think, even if I’m not donating more than a penny at a time, I’m able to help out the Humane Society,” Okoronkwo said.

Okoronkwo said that he used the search engine exclusively. The organizations also converted to using GoodSearch as their main search engine in the office and at home.

The company sends out checks to the groups for the money they raised annually. A group must make at least $20 to receive a check. In Lawrence only the Boys’ and Girls’ Club received a check for last year, but all three groups said that they are pleased with GoodSearch and continue to use it.

How it works

Large search engines Yahoo! and Google make roughly $6 billion annually, Ramberg said. GoodSearch donates half of its ad revenue, about one cent per search, to charity. Advertisers pay to have their products listed next to the search results.

Organizations receive money based on how many times their supporters use the site. The more supporters, the more money an organization can earn. For example, if a group has 100 supporters who search twice daily, they would raise $730 in a year. If the group doubles its searchers, they would raise twice as much.

Curious how much local nonprofits have made from GoodSearch lately? This chart shows their earnings for February and March.

Groups that fail to raise $20 in the year will not receive a check. “That money is divided pro rata among the groups who raised over $20,” Ramberg said. Totals do not roll over into the next year.

Larger groups such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee have large groups searching for them. Both charities received checks for more than $2,000 for 2006.

Ramberg says that GoodSearch will not limit how much they give away.

“There’s no cap on what we’ll give,” he said. “We earmark 50 percent of all ad revenue coming in toward nonprofits no matter what.”

Too good to be true?

GoodSearch has many skeptics. As word of the site has spread virally over the Net and through word of mouth, so has speculation.

Ramberg wants to assure users that he runs a legitimate Web site. He says that his partnership with Yahoo! followed exhaustive investigation into GoodSearch’s business model and the founders’ and advisors’ backgrounds.

Press coverage also helps give the site credibility and publicity. The New York Times and CNN have featured GoodSearch in their stories. Neither reported a problem within the company.

“We found out about it through TV,” Grinstead said. “One of our volunteers saw it on Oprah and told us about it.”

The Better Business Bureau gave the company a “AA” grade, the second-best, and had no complaints on file.

But organizations that have received checks present GoodSearch’s best proof. “Thousands of companies, national and local, can vouch for us,” Ramberg said.

With no problems reported, skeptics can rest easily: GoodSearch seems legit.

The Inspiration

Ramberg worked closely with nonprofits before he started GoodSearch. He founded JobTrak with his mother, Connie, in 1988. JobTrak was a job-listing database for college students. The company didn't give money to charity, but it let nonprofits to post their job listings free.

GoodSearch has grown quickly since its inception in November 2005. This chart shows the number of nonprofits registered with GoodSearch by quarter.

Ramberg saw firsthand how nonprofits struggle to raise money while his mother fought cancer. He has also experienced the success of enterprise. In 2000, Ramberg sold JobTrak to Monster.com for an undisclosed amount.

“It’s a combination of my two experiences that made this work,” Ramberg said.

He hopes to do more than give money away to organizations in need. Ramberg wants to make giving to charity an everyday process for everyone.

By taking the pocket pain out of helping nonprofits, GoodSearch may make that wish a reality.

You don’t have to fly to Las Vegas to elope.

Circle S Ranch, a wedding venue in its ninth year of operation, now offers elopement specials. The ranch added an elopement package because of demand in the industry.

The 1,200-acre ranch lies in the rolling hills 13 miles north of Lawrence. The western atmosphere attracts national attention. Guests have traveled from New York and California to experience a Kansas-style country wedding.

The ranch, which is also a bed and breakfast, advertises romantic getaways, spa treatments and family reunions. It provides a location for meetings and business retreats. University of Kansas faculty often use the ranch for conventions.

The elopement package is less than a year old. It includes flowers, a small cake, music, dinner for two and an overnight stay in a suite for $950. Last year, the ranch booked five elopements. This number is projected to increase in 2007.

Originally, the ranch offered the special only in February.

Debbie Lenz, Circle S employee, said they planned to pick up business in the wedding off-season. The Circle S Ranch now offers the special year-round.

“We really wanted to meet the growing demand of the eloping business,” said Lenz.

Americans are increasingly short of time. Fast food and Internet shopping are two ways people save time. Now, Americans are cutting time even for marriage.

Lisa Tabb and Sam Silverstein, co-authors of Beyond Vegas write that there’s a plus side to this. On average, weddings will cost a couple or couple’s family more than $19,000, a figure published in Modern Bride Magazine.

With eloping as an option, couples save time and money they could put towards other expenses or extravagancies.

“It's our experience that a couple can stay at the best hotels, eat like kings, see the world through a unique perspective, and return home marriage certificate in hand -- with enough dough left over to throw a whiz-bang reception if they so wish,” write Tabb and Silverstein.

The cost at Circle S Ranch rivals eloping in Las Vegas. For a roundtrip ticket and two-night stay in a hotel, couples can pay $317 from Travelocity.com. In addition to chapel use, meals, other travel expenses and possible gambling, a couple’s elopement weekend in Vegas can cost well above $950.

Lenz notices a trend in couples who elope at Circle S Ranch.

“A lot of times it’s about funds,” she said.

Eloping couples are often older or are not marrying for the first time, she said.

The growing elopement industry could be related to today’s older brides.

The average age for brides in 2004 was 25.8, up from 20.3 in 1953, said Letsrunoff.com, a Web site geared for eloping couples.

The first couple who eloped at Circle S Ranch married July 11, 2006. They have a booked a bigger wedding with guests and a reception July 11, 2007, at the ranch.

Meat goats are usually maintenance-free when it comes to feeding. They eat grass and weeds in the summer. The winter months can cause a problem with farmers, though.

The most consumed meat in the world is not beef, chicken or pork - it's goat.

Just because it is the most consumed does not necessarily mean it is the most popular, though. The United States is not known for its goats, but America has become one of the largest importers of goat meat because of the increasing demand.

The coastal areas and southern states have a higher demand for goat products than the rest of the country. Goat meat is not found in many local grocery stores in Kansas. It is hard to find goat products in Lawrence.

The Community Mercantile on Iowa St. plans to have goat meat for sale in a few weeks. The Farmer's Market is the only other place where goat meat is sold in Lawrence. Several grocery stores, including Hy-Vee and Checkers, sell goat milk and cheese.

"Goats have been the laughing stock of the farm community for quite awhile now," Diane Hess, president of the Kansas Meat Goat Association (KMGA) said.

She has 31 goats, the majority being Boer goats or meat goats. Right now, she is building her herd so she can sell goats and goat meat. She said that although the market is growing it is not really set-up for the "little guy."

"We need a more centralized way to market our animals. There is a lot of business on the coasts and in highly populated areas of ethnic groups but there isn't much in Kansas. In order to make goat raising a viable way of life we need a meat packing plant in Kansas," she said.

Goat meat is very nutritious and Hess said it is even better for you than chicken. The meat is high in iron and has very little fat. She believes that as we become more health-conscience the more popular goat meat will become.

The KMGA has a list of members on its website. There are 100 members listed. One of those members is Jeff Hill of Hill Farms. He is the only member living in Lawrence. He started with 18-20 head of goats for brush management.

"I thought I could buy goats for pretty cheap. I found out that I couldn't so I decided to raise them," Hill said. "Right now they don't provide income."

He says a person could make money raising goats but it may take several years. The cost associated with goats is one of the reasons why it may be hard to be profitable. Hill says the costs are highly variable.

Like most businesses, there are high start-up costs which include land, fencing and shelter. Other costs can include hay and feed in the winter months. Some of the costs are based on what the market is for hay and feed. The drought in the Midwest this past year caused problems for some farmers because there was not as much hay to buy.

Ron Hennis raises Boer and Nubian goats in Mayetta, Kansas. He says there has been a shortage of hay this year. He had to lend hay to neighbors because they were not able to buy any.

Hennis started out with only a few goats for brush management. At one time he had 100 goats but is now down to 30. He is in the process of "grading" his goats.

"I'm trying to get a commercial, registered herd, or grading my goats. If goats are registered you can get a much higher price for them. Some will sell for $300-$400," Hennis said.

Hennis attends many auctions. People from around the country come to these auctions to buy and sell their goats. Hennis said he travels to Missouri and Oklahoma to attend auctions. There are several here in Kansas including Yates Center, Clay Center and Ottawa that take place every month.

"If you are getting $.97-$1.06 per pound for your goats then you are doing well. So many people have gotten into the goat market recently because the market has gone down," Hennis said.

The goats sold at auctions are sold based on live weight or as people in the industry call it, on the hoof. Courtney Skeeba sells goat meat and milk at the Farmer's Market. She sells the meat for $6 per pound.

Goats that are sold for breeding stock have a wide range of prices. Wethers, or castrated male goats, can be sold for $75-$400 depending on quality. Chad Wilson of Wilson Farms in Edgerton sells his Boer wethers for $200-$300.

There is also another side to goats: the dairy goats. The most popular breed of dairy goat is the Nubian goat. The American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) says a doe, or female goat, will milk for ten months after kidding.

Goat milk or dairy products are easier to find locally. Hy-Vee sells a half gallon of goat milk for $3. Checkers does not sell milk but has a variety of goat cheese that ranges from $2.99-$4.49.

The kidding process, or females having their babies, is happening right now. These babies were born only a few weeks ago.
Photo: Peyton Baldwin

Noah Goddard began raising dairy goats in 1979. He sells raw, unpasteurized milk to customers. He is not allowed to sell the milk to stores because it has not been pasteurized.

"I cannot advertise my milk, except on my own property and customers must come to the farm to pick up the milk," Goddard said.

He has 30-35 dairy goats. Many of them are going to have babies soon. This means the goats are freshened. Female goats come into milk when they are going to have babies. Goddard sells a half gallon of milk for $4.
The price of milk goats depends on the milk records and the linear appraisals on a goat. Goddard has his stock tested for milk records.

These one-year-old goats have not yet been put with the rest of the female herd. They will be introduced to the herd later this year when all of the mothers have finished kidding.
Photo: Peyton Baldwin

"There are several ways to gain recognition for your goats: the milk records, going to shows and linear appraisals. I have my goats tested for milk weight, or the components of the milk and those are put in the milk records. I can sell stock for a premium price based on those records," Goddard said.

Shows and linear appraisals are somewhat alike. At shows, goats are judged on an image of an ideal dairy goat. Each goat is competing against all of the other goats, though, so a perfect ideal image may not be present but the best looking goat wins. A judge goes to a farm and looks at all of the goats at that one farm in a linear appraisal.

"Theoretically, your goats are going against all of the goats in the world," Goddard said referring to a linear appraisal.

He sells his goats for an average of $500 a head plus the shipping costs. If a goat is going to San Diego, for instance, shipping costs could be $300. Goddard said there are many regulations to comply with and paperwork to complete if a person is shipping a goat by plane.

Cupcake is one of the does at the Goddard Farm. She is a Nubian goat, or milk goat.
Photo: Peyton Baldwin

Dairy goats are not as maintenance-free as meat goats, either. Nubians have to be milked and can produce about a gallon a day in their peak time. Goddard estimates his day-to-day operating costs to be about $20,000 a year. Those expenses include lights, water, heaters, vaccines, food and shelter.

There is not a standard price for goat meat listed in the United States. Many regions publish newsletters or magazines that include the prices and changes of meat in their area. The San Angelo Livestock Weekly regularly prints goat market changes for Texas.

With future development and standardization goat products may become more readily available at the local grocer.

When new students come to KU, the first building they come to is the Kansas Union. From that point on, students know the Union as the center of campus activity.

But not all activity takes place in the Kansas Union.

The Burge Union is near the residence halls and athletics department, but not many students realize there’s anything there. The Burge started out with an optimistic business view for the community, but it hasn’t fulfilled that purpose. Union officials are attempting to change that for the future.

“I think its biggest problem is recognition,” said Pat Beard, Director of Building Services. “It’s not on a major thoroughfare.”

The Burge Unionwas built in the late 70s, after students and University officials expressed interest in a union closer to the residence halls. It was named the Satellite Union at first, but was renamed Burge after Frank Burge when he retired. Frank Burge was the Director of the Kansas Union from 1952 until when he retired in 1983.

When it was built during the building trend of the 60s and 70s, the Burge was expected to be right in the middle of campus growth. It turns out, as Beard said, they missed it “by about a block.”

Satellite unions are relatively common all over the country, although MU is the only other school in the Big 12 with a second union. Director of Unions David Mucci, worked in the Big 10 before he came to KU. He said that Ohio State had a satellite union, but was recently turned over to the theater department. Mucci also mentioned the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan (which actually has three) as schools with satellite unions.

According to the Association of College Union International’s website, a college union “is the community center of the college, serving students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests.” The plan for the Burge was to be a community center for that side of campus.

The Burge hasn’t exactly lived up to its expectations.

Since the late 60s, satellite unions have been on the decline. Residence halls are becoming more self-contained, according to Mucci. “[Students are saying] I have a great lounge, I have a great view, I have a great dining service, I don’t want to lose my parking spot, and I don’t want to walk down the damn hill!” Mucci said.

Mucci and Beard, as well other University officials, want to change Burge’s lack of recognition. Beard said they’ve tried everything from advertising to even moving the signs closer to the street. They have to keep trying new things to get out of the rut they are in now and into the future.

Currently, the Burge is used by Athletics for studying and Training Table meals held in the Crimson Café. Meeting rooms provide a little bit of income, but not much, Mucci said. Career and Employment Services, Trademark and Licensing, and Legal Services are located in Burge, and are expanding. And until recently, art and design students were also able to buy the supplies they needed in the bookstore.

The art and design supplies were moved to the Art and Design building on central campus, and the space occupied by those supplies is now empty. That means that a large part of the Burge is now open for the future.

One possibility for that empty space is a “Collaborative Learning Center”[pdf] (CLC) like the Computer Center at Cox Hall at Emory University in Georgia. A collaborative learning center is like a souped-up computer lab where students can use state-of-the-art equipment in a collaborative environment. The closest comparison at KU is the group study area in the Budig Computer Lab. The new lab would have everything from touch screen plasma monitors, easily moveable furniture, small classrooms, media editing computers, and even down to a simple whiteboard.

Beard mentioned some other possible developments at the Burge, including a Pulse coffee shop and top-of-the-line internet speeds.

Although revenue is generated by the Unions, “we don’t see ourselves as a business,” Mucci said. “That would be the one unifying idea, that whatever your business model, it’s all supposed to support that idea of community centers on campus.”
________
Sources:
David Mucci, Director of Unions
Pat Beard, Director of Building Services
2006 KU Annual Financial Report
Association of College Union International Website/Bulletin
Kuhistory.com
Nation Association of College Auxiliary Services Magazine
Emory University Computer Center website

Kenneth Brouhard of Lawrence, Kan. has been leading a double life. The mild-mannered house painter dons a red, white and blue top-hat every weekday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.to become his alter-ego: Uncle Sam. Brouhard, as Sam, stands outside of a Liberty Tax Service in Lawrence and gyrates to rock music blaring from a boom-box. Passersby honk their car horns and cheer on Brouhard as he waves furiously to get his message across: "I want you…to get a speedy tax return."

Liberty Tax Service has employed “wavers,” such as Brouhard since its first store opened in the U.S. in 1998. The wavers work in full costume as either Uncle Sam or Lady Liberty. Many simply stand or give the occasional wave, but Brouhard prefers to dance.

“It’s better to look goofier,” he said.

But the results of the goofiness are no joke. “I would say that the wavers bring in well over 50 percent of our customers,” said Richard Todd, Manager of a Liberty Tax Service in Lawrence.

The wavers have become a symbol of the service nationwide. Some have even appeared on the Today Show. Julie Thornton, a tax preparer who works at three of the service’s locations remembers the first time she saw the wavers.

“My gosh! They looked like they were really having a good time,” she said

Thornton said business largely depends on the wavers’ enthusiasm.

“It’s so interesting how much difference the waver’s attitude can have on the emotional impact to someone driving by. In some cases, it can make a person’s day,” she said.

The tax service has ridden these waves all the way to become one of the biggest tax preparers in the nation.

So, Hewitt opened his first Liberty Tax Service in Canada. He opened five stores in the U.S. in 1998 when his no-compete contract ran out. The service has expanded to 2,400 offices since then and has advertised mostly through use of wavers.
“Wavers are the single most effective marketing tool we have,” said Thornton.

Nina Cunningham, Public Relations Director for the service, said that the wavers were a planned part of their strategy from the beginning. She described the wavers as a “guerrilla marketing” technique. The wavers are more in-you-face than other ads such as billboards. “Every two hours that a waver is outside, he pulls in a customer,” she said.

The method is pulling its weight. Since its start, Liberty Tax Services is now in the top three most successful tax preparers in the nation. The other two are H&R Block and Hewitt’s former company, Jackson Hewitt. The service has been steadily increasing sales, gaining over $10 million yearly in revenue.

But Tim Bengston, Associate Professor at the University of Kansas and author of Advertising Slogans USA says that the wavers reflect poorly on the business.
“For my money, they’re making fools out of themselves and they’re a distraction to drivers,” Bengston said.

“They seem to be saying, ‘we don’t know what we’re doing, so we’re trying this.’”

The waver method does little beyond draw attention to the store. Wavers do not hold ad signs and are not trained to do much more than cause a spectacle. They start out at seven dollars per hour. They get a ten dollar bonus if mentioned by a customer.

“I stand out there waving, dancing and get paid to do it,” Brouhard said.

While the job lacks medical benefits, he thinks it has its perks.

“Sometimes students hang out of their cars and yell. Girls: that’s the cool part,” Brouhard said.

Fume-spewing buses covered with “Quit Smoking” ads are a familiar sight on campus at the University of Kansas. But the environmentally and ADA unfriendly buses will soon be a thing of the past, and KU’s long history with the Lawrence Bus Company could potentially follow.
KU on Wheels is switching from using Lawrence Bus Company’s buses to building its own fleet.
“We will have 30 new buses by the end of July 2007,” said Jessica Mortinger, Transportation Coordinator and head of KU on Wheels.

The end of July is also when Lawrence Bus Company’s three-year contract with KU on Wheels will expire.
The new contract will be open for bids from various transit companies including MV Transportation Inc., a national transportation company that currently runs the Lawrence Transit System. MV Transportation will definitely make a bid on the KU on Wheels contract, said Mike Sweeten, general manager of the Lawrence division. The 2006 contract that MV Transportation has with the “T” is worth $2.6 million. It is part of a five-year contract that expires in December 2008.
The contractor would be responsible for maintaining and running the new KU fleet as well as operating SafeRide and the LiftVan service. These three are a package deal with the option of also managing Park & Ride.
KU on Wheels purposely designed the contract beginning August 1, 2007 also expire in December 2008. In the past, the University and the city have discussed merging the two transit systems.
The Lawrence Bus Company is the only private transport company left in America, manager Debbie Kelly said. All the other transportation companies use federal or state funding. The Company caters mainly to KU. It also operates a charter service. After KU buys their own fleet, this service will be the primary use for the old buses. The Lawrence Bus Company has worked with KU for the past 50 years.
They are able to stay competitive because of their willingness to offer a lower price.
Asked about the upcoming contract, Kelly said, “If they go with the lowest bidder, we’ll stay low enough to get the contract.” Of course, every time the contract comes up for renewal, they get a little bit nervous, Kelly said.

The Lawrence Bus Company contract for 2006 was worth $1.4 million dollars, said Mortinger. It is unlikely that the University will be able to pay much more than that to any contractor despite the recent fee increase. The extra $20 per semester will go to fund the 30 buses that KU on Wheels plans on purchasing before the beginning of the Fall 2007 semester.

Lawrence had 10 travel agencies 10 years ago. One by one, the travel agencies disappeared like businesses during the Great Depression. In 2007, only four travel agencies remain: Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Travelers Inc., STA travel, and Lawrence Travel Center. The culprit for this loss of Lawrence travel agencies has been the internet.

“The internet has had a major impact on travel agencies around here. There used to be 10 or 11(travel agencies), and now there are three. For us, it’s been both good and bad. It’s been good for publicity, but it was hard on business for local travel,” Armstrong said.

He’s right. It’s been bad for business. The number of agencies in the US has dropped 6.2% over the past 10 years after being projected to increase by 24 percent by the Bureau of Labor Services. In fact, the Bureau predicts the industry to decline through the year 2014.

Airlines played the major role in this decline. In the mid ‘90s, Lawrence travel agencies focused on booking flights for their customers. Booking flights was easy money. The agents made 10% commission when they made a sale.

The airlines cut this commission to five percent in 1999. It did not hurt business because travel agencies were still booking 80 percent of the flights. But business did suffer a huge blow in 2002 when major airlines cut commissions completely.

Lawrence travel agencies needed to charge service fees in order to counterbalance the lack of commission. It didn’t work for seven of Lawrence‘s travel agencies. Most of them have disappeared in the past three years.

College students necessary for success in Lawrence?

The Travel Industry Association of America says seven out of 10 people who book with travel agents are aged 34 and up, while only one-third of their customers are aged 18-34. This is a problem for travel agencies trying to keep up with the younger generations.

. Source: Travel Industry Association

STA Travel has solved this problem. It’s office is located in the Kansas Union on the main floor. STA’s main goal: book flights and vacations for students. It’s main palce to advertise is the University Daily Kansan and in the residence halls. STA Travel has seldom sold flights and packages to anyone old enough to buy a beer.

Their fiscal year almost identically lines with the school year. Business usually increases a few weeks before breaks.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase in business with Spring Break coming up. The students were actually ahead of themselves this year. Most of them already booked their trips back in January,” Tim Davey, an STA travel advisor, said.

The branch in the union hasn’t noticed any negative effect from the internet during the few years they’ve been in the Kansas Union.

“We actually haven’t really noticed a decrease in business. We’ve had about the same traffic at the same times of the year,” Davey said.

Past keeps companies alive

Two Lawrence travel agencies, Carson Wagonlit Travel and Travellers Inc., both have stayed in the business for one reason: history. Both of these companies have backgrounds that go back 30 plus years.

Carson Wagonlit Travel’s President, Chris Armstrong, explained how his company’s background with experienced employees gave his company a boost during tough times.

“Our employees know what they’re doing. Some of our employees have been around since our beginning. We have no specific target audience. We just cater to the Lawrence natives,” Armstrong said.

The other historical travel agency, Traveller’s Inc. goes back even further than Carson Wagonlit. Traveller’s Inc. began in the early ‘90s, but stems back to the early ’50s under a different name, Moppen Tour Travel. [The company changed it’s name because the owner, Moppen, passed away.]

John Novotny, Vice-President of Operations for Travellers Inc., said they outlived the internet’s influence by doing what they did before there was internet.

“We just focused on travel packages and targeted different local businesses. Some of our clients are the KU Athletics Department and Hallmark. We’ve had people who’ve worked with us for over 54 years,” Novotny said.

Novontny offered some advice for anyone trying to stay in business.

“This isn’t a hobby. You have to make it a business.”

Sports posters and little piles of lint decorate this house inhabited by 11 upperclassmen. Conveniently located two blocks from Memorial Stadium, its an ideal living situation for a soon-to-be graduate. With the constant shouting and inflow of visitors, it’s a wonder that anyone could get anything accomplished. But KU student Justin McAuley manages to stay focused throughout this ruckus, as he examines the newest additions to his company’s website.

McAuley is one of many joining the growing trend of business students putting their education to use prior graduation and becoming entrepreneurs.

Professors in the School of Business acknowledged this increased interest by creating the entrepreneurship program in Fall of 2005. The focus provides classes that apply concepts of business to budding enterprises. But since the formation of this program, students have decided to take matters into their own hand- in true entrepreneurial fashion.

This year KU hosted the first Entrepreneurship Fair on Feb. 27 as part of National Entrepreneurship Week. The event exhibited original technologies and businesses related to the University, according to Jim Baxendale, director of KU’s Office of Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property. The OTTIP was formed to help a different sort of entrepreneur. The organization provides aid and resources for students inventing new technologies. It seems as if the entire campus is supporting students desire to be their own boss.

James Bass is one of the students who applied his business education before completing his major. Bass graduated from KU in December of 2006, but he began his online business, Moolah, a year earlier. Bass’ company services people who want to sell items online. Moolah prepares these articles or inventory and places them on the appropriate e-commerce website.

Bass moved the company to San Deigo after graduating. Moolah has met even more success after the move.

“There’s an amazing amount of capital and opportunity [in San Diego]. But there’s no way I could have done any of this without the experience and guidance I received in Lawrence,” said Bass.

Bass is referring to the aid he received from KU business faculty, such as head of the entrepreneurship program Wally Meyer, who worked with Bass through the creation of his company.

Justin McAuley also utilzed on University resources through the creation of his online food delivery ordering service, FoodPatio. McAuley says he often reread old business textbooks, sought advice from Prof. Meyer, and used KU’s free legal services while writing up contracts.

But even with the support of the University, starting a business can be a risky undertaking for a student. McAuley has faced many difficulties while starting FoodPatio. The planned launch date for the Web site was in September of 2006. The site didn’t open for the public until two weeks ago- six months after originally planned. McAuley blames this delay on the complexity of the site. He has already invested $5,000 in the project and expects to spend much more once he begins advertising.

“There’s just so many little things that you never expect. Now I’m broke. I’m having trouble paying bills on time,” said McAuley

McAuley also said he has very little free time and misses more classes than ever before.

A $3.99 pizza buffet would seem to be a popular place in a college town. Not in Lawrence.

All three local pizza buffets charge only $3.99 for all-you-can-eat pizza, pasta, salad, and breadsticks. But all three also are struggling to make any money.

"We’re not jumping over any hoops, that’s for sure," said Hal Sasko, who opened Cici’s Pizza on Iowa almost three years ago. "We’re breaking even. I thought we would do a lot better than we are to be honest."

Cici’s Pizza had 200 franchises when Sasko joined the corporate office 12 years ago. Now, Sasko has opened three Cici’s of his own and has plans for two more in Topeka and Olathe before the end of the year. In all, Cici’s now has more than 600 restaurants around the country.

But despite the growing national pizza buffet trend, the three local pizza buffets in Lawrence are all struggling to get customers into their stores.

One problem has been the lack of college students taking advantage of the low price buffets.

"It hasn’t been what I thought it would," said Ricky Dean, owner of the Pizza Street buffet on 6th St. "Only 10-15 percent of our business has been college students and I thought that number would be closer to 40 percent. We’re going to start a college discount to try and get that number up."

Dean opened Pizza Street only three months ago, but has been disappointed in the overall attendance at his buffet, not just the lack of college students.

"It’s starting to get a little better," Dean said. "We just need to get more involved in the community and with the schools. I knew initially it would be a challenge to get people in here, but once they try our product, I know they will want to come back."

Location has played a factor in the disappointing turnouts.

"For us, our problem is our location," said Bonnie Boryca, manager of Godfathers Pizza on Wakarusa. "The other places are closer to campus so I’m surprised they aren’t doing better. We’re so far away that the college kids don’t want to drive all of the way out here."

It took Sasko almost three years to open Cici’s Pizza in Lawrence. When it opened, he thought his location at the corner of 23rd and Iowa was a perfect spot .

"I did, I thought it was a busy intersection and lots of people would see us," Sasko said. "But I think it’s a little bit too busy. We’ve gotten some complaints on the parking lot being too small, which I did not even think about. The other thing we don’t have is a lot of houses around us. Across the street we have a field, and we have businesses all around us. I didn’t think about that either."

Sasko says only 20 percent of his business comes from college students, and, like Pizza Street, he wishes that number was closer to 40 percent.

"College kids don’t have a lot of money, and it’s hard to get them here on a weekly basis, but four bucks for all you can eat pizza is a pretty good deal," Sasko said. "We’re getting some students, but not enough. Don’t ask me why. I have no idea."

Godfathers Pizza offers a buffet daily for lunch, but only for dinner on Monday and Tuesday nights. They do, however, offer bottles of beer for only $1. Still, Boryca and her husband Kevin, the owner, can’t figure out why more students don’t make the trip to Godfathers.

"We’re not getting as many college students as we’d like," Boryca said. "And it surprises me, because if your 21, we have dollar beers, and you're not going to get that at any of the other pizza buffets in town. We’ve been trying to advertise at KU and get more students out here. Right now, they don’t even make up 10 percent of our customers."

Cici’s Pizza has college night on Monday, kids night on Tuesday and senior citizens night on Wednesday. Each of those groups can eat the buffet for only $2.99 on their respective nights. Sasko even gives out free tokens to kids on Tuesdays to get them to come back.

Pizza Street has installed three Plasma TV’s and a surround sound system to try and convince sporting event watchers to choose them over the sports bars.

Despite all of the owners' efforts, nothing seems to be working like they had hoped.

"Nobody knows why," Boryca said. "Believe me, we all wish we knew the answer."