A new class of three will be inducted as part of the 20th class of the Salina Business Hall of Fame.
According to the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, three prominent Salina businesspersons are scheduled to be inducted into the 2024 class. They are:
- Moses Stiefel, co-founder of Stiefel Brothers and Company (Pioneer Category, 1858-1945)
- Paul Mai, founder of Mai Family Companies (Historic Category, 1946-1999)
- Frieda Mai Weis, founder of PKM Steel Services (Contemporary Category, 2000-present)
In addition to the Business Hall of Fame Inductees, the Business Hall of Fame Task Force will announce the Spirit of Salina Award recipient. This award, which was created in 2022, was developed to recognize an emerging entrepreneur in Saline County. The entrepreneur selected will represent the “best of the best” in terms of overcoming obstacles, believing in their dreams, taking risks, and persisting as a small business owner. They embody a spirit-the entrepreneurial spirit of Salina – and those that have come before. This year’s recipient will be announced at the induction ceremony.
The induction ceremony will be held Tuesday, November 5, 2024 from noon – 1:30 p.m., at the Salina Country Club. Carl Ice, President and CEO of BNSF Railway, will be the featured speaker.
Each inductee will be recognized with a commemorative plaque. In addition, plaques honoring each inductee will be
displayed at the Chamber office, 120 W. Ash. “The caliber of those that get inducted into the Business Hall of Fame
is so high because these are not just people who have achieved success in business, but also who have made integral
contributions to the success of the entire community,” Renee Duxler, president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber
of Commerce said, “This 2024 class of inductees is particularly exceptional with the imprint that they’ve left on
Salina and we’re thrilled to be able to celebrate them.”
The Salina Business Hall of Fame was established by the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce in 2005. Its purpose is to
recognize and honor Salina business leaders, both past and present, who have made extraordinary contributions to
Salina, earned the respect of the local community and called attention to the Free Enterprise system and its value to
our country and citizens in shaping Salina’s way of life.
Tickets for the induction ceremony are $35 per person and can be purchased by registering online on the Chamber’s
website at www.salinakansas.org, or by calling the Chamber office at 785-827-9310 ext. 124, or by emailing
Stephanie Gillig at [email protected].
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Past inductees include:
(Pioneer) Henry David Lee, Alexander Campbell, Oscar Seitz, Winfield Watson, Benjamin
Aaron Litowich; William R. Geis, William A. Phillips, Thomas Watson Roach, Charles R. Underwood, Frank Hageman,
Heerman H. Sudendorf, Arthur M. Claflin, and August (AJ) Holmquist
(Historic) Ward A. Marshall, William Henry Graves, John J. Vanier, M.J. Kennedy, Milton Morrison, Charles W.
Shaver, C. William “Bill” Exline, Murray Wilson, Ralph E. Reitz, S. Dean Evans, Sr., Whitley Austin, Ben Sellers, George
L. Frisbie, Verla Nesbitt Joscelyn, Baalis Kyger Smoot, Robert J. Laubengayer, Dan Bolen, Milton Stiefel, Frank Norton,
Mabel Shelton, Mel Jarvis, and Quintin Applequist
(Contemporary) Alfred P.G. Schwan, Charlie Walker, Roy Applequist, Lee Young, Paul E. Junk, Jack Vanier, James R.
Allen, Richard E. Brown, Karl Stutterheim, Mike Berkley, Charles E. Stevens, Jr., Thomas Pestinger, Sidney A. Reitz,
Timothy M. Rogers, Mel and Marge Bergkamp, Stephen Ryan, Larry Triplett, Mike Beatty, and Mark and Julie Miller.
Past Spirit of Salina recipients: Tyler Gallagher/Seraphim Bread (2022), Gustaf Applequist/Fili Creative (2023)
