Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas 

Growing up in Altamont, Kansas, Terry Trout liked to make things. In high school, his shop teacher, Mr. Holroyd, suggested that since he liked to make things, he might be interested in a wood technology program at Pittsburg State University (PSU.) So it was then that he graduated from PSU in 1996 with a major in Wood Technology and a minor in business. He and wife, Tonya, also a PSU grad, made their way to Monticello, Arkansas where he became an engineer in a company specializing in hotel and institutional cabinetry. He was in his element, so he thought. After a couple of years on the job, at 24, company owners summoned him. With some trepidation, Terry went to see what they wanted. To his surprise, they wanted to make him the supervisor of 100 employees. He protested a bit saying he was only 24 and had no management experience. Didn’t matter they said. They had seen his work ethic and the way he built relationships with coworkers. So, supervisor he became. 

Returning to SEK 

Meanwhile, back in Southeast Kansas, health became an issue with Terry’s parents. That and the fact that the rest of both families were in the area prompted the family to return. Terry went to work for Prestige Cabinets in Neodesha. The great flood of 2007 prompted Prestige to move to Coffeyville’s industrial park. A few years later, after a change in ownership, the company consolidated plants in Coffeyville and Columbus, Kansas, closing Coffeyville. Terry retained his supervisor position. The commute was long, leaving at 4:30 each morning and arriving at home by 6:30 or 7 each evening. Working on Saturday was often required. Even so, everything was pretty much fun and games until the day management told him the plant was closing and that he needed to lay off 100 employees. Remaining a faithful employee Terry, who likes people, went about the painful task of the layoff. After that, management told him they had no supervisory positions open for him, but he could take a demotion and move to Tijuana, Mexico or Anaheim, California.  

Deciding Not To Move to Tijuana  

He and Tonya elected not to uproot their family to move to either of those choices. Terry hit the streets to look for another job, management or not, something in industry. It was early 2011 and local industry had not fully recovered from the recession in 2008. “You’re really overqualified for anything we have right now, why don’t you check back with us in a few months.” He heard that a lot and was willing to start at any level, but no job materialized. 

Let’s Buy a Restaurant 

In late summer of 2011, Tonya notice a classified ad in the Independence Reporter that Ane Mae’s Coffee and Sandwich House was for sale. She was familiar and really liked the business so as a joke she circled the ad and left it where Terry would see it. They had a good laugh together but as the laughter subsided, they began to play the “what-if” game. Eventually they decided to buy the business, but they didn’t want to incur any debt in case it didn’t work so they used their life savings instead. In September 2011, he took over knowing about all about sawdust but nothing about coffee grounds; he didn’t even like coffee and didn’t drink it. (Today he’s amended his ways and enjoys his coffee products.) BTW, some local “experts” told him the location at 325 N Penn would never work. Too far north of the main pedestrian traffic patterns, they said. 

Becoming An Entrepreneur 

Terry is a life-long learner. He got involved with our Entrepreneur Program in 2012 and was in the inaugural Entrepreneurial Mindset class featuring the Ice House entrepreneurship program in August, 2012. He established good relationships with the food inspectors, vendors and most of all his customers. He learned quickly; some lessons the hard way, but pleasing his customers was always at the top of his list. In 2014, he and another tenant in the “iMall” building bought it, opening a gift shop in the center of the building, “Ane Mae’s Gifts and Goodies.” 

The main hallway in the “iMall,” the building that was “too far north of the pedestrian traffic patterns,” now has more foot traffic than any other building in downtown Independence. Ane Mae’s offers customers a respite from their daily routines with coffees, juices, baked goods and lunches. They cater all over the area and Terry has built a welcoming culture. Terry would say he still has a lot to learn, but it looks to me like he has successfully made the transition from sawdust to coffee grounds. 

Listen to my Correll Files podcast interview with Terry. If your computer has sound, just Google Correll Files and click one of the podcast links that appear. 

Jim Correll is the director of Fab Lab ICC at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Independence Community College. He can be reached at (620) 252-5349, by email at jcorrell@indycc.edu or Twitter @jimcorrellks. Archive columns and podcast at jimcorrell.com.