Then & Now

Harris Faulkner

After having spent eight years delivering the evening news aside Phil Witt at WDAF-TV FOX 4—and becoming one of the most popular TV personalities in Kansas City—Harris Faulkner left the metro area in 2000. Yet it wasn’t that long before she reappeared in our homes, this time on national television. Prior to joining the FOX News Channel in New York, where she is prime-time update anchor and correspondent, we saw her as correspondent for “A Current Affair.”

“I enjoy meeting the challenge of telling millions of viewers what’s happening around America and the world… in a way that I hope they find useful,” she told Ingram’s. “Whether it’s in Kansas City or New York City, I feel so blessed to… bring people the biggest stories, the ones that affect their lives and shape the future.”

After her departure from WDAF, she anchored the evening news on KSTP-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Of her Kansas City experience, she reminisces about things like shopping on the Plaza, watching the Chiefs at Arrowhead, and sharing time with Buck O’Neill when she covered the opening of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

“I still keep in touch with Phil Witt. I can’t imagine where my career would be without having worked with him. I don’t even want to imagine not keeping in touch.”

Susan Stanton

The depth and breadth of Susan Stanton’s work experience far transcends that of the average person. While at one time she was the president and CEO of Payless Cashways, which made her a staple of this magazine, and later a vice president with H&R Block, her life’s journey incorporates both traditional paths and roads less taken.

Ever in love with her native city, Stanton is a die-hard champion of and for all things Kansas City, especially the children. Nowadays, she is heavily involved in volunteer work at Operation Breakthrough, the largest childcare service for the disadvantaged in the state of Missouri. She also sits on the board of Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, an organization that develops and delivers youth programming through the art of dance.

A former ballerina herself, Stanton enjoys implementing dance as a vehicle for children to improve knowledge, increase self-esteem, enhance critical thinking skills, and encourage positive role models and smart life choices.

In addition to her corporate and volunteer experience, she has worked at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and in local government. When she was director of corrections for Jackson County from 1977 to 1983, Stanton was sometimes called “the dancing jailor.” But during her six years in that role, she was firmly in charge and silenced would-be critics.

Richard Sailors

You can’t keep a persistent man down. Developer Richard Sailors, head of R.H. Sailors & Co., is back in the news—albeit focused on horizontal projects.

Many Ingram’s readers will remember the controversy that erupted over his 1984 plans to build a series of large high-rise towers just east of the Country Club Plaza. While the media reported that the city’s infrastructure would not support such a colossal project, Sailors recently met with Ingram’s and said a small group of critics brought the project to a standstill after he had received approval from the City Council, the Planning Commission and voters at large.

Between the double-digit interest rates of the era and the long delays on that particular project, Sailors sold off his interest in the project, chaired 35 restaurants, then founded Denver-based American Image Media Corp. But after some years, he returned to Kansas City development.

Today, a serene and confident Sailors is busy helping to develop five distinct projects in Johnson County. The properties comprise a total of 1,000 acres, including Parkway Plaza at the corner of Roe Avenue and 135th St. He has not written off working in Jackson County, but today is concentrated on truly mixed-use, master-plan projects on the fringes of suburbia. “I prefer to keep my eyes forward-looking,” he laughs.

Marcie Cecil

Marcie Cecil returns to Kansas City to help friends and family whenever she’s needed, but the hectic days of planning and marketing colossal events, such as the 1997 Grand Opening of the restored 18th & Vine district, are gone.

After more than 20 years as president of Hammack Cecil Events, she decided to step down in 1999. Health issues, including a bad knee, helped persuade her to divest of her firm, donate the physical and intellectual properties, and head to the coast. But which coast?

Quaint and quiet La Jolla, Calif., beckoned Marcie, a Florida native. So in 2000 the former entertainment editor for 980 KMBZ-AM and former Ingram’s columnist settled in the San Diego neighborhood built on spectacular bluffs. “I moved to get away from the hustle and bustle, and to be near the ocean.”

Things truly do happen for a reason. Following a knee replacement operation there, Marcie became a patient representative for San Diego’s Scripps Health. She assists patients who undergo joint replacement procedures. In addition, she serves as a mentor for young women in business and actively volunteers in her local parish, Mary, Star of the Sea. “I’m still making a difference in people’s lives, but at my own pace.”

George and Jack Kroh

People can’t experience the soaring highs and humiliating lows that George and Jack Kroh did without it changing them profoundly. While Jack abandoned Kansas City after the crushing downfall of Kroh Brothers Development, his brother and partner George swallowed hard and chose to remain in town following the most complicated bankruptcy case in the metro area’s history.

The saga of the Kroh brothers shows how fast fortunes can turn in real estate. They had transformed a family-run business into a national firm with 458 employees, assets of $197.4 million, and investments in 13 states. At the peak, banks had extended Kroh Development $39 million in unsecured loans. Then the bubble burst.

After a short time of doing hard time, George returned to the business he loves, though on a vastly smaller scale. Today, supported by his loyal wife and loving family, he works in the office of Coventry Realty, Inc. in Johnson County and has learned the exquisite beauty of slowing down and taking a day at a time.

Jack, the mastermind behind the Kroh Brothers financial façade, was sent to prison for a lengthier term. Reports indicate his marriage did not survive.

Although he declined to be interviewed for this article, George now enjoys volunteering some of his time to Kansas City Community Gardens, a project founded by the Metropolitan Lutheran Ministry. The KCCG works with disadvantaged families, teaching them to raise vegetables in community plots in order to reduce food costs and improve diets. He has admitted choosing not to think about the past.

Ted and Joyce Rice

The simplest ideas are usually the best and most profitable. Take, for instance, selling a softball-size, decadently sweet cinnamon bun. Experiment in your kitchen with different recipes until you find that perfect mixture of ingredients that bakes into a mouth-watering roll of pastry with lots of rich, pecan goo between its layers and smothered in sugary frosting, gliding over your tongue and down your throat and giving your taste buds an orgasm they’ll never forget.

In America, pulling that off on a massive scale qualifies you as a multi-millionaire. Just ask Ted and Joyce Rice, co-founders of T. J. Cinnamons. In less than three years, they grew the company from operating out of the back of a truck to managing 210 bakeries—10 of which were company-owned.

Because quality-control is difficult to maintain in franchises, the Rices eventually sold their business in the late 1990s to the Triarc Restaurant Group of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which owns thousands of Arby’s Restaurant units. Afterward, the Rices consulted the Triarc group as the concept was introduced in 270 Arby’s locations nationwide.

The former TV cameraman and elementary school teacher first came up with the idea for their cinnamon roll business while sailing the waters of Lake Superior during a long vacation.

We suspect they are yachting off the coast of Bali today.


Harris Faulkner After having spent eight years delivering the evening news aside Phil Witt at WDAF-TV FOX 4—and becoming one of the most popular TV personalities in Kansas City—Harris Faulkner left the metro area in 2000. Yet it wasn’t that long before she reappeared in our homes, this time on national television. Prior to joining the FOX News Channel in New York, where she is prime-time update anchor and correspondent, we saw her as correspondent for “A Current Affair.” “I enjoy meeting the challenge of telling millions of viewers what’s happening around America and the world… in a way that I hope they find useful,” she told Ingram’s. “Whether it’s in Kansas City or New York City, I feel so blessed to… bring people the biggest stories, the ones that affect their lives and shape the future.” After her departure from WDAF, she anchored the evening news on KSTP-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Of her Kansas City experience, she reminisces about things like shopping on the Plaza, watching the Chiefs at Arrowhead, and sharing time with Buck O’Neill when she covered the opening of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. “I still keep in touch with Phil Witt. I can’t imagine where my career would be without having worked with him. I don’t even want to imagine not keeping in touch.” Susan Stanton The depth and breadth of Susan Stanton’s work experience far transcends that of the average person. While at one time she was the president and CEO of Payless Cashways, which made her a staple of this magazine, and later a vice president with H&R Block, her life’s journey incorporates both traditional paths and roads less taken. Ever in love with her native city, Stanton is a die-hard champion of and for all things Kansas City, especially the children. Nowadays, she is heavily involved in volunteer work at Operation Breakthrough, the largest childcare service for the disadvantaged in the state of Missouri. She also sits on the board of Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, an organization that develops and delivers youth programming through the art of dance. A former ballerina herself, Stanton enjoys implementing dance as a vehicle for children to improve knowledge, increase self-esteem, enhance critical thinking skills, and encourage positive role models and smart life choices. In addition to her corporate and volunteer experience, she has worked at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and in local government. When she was director of corrections for Jackson County from 1977 to 1983, Stanton was sometimes called “the dancing jailor.” But during her six years in that role, she was firmly in charge and silenced would-be critics. Richard Sailors You can’t keep a persistent man down. Developer Richard Sailors, head of R.H. Sailors & Co., is back in the news—albeit focused on horizontal projects. Many Ingram’s readers will remember the controversy that erupted over his 1984 plans to build a series of large high-rise towers just east of the Country Club Plaza. While the media reported that the city’s infrastructure would not support such a colossal project, Sailors recently met with Ingram’s and said a small group of critics brought the project to a standstill after he had received approval from the City Council, the Planning Commission and voters at large. Between the double-digit interest rates of the era and the long delays on that particular project, Sailors sold off his interest in the project, chaired 35 restaurants, then founded Denver-based American Image Media Corp. But after some years, he returned to Kansas City development. Today, a serene and confident Sailors is busy helping to develop five distinct projects in Johnson County. The properties comprise a total of 1,000 acres, including Parkway Plaza at the corner of Roe Avenue and 135th St. He has not written off working in Jackson County, but today is concentrated on truly mixed-use, master-plan projects on the fringes of suburbia. “I prefer to keep my eyes forward-looking,” he laughs. Marcie Cecil Marcie Cecil returns to Kansas City to help friends and family whenever she’s needed, but the hectic days of planning and marketing colossal events, such as the 1997 Grand Opening of the restored 18th & Vine district, are gone. After more than 20 years as president of Hammack Cecil Events, she decided to step down in 1999. Health issues, including a bad knee, helped persuade her to divest of her firm, donate the physical and intellectual properties, and head to the coast. But which coast? Quaint and quiet La Jolla, Calif., beckoned Marcie, a Florida native. So in 2000 the former entertainment editor for 980 KMBZ-AM and former Ingram’s columnist settled in the San Diego neighborhood built on spectacular bluffs. “I moved to get away from the hustle and bustle, and to be near the ocean.” Things truly do happen for a reason. Following a knee replacement operation there, Marcie became a patient representative for San Diego’s Scripps Health. She assists patients who undergo joint replacement procedures. In addition, she serves as a mentor for young women in business and actively volunteers in her local parish, Mary, Star of the Sea. “I’m still making a difference in people’s lives, but at my own pace.” George and Jack Kroh People can’t experience the soaring highs and humiliating lows that George and Jack Kroh did without it changing them profoundly. While Jack abandoned Kansas City after the crushing downfall of Kroh Brothers Development, his brother and partner George swallowed hard and chose to remain in town following the most complicated bankruptcy case in the metro area’s history. The saga of the Kroh brothers shows how fast fortunes can turn in real estate. They had transformed a family-run business into a national firm with 458 employees, assets of $197.4 million, and investments in 13 states. At the peak, banks had extended Kroh Development $39 million in unsecured loans. Then the bubble burst. After a short time of doing hard time, George returned to the business he loves, though on a vastly smaller scale. Today, supported by his loyal wife and loving family, he works in the office of Coventry Realty, Inc. in Johnson County and has learned the exquisite beauty of slowing down and taking a day at a time. Jack, the mastermind behind the Kroh Brothers financial façade, was sent to prison for a lengthier term. Reports indicate his marriage did not survive. Although he declined to be interviewed for this article, George now enjoys volunteering some of his time to Kansas City Community Gardens, a project founded by the Metropolitan Lutheran Ministry. The KCCG works with disadvantaged families, teaching them to raise vegetables in community plots in order to reduce food costs and improve diets. He has admitted choosing not to think about the past. Ted and Joyce Rice The simplest ideas are usually the best and most profitable. Take, for instance, selling a softball-size, decadently sweet cinnamon bun. Experiment in your kitchen with different recipes until you find that perfect mixture of ingredients that bakes into a mouth-watering roll of pastry with lots of rich, pecan goo between its layers and smothered in sugary frosting, gliding over your tongue and down your throat and giving your taste buds an orgasm they’ll never forget. In America, pulling that off on a massive scale qualifies you as a multi-millionaire. Just ask Ted and Joyce Rice, co-founders of T. J. Cinnamons. In less than three years, they grew the company from operating out of the back of a truck to managing 210 bakeries—10 of which were company-owned. Because quality-control is difficult to maintain in franchises, the Rices eventually sold their business in the late 1990s to the Triarc Restaurant Group of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which owns thousands of Arby’s Restaurant units. Afterward, the Rices consulted the Triarc group as the concept was introduced in 270 Arby’s locations nationwide. The former TV cameraman and elementary school teacher first came up with the idea for their cinnamon roll business while sailing the waters of Lake Superior during a long vacation. We suspect they are yachting off the coast of Bali today.