The Wichita Eagle from Wichita, Kansas • 42

SD THE WICHITA EAGLE-BEACON Monday 'August "26' 1985 Culver Hopes Firm Catches Rising Star In Catfish Business Fact Sheet Company: Culver's Fish Farm Inc Business: Growing and process- ing catfish Employees: Six handling live fish 10 to 15 in processing Capacity: 30000 to 40000 fish processed per week Potential sales: we get three grocery chains on line we're talking about $60000 a week or about $3 million a year" Outlook: "The possibilities here are very big I don't even know myself where it all will end" Brent Culver By Tom Webb Staff Writer McPHERSON With the catfish business flopping around excitedly these days it should come as little surprise that young entrepreneurs like Brent Culver have been out fishing Culver 33 an outgoing fellow with a knack for promotion has spent the last few months casting about for deals trying to land the lunkers that have eluded everyone else And this time fisherman Culver thinks hooked a big one: catfish that are born raised and cleaned right here in Kansas the hot new thing he thinks catfish is test becoming the talk of the Industry and the rising star of food service' Culver trumpets in a press release Catfish? A rising star? IT SOUNDS fishy but that's the word from the food industry reported by no less a catfish authority than The Wall Street Journal The Journal says that the demand for catfish has exploded in the last few months ever since the Fried Chicken chain started selling it In fact US catfish production has grown nearly threefold since 1981 the Agriculture Department said and demand keeps growing Hoping to ride in on the wave Culver has just added a catfish processing plant capable of cleaning up to 40000 pounds of fish a week to his fish farm's extensive operation of raising and selling yomg fish The fish farm already has 50 ponds hatches about 5 million catfish a year and a million or so other kinds of fish the last year seen a complete reversal in the fish Culver said is the best that it's looked for a lot of years People are really looking at And he hopes buying and eating them That1 why he bought out the T-Bar Catfish Co from Topeka and installed its equipment worth about $125000 on his 189cre farm just west of McPherson "BEFORE WHEN you told people you were in the fish business they would kind of -But they're hot laughing now With the addition of the processing facilities Fish Farm now hatches and sells the tiny young fish as well as cleans them Fanestil Beef of Emporia is handling Santa FabioStaff Photographer Brent Culver bought out the T-Bar Catfish Co from Topeka and installed its $125000 worth of equipment on his 180-acre farm just west of McPherson Even the retail connections seem to be falling into Hne So what more does Brent Culver need to make a big splash? CULVER 1 1D Col 1 distribution of his product which Culver says is fortunate because "I about to haul this stuff all over the He has the hatchery and holding facilities and the employees to make it all work Kandyman? Jabara to Negotiate network includes 40 to 50 brokers independent sales representatives and exporters who buy and sell for the firm JABARA From 3D says something you can take it to the bank KMS expects to gross $35 million in 1985 up from $11 million last year but roughly equal to total 1983 sales Last year was one of transition when the company The Store on West Kellogg hear Dugan and got out of the retail business Jabara said '4 KMS got its start in 1976 Jabara was co-owner of U-Do-It stores in Wichita when he landed 40 truck-loads of surplus candy That wind- foil gave him inspiration to try a new occupation as well as a name for the new company The firm grossed about $12 million that first year In the beginning KMS traded heavily in food deal He insists on making the And Andeel has found sweating out the details of a deal with Jabara personally taxing problem had with George is when you call on him there are usually two or three people on the fine holding for him two or three people waiting in the hall for him He his assistants not through thh phone but with his voice: They're all at (his) call all the time you leave his office you feel kind of Andeel continued laughing really know what did' happen during the meeting He negotiates so test the following day he might have made 30 40 deals You might have to remind him of the deal you made Oh yeah I remember Road and Julia He and an investor group which includes realtor Lindy Andeel recently opened the newly constructed Wichita inn West on the land WAL-MART STORES Inc last year bought nine acres in the middle of the area and replaced The Store which Jabara once operated as a discount retail outlet with Wholesale Club Andeel owner of Andeel and Co Realtors and broker for Ja-bara's real estate holdings said Jabara abide by the typfc cal brokerdient relationship a unique situation with Andeel said loves to negotiate the broker makes the deal he said with George Jabara we send theproe-vpects to hinv apd Jia constitute 80 percent of the sales A RECENT computer purchase the firm's biggest purchase ever symbolizes the current product focus KMS bought 7700 Wang word processors worth about $4200 each at retaiL The total retail value of the computers round-' ed out to about $32 million according to Larry McKee chief financial officer price we paid (for each) was right at Or below what we would pay for the cheapest Xerox memory McKee said KMS1 network includes 40 to 50 brokers independent sales repre sentatives and exporters who buy and sell for the firm It also includes a- string of public warehouses strategically located for quick shipping 15member staff which includes officers- Eddie McGlynn Brian McRae Scott Jabara and McKee share decision-making on major purchases Jabara said New headquarters for KMS are being constructed next to the Wichita Racquet dub on North Rock Road Apart from KMS real estate investments keep him busy He owns a 2Jcre tract of land on West Kellogg between a products but now non-food prod-ucts especially electronic items.