Small business owner carries on the family business amid a changing economy and growing government regulation.
Name: Bill Vogt
Business: All Star Awards and Ad Specialties
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Bill Vogt’s parents started All Star Awards in 1977 after purchasing a store that primarily screen-printed shirts. For the first five years, it was struggle to make the company a go. Vogt took over the company in 1988, and today the company operates two locations in Missouri and one in Kansas.
Tell me about All Star Awards.
It’s a good, fun business and we’ve done solid business for a lot of years. The dream was to be a one-stop shop for awards, promotional items and engravings. At one time we had two locations in Missouri and three in Kansas, but we’ve had to downsize a bit with the economy.
What makes Missouri a good place for small business?
Kansas City is home and has been home for a number of years. For us it’s a very livable city and very vibrant with opportunities, without being too big. Because the city sits between the Kansas and Missouri state line, and we have businesses in both states, there are obviously challenges with paperwork and taxes. But now we’ve been doing it for 30 years, so it’s not a big deal. However, it would be better for the metropolitan area as a whole if we could get bi-state status.
What could Missouri do better?
There are a number of things you just kind of get beaten down on. Government regulations have increased throughout the years. We don’t even try to fight paying unemployment anymore, even when an employee has been given due warning and their work behavior warrants being let go without unemployment. Obamacare has impacted our ability to provide insurance for our employees. We used to be able to provide 100 percent of their coverage. Now with increased rates, we can’t absorb the difference, and so we can only cover around 70 percent. We knew if we didn’t offer insurance, many of our employees would just go without coverage, and we didn’t want that to happen. We’ve always been proud of our benefit package.
How did you get involved with NFIB?
My father was on the board and very involved, and it was just a natural pass of the baton. I started getting involved in 1997, and I try to be involved as much as my time allows. We have a very good leadership team here, and it’s been very enjoyable being on the membership board, without requiring a ton of work. I believe in the ideals of entrepreneurship, it’s what made this country great, and we need to support small business so it can continue.
