04/02/2008
CONTACT: Andy Warren, 515-243-4723 or Tony Malandra, 415-664-9685
Barb Kniff's entrepreneurial start was a baptism by fire
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Barb Kniff didn't have much time to prepare. The untimely death of her husband in 1995 threw her into the pool of small business ownership ready or not. Today, the Pella entrepreneur has more than doubled the amount of employees she initially inherited and has started a second firm. For this type of can-do attitude, America's leading small business association and one of the nation's leading payment processing companies for small businesses today named her their Iowa Small Business Champion of the Year.
The honor was conferred upon Kniff by the Iowa Leadership Council of the National Federation of Independent Business and Solveras Payment Systems. Each year, NFIB singles out a small business owner in all 50 states for special recognition and honors him or her with its prestigious Small Business Champion of the Year award. This is the fifth year the national group has recognized small business owners who go the extra mile for their fellow entrepreneurs and the first year Solveras has joined in. Past winners have been Steve Boal of Ankeny (2007), Tom Zucker of Des Moines (2006), Bill Keck of Des Moines (2005) and Leo Wieseler of Des Moines (2004).
"Barb Kniff is a living embodiment of the type of gritty, roll-up-your-sleeves, and get it done entrepreneur that has made small business the economic engine of this nation," said Andy Warren, NFIB/Iowa state director. "She also has donated her valuable time in helping foster a healthier small business climate in Iowa by representing her fellow small business owners on legislative study committees, where her insights are well respected and well regarded by policymakers."
Kniff owns KLK Construction in Pella, the childhood home of Wyatt Earp. KLK is a telecommunications construction company specializing in the placement of fiber-optic lines, which it is currently doing across a wide swath in the north-central part of the nation. When Kniff took over after her husband's death, KLK had 20 employees. Today it has 50 and Kniff has started a new land-development venture called ViewPointe Development, which also is based in Pella.
For NFIB/Iowa, Kniff serves as its Leadership Council chair, where she helps shape the small business lobbying agenda and helps direct its political action committee and the programs of its legal and educational foundations. For her community, Kniff is a trustee of Central College, a board member of Midwest One Bank, a member of the Pella Growth Group, and a board director for the Christian Opportunity Center, which provides housing, employment, and other support for disabled adults. She can be reached for further comment at (641) 628-1939 or at bkniff@klkconstruction.com.
