Tuesday, Febuary 17, 2004

Bold Ventures Launches 10-Unit Expansion

Kurt A. Steidley, president of Bold Ventures, LLC has selected a site in Northland Kansas City’s Zona Rosa a “New Urban Retail Center” for his next Rib Crib®. The master-planned 93-acre project will feature nearly 1,000,000 square feet of specialty retail, entertainment, restaurants, hotels, offices, town homes, plazas and parks. The roster of committed tenants includes Dillard’s, Barnes and Noble, Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria’s Secret, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bravo Ristorante. Ideally situated at the intersection of I-29 and Barry Road where traffic counts approach 170,000 cars per day, the Zona Rosa Rib Crib® will be a showcase location to many newcomers to the concept. The name Zona Rosa come from an early 20th century retail development in Mexico City that first served as the model for the venerable Country Club Plaza in central Kansas City.

Kurt and the Bold Ventures team joined the Rib Crib® ranks in late 2002 and opened their first Rib Crib® in St. Joseph, Missouri in March 2003. The unit was an instant success and Alan Thuman, GM, and Mike Strodtman, Manager have been satisfying waves of our loyal Rib Crib® customers for nearly a year now. In addition to the “highest opening week sales award” the unit received last year, it also received “Best Barbecue” and “Best New Restaurant” awards in St. Joseph, MO.

Kurt has never been one to rest long on success and in November 2003, he signed Bold Ventures to a 10-unit area development deal for the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Zona Rosa will open in May 2003. Bold Ventures also secured a third site in the Eastland Center in Independence, Missouri. The Independence, MO planning commission approved the project and the unit is targeted for an August 2003 opening.

Growing and operating a successful multi-unit restaurant system with a franchised concept is not new to Kurt. In 1978 Kurt, straight out of high school, went to work in the 150th Wendy’s for a franchisee named Restaurants West run by Doug Dannen (Dannen went on to become president of Golden Corral). By 1985, Kurt was Dannen’s regional director of operations over a 43-unit system of Wendy’s®, KFC’s® and Rax. Kurt and his partner Del Newkirk left Restaurants West in 1986 and formed Riant. By the early 1990’s Riant was an 11-unit Wendy’s® & KFC® system and then in 1993 they sold Riant and Kurt was effectively out of the restaurant industry.

During his absence from the restaurant industry Kurt ran a specialty sporting goods store in Clinton, Missouri; developed and sold several mini-storage projects in Colorado and managed over 1,000 head of cattle at his Gold Cross ranch home in Warrensburg, Missouri.

In 2003, Kurt decided it was time to find another emerging restaurant franchise system and offer his considerable talents to aid in their growth plans. He then set his sites on Rib Crib®. After learning about Kurt’s record of success, we knew that he would be a tremendous asset in the effort to build our system and our brand. Kurt is obviously out to prove we were right. The Zona Rosa plans have come together in a flash and the unit is going to be a great ambassador for the concept.

In his spare time, Kurt still runs the ranch and is opening a second sporting goods store in Jefferson City, Missouri in mid-March. Amazingly, Kurt can still find time to relax and over the Christmas holiday, Kurt and his wife Lynette, son Erik (17) and daughter Jennifer (14) took a cruise.

We hope to spread the word about Rib Crib® to the islands. Venture on Bold partner!

 

Rib Crib. Where Bold Began.

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