Ching with Ann Konecny
Posted on May 19, 2008 by Ching under Flickr, Life, School.
I had a chance encounter with Ann Konecny at Stooges on Saturday night. Konecny was this year’s keynote speaker during the spring commencement ceremony of the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University.
Ann Konecny is president and chairman of Foley Equipment Company, president of Foley Rental, and president of Foley Rebuild Center. She serves on the board of the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas and the board of the Cooperative Association of Tractor Dealers, as well as other industry groups. She is a member of the the Wichita State University Foundation’s Advisory Council, the WSU Barton School of Business Advisory Board, and Wichita Downtown Rotary. Amazing, right?
Being the nerd that I am, I took advantage of the photo op. Movie stars don’t really do anything for me. Successful business people are the ones who really impress me.
Had Brian and I left with everyone else — Mike was getting bored so Darcy, Mike, Joni, Travis, Lori, and Wade all left Stooges to continue the party elsewhere — we would have missed the chance encounter. Brian and I were going to go home after everyone left, but we decided to stick around for another set so we could dance.
When Konecny walked in to meet her friends, Brian and I instantly recognized her. Brian urged me to say hello and introduce myself, so I did. She was nice enough to agree to getting a photo with me. I thought that was really neat. I mean… How many people can honestly say they got a photo with their graduation ceremony’s keynote speaker at a bar on the same day as commencement? Not many, right?
Anyway, Stooges was doing a fundraiser for a veterans’ association that night and so they were raffling off free hotel stay in Vegas. Brian and I regretted having forgotten to ask for the others’ tickets before they left. That would have been six extra chances. Then, we thought that we’re not lucky enough to win anyway so six extra tickets probably wouldn’t have made the difference.
Ann Konecny arrived just in time for the drawing. Sure enough they drew her ticket. What are the odds? She is super nice, though. Not only did she give Brian one of the cigars she brought with her, she gave us the free three-day and two-night hotel package.
Stooges was the perfect end to the perfect day. Receiving the prize from Konecny was way better than winning the raffle outright… And I got a photo with her to boot! I am so glad that I introduced myself!
Related Stories
« Mission Accomplished « this post » Commencement Videos »
