“He's a go-getter.”
Eugene Mertens, President of the Kennebec, South Dakota City Council
Not Slip Sliding Away
Kennebec, South Dakota (population 240) has fallen on hard times. It lost its lumberyard and hardware store, floral shop, and movie theater. But if resident Rod Bowar has anything to say about it—and he does—this town isn’t going down without a fight. Bowar points out that Kennebec still has a library and a clinic and a grocery store. What it doesn’t have, he’s doing his darndest to provide. Bowar’s “day job” is owner of the Kennebec Telephone Co., but he doesn’t stop there. When the city didn't have an electrician, he created PowerCom Electric. When he got tired of driving 50 miles to get his own vehicles fixed, he created Charley's Welding and Auto Repair. And when it was clear that the best strategy for growing his town was to attract small businesses, he renovated a building into an office plaza just the right size for small companies. Bowar says his motives aren’t completely altruistic. When new businesses set up shop, the first thing they need are phones and Internet services, and who are they gonna call? Town Booster Rod Bowar.
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