Salina Business Hall of Fame
The Kansas Business Hall of Fame (KBHF) on Tuesday announced retired BNSF Railroad President and CEO Carl Ice and late Salina entrepreneur and business owner Charlie Walker are its 2023 Contemporary and Historical inductees, respectively. They will be inducted into the hall at the KBHF Induction Ceremony on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
Located in the Emporia State University School of Business and Technology, this year marks the 35th induction into the KBHF.
"Business leaders selected by the KBHF Board of Directors for induction into the hall are widely known for their contributions to Kansas and for being role models to future business leaders," said KBHF Executive Director John Rich. "KBHF recognizes historical contributors and present-day leaders who have made private enterprise work in Kansas and throughout the country."
The KBHF Board of Directors is made of business and community leaders from across the state of Kansas and from Kansas universities who are passionate about recognizing the leaders of the state's business community.
The public is invited to the Induction Ceremony:
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
4:00 pm reception: Preston Family Student Complex (1st floor)
4:30 pm induction: Kansas Business Hall of Fame (2nd floor)
Cremer Hall, Emporia State University
1428 Merchant St, Emporia, KS
RSVP by September 20th to Rachael Richardson: 620-341-5274 or [email protected].
Kansans can learn more about the Kansas Business Hall of Fame and past inductees at http://www.ksbhf.org.
Click here to watch a virtual tour of the Kansas Business Hall of Fame.
More about Charlie Walker
Information Courtesy of Kansas Business Hall of Fame
Charlie’s Car Wash is named after its founder who passed away in 2012.
Charlie Walker was born on May 27, 1932. He grew up in Salina, KS, the oldest in a family that moved frequently due to financial circumstances. In 1947, the 15-year-old took a job working in construction in Dodge City. Charlie dropped out of school after the ninth grade and soon after, he moved to Pueblo, Colorado, and found employment at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Steel Mill. Although he was satisfied with his job, Walker enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at the time of the Korean War. He served his 4 ½ year term in the flight engineering division, where he learned self-discipline and gained an understanding of what it takes to be successful.
After completing his Air Force term, Walker spent a brief time as a salesman in Seattle, Washington, before returning to Salina, family in tow. In 1957, he started his first business delivering wholesale tobacco and candy to small businesses in the area. By 1963, Walker and his wife had six children. His income was sufficient but Walker was not satisfied with what he was doing. So he moved on to his next venture.
In the 1960’s, Charlie started two companies that used truck-mounted equipment to provide mobile cleaning solutions. In his travels across North America selling the cleaning equipment, Charlie recognized a need for high quality, professional truck washes and car washes.
Walker noticed that a large part of the customer base for Allied Mobile Power Wash were semi truck drivers. He saw the opportunity to meet those needs even better by providing a full service, 24-hour, truck washing service. Thus the idea behind the Blue Beacon Truck Wash was born. The first facility was opened in May 1973, and the company added locations as quickly as it could as Blue Beacon gained instant popularity throughout the trucking community.
Charlie’s first self-serve car wash was opened in 1981 using many of the methods and equipment perfected in Charlie’s other vehicle-washing companies. In 1981, the Blue Beacon Company expanded with the creation of the Green Lantern Car Wash and Convenience Store. Both enterprises continue to expand.
In 1995, Eli Stephens was tasked with transforming the self-serve car washes to our current model. Eli passed away in 2012, but his impact on the company continues today.
As water costs rose and environmental issues became more prevalent, Walker experienced a growing concern for water conservation and reclamation. In 2001, three new Walker companies were created, dedicated to the task of creating positive environmental change in the vehicle wash industry. Today, the combined efforts of Verwater Environmental, Walker Centrifuge Services, and Centrifuge Technologies Trading have produced revolutionary wastewater reclamation equipment and technology.
Today the family of employees, which includes Charlie’s children and grandchildren, strives to continue Charlie’s mission of providing the highest quality washes with exceptional, friendly service.
Charlie’s greatest achievement in life was the way he gave back to his community and those in need. Charlie was a man of humble beginnings, and he never forgot his roots. He was an avid supporter of countless charities. Those closest to his heart included the Tammy Walker Cancer Center, named after his daughter who passed away at the age of 11, and the Rolling Hills Zoo, an AZA accredited zoo dedicated to the conservation of endangered species, founded by Charlie.
Carl Ice | 2023 KBHF Contemporary Inductee
In 2020, Carl Ice concluded a highly successful 42-year career with BNSF Railway, the largest freight railroad network in North America. He was promoted through roles of increasing responsibility from his initial hire as an intern to Executive Vice President of Operations and then to President & Chief Operating Officer following the $44 billion sale of the company to Berkshire Hathaway in 2010. Ice eventually rose to lead all aspects of the organization as President & Chief Executive Officer in 2014 and was invited by BNSF to continue to serve on the Board of Directors after his retirement from executive duties in 2020.
Throughout his tenure, BNSF delivered consistent financial outperformance among its peers. Annual revenues increased by 64% from $13.6 billion in 2009 to a peak of $22.3 billion in 2019 while doubling the net margin. Return on investor capital improved from 9.0% to 15.2% during the same period.
Ice emphasized a culture of resiliency that ensured the company’s ability to adapt to changing market conditions during highly variable business cycles. Under his leadership, BNSF continued to grow despite a contraction in the freight railway transportation market from 2014 to 2020 and successfully offset a significant decrease in revenue derived from the transportation of coal by expanding the consumer products and agricultural freight business.
Throughout his career, Ice has believed in the importance of engaged employees and continuous development at all levels of the organization. He championed a new leadership model and implemented the annual leadership development program for all managers, rolled out comprehensive training initiatives for the broader employee base, and achieved an unusual employee retention rate with an average employee tenure of 13 years. It’s not uncommon to find multi-generational railroaders at BNSF.
In addition to his many professional achievements at BNSF, Ice remains involved in the broader community and has fulfilled numerous civic roles in Kansas and nationally. He was appointed to the Kansas Board of Regents in 2021. Ice is a member of the Salvation Army National Advisory Board and currently serves as the Chair of the Kansas State University Foundation Board of Trustees as well as serving on the Board of Directors. He has also served on the K-State Alumni Association Board. He was named “Outstanding Philanthropist” by the Dallas Chapter of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals in 2020, was recognized by the naming of the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University in 2018, cited as “Distinguished Citizen” by the Longhorn Cub Scouts of America in 2017, and lauded as “Railroader of the Year” by Railway Age Magazine in 2018.
Ice holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Kansas State University from where he graduated summa cum laude. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from Coffeyville Community College.