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In 1983, Kim Knopf responded to a newspaper
ad for a salesperson in a bedding shop. The interviewer's enthusiasm
for the prospects of the business sparked her determination to run
a shop of her own rather than someone else's. At the tender age
of 23, Kim Knopf plunged headlong into the rough-and-tumble world
of free enterprise. Just one year removed from her college days
at the University of Kentucky, the young businesswoman put $25,000
on the table and set out to live the Amerian dream.
Kim began by doing research and attending seminars offered by the
U.S. Small Business Administration. Next, she prepared a business
plan. The parents of her then boyfriend, now husband, took a look
at her business plan and let her use a certifcate of deposit for
collateral to borrow half of the start-up money, and bought 50 percent
of the company's stock to give her the rest that she needed. |
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| Over the next several decades, she grew her company
to over 40 retail locations. She had two children along the way and
went back to work when they were two to three weeks old, taking them
to the office with her every day. She maintains a family-friendly
atmosphere and views her employees as her second family, taking pride
in helping them develop different skill sets and giving them opportunities
to grow and succeed. |
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Kim Knopf and her oldest
daughter, Karrie |
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Kim has won several awards for professional achievement, including
being a 1995 finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year, the 1996 GERS
“Power User of the Year, a national technology award, and
was profiled in Nation’s Business in 1998.
She served as director of the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce
(1997-1999), director of the Putnam County Rotary Club (1997) and
president (1999-2000); she is also a member of the Young President’s
Organization, served as communication chair for the 1997-1998 year
and is currently serving the organization as membership chairman.
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