HILLSBORO, Kan.— Terry Ens (g’85) has been named director of the Central Kansas Entrepreneurship Center (CKEC) at Tabor College. He has served as the Director of Facility Operations since 2017 and spent the prior 23 years as a business owner, sales manager, and business consultant for multiple nationwide companies. His appointment took effect on Aug. 1.
“Pairing my professional background with Tabor’s investment in business and entrepreneurship was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Ens said. “I look forward to guiding our students as they seek the Lord’s leading in their career callings and with the local community for business startup. It was truly a God-led journey for me to come to Tabor in 2017, and I’m confident this new role is an extension of why He brought me here.”
The food industry has played an integral role in Ens’ career. He spent 13 years with his family as multi-unit owners and operators at Quiznos and three years as a business consultant with Dairy Queen. They also owned the franchising and development rights to expand the Quiznos franchise in Kansas during its peak business years.
Before coming to Tabor nine years ago, Ens owned and operated “The Oil Spot”. It was a 4-bay automotive lube, tire, and repair shop in Wichita, Kan. Along with that, he contracted as a business consultant for Hunter Engineering, an automotive equipment company for the state of Kansas.
The CKEC, which is currently housed in Tabor’s former welcome center at the corner of D and Lincoln, will soon move into the brand-new Business and Entrepreneurship Center (BEC), a 26,000-square-foot facility that will serve the college and community through business education, entrepreneurship programming, and community events.
“We’re elated to have Terry lead the CKEC as it opens this next chapter,” said Dale Lemke, Ph.D., Vice President of Academic Affairs. “His experience in entrepreneurship will allow for a seamless transition as we continue to invest in entrepreneurship at Tabor and bolster business growth throughout Marion County and central Kansas.”
The CKEC exists to mentor and equip Tabor students and regional entrepreneurs in the work of starting and growing businesses that contribute to the economic, social, and practical needs of rural communities in central Kansas and throughout the world.
Learn more about Tabor’s investment in entrepreneurship at www.tabor.edu/ckec and the brand-new BEC at www.tabor.edu/bec.
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Established in 1908 and located in Hillsboro, Kan., Tabor College is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with the Central, Southern, Eastern, and Latin American Districts of the United States Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
Media Contact:
Adam Suderman
Communications Specialist
adam.suderman@tabor.edu
620-877-0095 (cell) / 620-947-3121 (ext. 1225)