The Associated Consultants, LLC

19/07/2025

Now offering Professional Loss Appraisal as a full time service. We just saved another client over $60,000.00😁

27/09/2024

BALDWIN CITY'S KANSAS BELLE DINING CARS MOVING TO ABILENE. A classic group of railroad dining cars that formed the once-popular Kansas Belle dinnertrain in Baldwin City, Kansas, is moving to Abilene, where they will have a new temporary home
on the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad. According to A&SV President and General Manager Ross Boelling, the six-car train will leave the rails in Baldwin City and be moved by truck to Abilene this week.

The cars were recently sold by Kansas Belle owner Bruce Eveland to American Heritage Railways of Durango, Colorado, the parent company of Heritage Rail Management, which is the
consulting partner for the Abilene and Smoky Valley. Boelling stressed that while the cars willbe moved and stored at the Abilene railyard, the cars will not belong to the A&SV.

“Our agreement with HRM is to store the cars,” Boelling said. “We expect that HRM will allow use of some of the cars to expand our seating capacities for our upcoming Cowtown Santa Express trains in December and some of our dinner trains.”

Eveland has been operating dinner trains, including the Kansas Belle, as an independent business for more than 36 years. He first started operations on October 12, 1988, when he
began operating the Freemont Dinner Train on the Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad in Nebraska. That railroad ceased operations in 2012, forcing Eveland to look elsewhere for a
railroad willing to accommodate his business. He reached an agreement with the Midland Railway and moved his rail cars to Baldwin City to begin operating the Kansas Belle on that line
in January 2013, using Midland locomotives and train crews to run his weekly trains to the nearby city of Ottawa located 16 miles away.

Eveland’s last Kansas Belle ran in 2020 before operations stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To complicate the matter, the Midland Railway then ceased operations in March
2022, which left Eveland without a host railroad to operate the Belle. Accordingly, the decision was reluctantly made to sell the historic trainset.

“The Kansas Belle is a grand collection of railcars used by American and Canadian railroads in the 1940s,” said Boelling. The four Kansas Belle passenger cars provide seating for over 150 passengers. The cars include the “Marais des Cygnes River” coach that was built in 1947 by the Pullman Company, used by the Illinois Central Railroad as a passenger coach and later sold to the Rock Island Railroad, which converted it into a dining car. The other three cars—the “Maple Creek,” the “Rose Creek,” and the “Fontanelle” ––all worked for the Canadian National Railroad. Eveland purchased the vehicles and did most of the remodeling himself to create a train that gives modern day passengers a taste of the luxurious train travel that society enjoyed in the mid-20th century. Boelling said the two other cars from the Kansas Belle contain generators and other equipment to provide electrical power for the passenger cars.

Heritage Rail Management will likely use some of the Kansas Belle vehicles on its owned and operated rail lines outside of Kansas. However, those arrangements remain to be worked
out, and the A&SV will be able to use the cars in the meantime. It is also very possible that some vehicles will remain in Abilene to permanently expand the size of A&SV excursion and dinner trains.

“We are excited about the additional seating capacity. Many of our dinner trains are near capacity, so this will give us a welcome bump in available seating.” Boelling concluded.

A&SV’s 2024 season has already seen record ridership of over 13,000. Kansas Tourism’s "Sunflower Summer" program was a huge boost for the railroad this year, and A&SVs popular
special event trains for Halloween and Christmas will help push the 2024 ridership to even higher levels.”

“Bruce Eveland is to be commended for his decades-long efforts and dedication to keeping elegant passenger train dining experiences alive,” said Boelling, “and while the Kansas
Belle name remains with his company, we plan to carry on his legacy by recounting the history of these dining cars as long as they reside in Abilene. Our passengers will have still another chance to experience fine dining on the rails just as American society did 80 years ago. Overall, this further solidifies our mission as a transportation museum on wheels and should be what passengers expect from the state's official heritage railroad.”

13/03/2024

Salina and other communities need skilled trade professionals. It is a high demand career! I would highly recommend attending.

Did you know that the BLS statistics in February 2024 said the following:

Jobs were up +23,000 in the Construction industry.

Construction Employment continues to trend in February (+23,000), in line with its prior 12-month average monthly gain of
18,000. Over the month, employment
increased in heavy and civil engineering
construction (+13,000).



www.theassociatedconsultants.com

15/01/2024

https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E356665&id=30

15/01/2024

Martin Luther King Day
MLK’s words resonate with us today.

13/01/2024

KSAL is your number one source for salina local news, weather, sports, auctions.

31/12/2023

Thank you Salina!

Ring out the old and ring in the new. Cheers to the New Year! Wishing you blessings and prosperity in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ 🎆🥂

24/12/2023

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. 🎄🙏💚❤️

17/08/2023

Nothing is more frustrating than spending your hard earned money on a home or business project just to find out you chose the wrong contractor or the work was not been completed correctly. Now you have a big bill and work that needs redone after you’ve already paid someone to do it correctly the first time.

Here at The Associated Consultants, one of our most sought after services, is getting your project settled the correct way and giving you peace of mind that your money has been invested in a positive way.

26/04/2023

❤️

12/04/2023

TAC, LLC career opportunity of the week.

Saint Francis Ministries is currently seeking a Human Resources Recruiter.

Partners with hiring managers to determine staffing needs.
Screens resumes, interview candidates (by phone or in person), administer appropriate assessments, reference/background checking, make recommendations for hire (or not hire) and deliver employment offers for both exempt and non-exempt position openings within an assigned territory.
Serves as an expert for recruiting candidates within an assigned territory.
Uses traditional and non-traditional resources to identify and attract quality candidates such as career fairs, on-line job fairs, community network events, social media.
Develops advertising programs (internal and external) in order to ensure high visibility with potential candidates
Manages internal transfer process including screening, coordination of interview with hiring manager, transfer offer letter, etc.
Follows up with candidates and hiring managers to ensure updated information on the interview process status.
Develops and maintain an excellent relationship with internal and external clients to ensure achievement of staffing goals.
Communicates important employment information during delivery of employment offers (i.e., benefits, compensation, non-competition agreements, etc.)
Works with hiring managers to ensure compliance with all federal/state laws and regulations including affirmative action plan compliance.
Manages current candidate activity in the Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Manages application/resume file and retention according to company policy.
Maintains memberships and affiliations with trade/professional organizations related to industry.

Bachelors Degree preferred.

EOE

Check out TAC, LLC Career Board at www.theassociatedconsultants.com to learn more.

You may also send your resume to Nicole Deatherage at [email protected]

The Associated Consultants, LLC offers Business, HR, Construction Consulting & Professional Recruitment Services for evolving businesses. Advocating for excellence. Client focused. Result driven.