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Backroad Lessons for Executives, Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners

Saint Joseph, Missouri

March 25, 2014 by Scott Schaefer Leave a Comment

Saint Joseph, Missouri sits on the Missouri River about 50 miles north of Kansas City.  The town was once the eastern terminus of the Pony Express, and was also the “jumping off point” for the Oregon Trail.  The town played an important role in the settlement of the American West.

Photo: Paul Oyer

And the local residents haven’t forgotten.  Pretty much everything, we found, is Wild-West-themed in Saint Joe; it’s a bit like living on the set of Gunsmoke.  At right is  a photo from the evening’s lodging, the Stoney Creek Inn.  Note the exposed wood beams and railings, the bear (?), and the Pony Express painting behind the front desk.  As a final touch, the staff has set out artificial Christmas trees all over to make you feel like you’re in a dense pine forest.

And did we mention that it was hot?  And humid?  Here’s one of our favorite photos from all of our journeys.  Paul took this one just after leaving the Stoney Creek Inn’s extreme AC.  The cool hotel interior had chilled his camera lens, and a few seconds outside led to considerable condensation on the lens.  No, it’s not foggy…  Just insanely humid!

Photo:  Paul Oyer

Our day in Saint Joe was memorable mostly for a great, or at least interesting, dining choice the night before.  It was Paul’s birthday (Happy 29th! Again!) and so we celebrated in style at the Hi-Ho Bar & Grill in downtown Saint Joe’s. (Quote from an actual Yelp review:  “The food at the Hi-Ho is exceptional considering it is a dive bar.”)  Paul ordered a second beer (and almost finished it), so you know his own personal party was ON.  (Scott, as usual, was driving.)  Dipped cones under starry skies in the DQ parking lot was our nightcap.

Three of the four businesses we talked to in Saint Joe — Southside Family Fun Center, JR’s TBA, and Saint Joe Distributing — made the book.  It was a hugely successful day, and we named Saint Joseph, Missouri one of our Roadside MBA All-Star cities.  (And yes, Saint Joe, you have our permission to list that designation on marketing materials.)

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