Holton Recorder owners named to Chamber Hall of Fame

Community service is second nature to David and Connie Powls, owners of The Holton Recorder.

“This is what good newspapers are supposed to do. They are supposed to better their community. So we figure this is just an extension of our job,” David said of the couple’s hand in establishing several community projects through the years. “Everything that is good for the community is good for the newspaper.” 

For their efforts, the couple will be recognized as part of the Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, along with Gene Clark, Mark Aeschliman and Gary and Marian Schlaegel.  

Natives of Garnett, David and Connie purchased The Holton Recorder 25 years ago in 1997. They had previously owned the Yates Center News for 12 years and the Osawatomie Graphic and the Louisburg Herald for one year.

The couple first heard about Holton while living in Yates Center. Business owners there were wanting to install new sidewalks around the Town Square there but were short on funds when someone mentioned Holton’s engraved brick project as an example of how to raise the money.  

“That’s how we found out about Holton,” David said. “We picked the town. We chose to come here.”

In 2001, the couple helped establish the Youth Soccer Program in Holton, noting that many families, including their own, were leaving town every weekend for youth soccer programs in Horton or Topeka. 

The Powlses called local business owners who, together, raised the $15,000 needed to start the soccer program here at Countryside Park. 

For more on this story, please log in to your holtonrecorder.net account and select “Dec. 7, 2022” under “E-Editions.”