Laura Legg believes in community involvement
Staff writer
When customers walk into Ampride convenience stores in Hillsboro or Marion, they are sure to be greeted with a big smile by supervisor Laura Legg. Laura believes in greeting her customers with a smile and it has paid off in dividends for her.
Born August of 1967 in Richmond, Mo., she was the daughter of the late Russell and Kay Legg of Hillsboro. She is the third of four children.
When Laura was six years old, the family moved to Hillsboro. She attended Hillsboro schools until 1983.
"The year I was in eighth grade is when they changed from junior high to a middle school," Laura said.
After her sophomore year, the family moved to Anthony, where her father opened his own barber shop.
"My dad was barber for the military," Laura said.
While in Anthony, Laura attended Chaparral High School and graduated in 1985.
She attended Washburn University in Topeka for one and half years majoring in political science.
"It was too expensive and I dropped out," Laura said.
After leaving college, she moved back to Hillsboro.
After the children were born, she moved to Strong City and worked as a certified nurse's aide in a nursing home in Cottonwood Falls.
When her father became ill, she moved back to Hillsboro, and worked as a CNA, at the former Salem Home.
Within a span of three years, Laura had three of her family members die. Her father died in 1992, her mother in 1993, and her brother Joe in 1995.
"That was kind of tough," Laura said, "but it makes you strong."
In 1993, after her parents died, she quit working at the nursing home and began working at "c-stores" or convenience stores. She became manager of Prime Time in Hillsboro.
In 1996, the company transferred her to Harrison, Ark., to manage two of its stores there.
In 1997, Laura moved back to Kansas due to illness. After settling in Tampa, she began working as manager of Ampride convenience store in Hillsboro, then owned by Kansas Retail Ventures Group.
In June of 1999, Cooperative Grain & Supply bought the Ampride stores in Hillsboro and Marion and Laura became supervisor of both stores.
As supervisor, Laura is in charge of day-to-day operations that include hiring personnel, buying items and supplies, and handling promotions.
As a staff member of the local co-op, she attends co-op functions, such as its annual stockholder's meeting.
"Every aspect of the store I do," Laura said.
Her manager in Hillsboro is Jeanette Schaefer and Paula Wyss in Marion.
"Both of them have been working at Ampride for several years," Laura said.
"My job is easy because they all know what to do," she added.
"I love my job — I love my life," Laura said. "I'm always happy because I know it makes people's day and life is easier."
"I got that from my mom — she was always happy," she said.
"And anyone that knew my dad knows that I got my b.s. from him," she said smiling.
Along with her duties of supervising two stores, Laura is a mother of two children. Son, Clayton Garnica is a junior and daughter, Cassy Legg is a freshman at Marion High School
Laura is also involved with her brother Brian and sister Twila Legg who live in Tampa and her five-year-old nephew Joey.
She also finds time to be involved in her community. She is a member of the Marion County Economic Development board, Marion Chamber of Commerce board, and serves on the Marion chamber retail sales committee and helps with the Marion Advancement Campaign, which is working to bring a movie theater to Marion.
She was a 2000 graduate of Leadership Marion County. She has been involved with Community in Schools and United Way.
Each year, she has helped the Muscular Dystrophy Association, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Kaw Valley Children's bike rally, and has organized huge fund-raisers for Marion and Hillsboro fire departments.
"I have a strong belief in community service," Laura said. "If we want our community to be a certain way, I'm a strong believer in doing something, rather then just complaining."
Laura has just as strong a belief in raising her children to be productive citizens in their communities.
"People know you through your children," she said. "They look at them and say, 'somebody did something good there'."
"I want to help my children to be better and I want to be an example," she added.
Laura said after her children are grown and gone, she plans to have foster children in her home.
"Because children are our future," she said.
