The early years
Henry Bloch was born July 30, 1922, the second son of a prominent Kansas City lawyer. He attended Southwest High School, began his college career at the University of Kansas City, and later transferred to the University of Michigan, from which he graduated in 1944.
Henry joined the Army Air Corps shortly after the United States entered World War II. Serving in the Eighth Air Force as a navigator on B-17 bombers, he flew 31 combat missions over Germany, three of them over Berlin. He was awarded the Air Medal and three Oak Leaf Clusters.
During the war, Henry and his brothers, Leon and Richard, began corresponding with each other about starting a family business, something that the boys parents had always encouraged. The Army Air Corps later sent Henry to the Harvard Business School for graduate training in statistical control. While at Harvard, he read a transcript of a speech by Professor Sumner Schlicter, a noted authority on economics and labor relations. Big business and labor had many resources, Professor Schlicter explained, but small business did not have comparable resources geared to meet its needs. Henry and his brothers saw an entrepreneurial opportunity in providing support and resources to small businesses.
A dream becomes reality
In 1946, Henry and his brother Leon founded the United Business Company, starting the business with a $5,000 loan. The company offered bookkeeping and other services to small businesses. After a disappointing few months, Leon left the business to return to law school, although Henry persisted.
Later, as the company began to grow, Henry published a help wanted advertisement, seeking to hire an employee. His mother responded to the ad, and recommended that Henry hire his brother, Richard. The two brothers then worked together as a team.
United Business Company's primary focus was bookkeeping, with tax preparation offered as a courtesy to customers and friends. Shortly before the 1955 tax season, Richard and Henry decided to discontinue tax preparation services, which were not a significant source of revenue. But one of their clients, John White, offered what turned out to be momentous counsel. John, who worked in display advertising at The Kansas City Star, suggested that they advertise their tax preparation service. After much discussion, John finally persuaded them to run the ad twice, late in January 1955.
Henry was visiting customers on Monday after the first ad ran in The Star. When he responded to a message to call the office, Henry found himself talking to a breathless Richard.
"Hank, get back here as quick as you can. We've got an office full of people!"
The ad, which was published shortly after many people had received their W-2 forms, uncovered an overwhelming need for tax services. And in Kansas City, the Internal Revenue Service had just discontinued its practice of preparing tax returns at no charge to taxpayers.
H&R Block is born
In July 1955, Henry and Richard created a new company, replacing United Business Company with a new firm that specialized in income tax return preparation: H&R Block Inc.
They named the company "Block" because their family name, "Bloch," had always been difficult for people to pronounce and spell. "Block" was simpler and could be spelled phonetically. Within weeks, the company grossed more than $20,000 -- nearly a third of the annual volume United Business Company had taken years to develop.
Success prompted Richard to suggest expanding the business to New York City, the next city the IRS had scheduled to discontinue its tax preparation services. H&R Block targeted locations as close as possible to IRS offices and opened seven offices in 1956. In its second year, the company more than tripled revenues to more than $65,000.
Early expansion
Henry and Richard shared responsibilities for the New York offices with alternating two-week schedules. Both had families and neither wanted to move to New York, so they decided to sell the New York City operation. The two CPAs who wanted to buy their New York business could not meet their asking price, so the CPAs agreed to pay the Blochs $10,000, along with royalties. The H&R Block franchise network was born.
In January 1957, H&R Block opened franchise offices in Columbia, Missouri and Topeka, Kansas. A year later, the company opened franchise offices in Des Moines, Oklahoma City and Little Rock.
By 1962, the company had 206 offices and nearly $800,000 in revenues. In that year, H&R Block Inc. became a public company with a $300,000 offering of 75,000 shares ($4 per share).
Setting the pace for the future
In the 1970s, H&R Block built a national brand by offering professional services for a mass market. The company established a national presence, nearly increasing the number of tax offices to more than 8,600. Its combined annual growth rate in number of clients served was a slow but steady 2.7 percent, the company's network of tax offices increased 99 percent.
In 1972, Henry Bloch first appeared in the television commercials that helped build H&R Block into one of the most widely recognized brands in American business. Henry's personal integrity along with his simple and direct Midwestern style personified the company's sincere commitment to clients. He continued to appear in H&R Block's television ads for more than 20 years.
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By 1978, H&R Block offices prepared more than one out of every nine tax returns filed in the United States. With that growth came the challenge of hiring enough qualified tax professionals. The company created H&R Block Income Tax Schools to fill the need. In 2003, more than 250,000 people took an income tax course from H&R Block. The company faced another challenge in 1978: Richard Bloch, the chairman of the company, was told that he had terminal lung cancer with three months to live. Richard refused to accept this bleak prognosis, participated in two years of intensive therapy, and defeated the disease. In 1980, he dedicated his life to helping others fight cancer. In 1982, he sold his interest in the company and gave up his position as chairman. |
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Richard Bloch, at left, with Henry Bloch, in 1982 |
H&R Block took a leadership role in electronic filing. Working with the IRS and Sears, in 1986 H&R Block filed 22,000 returns electronically from two sites: Cincinnati and Phoenix. The test was a success. Electronic filing significantly reduced the amount of time required for a taxpayer to receive a refund and the number of filing errors. In 2003, the company filed 16.4 million returns electronically.
In 1989, Henry became chairman of the board, filling a position that had been vacant since his brother, Richard, left the business in 1982.
Building stronger relationships with clients
Speed of refund, along with refund anticipation loans, was a key driver of client growth in the late 1990s and the company enjoyed a decade of the fastest growth in its history.
In 1998, H&R Block began building a distribution channel under the RSM McGladrey brand, to deliver tax, accounting and business consulting services to privately-held, mid-sized companies, along with wealth management services for the business owners.
Henry retired as chairman in 2000, when he assumed the title of chairman emeritus, the honorary position he continues to hold.
In 2006, the company opened the H&R Block Bank, a federal savings bank and member FDIC. During the 2007 tax season, the Bank launched the H&R Block Emerald Prepaid MasterCard as a way to help many of its tax clients begin to use traditional financial services products. The Bank opened more than 2 million prepaid debit card accounts its first year. <!-- <li> In 1998, H&R Block began building a distribution channel under the RMS McGladrey brand, to deliver tax, accounting and business consulting services to privately held, mid-sized companies, along with wealth management services for the business owners.
In 2006, the company opened the H&R Block Bank, a federal savings bank and member FDIC. During the 2007 tax season, the Bank launched the H&R Block Emerald Prepaid MasterCard as a way to help many of its tax clients begin to use traditional financial services products. The Bank opened more than 2 million prepaid debit card accounts its first year.
A legacy of leadership, commitment
"I've always wanted to do something different, something more than just a job, something to contribute to society," Henry once said. In addition to building a successful business, Henry is committed to building stronger communities.
Henry lives in the Kansas City area with his wife Marion. They have four children, 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and are avid art collectors.
Henry is widely known as a business man, civic leader and supporter of the arts and education who works to improve the quality of life in his home town of Kansas City. Henry and Marion's generous gift to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art helped create the Bloch Building. The building, which houses the museum's contemporary and African art as well as photography and special exhibits, increased the Museum's capacity by 55 percent. Henry's generosity also created the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The school also awards scholarships and faculty chairs in Henry's name.
The company today
H&R Block is dedicated to being the most trusted, state-of-the-art tax preparation firm at the best value. In addition to the company's retail tax offices and digital tax solutions, H&R Block continues to provide consulting services through RSM McGladrey and to connect clients to traditional financial services through the H&R Block Bank.
Henry and Richard Bloch founded H&R Block on a culture of providing superior customer service and on a pledge to stand behind their work. Today, the company remains committed to these tenants and to serving clients in the manner in which they prefer - in a retail office, using digital tax solutions or both.
http://www.db.reeceandnichols.com
Daniel Bennison, Laura Byram
Bennison Byram Team Realtors
Neighborhood Experts in Prairie Village and Overland Park
J.C. Nichols' Role in Kansas City History
By the late 1930's, the Nichols Company had acquired control of more than 4,000 acres of land and was building racially restricted subdivisions in Johnson County, Kansas, across state line, and adjoining his original projects in Kansas City, Missouri. Between 1906 and 1953, Nichols developed over 6,000 homes and 160 apartment buildings that included more than 35,000 white Kansas Citians and would eventually encompass entire communities such as Prairie Village, Roeland Park, and Fairway in Kansas. (Gotham 42)
Jesse Clyde Nichols, better known as J.C. Nichols, was undoubtedly a major player in the development of Kansas City. His efforts still have a major impact on our city today. Many people do not know that he did most of his world famous work pandering to rich Whites who preferred segregation in their neighborhood because they associated the presence of minorities, especially Blacks, with declining property value.
"The exclusion of blacks from specific neighborhoods during the post-war period stands in contrast to the increasing integration among white ethnic groups in the US. Legal reforms in the 1960's in principle ended many of the institutional barriers to residential integration. And yet segregation remains, particularly in urban areas, where much of the research by sociologists and economists has focused." I will explain how Nichols gained so much national popularity, the economics of residential segregation, and the impact his developments have had on modern day Kansas City.
August 23, 1880 J.C. Nichols was born in Olathe, Kansas. His father was a farmer turned executive who organized one of largest co-operative farmer's markets in Kansas and who later filled the position of treasurer for Johnson County. His father had many friends from work who later would become financial backers of Nichols' ventures.
Nichols learned the value of education early on in his life. He received a degree from the University of Kansas. He was a student who maintained good grades while also participating in students' clubs. His hard work earned him a scholarship to study at Harvard University where he studied economics and land development for a year. When Nichols returned to Kansas City, he was ready to get busy.
Nichols began his adventures in Kansas and later converged his operations to both sides of the border. He used his fathers' connections to finance his acquiring of large plots of land to develop into subdivisions that were filled with modest homes. Nichols began to make decent money and develop a reputation as an honest, hard working builder of quality houses. "As the young entrepreneur's reputation grew he was able to persuade major landowners such as the Wornall, Armour, and Ward families to let him market their land for his developments" (NEWSPAPER). Nichols had various odd jobs that led him to Missouri over the years and on his trips, he began to notice the potential Missouri had for land development.
Nichols saw that the subdivision's quality of life was largely affected by the land around the neighborhood and how it was being used and not just by the actual subdivision plots.
"Mr. Nichols used golf courses as parklike borders for his developments, adding to their beauty and exclusivity. His first subdivisions [in Missouri] followed the outlines of the old Kansas City Country Club, now Loose Park. This gave rise to the description of the area as the Country Club District. . . In each development he provided free tree saplings-more than 125,000 in the Country Club District- and birdhouses, and he set aside land for neighborhood shopping centers such as Brookside and Romanelli shops." (Newpaper)
Nichols molded sizeable portions of Kansas City into a creation of his imagination. He wanted control of all the land surrounding his developments. One way he was able to do this was moving his projects towards the suburbs when few people had cars.
"Kansas City suburbs are no longer extensions of the central city but are now autonomous and self sufficient political entities that provide many educational and employment resources, shopping facilities, professional services, and entertainment amenities that once drew residents into downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Today we can characterize Kansas City's settlement patterns as multinucleated, functionally dispersed, socially and culturally fragmented, and yet hierarchically organized. Racial and residential segregation and racial polarization remain basic to the ongoing development of this new urban form." (Gotham 21)
Nichols always looked to the future while also trying to stay in step with the times. There was a parks movement happening around the same time Nichols was taking off, so he tried to incorporate some of the feelings at the time into his work. He was putting garages in his development when most people assumed cars were just a fad for the wealthy. Nichols thought different.
In the US throughout the 1800's Blacks and Whites, rich and poor were intermixed.
"While white prejudice and hostility towards Blacks were central features of racial relations during the late 19th century, they did not translate into racially segregated living patterns. In no 19th century city is there any evidence of concentrated minority poverty, racial isolation, or residential segregation that are the hall marks of the contemporary metropolis." (Gotham 27)
Money was the key factor for separation to begin. All of the sudden it became very profitable to segregate neighborhoods and communities.
In the early 1900's, the largest internal population shift in U.S. history took place. During the Great Migration, over 5 million Blacks moved from the South to northern cities. The West and Midwest had considerable black population increases. These people were simply in hope of finding better jobs and greater equality. "These striking increases in black population of Kansas City and other cities established the basis for the formulation of an exclusionary real estate ideology that associated the presence of Blacks with declining property values and neighborhood instability" (Gotham 34).
Nichols was one of the first developers in the US to implement segregation into what ended up being entire communities. Anybody who was anybody in the real estate industry knew that racial mixing brought down the overall value of the neighborhood. This propaganda began to pick up speed nationwide through pamphlets, brochures, and real estate seminars. Nichols began placing racially restrictive covenants in all his properties. Since he was mostly developing large neighborhoods, this was major restricting on a relatively large part of the population. The more popular Nichols got, the more heated the debates got on whether what he was doing was legal or not. Even if racially restricting certain races was technically legal at the time, it was still creating a lot tension.
"Another major innovation that Nichols popularized was the requirement that residents in his residential developments establish a mandatory homeowner association to enforce racial restrictions. Nichols recognized that the success of racially restrictive covenants in keeping Blacks out of White neighborhoods depended on neighborhood solidarity. The objective of a homeowner association was to create an organizational base for maintaining neighborhood cohesion and identity that would be powerful enough to forestall attempts by property owners to breach the subdivision's restrictive covenant." (Gotham42)
Nichols was serious. Some of the homeowner associations filed lawsuits to revoke the licenses of real estate agents who sold houses to Blacks in their neighborhood, and won. The federal government was not doing anything to stop this action. It is as if they almost encouraged the separation to maintain level property values.
It became common practice for Judges, Lawyers, Doctors and other elite professionals in the community to live in subdivisions that had racially restrictive covenants. This practice was accepted as the norm for elite Whites and was picking up speed nationally. "Housing reports and analyses issued by local welfare agencies fueled much of this emergence of thinking about [the] relationship between race, place, and behavior" (Gotham 36). As the covenants and powerful homeowner's associations began to gain popularity, even middle class Whites began to request these powerful tools for segregation. 
People began to correlate the presence of Blacks in a neighborhood with high crime rates, a decline in the value of their home, and poor schools. Real estate professionals were not helping the matter, "Central to the propagandizing effort of the real estate industry was the view that all white racially homogenous neighborhoods were a superior atmosphere for residential life and a requisite for protecting homeowner's investments" (Gotham 34). It was just a matter of fact that if a developer was not using tools to fuel segregation, he was not making as much money.
Nichols career was coming to an apex. He had a very central part of Kansas City under his control. He owned some of the most valuable properties in Kansas City. He had created autonomous communities. He wished to further isolate his communities with the development of the Country Club District. This was a humongous project with several different facets that had to be addressed. Nichols wanted a way to make Blacks disinterested in shopping on the plaza. He insisted on distancing minorities from his development.
"The planners were a conglomerate of players that included the university, the trustees of the old University of Kansas City and - to some degree - the J.C. Nichols Co., developer of the Country Club Plaza to the west. . . Keen in their sights was the Trolley Barn neighborhood to the north, so name because it once was the hub of one of the largest street-railway systems in the country." (Cambell 8)
This was part of the plan for helping keep the main shopping district homogenously wealthy all Whites from his communities that he developed throughout Missouri and Kansas.
The Trolley Barn neighborhood had been around for over fifty years and some of the houses were built for the trolley conductors who worked there. The big university was about to show the neighborhood just how much more powerful they were. The university needed breathing space.
"The university and the trustee made clear in the 1960's that the Trolley Barn neighborhood was an area of potential expansion, but residents there still were suspicious about the school's motives and tactics. Projections that enrollment would soar to 17,000 or more by 1992 seemed unrealistic. . . Further, Miller Nichols' [, J.C.'s son,] role with the trustees led to speculation that he was benefiting the Plaza, buffering it from the poor and minority areas east of Troost." (Cambell 8)
This is clearly what was being done. There is a theme amongst almost all of Nichols developments: No Blacks allowed. The land from the neighborhood Nichols helped acquire was never used for its originally intended purpose.
Nichols gained national recognition and worked to develop the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The ULI was created to share the wealth of knowledge Nichols learned during his years of being one of the most successful land developers in the US during his reign. He felt there was no reason to keep all the knowledge to himself any longer.
Nichols developments, even with legislation passed banning racially restrictive covenants, still seemed to have served their purpose. He was especially recognized by developers nationwide and perhaps worldwide for his work on the plaza. Even though his work was racist, it has been tremendously successful in generating income and maintaining value.
"His greatest single achievement was the development of the Country Club district, said to be the largest high class residence district in America. It embodies the best modern thought in scientific planning, and the district has already been accepted as a model throughout the country. He is a national authority in residence subdivision and the development work carried on under his direction in Kansas City has revolutionized residence property management and improvement, has created new ideals of beauty and new standards for landscape treatment and the laying out of residence property, so that landscape architects all over the country have gained new ideas and have closely studied all that he has done." (WEB SOURCE)
The Plaza still seems segregated even though so many years have passed since Nichols was actively working in Kansas City. There is still an imaginary line drawn down Troost Road.
An article published in the Kansas City Star this year talks about the "curse of the covenant" and how it still haunts our modern day city. Many Kansas Citians do not even realize that more than twelve hundred documents involving thousands of homes still contain racist language barring Blacks, Jews and others. Many of the covenants were never removed even though they were deemed unconstitutional as far as fifty years ago. The writers of the covenants made them so they would be nearly impossible to have amended. Segregation might seem outdated, but it is not. There is a lot more integration now than there was during the 1940's, but we are still separated somewhat. (paraphrase of KC STAR, CURSE OF COVENANT)
Real estate professionals still have monetary incentives to keep Kansas City segregated, to some degree, to maintain level property values. As long as there is money involved in segregation, I do not see the trend diminishing any time soon. I live at 24th and Brooklyn, east of Troost Road, and I am the only white person in my neighborhood. I witness the effects that Mr. Nichols racism has had on Kansas City daily. I drive west toward Main Street and the Plaza and watch the property values increase exponentially. History has a funny way of repeating itself and the only way we can plan successfully is if we understand the past and how to not succumb to the evils that have haunted our communities in the past.
http://www.db.reeceandnichols.com
Daniel Bennison, Laura Byram
Bennison Byram Team Realtors
Neighborhood Experts in Prairie Village and Overland Park
A HOME AS AN INVESTMENT
AS A REALTOR, ACCOUNTANT AND A HOMEOWNER, SOMETIMES I WONDER WHETHER A HOME IS AN INVESTMENT. CERTAINLY THERE ARE BENEFITS TO HOME OWNERSHIP, BUT IS A HOUSE AN INVESTMENT? WHAT SORT OF RETURN SHOULD I EXPECT, IF ANY? WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
Well, the benefits, risks, costs and ROI of home ownership are unpredictable. After the recent mortgage crisis, many homes throughout the country have seen a significant decline in value after years of high value appreciation. So, even though the residential real estate market has definite ups and downs, overall I believe a home is a good investment.
EXPENSES OF HOME OWNERSHIP
As a home owner, you should expect to encounter a wide array of home-related expenses. Starting as soon as you make an offer on a house, you'll pay for inspections, closing costs, title insurance, homeowner's insurance, real estate taxes, closing fees, courier fees, copy fees, etc. After the purchase closes, you can expect more expenses right away. From painting and decorating to buying plants, wall hangings, candles, rugs, mats, Christmas trees, rakes, lawn mower, leaf blower, tools, more tools, etc., etc. Don't forget plumbers, electricians, furnaces, air conditioners, appliances, and utility bills. Don't spend so much on a house that you can't afford to fill it up and maintain it comfortably. Very comfortably. Of course, these days you don't have to worry as much about that, because the lenders are doing it for you. Lenders are making darn sure that you can afford your house, and they are also being more careful about appraising the homes they make loans for. So, if you're getting ready to buy, be smart. Don't spend too much on the house. Shop carefully and try to find a quality home in your price range. Make sure your home is one that could gain value over time - look for good neighborhoods, quiet streets, great schools, etc. Use a realtor to make sure that you don't pay too much for your home. Paying too much for your house might make it hard to sell if the home has not appreciated in value. When you sell your house, expect to pay 6% in realtor commissions in order to maximize the selling price and minimize days on the market. Also expect another $1500-$2500 in closing costs.
SHORT TERM FINANCIAL BENEFIT OF HOME OWNERSHIP
A great short-term financial benefit of home ownership is tax deductions.The ability to deduct interest, property taxes, and insurance as an itemized deduction is awesome!! As a new homeowner, you will definitely notice the benefits come tax time. Unlike paying rent, paying for a mortgage has a tax incentives. Especially during the first 5-7 years, a significant part of your mortgage is interest. Since the interest is deductible, the tax benefits are great during this time period. The tax benefits will decrease the closer you get to paying off your mortgage. The smaller your loan balance, the less interest in each payment and thus the less you get to deduct from your taxes.
LONG TERM BENEFITS
The long-term benefits of home ownership can be great. Generally, if a house is in a solid, safe, good neighborhood, and if it is bought at a reasonable price and well-kept, then it will be a good investment in the long term. The short term is not necessarily the same story. In the short-term, prices can increase and decrease signifantly, but over the long-term, history shows home prices to steadily increase. Therefore, buy a home you love at a good price and live there for a long time and you are likely to enjoy the long-term financial benefits of home ownership.
TO BE CONTINUED...
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING!! PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND COME BACK LATER FOR PART 2. HAVE A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY SEASON!!
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE IF YOU ARE AN ACTIVE BUYER OR SELLER
http://www.db.reeceandnichols.com
Daniel Bennison, Laura Byram
Bennison Byram Team Realtors
Neighborhood Experts in Prairie Village and Overland Park
History of Overland Park
The city traces its roots back to 1905 with the arrival of its founder William B. Strang Jr., who platted subdivisions, including one named "Overland Park," along a military roadway.
Strang envisioned a self-sustaining, well planned "park-like" community that had strong commerce, quality education, vibrant neighborhoods, convenient transportation and accommodating recreational facilities - all amenities that today, make Overland Park one of the best places to live and grow up.
Before Strang's death in 1921, he established several housing developments, an interurban railroad and an airfield. Remnants of his interurban line remain today as do his limestone car barn, 79th and Santa Fe Drive (home to Traditions Furniture), and his Carriage House in Santa Fe Commons Park, 8045 Santa Fe Drive (home to the Overland Park Historical Society).
On May 20, 1960, Overland Park was incorporated as a first-class city with a population of 28,085. The nationally-recognized city now encompasses 73.33 square miles of Johnson County in suburban Kansas City, and has more than 170,000 residents, making it the second most populous city in Kansas.
Prior to incorporation, Overland Park was part of the Mission Urban Township, which included the cities of Mission and Prairie Village. Overland Park's formation was based on land other communities shunned.
Major development since incorporation
http://www.db.reeceandnichols.com
Daniel Bennison, Laura Byram
Bennison Byram Team Realtors
Neighborhood Experts in Prairie Village and Overland Park
Daniel Bennison, Laura Byram
Bennison Byram Team Realtors
Neighborhood Experts in Prairie Village and Overland Park
Specializing in FSBO conversions in mainly Prairie Village, Overland Park, Leawood, Mission Hills, Shawnee, Mission, Lenexa, Fairway, Westwood, Roeland Park, Sunset Hill, Brookside, and Waldo
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First-time visitors to Mission Hills can't help noticing our fountains, statues, sculptures and urns. Some are hundreds of years old and many are museum pieces imported from abroad. You'll see them decorating our traffic islands or adorning our roadsides. But that's not the only thing that'll stop you. In how many other cities would you come upon a ford crossing a creek? Or a water garden where a heron waits patiently for his dinner? This is Mission Hills. America's first and foremost garden community.
You don't have to leave the city to escape the city. Mission Hills has remained true to its original plan, first conceived by J.C. Nichols in the early 1900's, to be America's premier garden community. Wooded hills, winding streams and pleasant valleys provide a natural backdrop for what is one of the most beautiful American suburbs. Three golf courses form a green belt surrounding our stately homes and magnificent landscaped gardens. Passing a split-rail fence on a Sunday morning bike ride, you could easily imagine yourself in the country, miles from the hustle and bustle of city life.
