Travis , Erica Kennyreceive 2022 Entrepreneur Award

Travis and Erica Kenny will be honored Saturday as the 2022 recipients of the Superior 3000 Foundation Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Travis and Erica Kenny have owned Kenny's Lumber & Farm Supply, Inc., in downtown Superior since March of 2015. Life at a lumberyard was nothing new to Travis as he spent the majority of his childhood into adulthood at his parents' own lumberyard, Kenny's Lumber and Home Center in Red Cloud. He worked at the store during the summers and after school. Travis gained a lot of knowledge working with his dad, Mike, in many areas of the lumber industry over the years. When he wasn't working, you could find Travis trap shooting, playing baseball, or hunting. After high school, Travis attended college at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and earned a bachelor of science degree in biology with an emphasis in natural resources. He pursued a career with Nebraska Game and Parks for six years. Travis also worked at Pioneer Seeds in York, Neb., for four years before committing his life back to the lumber industry.

Erica, on the other hand, was not familiar with the lumberyard life. She grew up on her family's dairy farm near Butte, Neb., until 1998 when the family moved to Oakland, Neb. There, her parents and uncle co-owned a feedlot. She spent many summers feeding bottle fed calves, boxblading cattle pens and helping wherever she could be on horseback. Erica showed horses in 4-H and open horse shows across Nebraska and the passion continued through to college. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and was a member of the UNL Equestrian Team. Erica earned a bachelor of science degree with an emphasis in equine science and a minor in ag economics. She continued her schooling at Southeast Community College - Lincoln and received her certificate as a physical therapy assistant. After college, she worked at a veterinarian clinic in south Lincoln when she met Travis, They were married in October of 2015.

Since opening Kenny's Lumber & Farm Supply, Inc., Travis and Erica have been impressed at how supportive the community of Superior has been to them. They have created relationships with many of the community members, other businesses in town, and helped support the growth of local contractors in the area. Since 2015, Travis and Erica have had two daughters, Keena and Teagan Kenny, and are expecting their third in November. Travis and Erica are active in the community as well. Travis is a Superior Volunteer Fire Department trustee and Erica is the president of the Superior Volunteer Firefighters Auxiliary. They are both members of Superior 3000, Superior Chamber of Commerce, and the Superior Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors.

Travis and Erica said they can't take all of the credit for this award as so much of their success is because of their employees, the community and the local contractors. They appreciate all of the support and overall growth the surrounding area has contributed to Kenny's Lumber & Farm Supply, Inc.