John Francis grew up in the oilfields of Venezuela and spent many of his formative years in New Orleans, La., before winding up in Great Bend with his family. Now, he and his wife Nancy have completely embraced this community.

Francis and his family are owners of Francis Financial, an investment firm, and Corrosion DC Inc., an oilfield company.

When asked what keeps him here and why this area is special, he has a simple response: “our family, our friends and our business, and I love small town living.” 

“People are friendly, honest and hard-working, and when it comes to community spirit the people of Great Bend have tons of it. Over the years I have been involved in several fundraising projects for community-development and I have found the people of Great Bend are generous and full of kind and generous hearts as wells as financial giving spirit,” he said.

“I have been blessed to have a number of mentors in business and personal life that have helped me, and I will always be grateful for what these people taught me,” Francis said.  “Most of all, my dad and mom taught me to work hard and treat people with respect.”

 For example, he said, “I learned to never been afraid of what I don’t know, and to be eager to learn from my mistakes and challenges. Since I have lived and grown up in several different cultures, I have tried to live by the mission statement to use ‘my life experiences to help others learn and grow.’”

Getting into business

Francis is a financial professional, a registered investment representative specializing in retirement plans and wealth management. “I’ve been in this position for 35-plus years since 1987,” he said.  

“After the oil boom crashed in 1986, I got my insurance and securities licenses and started Francis Financial and formed a partnership with Mitch Haney of Mitchell K. Haney & Associates. Mitch and I, along with Rae Ann Brack and Mitch’s wife Shawn had a wonderful and productive partnership for over 30 years,” he said.  

“I started this business with the desire to help the everyday worker save for their retirement,” he said. “Our mottos are ‘planning your tomorrow, today’ and ‘better education leads to better decision making which leads to better outcomes’ through personal service.”

His family also owns and operates Corrosion DC Inc., an oilfield service company. He acquired the company in 1988, along with his dad and Jim Adams, from Harvey Fanshier.  Corrosion DC Inc. has locations in Great Bend and Colby.  

“We service cathodic protection systems, i.e. corrosion prevention systems on oil and gas wells in six states,” he said. 

“My son-in-law, Nick Klug, is the general manager of Corrosion DC Inc., Nick oversees all the administrative and field operations of the company,” Francis said. He moved to Great Bend from Kansas City and is an excellent manager and customer-service person.

“A common theme in both companies is our desire to offer a high level of service and attention to detail,” he said.

A globe-trotting life

“I was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, in 1956, where my Dad (a Hudson native) worked in the oilfields, and on the oil wells in Lake Maracaibo,” he said. “Our family lived in Venezuela until I was 10 years of age; 1966 which was the year in which the Venezuelan government nationalized oil and kicked out most foreigners.”

 After Venezuela, he lived in New Orleans and Houma, La., until age 18. “I then moved to Great Bend with my family in May of 1974 when my Dad went into business and started Francis Casing Crews, which was an oilfield service company that we owned and operated until 2012. Great Bend has been my primary residence since 1974.

“My mom and dad are originally from central Kansas. My Mom grew up in Liebenthal and my Dad group in Hudson. They were both raised on a farm,” he said. “I ended up here after high school when my dad realized a business opportunity to go into business for himself.  My brother Dale and I help my Dad start and run that business from 1973 to 2012.”

Francis attended K-12 education in Louisiana – St. Julian Eymard Catholic School and Edna Carr Junior High School, both of New Orleans. He graduated from Vandebilt Catholic High School of Houma in 1974.  

He also attended Louisiana State University in 1975 then Fort Hays State University from 1977-1981 where he graduated with a business degree with majors in economics and finance and a minor in accounting.

The importance of family

When asked if there was a story he wanted to share, he didn’t hesitate to bring up his wife Nancy, a retired accountant from the accounting firm AdamsBrown.

“I am very proud of Nancy as she was the very first female partner at Adams Brown.  Nancy is my rock. She is also a graduate of Fort Hays State University.

“Nancy and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage on June 18, and I met Nancy in Great Bend, and she is Great Bend born-and-raised, so she is a big part of why I love Great Bend.”

Beyond that, “our daughter Leslie Francis Klug joined me in the Financial Services business in 2013, and she has been an integral part of our business ever since,” he said. Leslie is a graduate of Kansas State University and the University of Denver where she received her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.

“Our oldest daughter, Leslie, is the president of Francis Financial Services,” he said. “At Francis Financial, Leslie along with Rae Ann Brack, our office manager, are excellent at customer service, and they have helped me immensely.” Brack has been with them since 2001. 

Their youngest daughter Morgan is a graduate of Baker University where she received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry with minors in physics and mathematics. She also received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering degree from Washington University in St. Louis and is currently studying for her masters of engineering management at George Washington University online.

Morgan lives in Hermosa Beach, Calif., where she is employed as a chemical engineer for the skin care company Dermalogica.

Outside involvement

Francis is active with the Kansas Oil and Gas Museum and Hall of Fame. “I currently serve as the president of this fine institution. Before president I served as the treasurer and member of the board of directors. I’ve been on this volunteer board since the 1990s.”

He is also involved with the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association, KIOGA. He has been on the Board of Directors for over 20 years and is a member of the Investment Committee.  

In addition, he serves on the Fort Hays State University Foundation Board of Trustees, and sits on the Investment Committee. Except for a one-year separation, he has served as a trustee of the FHSU Foundation since 2008.

“In the 1990s I was a board member of the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce and also the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry, sometimes known as KCCI,” he said.

“And most recently I became a founding member of the Landing LLC,” he said. “The Landing LLC will be a community development project that we hope and plan to build an outdoor fun-center at the corner of Forest Avenue and Williams Street.  

“The project is in its infancy and we are collaborating with the University of Kansas Health Systems to hopefully make it happen for the people of Great Bend to have a place to gather, have fun and build on last year’s success of Great Bend Alive.”

Nancy also has community spirit and once served as the chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce, and she also was instrumental in the formation of the “My Town” community project.

He and his wife are also both members of the Prince of Peace Catholic Parish.

Away from the office and work, Francis enjoys being outdoors. His hobbies include golf and hiking in the mountains of Colorado.

Community Connections is a regular feature of the Great Bend Tribune, showcasing people who live in the Golden Belt. We welcome readers to submit names of individuals who are active in the community that they would like to see featured in a future story. Send suggestions to news@gbtribune.com and explain their “community connections.”