There are people who leave behind an immense public legacy. And in some of those cases, you don’t even know the half of the entire picture.
Such a man was Steve Sauder, who passed away Saturday at age 78.
Born in Emporia in 1946, Sauder grew up in Gridley, where his father, Earl, operated Sauder Elevator and also produced oil. The family moved to Emporia in 1959, setting up Steve Sauder to graduate from Emporia High in 1964 and Emporia State University in 1998.
Following his time in college, Sauder held several positions — time at Proctor and Gamble in Wichita, serving as a circulation manager at the Emporia Gazette and owning the Sauder’s Limited clothing store before his career took him to real estate. Sauder started with Hahn Real Estate, later moving to periods with Farm and Home and Charbec Real Estate before starting Steve Sauder Real Estate in 1976.
Five years later, Sauder and his father co-founded Valu-Line Long Distance, a move that later grew into Valu-Line Companies before merging into Birch Telecom in 1998. During that time, Valu-Line purchased KVOE AM & KFFX-FM in 1986. When Valu-Line merged with Birch, Emporia’s Radio Stations — now including KEGS-FM, later changed to KVOE-FM — were spun to the Sauder Family Limited Partnership, which still owns the stations.
KVOE General Manager Ron Thomas worked alongside Sauder since 1986 and says Sauder’s passing is “tough for all” who knew him. Thomas says when the Sauders purchased the stations back in 86 their first priority was to serve the community.
Former KVOE General Manager Lea Firestone says Sauder was a “father figure” to him noting that he gave him and others opportunities they may have never had.
Sauder was active with the stations, serving as president and CEO while also co-hosting Saturday Morning Sports Talk, Monday Morning Quarterback and the On-Air Chat at various times in his radio career. Sauder also delivered “Wednesday Words,” later called “Something to Think About,” and chronicled the exploits of Emporia State Lady Hornet basketball as a play-by-play broadcaster, including the team’s Division II national championship in 2010.
Alongside Sauder for that national championship call was the former longtime voice of Emporia State Athletics Greg Rahe who came to Emporia in 1987. Rahe says more than a boss, Sauder was truly a fan of all of those who worked for him and with him.
KVOE Sales Manager Tim Miller, who came to KVOE in 1988, shared a similar sentiment saying he was truly honored to have worked with and for Sauder for the last three-plus decades. Though not everyone in the community were able to work for or with Sauder, he hopes the community will always appreciate all Sauder did to better the community through his ownership of Emporia’s Radio Stations.
While he was involved with the stations, Sauder was still active in Emporia’s business community in other ways. Sauder joined with Stormy Supiran, the late Bob Agler and the late Rick Tidwell to form the fiber optic and high-speed internet company ValuNet in 2008. The company merged with Sparklight earlier this year.
Sauder’s community involvement and engagement was lengthy and active, with leadership roles in the Emporia Jaycees, Emporia Rotary Club, Emporia Country Club, Emporia Public School Foundation, Emporia State Alumni Association, Emporia State Athletic Club, Emporia State Foundation’s “Building Blocks for Success” scholarship program, Emporia State University Community Drive and Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce. He led the United Way of the Flint Hills fundraising effort as a drive chair. Memberships also included the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas, several Emporia State committees, trustee positions for the Emporia State Foundation and Baker University, as well as board positions for the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation and Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also spent time as Clean Air Emporia’s media relations chair.
Longtime friend and colleague Don Hill says Sauder was someone who wanted to make his mark in the community not for himself, but for everyone who came after him.
Jim Kessler, also a longtime friend, agreed saying anywhere you look in Emporia it’s likely you will find Sauder’s fingerprints.
60th District Kansas Representative Mark Schreiber says in addition to Sauder’s contributions and care for Emporia, he will always remember him as a great friend and confidant that you could always turn to.
Sauder was also an avid supporter of Emporia State Athletics and Academics. Longtime ESU Athletics Director Kent Weiser says Sauder was a unique individual with a great passion for supporting students and student-athletes calling him a true “One of one.”
Emporia State Head Football Coach Garrin Higgins says he is grateful for the support Sauder showed not only the program but also him adding that he likely wouldn’t be in his current role had it not been for Sauder’s support. He says Sauder truly embodied the team’s motto “Family Over Everything” and made it a point to connect with every player and coach.
Sauder married Paula Friesen in 1967. They have three boys and seven grandchildren. He then married Bobbi Coons in 2007.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Obituary written by Bobbi Mlynar
The Emporia community and Emporia’s Radio Stations is mourning the loss of Steve Sauder who passed away Saturday.
Sauder was a long-time entrepreneur, philanthropist, avid golfer, Emporia State University supporter, and, as he phrased it, “generally a sports and political junkie.” Stephen Lockwood Sauder, son of Earl William and Stella Louise (Stelouise) Hockensmith Sauder of Gridley, was born in Emporia on March 23, 1946.
The family lived in Gridley, where his father operated the Sauder Elevator Company and later became an oil producer. The Sauders moved to Emporia in 1959 and Steve entered the eighth grade. He graduated from Emporia High School in 1964, where he participated in numerous extracurricular activities.
He took particular pleasure in recalling the 1963 football season, when as a senior at Emporia High, he led the Spartans in a win that broke the school’s record 38-game losing streak. He also was deeply involved in forensics and was named Novice Debater of the Year as a sophomore, Debater of the Year as a senior, and Outstanding Senator as a junior at the National Forensics Student Congress held at the Capitol in Topeka.
Sauder graduated in 1968 from Kansas State Teachers College, now Emporia State University, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He married Paula Friesen in 1967. The marriage brought three sons, spouses, and their grandchildren. Brady (Christine), Tate, Trey of Manhattan; TJ (Catina), Alex, Isaac, and Scarlett Sauder of Shawnee, and Jamie (Jennifer), Brooks and Hudson Sauder of Emporia. Steve and Paula later divorced.
In 2007, Sauder married Bobbi Coons and added her two daughters, spouse, and grandchildren. Leesha Coons daughter Elyana Edwards of Excelsior Springs, Missouri and Laura (Alexander), Eli and Henry Hosek of Lawrence. Sauder is survived by his wife, Bobbi, and their shared children and grandchildren, and one brother, Mike (Margi) Sauder of San Antonio, Tx.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Pamela Wilkinson Matlock. Sauder’s first job after college was with Procter and Gamble in Wichita. On his return to Emporia, he became circulation manager at The Emporia Gazette in 1969-1970. Then-Editor and Publisher William L. White put Sauder in charge of a project to send care packages to Emporia-area men and women serving in the military in Vietnam.
Area residents responded overwhelmingly with names and addresses of those serving their country, and $5 donations to pay for the packages. The project succeeded beyond expectations, though Sauder called it a great team effort. For three years, he owned and operated a men’s clothing store, Sauder’s Ltd., before entering the real estate business as manager of Eastgate Plaza and Hahn Real Estate. He then moved to Farm and Home Real Estate, where he also sold life insurance. Later, he was the broker at Charbex Real Estate before opening his own company, Steve Sauder Real Estate, in 1976.
In 1981, Sauder and his father co-founded Kansas’ first alternative long-distance telephone company, Valu-Line Long Distance. This company grew into the Valu-Line Companies, including radio stations and hotels. The Valu-Line Long Distance company grew and eventually merged with Birch Telecom in 1998. The Sauder Family acquired radio stations KVOE-AM and KFFX-FM in 1986 and later acquired KEGS-FM, which was later rebranded to KVOE-FM as part of Emporia’s Radio Stations, Inc.
He soon ventured deeper into broadcasting, and became the first host of “The Talk of Emporia.” Later, he co-hosted “Saturday Morning Sports Talk,” “The Monday Morning Quarterback,” and the “On Air Chat.” He delivered a weekly commentary, “Something to Think About,” that featured a variety of insights on timely topics of interest. Sauder spent 10 seasons as the play-by-play announcer for the ESU Lady Hornets basketball team, was analyst for former sports director Greg Rahe on ESU men’s basketball broadcasts, and helped cover everything from high school wrestling to ESU softball. Sauder and Rahe called multiple national championship games for Hornet teams.
Sauder had maintained his interest in real estate throughout his adult life, and in 2001, he had entered the hotel business, building Candlewood Suites in Topeka and Emporia. The company grew, as he built Marriott hotels in Arkansas, Missouri, and Wichita. He later sold most of the hotel holdings, keeping the Emporia Candlewood Suites. Sauder made significant real estate investments in northwest Emporia which led to 4 sub divisions. His fifth, the Lockwood subdivision is currently under construction in southwest Emporia.
In 2011, the original Valu-Line team of Steve Sauder, Rick Tidwell, Stormy Supiran, and Bobbie Agler came together again to create Valu-Net Fiber. They along with over 50 Emporia investors funded a multi-million-dollar investment that brought a 100% fiber-optic broadband service for television, internet, and telephone to Emporia. ValuNet quickly became the primary Internet and television programming provider for Emporia residents and businesses. In 2020, ValuNet Fiber merged with CableOne.
Sauder continued to work to open opportunities in business and industry for Emporia and its citizens. He was a past chairman and member of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas, the Emporia Rotary Club, the Emporia Public School Foundation, the Emporia State Athletic Club, the Emporia Jaycees and the Emporia Country Club.
He was drive chairman in 1999 for a record-setting fundraising drive for the United Way of the Flint Hills. Sauder remained committed to his alma mater throughout his adult life. He was a trustee of the ESU Foundation, served on ESU’s executive and finance committees, and was chairman of the real estate committee.
In 2013, he agreed to be the “Champion for Athletics” in the ESU Foundation’s record-setting “Now AND Forever” capital campaign. Local and state entities earned his time and attention, too. He was chosen to become a board of directors member for the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry and, twice, the ESU Alumni Association.
Sauder served two terms as a trustee at Baker University, and was a member of the ESU Presidential Selection Committee and the media relations chairman for the Clean Air Emporia group. Three Sauder companies – Valu-Line telephone company, Emporia’s Radio Stations, and ValuNet Fiber – earned “Small Business of the Year” awards from the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce.
Sauder’s deep involvement in development – whether in real estate, communications, education, or sports – kept him busy as well as bringing him honors for his efforts to make Emporia a successful small city. The Emporia Gazette named Sauder “Businessman of the Year” in 2003. He received the “Joe Cannon Service Award” in 2014 from the ESU Athletics Department, was chosen as an ESU Distinguished Alumnus in 2016, and was elected to the ESU Athletic Hall of Honor in 2020.
The Bobbi and Steve Sauder Center for Entrepreneurial Development at ESU was named in honor of the couple because of Steve Sauder’s ongoing entrepreneurial success and the couple’s generosity and active participation with the university and its students.
Sauder’s most proud ESU association was with the Earl W. Sauder Athletic Scholarship Fund established by his late father to reward athletes for their dedication to ESU. The annual scholarship benefits all ESU sports. In 2013, Steve and Bobbi pledged to match Earl Sauder’s contributions to the fund.
Sauder’s passion for sports prompted him to find ways to encourage and enable youths to participate. He coached baseball throughout his sons’ careers, was a significant contributor in the Emporia Kids Wrestling Club, he helped to create Junior Spartan Football, and more recently helped with youth golf activities.
Additionally, Sauder created the Valu-Line Developmental “Hustle and Do Your Best!” baseball camp. Despite the awards and other honors Sauder received throughout his life, professionally and personally, he brushed aside the idea that he should receive the credit. Instead, he said, his talent lay in choosing the right people to carry out his ideas and decisions.
“I surrounded myself with good people,” he said.
Sauder also acknowledged the advantages granted him by the “silver spoon” figuratively given him by his mother and father. He was comfortable being Earl Sauder’s son, yet concerned about the legacy he would leave his own children. To that end, Sauder adopted his father’s recipe for a life well lived, and he promoted it as often as opportunity allowed.
“Don’t give until it hurts; give until it feels good,” Sauder frequently reminded family, friends, and strangers listening to radio broadcasts. “That’s been my guiding principle and I always give credit to my dad. I hope I’ll be a good example to my kids.”
