When Mark Staufacker was looking for a career opportunity 17 years ago, he decided to try his luck in the bar and restaurant business.

Along with his father in law and brother in law, Keith and Kyle Brockberg, he purchased Ghent’s bar and ballroom. A generation ago the business was known as Ted’s Bar. The ballroom was called the Grandview Ballroom.

More recently it was called Runia’s, owned by Ryan Runia. When Staufacker and the Brockbergs purchased it, they renamed it KB’s.

Mark and Kyle have run the operation on their own since 2013. Staufacker said the first few years were a good learning experience.

“We didn’t know much about the bar business when we started,” he said. “It just seemed like it had potential. For me it was a chance to do something different with my life, a chance to invest as a business owner.”

He said they’ve replaced almost all of the fixtures in the bar and ballroom, including a basement cooler that was estimated to be more than 65 years old.

They also immediately played a role as a Ghent community booster. KB’s supports Ghent’s Belgian American Days, when it serves as an adjacent stopover during the annual street dance.

KB’s also acts as a gathering place for both formal and informal community groups. It’s not unusual for people to gather to play cards. Some of the planning for community or St. Eloi Catholic Church events grows out of conversations people have at KB’s.

Goals in the past few years have involved continuous expansion. An important component has been the ballroom, which is the site of a wide range of events.

“It’s a good way to draw crowds,” Staufacker said. “We do all kinds of events. It hosts weddings, reunions, birthdays and banquets. Since the end of COVID things have really taken off.”

He finds that one of the best parts of KB’s is meeting people. Regular customers tend to become good friends.

As a lifelong resident of the Marshall area, he often has shared memories with the people he serves. Those memories sustain friendships that change and grow as time marches onward.

“It used to be that people would tell me they remember when I was growing up,” he said. “Now I’m the one who says that about parents who are raising kids. Time sure does fly.”

He said another key component to success is employees. KB’s employs 23 people, many of whom have been on the job for years rather than months.

“We wouldn’t be able to reach our goals if we didn’t have such a great staff,” Staufacker said. “We don’t have a lot of turnover. Most of them have been with us for at least seven years.”

Keet Goslar, a bartender and waitress at KBs, said the business has been a good place to work for an entire decade.

“I never thought I’d remain a waitress for 10 years,” Goslar said. “I stay because I like my bosses and all the regulars. It’s nice to know everybody.”