A Midwesterner with a love of travel.(designer Allan Palecek)(Brief Article)

There is something about Midwesterners. They are the ones who smile when you catch their eye in crowded airports, gravitate together at parties, and never, ever tire of congratulating themselves on the sheer good fortune of having been born in the middle of the country. Although some might see that as provincial, Midwesterners, no matter how far they roam or sophisticated they become, just assume it as a fact of life. The attitudes and values with which they grew up have served them well and they see no reason to shed them just because they happen to be somewhere else.

Allan Palecek is like that. Now a successful home furnishings vendor based in California and operating comfortably in a global arena, he's still a Kansas boy at heart.

Palecek grew up on a farm and describes his beginnings as "humble," a word he quickly backs away from when he senses it misses the mark. He's right. Unpretentious and hardworking are probably better adjectives for a childhood spent tilling the fields at this father's side, attending country schools, and learning what the land has to teach.

"I'm proud that I had that kind of start, because it's allowed me to be the kind of entrepreneur that I am today," he said.

"I have a sense of patience carried from my childhood. You plant and then you have to wait for the crops to grow. But there's also a sense of deadline. If it's time to cut wheat, you better be ready. You can't put it off -- no work, no pay. Eight to five doesn't do it in that kind of environment."

The other thing to know about Midwesterners is that they tend to be practical. It was practicality that propelled Palecek from the family farm, where he knew his options were limited, to Kansas State University and a degree in business administration. Upon graduation, he joined the Air Force, trained as a pilot, and spent two years flying reconnaissance missions in Vietnam, followed by a year jockeying transport planes.

Military service expanded his vision far beyond the borders of Kansas. While in Vietnam he saw much of Southeast Asia and became intrigued by its cultures and traditions. He also discovered the wide range of decorative basketry offered by local hand-weavers and became, he said, "fascinated by both (their) materials and functions."