Campbell leaving Jock’s Nitch for KC
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Landon Campbell poses behind the counter at Jock’s Nitch in Maryville. After more than three years managing the apparel store, Campbell will be leaving Jock’s Nitch later this month to pursue a marketing position in Kansas City.
Jock’s Nitch is searching for a new general manager.
After more than three years, current store manager Landon Campbell is leaving the apparel shop for a new position – and career – in Kansas City.
Campbell was recently announced as the new marketing executive for Royal Funeral Home and Cremation in Kansas City. According to Campbell, it’s only partly like it sounds.
“Three days each week, I’m going to be working directly at the funeral home,” Campbell said. “But the company that owns Royal Funeral Home also owns a bar in Kansas City and a bar and marina in Lake of the Ozarks, so two days I’ll be working at those locations.
“My job is going to be to schedule DJs, bands, and other entertainment for those bars, making sure that they are promoted well.”
It’s a job Campbell had been unsure about in the past, and the connections he had to the business weren’t enough to sway him until recently.
“One of my friends’ fiance’s owns the whole thing, and they’ve been after me to (accept) the position for quite some time,” Campbell said. “They kept asking me to come down and interview for the job, and I kept turning them down.
“Then it became a bigger role, and they asked me to come down again, and that time, I accepted the opportunity. It was a bit of a working interview, and I took a liking to it, so when they offered the position, I accepted it.”
There will be a lot to adjust to when it comes to life after Maryville, according to Campbell.
“I love the small-town atmosphere here,” Campbell said. “The town is so close-knit. Everything will be different living in Kansas City. There’s different people, it’s a different atmosphere, and I’m going to have to cultivate a whole new group of friends and get to know new people.
“On the other hand, it will be exciting to build those new relationships. I’m also going to try to make my way to Maryville to watch the Bearcats play, and if they make it back to Kansas City in December, you can bet I’ll be there to cheer them on.”
Campbell will work his final day Friday, Aug. 18, and officially starts in Kansas City the following week. While the company is searching for his replacement, Jock’s Nitch has named Mikey Karleskint, the assistant manager at the chain’s Lawrence store, as the interim manager to take over when Campbell leaves.
“(Mikey) has worked for the company for two years and he knows the system really well,” Campbell said. “He’s going to be able to ensure a very smooth transition, which is what we will need because he’ll be starting around the same time school starts, and that is a stressful time for anyone.”
Campbell said it would be bittersweet to leave Maryville behind, but exciting to experience Kansas City as a resident rather than as a visitor.
“I tend to go to Kansas City for fun things to do as it is,” Campbell said. “It will be nice to have only a 10-minute drive as opposed to an hour-and-10-minute drive to get to some of those places.”