Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Jonathan Mize, Blish-Mize
At a glance: In 1871, three brothers-in-law from Chicago came to Atchison, Kansas to create a business that would supply wagon trains going west. That company has grown to become a hardware supplier for retailers across the nation, and the CEO is a great-great-grandson of one of the founders.
More information: Ron Wilson, rwilson@ksu.edu, 785-532-7690
Photos: Ron Wilson | Jonathan Mize
Website: Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Sept. 16, 2026
By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
This company delivers. Through the years their offerings have changed from axle grease and horseshoes to high-tech power tools and more, but the Atchison-based company delivers the goods just as it has done during its 155-year history.
And even though products have changed, the guiding principle of customer service from this rural Kansas business has remained strong.
Last week we learned about a Kansas hardware store and lumberyard that was rebuilding its business with a new supplier. Today, we’ll meet the supplier that is delivering them the goods.
Jonathan Mize is president and CEO of Blish-Mize, the company that was chosen by that store’s manager as its supplier. Mize is the great-great grandson of one of the founders of this supply company 155 years ago.
At right: Jonathan Mize | Download this photo
In 1871, three brothers-in-law named David Blish, Edward Mize, and Jack Silliman were living in Chicago. Blish worked in farm implement sales, Mize was a banker, and Silliman worked for a large Chicago retailer. Silliman’s job was to look for locations for new stores.
Silliman crossed the Missouri River on the west side of Missouri and came upon the boomtown of Atchison, Kansas. He saw the many wagon trains that were being outfitted to go west and realized this created a tremendous opportunity.
Silliman convinced his brothers-in-law to come west to Atchison and start a business to supply those pioneers. They established the Blish, Mize, & Silliman Hardware Company in Atchison in 1871.
Within a few short years, the company was distributing all types of goods to more than 800 hardware stores, lumberyards, and general stores in the central U.S. Today, that company is the hardware supply business known as Blish-Mize. “Delivering More” is the company’s slogan.
“I worked in the warehouse as a kid,” Jonathan Mize said. He went to the University of Kansas and worked as a salesman in Denver before returning to Atchison where he rose through the ranks of the company.
“I’ve worked here 36 years,” Mize said. He became chairman and CEO of the company in 2023.
“(At the company’s beginning,) we were supplying people going west for the land rush, and general stores,” Mize said. “Now we supply home centers, lumberyards, and hardware stores across the Midwest.”
The company operates a dedicated delivery system that serves 13 midwestern states and an e-commerce business through which products are shipped nationwide.
Blish-Mize is an independent wholesaler of hardware-related goods. “We offer more than 60,000 items,” Mize said. More than 11,000 items are found in just the paint and paint sundries category, for example.
Blish-Mize must be one of the oldest businesses in the state of Kansas. “We have customers who have been buying from us for over 100 years,” he said.
How can a company survive for so long? “We’ve modernized, but it really comes down to delivering for the customer,” Mize said. “We have excellent employees and a loyal customer base.”
Each spring and fall, the company conducts a customer buying market – essentially a huge product show for store owners. “This gives us an opportunity to visit with our customers outside of their stores, just to make sure we are taking care of all their needs,” Mize said.
And, yes, there is an app for that. Store staff can now utilize a buying market app designed for their handheld mobile devices.
Today, Blish-Mize employs more than 100 people. A 500,000 square foot distribution center utilizes a modern conveyor system. Customers can order electronically. Warehouse workers use headsets for the barcoded products to organize deliveries efficiently. The company’s website includes a searchable online catalog of the tools and other products available.
“The company is strong and we have no debt,” Mize said. “(Our success) goes back to our customers.”
It’s impressive to find this business in a rural community such as Atchison, population 10,885 people. Now, that’s rural.
“Atchison is our home,” Mize said. “It’s a great place to work and raise a family.”
For more information, see www.blishmize.com.
This company delivers. We commend Jonathan Mize and all the people of Blish-Mize for making a difference with hard work and customer service. They don’t just deliver hardware; they deliver more.
Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at www.huckboydinstitute.org/kansas-profiles. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit www.huckboydinstitute.org.
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