Barb and Ken Saathoff enjoying their son Danny’s wedding reception at Loose Mansion.
Barb and Ken met during their college years at the University of Kansas, and have spent the majority of their adult lives in Kansas City. When their son and daughter were in high school, Barb and Ken purchased the mansion and tackled it as a family business involving their kids (and sometimes their kids’ friends) in working events. Since purchasing the mansion in 2003, the family has committed their time and resources to creating a venue that Kansas City can treasure and enjoy for all types of special events. The personal involvement of the owners affects the quality and outcome of every event and is one of the factors that sets Loose Mansion apart from other venues in Kansas City. Today Barb and Ken have three beautiful grandchildren. A granddaughter (only age 6 at the moment) has already spent some time working at Loose Mansion and has become quite adept at event setup needs and loves having a microphone in her hands and the chance to sing and dance on the stage!
Ken grew up on a farm north of Marysville, Kansas. While at K.U., he played tight end on the football team, obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business, and enjoyed playing the piano and singing in a band. He also sang the National Anthem prior to K.U. football and basketball games, and at Royals Stadium. Ken began his career at IBM, and later joined a 12-person computer consulting company where he took charge of marketing and later assumed the role of President. Under his leadership, the company grew to 25 offices, 375 employees, and 150 million in sales. In 2000, he left that business to pursue other interests, which include Loose Mansion.
Ken was responsible for supervision of Loose Mansion’s extensive restoration and continues to supervise building projects. His interest in the mansion and Kansas City’s history is evident in every project he’s undertaken and his personal interactions. Ken’s professional career allowed him to develop considerable event management and financial planning experience. As an accomplished musician, his passions have also prepared him for the entertainment expertise needed to ensure Loose Mansion is well equipped to provide a great event experience.
Barbara grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas, and in addition to her business degree from K.U., she has a Masters Degree in Banking from Rutgers University.
Her professional accomplishments include working for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City for about 12 years. During this time, Barb helped coordinate the floor-by-floor renovation of their historic building, managed the Securities Department, and during the last five years, was the officer responsible for the Human Resources Department. She believes that these management positions helped to prepare her for the planning, coordination, and delegation necessary to lead a successful venue and manage the Loose Mansion team.
Barbara also enjoyed time volunteering with Children’s Mercy Hospital, where she held an officer position on the Friends of Children’s Mercy Board of Directors.
From the beginning, Barb has handled the overall supervision of their family business. Her excitement, enthusiasm, and devotion for ensuring the success of each event is another very good reason to choose Loose Mansion.
Abbey is Barbara and Ken’s daughter and is Loose Mansion’s General Manager. She is the initial contact for clients who inquire about the mansion. Abbey supervises our outstanding in-house event and culinary teams, and handles our marketing, social media and in-house photography and graphic art needs. In addition, she is a loving mom, and in her spare time, she owns her own photography business as she loves documenting families and couples and capturing their special moments!
Abbey grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, and graduated from the University of Kansas with Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees in both Photo Media and Art History. Abbey and her husband enjoyed their own wedding reception at Loose Mansion (along with many other family events)!
Since the very beginning, Abbey has worked at Loose Mansion in some capacity, and joined the mansion staff full-time after college. She loves connecting with clients during the sales process and hearing about their stories and plans. Abbey is extremely knowledgeable about events, quickly responsive and dedicated to making sure our clients enjoy stress-free planning and incredible event days!
