Local entrepreneur celebrates business anniversary
Le Peep is celebrating its first anniversary of new ownership, although Leslie Burris is no stranger to the business world of St. Joseph.
In 2011, Burris won the Steven L. Craig School of Business’s entrepreneurship program at Missouri Western State University and took ownership of a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory location in Iowa. Since winning the collegiate program, she has owned and operated six different businesses in the last 14 years.
After owning a business in California, Burris and her husband decided to move back to St. Joseph to raise their growing family.
Burris took a six-year hiatus from business before purchasing Le Peep at 919 N. Woodbine Road from Alan and Shari Thuman at the beginning of 2024.
Burris reflected on the past year of owning the restaurant.
“It’s really been a blessing to be here at Le Peep for a year,” Burris said. “We purchased the restaurant on January 1st of 2024 and so really to just kind of recap, reminisce about our first year, it’s just been a wonderful blessing.”
Pam Klaus, director of the Center for Franchise Development at Missouri Western, shared a bit about how Burris has helped the program.
“Leslie was a co-owner of our local Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Aspen Leaf Yogurt,” Klaus said. “So we use those stores as our study store for our current students, and Leslie was really instrumental; providing that mentor role and kind of showing them the ropes, having students come into her store and being able to really show them what it’s like to own and operate a business.”
Klaus says it is heartening to see franchise winners like Burris succeed.
“The most rewarding part of my job being the director of this very unique program is watching how life-changing it is for our graduates,” Klaus said. “They go from, you know, owning that first store to the second to the third. Many of our graduates own multiple stores now all across the country. So it’s such a unique program and seeing that success is very truly rewarding.”
