Story
Restoring local culture in a virtual-first world.
The business world got efficient and then it got lonely. The Collective exists to put the room back.
Business used to come with a room. You saw the same faces often enough that you didn't have to explain yourself — people knew your name, knew roughly what you did and how your week was going. You picked things up just by being around others who were also figuring it out.
That room didn't disappear all at once. It went one convenience at a time. Meetings moved online. Training moved to a video library. The person you used to ask a hard question in person became a name in a chat thread who never replied.
None of that made anyone better at their job. It just made everyone a little more alone doing it.
So Trent started The Collective. Not a brokerage. Not an association. Not a transaction. The place where the work gets done on Monday, the relationships get built on Tuesday, and going virtual doesn't mean going it alone.
Leadership
Meet the team.
This isn't one person with a microphone. Each seat on the leadership team owns a piece of what makes the room worth showing up to.
Trent Barney
Founder
Trent built the largest brokerage in Wichita in all three categories, earning the Triple Crown. Then he left to build something even bigger: The Collective. Not a team, a room, built on purpose, for the kind of business relationships that actually move a business forward.
Helena Klassen
Member Experience
Helena is a TEDx speaker and business strategist who has spent her career helping businesses build systems — and still does. At The Collective, she runs strategy and member experience, making sure it feels as good to be part of as it looks from the outside.
Shae Regan
Content and Brand
Shae is the photographer and content strategist some of Wichita's most sought-after solopreneurs call first. Now she's bringing that same eye to The Collective, owning its visual story and the rhythm of actually showing up online.
No rush
Want to know more before you decide anything?
Ask us whatever you'd ask a member. We'll send information about the chapter in your city — no call, no pressure.
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