Casey Kenny is originally from Roseland, Nebraska and went to high school at Silver Lake. She went to college at the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) where she got her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Matt is originally from Red Cloud and also went to UNK where he got his first degree in Industrial Distribution before going on to the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) to get his Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Matt and Casey met while in college at UNK and were married in 2009. They have three children, Camden, Karlie and Kyler. They both worked for Family Physical Therapy in Kearney for 11 years where Matt was a physical therapist and director of one the rehab clinics and Casey worked as a speech-language pathologist seeing out-patient pediatrics. Matt and Casey relocated to Superior in 2020 where Matt worked at Superior Physical Therapy and Casey worked for Superior Public Schools.

What is your favorite thing about Red Cloud?

Without a doubt, the people! Everyone has been so incredibly welcoming and supportive!

You moved to Red Cloud in June. What made you decide to take a chance on Red Cloud?

When Mike and Barb were ready to retire, we saw a great opportunity to move closer to our families and back to our roots. Change is scary, but we couldn’t be happier that we took this leap of faith. Red Cloud is an amazing small town with big things happening and we are so excited to be a part of it!

We love being back in a smaller town with people who share our same values. We have three children, Camden (9), Karlie (7) and Kyler (5). We wanted them to have the same opportunities and experiences that we had growing up. We also wanted a smaller school for them and they absolutely love it here! If someone was looking to move to rural Nebraska we would tell them that Red Cloud is truly a great place to live!

What are some of your favorite businesses to shop at in Red Cloud? Why?

From Hometown Market to keep food on our table throughout the week, to On the Brix to revive our spirits on the weekend, we love the small town businesses in Red Cloud and the great people behind them! If you haven’t tried Abundant Life honey yet you need to, and who knew the Village Pharmacy carried so many amazing retail items!?!

What’s the last show you binge watched?

We are currently trying to watch Yellowstone, but we only get about one episode in every few weeks so we are only on season two!

If you could have a superpower what would it be and why?

Time control so we could slow things down when we want to enjoy the little things or speed things up when we need to accomplish more in a day!

We had big shoes to fill when we made the decision to take over Kenny’s Lumber. Mike and Barb have been running a great business since 1989 and we continue to learn so much from them! We changed the business name to Kenny’s Hardware and Home Center with hopes to have an increased focus on hardware and home supplies.

Do you have any hobbies or interests you’d like to share?

Casey loves cooking, reading and shopping and Matt loves working, working and working! Neither of us have any real hobbies, but we both love to spend any spare time with our family or going to see old friends.

Do you have any pets?

We have a new 4 month old miniature Goldendoodle named Ollie. He is such a calm and loving little guy and he has been a fun new addition to our family.

In a world where you can be anything, BE KIND.

You just took over Kenny’s Lumber in July. How’s it going? What would you like the community and visitors to know about your business?

We had big shoes to fill when we made the decision to take over Kenny’s Lumber. Mike and Barb have been running a great business since 1989 and we continue to learn so much from them! We changed the business name to Kenny’s Hardware and Home Center with hopes to have an increased focus on hardware and home supplies. We are working to increase our inventory to meet your everyday needs. We have added a few fun new items such as our Mom and Pop Soda Shoppe sodas and a larger variety of Mrs. Meyers Cleaning supplies. We have also expanded our Milwaukee tools and recently got a new paint machine that will allow us to color match any color that you might need!

What are you most proud of?

It has meant a lot to us to be able to keep the family business alive and growing. Although Kenny’s Hardware and Home Center was started in 2021, you may have noticed our logo sports the year 1989 in tribute to the year the roots of the business were established. Mike and Bard laid such a great foundation for our business and we are proud to be able to carry-on their services to the community.

Do you have a mantra or mission statement you live by?

In a world where you can be anything, BE KIND.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to relocate to rural Nebraska?

We lived in Kearney for 11 years before we relocated. We loved it and all the amenities that were at our fingertips, BUT there is so much to love about small town living. We both grew up in small towns (Matt in Red Cloud and Casey in Roseland). We love being back in a smaller town with people who share our same values. We have three children, Camden (9), Karlie (7) and Kyler (5). We wanted them to have the same opportunities and experiences that we had growing up. We also wanted a smaller school for them and they absolutely love it here! If someone was looking to move to rural Nebraska we would tell them that Red Cloud is truly a great place to live!

What is your favorite song and/or recording artist?

We both love Jack Johnson! We were able to see him in concert in Colorado a few years ago and hope to see him again someday!

What is your dream vacation?

Hawaii for Casey and Ireland for Matt, but anywhere all inclusive sounds pretty amazing right now!

Who has been the biggest influence in your life? Explain why.

We both feel our parents have been the biggest influence in our lives. They have instilled our values and shaped our beliefs. Without them we wouldn’t be where we are today.