TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Long before he was a U.S. Senate candidate in Kansas, Greg Orman was a young businessman in Minnesota with a bright idea.

As a recent college graduate, Orman founded Environmental Lighting Concepts in 1992. The company updated older buildings with more energy efficient lighting fixtures — often with an enticement of rebates from utility companies.

The lighting company is where Orman first tested the business acumen that he now touts in his campaign as an independent challenger to Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. It’s where Orman began building his wealth. And it’s where he started a pattern of developing, expanding and then selling businesses after they became profitable.

Those who worked with Orman at his first business describe a man who seemed driven to succeed.