HEMP welcomes 20 area entrepreneurs for mentorship
September 15, 2016 | Meghan LeVota
The Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program has selected 20 new entrepreneurs from the Kansas City area to take part in its 2016 program.
Inspired by Barnett Helzberg Jr.’s mentoring relationship with Kansas City business legend Ewing Kauffman, HEMP matches seasoned area entrepreneurs with promising mentees. The three-year mentoring program aims to offer its participants new opportunities, inspiration and success.
“The HEMP class of 2016 is comprised of some of Kansas City’s finest entrepreneurs,” Helzberg said in a release. “I feel very fortunate to have been mentored throughout the various phases of my business career, and HEMP is one way for many of us to give back to the entrepreneurial community.”
“It’s a great feeling, being recognized among so many great business leaders in Kansas City.” – Jeff Blackwood
Founded in 1995, HEMP has welcomed more than 300 entrepreneurs into its ranks to form a community that still engages with one another. Eligible entrepreneurs must have three to five years of business experience, at least five full-time employees, and an annual revenue of $1 to $100 million.
Jeff Blackwood, CEO of Pathfinder Health Innovations, said that he sought out mentorship with HEMP to learn from other experienced businesspeople.
“Barnett and his team have built an organization that truly strives for quality relationships that will only make the Kansas City business ecosystem grow stronger,” Blackwood said. “Joining HEMP will allow me to gain the insights of another business leader; one who has previously experienced issues and can hopefully help me avoid them, allowing me to make all new mistakes. … It’s a great feeling, being recognized among so many great business leaders in Kansas City.”
The 2016 mentees are:
- Jeremy Antes, Prism Real Estate
- Kyle Batts, Batts Communication Services, Inc.
- Jeff Blackwood, Pathfinder Health Innovations, Inc.
- Eric Burtin, Burtin & Associates, Inc.
- Andrew Cameron, Daylight Donuts of Kansas City
- Mike Denny, Artistic Concrete Surfaces, LLC
- Beverly Drew, Asset LifeCycle, LLC
- Scott Gann, Scott Gann Construction
- Terry Garberg, Bark to Basics
- Brandy McCombs, International Builders & Consultants, Inc.
- Andy O’Hanlon, Equip-Bid Auctions
- Jeff Ragsdale, The Wm. Ragsdale Co.
- Nathan Roberts, Avenue Link
- Lori Ross, Foster Adopt Connect
- Laura Schmidt, Notes to Self
- Ryan Sciara, Underdog Wine Co.
- Jim Sheridan, Sheridan’s Unforked
- Travis Siegfried, Certified Radon
- Ryan Wyse, Code Koalas
- Mike Zimmerman, The Insurance Partners
Featured Business
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Don’t sleep on Kansas City: How this Killa collab draws out KC’s ‘Little Villains’ at just the right season
Drafted from creativity in the Crossroads, a hand-sketched character inspired by Kansas City’s rising national profile (and the familiar personalities behind it) is now finding fans on and off the field … well, lawn. “The Killa” — a football player repping No. 87 — has made the leap from team yard decorations to a starring…
Disney preservationists launch $4M campaign, add key collaborators to save iconic animator’s KC studio
The legacy of Walt Disney’s foundational time in Kansas City — and the structure the famed animator left behind on Troost Avenue — must be preserved frame by frame, said supporters of an ambitious redevelopment project at the former Laugh-O-gram Studios. A newly launched “Dreams Start Here” campaign aims to secure a future for the historic…
His family-fried waffle spot is open for cheat day (but not breakfast); How Dennis Alazzeh played chicken with restaurant trends and won
Kansas City-battered Chick-In Waffle is expanding into Johnson County; its owner — a son from within Jerusalem Cafe’s founding family — gives the classic American chicken-and-waffle combo a global twist with flavors like Asian chili, tikka masala, and queso After slogging away in his father’s restaurants while in school, Dennis Alazzeh swore off the industry…
Theater’s $8.7M rehab set to bring Black Movie Hall of Fame, Black Rep to KC’s ‘cultural corridor’
A century after the storied structure’s construction, an $8.7 million redevelopment project at the Boone Theater in Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine Jazz District aims to recapture the space’s potential as a cultural hub for the community — and a bridge to the city’s history. The long-awaited project at 1701 E. 18th St. is…