More than coworking: Plexpod lauded as economic driver at EDCKC Cornerstone Awards
May 17, 2018 | Tommy Felts
A Cornerstone Award win for Plexpod is a recognition of the evolving nature of community and connections, said Gerald Smith.
“When we set out to do the Plexpod Westport Commons project, from the beginning it was much more than just another coworking facility,” said Plexpod co-founder Smith. “We believed Kansas City needed a central hub of scale where entrepreneurs would gather, events could occur, and companies would thrive. Economic development was at the very core of this project.”
Presented by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City for more than 30 years, the Cornerstone Awards celebrate people, projects, businesses, programs, initiatives and events that drive economic development and growth in Kansas City.
Winners were announced at a gala Tuesday.
“We believe the great companies of Kansas City’s future are being born everyday at Plexpod Westport Commons, as well as our other locations across the metro,” said Smith, referencing Plexpod communities in Lenexa and the Crossroads Arts District. “We were thrilled to receive this honor, especially in our first year being open at [the Westport Commons] location. Plexpod is proud to be Kansas City birthed and we expect to carry that special KC entrepreneurial spirit with us to other cities.”
Plexpod was named one of Startland’s Top Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2018, having launched Westport Commons in the 160,000-square-foot renovated former Westport Middle School in 2017, and acquiring Think Big Coworking about six months ago.
Other Cornerstone honorees included AutoAlert, Cable Dahmer Headquarters & Collision, Cerner Innovation Campus, Hotel Indigo and Fairfax Lofts Apartments, Hunt Midwest SubTroplis Animal Health Corridor, KC Urban Youth Baseball, Linwood YMCA/James B. Nutter Sr. Community, NBKC Bank, Spring Venture Group, and Urban Café.
“The Cornerstone Awards celebrate the people and organizations that are building the future of Kansas City, Missouri,” said Bob Langenkamp, EDCKC president and CEO. “The 2018 award recipients have played a vital role in creating a thriving economy in our city, and we enthusiastically congratulate them on their efforts.”
For a full list of finalists, click here.
EDCKC also paid tribute Tuesday to Leo Morton, chancellor emeritus for the University of Missouri-Kansas City, with its Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as several special projects and the organizations behind them, including:
- Amazon HQ2 Proposal — Barkley, VML and Xact Technologies
- KCP&L — Clean Charge Network and KCP&L Connect
- A Better KCI — Platte County EDC, Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Area Development Council, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and The Dover Group
- People’s Choice Award — Veterans Community Tiny Homes Project
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Listen: When the grind gets gloomy, experts discuss mental health challenges and entrepreneurship
About 72 percent of entrepreneurs have self-reported mental health concerns, according to a study done by the University of California San Francisco. More specifically, about 30 percent of entrepreneurs experience depression and about 30 percent experience ADHD, the same study found. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Startland News and Think Big’s May Innovation…
6 tips and tricks to stay sane while scaling fast
Frequently taking on more demands and shirking personal care, entrepreneurs’ work-life balance often skews toward work. Deadlines, finding clients, making payroll and dozens of other stressors can put entrepreneurs at risk of mental illness or compound existing challenges. Furthermore, entrepreneurs are disproportionately affected by such issues as ADHD, bipolar disorder and depression, according to studies…
Video: How to use the lean model canvas for fun and profit
Editor’s note: Continuing our mission to help area entrepreneurs and startups grow, we’re happy to share with you a video from our friends at Kansas City-based tech agency Crema. Learn more about the agency here. Starting a business, or launching a product is really hard. Most people will tell you to first come up with…
Visualize Kansas City’s digital divide with this new Smart City tool
A canyon between those with consistent access to computers and the Internet and those who don’t, the digital divide is often discussed in the abstract. However difficult to conceptualize in a broad scale, the digital divide in Kansas City has real economic, cultural and social implications in our community. That’s why the City of Kansas…