Batters up! Voting now open for KCSourceLink All-Star competition
June 4, 2018 | Startland News Staff
When the Royals take the field June 18 at Kauffman Stadium, more than a dozen freshly crowned KCSourceLink All-Star honorees will be catching accolades.
But first: You have to vote.
KCSourceLink’s final round of balloting has begun for the All-Star selection, which coincides with the network’s 15-year celebration during Entrepreneur Day at the K. Dozens of leaders, connectors and innovators are among the candidates for the 15 All-Star awards.
Click here to cast your votes through Friday June 8.
Nominations for the awards closed May 30 and were drawn from KCSourceLink’s Resource Partner Network, including individuals affiliated with a nonprofit, educational, governmental, and/or entrepreneurial support organization in the Kansas City metro area.
Winners are expected to be announced during the E Day at the K tailgating event 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. June 18 at Kauffman Stadium. The event is sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. A ticket to the June 18 matchup between the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers is not required for the E Day at the K tailgating party.
“It has taken a village — and time — to build Kansas City entrepreneurship and a resource network that helps entrepreneurs along every step of their journey, from inception to exit,” KCSourceLink said. “And we need your help to celebrate it.”

KCSourceLink All-Star awards include:
- World Series Trophy (most successful supporter)
- Golden Glove (assists other Resource Partners)
- Iron Man Award (longest tenure)
- Outstanding Coaching Award (excellence in execution)
- Hank Aaron Award for Hitting (best at making referrals)
- Utility Infielder (flexibility)
- Most Assists (selfless in supporting the network)
- Homerun Derby Winner (out-of-the-park responsiveness)
- Silver Slugger (delivers every time)
- Cy Young Award (on target problem solving)
- Fanatical Fan (enthusiasm for the network)
- Slugger Award (most supportive of the network)
- Manager of the Year (motivational)
- Most Valuable Player (most active in network)
- Roberto Clemente Award for Sportsmanship (team player)
Featured Business

2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
How a KC partnership helped Idle Smart avoid a cold start that could’ve stalled its recovery
Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Academy Bank, a Kansas City based community bank, and is part of a series of features spotlighting some of the bank’s startup and small business partners. Wasted time is wasted money — a notion at the forefront of Idle Smart, a Kansas City IoT tech company built…
This KC kombucha brewer brought back North America’s most mysterious tropical fruit; the time to taste it is ripe now
When the forest starts to smell like bananas, it means the pawpaws are ready for harvesting, Amy Goldman shared. “I’d never heard of pawpaws until last year when one of our farmer friends brought us a bunch of them. We tried them in our kombucha, and it sold out so fast. It was incredible. But…
A service you never knew you needed: Buying chickens from a vending machine at the Mayor’s Christmas Tree
As children gave life to the ice terrace above Friday, volunteers and shoppers were giving light to local and global charities at a newly placed installation of vending machines — stocked with donation opportunities, not snacks — at Crown Center. The hottest “selling” item so far in Kansas City: a trio of chickens for $18. Three Giving…
New nonprofit surprises first-ever $20K ‘changemaker’ grant winner; he already knows how he’ll invest it
Pastor Adrian Roberson was initially too stunned to speak Thursday when he was awarded a $20,000 grant for KC United — a youth sports initiative he co-founded in 2009 with his wife Vicky. But the duo already have plans for the money: spreading blessings. “I want to say, ‘Glory to God,’” Adrian Roberson shared moments after…
