EDCKC selects 2019 Cornerstone Awards finalists; May celebration to honor Emanuel Cleaver
March 4, 2019 | Startland News Staff
Innovators and leaders in new construction, redevelopment, capital investments, job creation and expansion projects in Kansas City, Missouri, are set to be honored in late May at the 2019 Cornerstone Awards.
The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri, is a 501c4 agency that works to retain and grow its resident businesses, attract high opportunity companies to locate in the city, and attract and retain a skilled and diverse workforce all to ensure a vibrant community and growing, self-sustaining economy.
The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri, (EDCKC) announced 22 finalists for the honors today.
“The Cornerstone Awards are a chance to take time out of our busy schedules to come together as a community to celebrate individual leaders and leading organizations that are propelling Kansas City, Missouri forward,” said Bob Langenkamp, president and CEO of the EDCKC, which selects the Cornerstone Award winners. “Without big thinkers, dreamers and doers, we wouldn’t be seeing the civic and economic progress we’re seeing in Kansas City, Missouri. There’s always more work to do, but this year’s finalists are truly inspiring.”
Cornerstone Award finalists include:
- 21c Museum Hotel
- ARTerra
- Bar K
- Blenheim School Apartments
- Brookside 51
- Community America Credit Union – Crossroads and South Plaza
- Crossroads Hotel
- CVS Midwest Distribution Center
- Fountain City FinTech Accelerator
- Hy-Vee Arena
- Hotel Indigo Crossroads
- Ignite Medical Resorts
- Kansas City Industrial Council (KCIC)
- Kenton Brothers
- Linwood Shopping Center
- McQueeny Lock Building
- Mobility Designed
- Norman School Lofts
- Operation Breakthrough
- Two Light Luxury Apartments
- Union Berkley Riverfront
- Wonder Shops + Flats
The number of honorees varies from year to year, with 10-12 typically selected. Winners are expected to be announced at the EDCKC’s annual Cornerstone Awards event 4 p.m. May 29 the Kansas City Marriott Downtown, Imperial Ballroom, a new venue for the celebration.
Click here for more on the Cornerstone Awards or to purchase tickets.

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver
In keeping with Cornerstone Award tradition, a Lifetime Achievement award will be presented to an outstanding local leader who has been tirelessly dedicated to philanthropy, civic endeavors and the economic prosperity of Kansas City, Missouri. The 2019 Lifetime Achievement recipient is U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri.
In addition, the event will highlight and elaborate on EDCKC’s three main initiatives:
- EDCKC’s new minority business accelerator, which is set to launch this spring.
- The Blue River Valley Industrial Corridor, a multi-year effort to unlock the development potential in more than 3,000 acres on the eastern edge of Kansas City, Missouri.
- The EDCKC Loan Corp Program, dedicated to providing working capital to minority-owned, for-profit businesses in Kansas City, Missouri, who have previously been turned down by a financial institution.
Click here for more on the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri.
Featured Business

2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Why this KC esports startup is betting on a gambling app to scale into new NFT, cryptocurrency levels
The Kansas City Pioneers became the first professional esports organization to step into the head-to-head gaming and gambling sphere thanks to its pairing with PLLAY Labs — an AI-based wagering platform. “We see this partnership as a tremendous opportunity to tap into a community of folks who love competition — and then inject the KC…
Can tech save the family farm? E-commerce farmers market plants seeds in Kansas City
An Indianapolis-based startup is planting seeds of change it hopes can enhance the ways growers and producers get their products into the hands of customers. Kansas Citians are harvesting from it in bushels. “This is definitely a business of passion for me,” Nick Carter said, recalling his upbringing and days spent on his family’s farm…
‘Everybody at TripleBlind is better than me,’ founder says as top startup’s global team firewalls groupthink
Startup companies are on a continual mission to create, define and own the category in which they operate within, Riddhiman Das noted, and to do so — startup founders must build a proficient team. “If you’re not the category-defining company, then it’s not as big a win. Categories are typically defined at the global level,…
First bite of Tyler Shane: This spicy new pairing with Westport favorite Café Corazón has cacao lovers going nuts
‘I want people to sit down and really have a moment with their chocolate’ When Tyler Shane bites into a piece of chocolate, all of her senses come alive to fully indulge in the experience. “Food, for me, is almost like a religious experience,” she said. After spending seven years at Christopher Elbow Chocolates, the…

