EDCKC selects 2019 Cornerstone Awards finalists; May celebration to honor Emanuel Cleaver

March 4, 2019  |  Startland News Staff

Conerstone-Awards

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:

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

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.

 

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

2019 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    Start the ignition: These Operation Breakthrough students just designed MADE MOBB’s latest drop

    By Tommy Felts | May 1, 2025

    Vu Radley wants students at Operation Breakthrough’s Ignition Lab to have opportunities he wishes he would have been offered in high school, shared the co-owner of Crossroads-based streetwear brand MADE MOBB. His team spent the past nine months working with a handful of teens at the Ignition Lab — Josiah Bryant, Suleyman Dia, Jeremiyah Bradley,…

    It’s going DAO: Why an NFT-fueled blockchain org is launching in KC alongside Global Pizza Day

    By Tommy Felts | May 1, 2025

    A pizza party in a Midtown eatery covered in art is expected to mark the launch of a Nouns DAO chapter in Kansas City — a group endeavoring to fund local creativity, support the public good and expand access to decentralized cultural funding.  But there’s more at stake than just getting a piece of the…

    Next-gen threats loom: Cybersecurity veteran weaves solution for businesses of all verticals, sizes

    By Tommy Felts | May 1, 2025

    Short-handed and dispersed teams face growing risks as they amass technology, said Chuck Crawford, detailing how technology debt and sprawl lead not only to underutilized tech and siloed environments — but open the door to cybersecurity threats. Such next-generation challenges require the expertise of an industry veteran like Crawford, who launched Loom Security in April…

    Leave KC better than you found it: How matching growth to city’s needs is paying off

    By Tommy Felts | April 30, 2025

    Editor’s note: The following is the first in a four-part series exploring the verticals and impact of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Wrong tool can wreck a neighborhood; Precision development key to avoiding gentrification’s negative impacts Homegrown startups can redefine KC; they just need help…