Mr. K Award finalists: RFP360, KC Bier Co., Charlie Hustle among Chamber’s Top 10 Small Businesses
April 8, 2019 | Startland News Staff
From one of Kansas City’s most popular breweries to a startup that streamlines the RFP process to an apparel company known for its big heart, 10 small businesses received surprise visits Friday — each now a finalist for the prestigious Mr. K Award.
“The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce showered us with confetti today when they hand delivered our Top 10 Small Business award! #FeelingFortunate #CelebrateSmallBiz #Innovation #Growth #BuildingABetterKC,” posted RFP360, a Kansas City-based firm innovating the RFP process.
RFP360 was named one of Startland’s Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2018. Click here to check out its progress over the course of the previous year, and here to read about the hiring of the company’s first CEO.
Charlie Hustle, Top 10 Small Business honoree, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Fellow Top Small Businesses KC Bier Co. and T-shirt trendsetter Charlie Hustle also have startup roots. Click here to read about the brewery’s strategy for expansion, and here to learn more about the hometown apparel company’s full-court business offensive.
The Chamber’s Top 10 Small Business honorees were selected from a pool of 80 nominees. One will be chosen for the Mr. K Award — named for legendary Kansas City entrepreneur Ewing Marion Kauffman — which is presented to a company that not only shows growth and sustainability, but also has a record of giving back to the community.
A winner is expected to be announced at the Chamber’s May 23 Small Business Luncheon.
Lead Bank was awarded the distinction in 2018.
The full Top 10 Small Businesses list includes:
- Agforce Transport — third-party logistics and supply chain provider.
- Charlie Hustle — vintage T-shirt company.
- IBC, Inc. — commercial construction firm.
- KC Bier Co. — Kansas City-based, German-style craft brewery.
- Lever1 — integrated professional employer organization services.
- Odimo — collaborative architectural and planning firm.
- RFP360 — full-circle RFP management solution.
- Ripple Glass — state-of-the-art glass recycling.
- TREKK Design Group — woman-owned civil engineering firm.
- VeriShip — parcel shipping intelligence company.
Honored to be recognized today as a @kcchamber #KansasCity Top 10 Small Business of the Year. Thanks to all of #KC for your ongoing support of #KCBierCo! Prost! https://t.co/NsokflPmYO
— KC Bier Co. (@KCBierCo) April 5, 2019
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
New Startland reporter wants to immerse herself in KC’s culture of innovation
Two months ago today, I packed up the last of my belongings in my Columbia, Mo. apartment. And to be frank, I was slightly embarrassed to be moving back in with my parents in Independence, Mo. A recent graduate from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, it seemed that almost everybody I knew was…
Exclusive: John Fein departing Techstars to lead new $7M Midwest venture fund
After three years with the Kansas City-based Sprint Accelerator, John Fein is moving on to lead a venture fund that has ambitious Midwestern plans. Fein, who’s served as the managing director at the Techstars-led accelerator since 2014, will serve his last day with the organization on July 31. With decades of fast-paced startup experience, Fein…
Mid-America Angels set for second consecutive record-breaking year
The Mid-America Angels is poised to make 2016 a record-breaking year. The area investment group already has deployed $1.7 million via seven deals in the first six months of 2016, setting pace for its biggest year of investment in its ten-year history. In 2015, the firm set a record for its amount of capital deployed,…
With a fresh $2M, Athlete Network sets ambitious growth goals
Athlete Network has scored a slam dunk with a $2 million seed round raise. The Lenexa-based firm that created a social network for athletes announced Thursday it had closed its first funding round after bootstrapping for two years, Athlete Network CEO Chris Smith said. The platform aims “to keep athletes competing in life” by enabling…