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
When your tech becomes an expensive paperweight
Here’s this week’s dish on expensive paperweights, company culture and bootstrapping. Check out more in this series here. The Verge: Nest is permanently disabling the Revolv smart home hub In a shot across the bows of any early-adopter interested in startup tech, Nest announced that it’s shutting down Revolv’s IoT smart home hub. Google-owned…
QM Power snags $9M round for high-tech electric motor
Kansas City-based QM Power recently raised significant capital to accelerate development of its electric motor that the company says will transform its industry. The tech firm raised $9.06 million from undisclosed investors to boost development of the “Q-Sync Smart Synchronous Motor.” QM Power says the motor is as much as 80 percent more efficient…
After ‘largest product launch ever,’ Tesla attracts KC futurists
In a week, electric car maker Tesla has spurred an automotive ardor whose fervor may only be rivaled by the replacement of horses with the Ford Model T. Tesla’s new Model 3 has received more than 325,000 pre-orders in seven days, which corresponds to about $14 billion in implied future sales. The sales represent the…
Events Preview: Start Fest, HBD Village Square
There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter or curious Kansas Citian, we’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW Start Fest When: April 8 @ 9:00 am – 2:00 pm Where: KCKCC Technical Education Center It is time for…