Rhonda Dolan, on-demand personal assistant Udo honored as Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year
May 23, 2019 | Austin Barnes
A lunchtime affair at the 2019 Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Awards quickly turned from celebratory mingling to shock and awe for Rhonda Dolan.
Rhonda Dolan, Udo
“For [the Chamber] to recognize my efforts over the last year, which have been pretty intense, means a lot,” said Dolan, founder and CEO of Udo, reflecting on her honor Thursday as the Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year. “It’s a little bit overwhelming. I’m still soaking it in.”
Such kudos come as Udo — an on-demand personal assistant platform — reaches a critical crossroads, Dolan explained.
“My hope is that there’s an awareness element for us,” she explained of how the win could push Udo forward. “… We have customers lining up, but we need some capital. So, we’re trying to figure out that next step. We’re ready to rock and roll, but we need a little bit of help.”
A previous Digital Sandbox award winner, entrepreneurial support programs have been great resources for Dolan in the run-up to her recognition by the chamber, she noted.
TREKK Design Group
In addition to the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Chamber awarded its small business of the year honor — the Mr. K Award — to TREKK Design Group, a 150 employee, civil engineering firm with an affinity for environmental work.
Wendy Guillies, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
The company is responsible for such projects as lighting and drainage on the iconic Christopher S. Bond bridge.
“There is a huge problem with old infrastructure in this country and the unseen things underground,” said, Kimberly Robinett, managing partner and CFO at TREKK. “We are the eyes for the unseen.”
Building a Kansas City business in the spirit of Ewing Kauffman, Robinett was presented with the Mr. K Award at Thursday’s luncheon for her efforts as an entrepreneur.
“I was at Sprint and my husband had been in the civil space his whole career, and we saw an opportunity to do work that our lives touch every day,” said Robinett. “The work that we do everyday is clean water and safe roads. It doesn’t get any more rewarding than that.”
An additional nine companies were finalists for the Mr. K Award and were honored with spots on the Chamber’s Top 10 Small Businesses list, including: Agforce, Charlie Hustle, IBC, Inc., KC Bier Co., Lever1, Odimo, RFP360, Ripple Glass, and VeriShip.
Click here to read more about the companies in the Top 10.
Thursday’s ceremony also saw The Roasterie honored with the 2019 Legacy of KC award; Datalocker with the inaugural Weida International Small Business Award; and Weave Gotcha Covered with the 2019 Diverse Business of the Year Award.
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
This startup leader is revealing entrepreneur answers (and they’re listed in the table of contents)
Aligning the stars as a forward-looking founder and business owner isn’t easy, Maria Flynn noted, so she wrote her own guidebook. “Entrepreneurs are my tribe of people,” said Flynn, a serial founder and regional digital health leader. “And I was telling the same stories over and over again, so I started to write them down.…
He earned industry cred alongside Ariana Grande; now Jo Blaq wants to share the music with emerging KC artists
Joseph Macklin forged a successful music career through trial and error, he said, but that doesn’t mean the next generation should be forced to endure those same challenges just to feel like they earned credibility. The multi-platinum, Grammy award-nominated music producer, songwriter, engineer, and vocal arranger — known as Jo Blaq — is on a…
Nation’s best dog bar planning new tricks in KC after fetching top award, summer funding round
The dog days of summer are bringing momentum to Bar K, said David Hensley. The Kansas City-based escape space for pets and their owners was recently named top dog in the country by USA Today, just closed a funding round, and added several key team members — including Tim Schoenfelder as CEO — the co-founder…
Let’s eat out: KCMO wants more outdoor dining; new grants program pays for restaurant upgrades
Outdoor dining’s economic impact outlasted the pandemic, said Mayor Quinton Lucas. A new push to boost KCMO businesses — with the backing of city tourism dollars — is expected to help local restaurants, coffee shops, and bars embrace the opportunity, he said. His goal: Make outdoor dining spaces even more attractive to visitors and hometown…