Five high-profile KC startup, business leaders slated for Junior Achievement hall of fame
April 23, 2020 | Startland News Staff
A program that connects Kansas City business leaders with classrooms is giving high honors to a handful of startup veterans whose efforts to build global companies has already impacted a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Sandy and Christine Kemper; photo courtesy of the University of Missouri-Kansas City
Bruce Ianni and Davyeon Ross, co-founders of ShotTracker; Christine Kemper, founding chair of Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy, and Sandy Kemper, founder, chairman, and CEO of C2FO (both are founders of YEPKC, an organization focused on nurturing entrepreneurship in high school students); and Peter Mallouk, president of Creative Planning, have been selected for 2020 induction into the Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City Business Hall of Fame.
ShotTracker and C2FO both were featured on multiple lists of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch.
“Our 2020 laureates inspire Kansas City’s students by showing them how an innovative spirit combined with hard work can leave a lasting impact on the community,” said Kathy Rhodes, chairman of the Junior Achievement board and lead managing director at CBIZ. “I am proud to honor these business leaders for their role in making Kansas City a hub of creativity, entrepreneurship, and a fantastic place to work and live.”
Editor’s note: C2FO and the Kemper Family Foundation are financial supporters of STARTLAND, the parent organization of Startland News. Christine Kemper sits on the board of STARTLAND. Davyeon Ross is a former board member for the Kansas City Startup Foundation, now STARTLAND. This report was produced independently by Startland News.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2020, the annual Junior Achievement hall of fame event has previously recognized such entrepreneurs as Ewing Marion Kauffman, Dave Cummings, Barnett and Shirley Helzberg, Gary Fish, and Henry Bloch.
A luncheon celebration of the 2020 honorees is planned for Nov. 6 at The Gallery Event Space in Kansas City.
Click here for more in-depth bios of the honorees.
Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City aims to bring business back to the classroom by connecting students to mentors and programs that promote financial literacy, inspire entrepreneurship, and prepare students (K-12) for success in a 21st century workplace.
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kansas kicks off effort to increase high-speed Internet for schools
The Sunflower State it planning to boost Internet speeds in its public schools. The State of Kansas on Tuesday announced a partnership with San Francisco-based nonprofit EducationSuperHighway to increase school districts’ access to affordable, high-speed broadband. At no cost, the organization will help districts with IT support and data analysis to help upgrade the schools’…
With a halt on new overtime rules, what’s next for startups?
Disruption is good, right? Well, as the Game of Thrones memes say: “Brace yourselves.” The Department of Labor overtime rules that were originally scheduled to go into effect on Dec. 1 have now been indefinitely postponed due to an injunction issued on Nov.22 by U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant. These rules were set to nearly…
Program commercializing classroom tech spurs 29 startups, dozens of jobs
A Kansas City program is making strides in its efforts to commercialize local, university-cultivated ideas. In the past four years, KCSourceLink’s Whiteboard2Boardroom program helped create almost 100 jobs and facilitated the creation of 29 new startups, according to a recent progress report. Those companies also generated nearly $16 million in follow-on funding, helping to fuel job…
Local entrepreneurs prompt court to hit pause on Kansas ‘patent troll’ rules
A U.S. District Court of Kansas is collecting more public input on proposed legal rule changes after area entrepreneurs expressed concerns that the measures could make the area a haven for “patent trolls.” Patent trolls are non-practicing entities that purchase broadly defined patents with the intention to sue growing companies that are developing tangentially related…