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
Target Hill Capital defusing risk on startups between friends and family, seed funding stages
An opportunity to deliver exponential impact in a community committed to entrepreneurship has resulted in the launch of Target Hill Capital –– an outside-the-box venture capital fund, Marshall Dougherty said. “When we were involved [with previous startups], we compared notes and surveyed the startup ecosystem in Kansas City,” Dougherty said of the events that led…
Lenexa-based Aloe soothes health insurance enrollment pains with human touch
A patient’s “wow” moment shouldn’t be when he or she opens a medical bill and discovers procedures that unexpectedly aren’t covered by insurance, said Andrew Belt, co-founder of Aloe. “People are frustrated — frustrated because they don’t understand how their coverage works or what’s included, and it doesn’t seem like anyone they talk to understands,”…
LendingStandard plans innovation upgrade with $2.5M investment from Flyover Capital
An investment in innovation has landed Kansas City-based LendingStandard $2.5 million in investment funds following the close of a Series A funding round led by Flyover Capital, CEO Andy Kallenbach said. “These are folks that are well-known in Kansas City and have had software businesses in the past, and that’s a really rare combination,” Kallenbach…
Don’t just play the game: MECA Challenge urges students to innovate ‘school of the future’
Challenging Kansas City students to envision “the school of the future” will usher in a paradigm shift wherein teens can see themselves as customers of school, said Katie Kimbrell optimistically. “[Students] don’t even think, ‘Oh, I could rethink this whole thing that I’m experiencing,’ and choose — or even demand — something different,” said Kimbrell,…