Small Business Superstars in photos: When people belong, ‘the possibilities are endless’
March 10, 2022 | Channa Steinmetz and Tommy Felts
Editor’s note: The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is a non-financial partner of Startland News, which serves as the media partner for the Small Business Superstars program.
A celebration Wednesday for the Chamber’s new class of Small Business Superstars came with a message for entrepreneurs of all kinds, said Vicky Kulikov.
You belong.
“That was always the point of the Small Business Superstars initiative. To connect with different businesses and people from different backgrounds and let them know that they belong here,” said Kulikov, small business director for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and lead coordinator of the Superstars program. “They are small business owners and entrepreneurs, and they drive our local economy.”
In February, the Chamber announced that more than 2,160 Small Business Superstars — all for-profit businesses with fewer than 250 employees, headquartered in Greater Kansas City — had joined the program for its second class.
Click here to read more about those selected as 2022 Small Business Superstars.
Wednesday’s event in the Medallion Theater at Plexpod Westport Commons, which featured a variety of local vendors and performers, gathered a diverse group of entrepreneurs for a celebration of Superstars — notably bringing together people who otherwise might not have thought connecting with the Chamber was relevant to them or just weren’t interested, Kulikov said.
Small Business Superstars reception
Dan Smith and Jannae Gammage on stage at the 2022 Small Business Superstars reception
“It’s also personally rewarding for me to see the steps we’ve taken to connect with different communities and the relationships we’ve been building,” she added. “Some examples are Dan Smith of The Porter House KC, Elaina Paige with the Next Paige Agency, and Jannae Gammage and The Market Base and so many more small business owners. I’m just excited that we will continue to support this community of Superstars and to see how we will grow even further.”
Small Business Superstars in the 2022 class are now eligible to become Chamber members if they are currently not, and to apply for the 2022 Small Business of the Year “Mr. K” Award or one the Chamber’s specialty awards, such as emerging business or equity honors. (The 2021 winners of both specialty awards were members of the first group of Small Business Superstars.)
Award applications are open now through March 22, culminating in late spring with the Chamber’s 2022 Small Business Celebration June 15 during the awards luncheon at the Downtown Marriott, where winners are announced.
Click here to learn more about the Chamber’s 2021 winning businesses.
Small Business Superstars reception
Kulikov also is proud of the impact Small Business Superstars has had on solo entrepreneurs, many of whom previously have been isolated within the business community, she said.
“Some have told me they feel like they’re on an island at times,” Kulikov said Thursday after the event. “In fact, I received an email this morning from one woman saying sometimes you don’t feel like you make a difference when it’s just you running your business alone. She said that last night, she felt connected.
“Seeing so many solo entrepreneurs at the reception connecting with each other, that’s just the power of the KC community,” she continued. “When we can connect people and work together, the possibilities are endless.”
Click here to learn more about the Chamber’s coming Small Business Celebration.
Check out a photo gallery from Wednesday’s Small Business Superstars reception below.
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
You can’t plan for this: ‘Mr K’ finalists wary of another ‘wrench into the face’ from Washington
An upended national political and economic climate has rippled down to Main Street, acknowledged leaders of this year’s Top 10 Small Businesses, bringing concerns about racism, DEI backlash, tariffs, and supply chain disruptions to Kansas City’s front door. “We’ve had people come into the shop and harass our employees, our customers,” explained Dulcinea Herrera —…
Hyde Park coffee space reopens with family vibe fitting historic neighborhood’s roots, owners say
A newly opened neighborhood coffee shop in Hyde Park hopes to bring a fresh, family-friendly vibe to Kansas City’s bustling coffee scene, its owners said. “We created 1888 Coffee to be something different — not just another café, but a welcoming hub for our community,” said Christine Kehoe, co-owner and operator of 1888 Coffee with…
Topeka recruited dozens of Filipino teachers for local classrooms; at year’s end, the district hopes they’ll stay
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. TOPEKA — Although international educators are not new to the state’s capital city, Topeka welcomed about 50 teachers from the Philippines this past school year to address shortages within the…
Startup ideas are here, but does Kansas have the risk capital to get them to the next level?
Eight early-stage Kansas entrepreneurs sat across from Midwest-based investors this week at Aspiria NOW in Overland Park, engaging in rapid-fire, “speed dating” style meetings aimed at moving their ventures closer to real investment. “We’re seeing just a great inflow of companies, especially at the early stage, come in just high levels of sophistication and awareness…