Chamber makes history with Mr. K winner, first Black woman-owned company to earn Small Biz of the Year
June 14, 2023 | Startland News Staff
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.
Fahteema Parrish built a foundation for success in Kansas City by stepping outside her comfort zone, the Parrish & Sons Construction founder said; Wednesday’s win as the KC Chamber’s Small Business of the Year topped out a historic run for the coveted Mr. K Award.
“This is just another example of what hard work looks like,” Parrish said from the awards stage, noting she was totally taken by surprise when her business was announced as the Small Business of the Year during the Chamber’s Small Business Celebration Awards Luncheon Wednesday at Marriott Muehlebach Tower.
It was the first such win for a 100-percent Black woman-owned small business.
Fahteema Parrish, Parrish & Sons Construction, center, accepts the Mr. K Award during the KC Chamber’s Small Business Celebration; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News
Named for Ewing Kauffman — a legendary Kansas City entrepreneur and philanthropist — the Small Business of the Year (or Mr. K Award) signifies that the winning company has shown growth or sustainability of their business, along with strong employee relations, a record of giving back to the community, and prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Click here to read about the 2022 Mr. K Award winner: Chicken N Pickle
Parrish & Sons was named among the KC Chamber’s Top 10 Small Businesses — denoting the group of finalists for the big award — the past three consecutive years. It earned the Small Business Equity Award in 2022.
RELATED: IT firm honored as ‘Emerging Business of the Year’ finds inclusive welcome in Kansas City
“We invest in our people and are passionate about what we believe in. We plan to provide more opportunities as we continue to grow and learn as servants of the community,” Parrish told Startland News. “This is a very humbling honor. I’m thankful that I’m on the right path to continue to make Kansas City a better place.”
Click here to read more about Parrish & Sons’ commitment to inclusion.
Fahteema Parrish, Parrish & Sons Construction, speaks during a panel conversation at the KC Chamber’s 2023 Small Business Top 10 Reception; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
During a panel discussion with the Top 10 businesses in May, Parrish highlighted the importance of young people from diverse backgrounds seeing themselves represented in all spaces — including construction.
“They see us as a woman-owned company — a minority woman-owned company — in a male-dominated space,” Parrish said at the May event. “They see that, and then they’re able to envision themselves being a successor in that realm, or exploring the opportunity of being an entrepreneur in that space.”
Click here to see Parrish’s fellow 2023 finalists for Small Business of the Year.
An event-goer during the Chamber’s Small Business Showcase in April chats with Fahteema Parrish, Parrish & Sons Construction; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News
Founded in 2015, the business specializes in site clearing, demolition grading, aggregate recycling, hauling, and water & storm services. It has been part of some of Kansas City’s most headline-grabbing construction projects in recent years, including the Meta data center in Smithville, the KC Streetcar expansion, Three Light Apartments, trail work at Avila University, and the new terminal at the Kansas City International Airport.
“In order to grow, I have to continue to step out of my comfort zone,” Parrish said in the runnup to Wednesday’s award announcement. “I have to stay hungry, humble, and smart.”
The company is now preparing to purchase land on which to build its new headquarters where Parrish & Sons will be able to house their equipment and grow their workforce, having already more than doubled its employee count.
The Chamber also awarded its specialty awards during Wednesday’s luncheon. Those awards and the winners include:
Emerging Small Business of the Year Award: NvisionKC
NvisionKC is an IT consulting company specializing in collaboration, process automation, analytics, and software development.
Legacy of Kansas City Award: Quantum Resource Professionals
Established in 2002, Quantum Resource Professionals offers specialist staffing solutions for school districts and healthcare organizations.
Weida Award for International Small Business of the Year: J. Rieger & Co.
J. Rieger is a Kansas City distillery founded in 1887 by Jacob Rieger, shut down by Prohibition, revived in 2014.
Small Business Equity Award: Resolve Counseling and Wellness
Resolve is a counseling and therapy practice specializing in individual therapy services for adults, couples, teens, and children.
Featured Business
2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
First he got the park clean, then his brother; New theater explores how Chris Harris played through the hazards
Five years after opening a golf course in the Ivanhoe neighborhood to help revitalize his community from within, Chris Harris is taking a swing at the east side’s theater desert. Harris — the owner and operator of Harris Park Midtown Sports and Activity Center and lifelong neighborhood resident — has now built an indoor theater…
Former KC startup acquired by Atlanta-based banking platform, uniting two of the largest Black-owned fintechs
ATLANTA — Greenwood, a digital banking platform for Black and Latino individuals and businesses, announced this week its acquisition of Kansas City-founded Kinly — a neobank building generational wealth for Black America. The deal will help grow Atlanta-based Greenwood’s ecosystem of more than 1 million members and provide Kinly’s community of more than 300,000 with…
‘Proud capitalist’ to young social entrepreneurs: It’s OK to make a buck while saving the world
Darcy Howe encouraged budding, would-be founders to think about ways they can effectively scale their mission-driven ideas, drawing on KCRise Fund’s model for social entrepreneurship. “Being socially mission-driven is not mutually exclusive to making money,” Howe, founder and managing director of KCRise Fund, told Enactus students gathered Tuesday during an end-of-year celebration for the University…
Million-dollar corporate gift puts $25M Negro Leagues capital campaign on the board; now you’re on deck
Editor’s note: Bank of America is a financial partner of Startland News, although this report was created independently by the nonprofit newsroom. A historic age of impact is under way, said Bob Kendrick, as Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum unveiled plans for a new, state-of-the art campus backed by a $1 million grant from…