Team behind KC Current, CPKC Stadium honored as Entrepreneurs of the Year
December 2, 2023 | Taylor Wilmore
Chris and Angie Long scored another big win Thursday — joining the roster of Kansas Citians honored as UMKC’s Entrepreneurs of the Year — amid an evening that celebrated the world of athletics and the leaders who make the KC sports scene shine.
“We feel very proud that we have set a bar,” said Angie Long, co-owner of the Kansas City Current, as well as CPKC Stadium, the first purpose-built women’s professional sports stadium. “Everyone is now raising their game and aiming to be that.”
The Henry W. Bloch School of Management at University of Kansas City-Missouri brought the Longs to the Copaken Stage at H&R Block’s World Headquarters in downtown Kansas City Thursday for a salute to their ongoing contributions.
The couple received recognition for introducing their National Women’s Soccer League franchise to Kansas City. They were also honored for their achievements with Palmer Square Capital Management, overseeing $29 billion assets under management.
“We get to lead two amazing organizations, both of which have powerful platforms to be a positive force on a global basis,” said Chris Long.
Chris Long speaks Oct. 27 during a fireside chat with ACG Kansas City (Association for Corporate Growth); photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Palmer Square kick start
“The Kansas City Current would not exist without Palmer Square and the massive success that it has had,” Chris Long said Oct. 27 during a fireside chat with ACG Kansas City (Association for Corporate Growth).
Angie and Chris Long speak after being honored with UMKC’s Kansas City Entrepreneur of the Year Award; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Chris Long is the founder of Palmer Square Capital Management, an asset manager focused on corporate and structured credit; Angie Long serves as chief investment officer and one of two principal owners of Palmer Square.
“Investing is so important, if done right,” said Chris Long during their Thursday acceptance speech at the Copaken Stage. “We’ve been very fortunate to have this team of people around us that have driven incredible investment performance.”
Founded in 2009 with two employees handling $10 million in assets, the Mission Woods-based company has now grown to 59 employees managing about $29 billion.
Chris Long also serves on the boards of the Kansas City Sports Commission and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.
“It’s a multiplier effect,” said Chris Long when touching on how his work is creating a positive impact on clients by giving them financial freedom and in return, having clients feel more secure and charitable toward the community.
“We do a lot with the endowment world,” he said. “If you do a great job for them (higher education), they’d be more secure with their budgets, and they feel more secure with their capital expenditures.”
“It’s a lucrative job, we feel very fortunate for that. We took a lot of that capital and put it right back in this community by starting the Kansas City Current,” the duo said.
Click here to follow the KC Current on Instagram.
Focused on the (KC) Current
Angie and Chris Long took a risk by purchasing and relocating the KC Current team in the heart of the pandemic, they said, but they knew that creating a major platform to elevate women’s sports was well worth it.
Angie and Chris Long offer their acceptance speech for UMKC’s Kansas City Entrepreneur of the Year Award; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“We had a full view coming from an investment background on what the reward can be not only from a monetary perspective, but for this community, and what it would mean to have those female role models right in our backyard,” said Chris Long at the ACG event in October.
The pair, alongside Patrick and Brittney Mahomes, co-own the $118 CPKC million stadium at Kansas City’s Berkley Riverfront.
“It’s fulfilling. We spent the first 25 years of our career, being stewards of capital for institutions and families, and now we are stewards of a community asset,” said Angie Long.
The couple has ambitious plans for the CPKC stadium, targeting a baseline 60 to 80 events yearly, spanning NCAA, FIFA, concerts, rugby, lacrosse, and hosting major events like the mayor’s conference and a national women and leadership group.
Five fields, with FIFA Level 1 concussion pads, are already available for public use. Soft openings for the team are expected this month.
“We’re really proud of what we have accomplished to this point. But we really feel like we’re just getting started,” said Chris Long.
View this post on Instagram
David L. Johnson, founder of Chicken N Pickle, speaks after being awarded the Marion and John Kreamer Award for Social Entrepreneurship from UMKC; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Thursday’s Entrepreneur of the Year event also shined the spotlight on Marcelo Claure, founder and CEO of Claure Group and Brightstar, who was honored as the Henry W. Bloch International Entrepreneur of the Year. Claure led Kansas City-based Sprint from 2014 to 2018, overseeing the company’s merger with T-Mobile. He continues to hold a seat on the board of T-Mobile.
David L. Johnson, founder of Chicken N Pickle and CEO of Maxus Realty Trust, received the Marion and John Kreamer Award for Social Entrepreneurship from UMKC.
Lesly Romo, a junior in business administration and bilingual real estate agent professional, was celebrated as UMKC Student Entrepreneur of the Year.
What a great night at the 37th annual Entrepreneur of the Year Awards! The Henry W. Bloch School of Management honored five game-changing entrepreneurs inside @HRBlock headquarters.
Read more about the honorees: https://t.co/trWMsuy9bb pic.twitter.com/Z8aFToCrvx
— UMKC (@UMKC) December 1, 2023
Featured Business
Taylor Wilmore
Taylor Wilmore, hailing from Lee’s Summit, is a dedicated reporter and a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Taylor channels her deep-seated passion for writing and storytelling to create compelling narratives that shed light on the diverse residents of Kansas City.
Prior to her role at Startland News, Taylor made valuable contributions as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian newspaper, where she covered a wide range of community news and higher education stories.
2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kauffman to host national summit on how to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem
A national summit on how to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem is coming to Kansas City. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation announced Wednesday that it will host the national ESHIP Summit in June of 2017. The invite-only ESHIP Summit will bring together entrepreneurial ecosystem builders, allies and stakeholders from across the nation to collaborate for an economic…
Events Preview: Chat with Victor Hwang, Municipal Innovation
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Weekly Events Preview Innovation Exchange When: Dec. 14, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Where: Think Big Coworking Rarely are all the facts…
Illness forecaster Sickweather lands local investor, opening KC office
As part of a recent investment round, Sickweather will be returning to familiar stomping grounds to open a Kansas City office. A graduate of the 2014 Techstars-led Sprint Accelerator, Sickweather raised a seed round of an undisclosed value to accelerate sales of its tech that forecasts and maps illnesses for consumers and enterprises. “We’re thrilled…
Entrepreneurial card game Idea Jab spurs creativity in students, startups
Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its Fund Me, KC segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like Idea Jab co-founders Matt Callegari and Alex Laughlin — to share their stories to gain a little help from their supporters. Back Idea Jab here. Who are…