UMKC’s Student Entrepreneur of the Year sees business potential in KC’s diverse futbol ecosystem

Lesly Romo couldn’t shake an idea bouncing around in her mind for the past few years: a venture she ultimately would call Golazo, a multi-faceted soccer facility that offers the world’s diverse forms of futbol all in one place.

Recently named UMKC Student Entrepreneur of the Year, Romo first conceived the concept during her freshman entrepreneurship class — and it stuck with her as she thrived in classes at the UMKC Bloch School of Management, served as vice presidents of projects for UMKC Enactus, and even achieved $2 million in sales as a bilingual real estate agent.

Lesly Romo, UMKC Student Entrepreneur of the Year, speaks during the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards at Copaken Stage at the H&R Block Headquarters; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“Golazo is not just another soccer facility,” she detailed to a crowd Thursday at the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards at Copaken Stage at the H&R Block Headquarters. “We will be a revolutionary soccer haven in the heart of the U.S. More than a place to play, Golazo will be a vibrant hub for soccer enthusiasts, families, and newcomers. I aspire to introduce KC to the diverse world of soccer variations, such as tech ball, bubble, and eight ball pool soccer, to name a few.”

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The sport of entrepreneurship was the theme of the awards night as all of the awardees and their ventures — including Romo — have some kind of tie to sports: Kansas City Entrepreneurs of the Year Chris and Angie Long, Palmer Square Capital Management executives and co-founders and owners of the Kansas City Current; Marion and John Kreamer Award for Social Entrepreneurship winner David Johnson, founder of Chicken N Pickle and CEO of Maxus Realty Trust; and Henry W. Bloch International Entrepreneur of Year Marcelo Claure, founder and CEO of Claure Group, former CEO of Sprint, owner/co-owner of two soccer clubs (Club Bolivar and Girona FC).

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“This year, our awardees all have connections to sports, where success often depends on perseverance,” said Brian Klaas, dean of the Bloch School. “And as Henry Bloch frequently noted, success in entrepreneurship also depends on perseverance.”

Romo said she learned that trait from watching her immigrant parents.

“Witnessing their determination over the years, I obtained an ambitious character to turn their hard work into opportunities,” she added.

Lesly Romo, right, is awarded the Student Entrepreneur of the Year award by UMKC’s Ben Williams; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

One of those first opportunities, she shared, was leveraging her savings to obtain her real estate license a couple of years ago.

“(I pushed) through the fears of not knowing how to start a business and (entered) a space an introvert like myself fears the most: a competitive business, grounded in building relationships,” she explained. “And despite this feeling, I can say I never doubted my potential. Today, mentorship has been a vital part in my success in selling 2 million.”

Now she is shifting that same determination to her venture with Golazo.

“While the World Cup is bringing the cultures to KC, Golazo is here to cultivate them to stay for years to come,” she said. “As a true soccer capital, we will unite people through their shared love for the sport, showcasing why we are hosting the World Cup.”

“And in my mind, I’m not building another facility,” she continued. “I will cultivate a diverse soccer ecosystem. Because in a world that is only becoming more divided, why not come together with what nearly every country in the world has in common: futbol.”

Christine Kemper presents David L. Johnson with the Marion and John Kreamer Award for Social Entrepreneurship from UMKC; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Marion and John Kreamer Award for Social Entrepreneurship

What David Johnson created with Chicken N Pickle is more than just family entertainment, noted Christine Kemper, who presented the social entrepreneurship award to Johnson.

It’s about building community, continued Kemper, who noted the company closes its door one day a year so all employees can volunteer and does its green cup promotion, where the extra $1 of sales goes to charity.

“Community engagement is at the core of Chicken N Pickle culture,” she explained, “with programs that provide strong support for charitable organizations in the areas where Chicken and Pickle does business.”

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

Johnson founded Chicken N Pickle in 2016 in North Kansas City after he saw the social impact pickleball was having on his friend’s 55-and-over community in Arizona.

“He’d been there three months and he’d made 50 friends,” he noted.

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Now the company has grown outside of the Kansas City Metro with eight locations and seven more announced. But he said even Bill Crooks, his strategic consultant and partner, wasn’t so sure of the idea at first.

“He said he’d be glad to help me,” he recalled, “But I was gonna go broke and he didn’t want me to be mad at him for doing it. It turned out OK, but the CEO of my real estate company had a dead pool on it. The over under was 2.2 years. So we beat that.”

As for the social entrepreneurship portion of Chicken N Pickle, Johnson gave credit to his team, including CEO Brad Clarke and President Kelli Alldrege. 

“They’re doing great things,” he explained. “I’m just empowering people to do great things. I’m not that smart. I’m not as resilient as they are. They’re just knocking it dead in every community. Their hearts are local everywhere. I’m just blessed to hang around with them.”

Henry W. Bloch International Entrepreneur of the Year and Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Inductee

Kansas City will always hold a special place in his heart, shared Marcelo Claure — the former CEO of Sprint, as well as the founder and CEO of the global investment firm Claure Group and founder of Brightstar, a global wireless communications company he launched in 1997 by selling cell phones out of the back of his car.

Marcelo Claure, former CEO of Sprint, speaks during a recorded acceptance speech for UMKC’s International Entrepreneur of the Year; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“I moved to Kansas City in 2014, marking a period of profound personal and professional transformation,” he explained to the crowd in a pre-taped acceptance speech, as he wasn’t able to make it to KC for the ceremony. “As a seal of strength, I navigated the conflict of challenging waters. We embarked on a journey of reinvention, turning debilitating losses into profits and we claimed our customer base from industry giants like Verizon and AT&T.”

Those years, he continued, were not just business transformation.

“Those years were about breathing new life into a historic company, including the people,” he added.

The biggest achievement, Claure noted, was the $195 billion merger with T-Mobile.

“Against widespread skepticism, we defied all odds, and we created what is now the new T-Mobile, which is the world’s most valuable telecommunications company,” he said. “This merger wasn’t just a business transaction to me. It was a global move that reshaped the wireless industry in the United States.”

Claure continues to hold a seat on the board of T-Mobile.

“I’m truly delighted to see Kansas City thriving as a vital part of this company’s success,” he added.

Despite not being able to attend the award ceremony, Claure — who was also inducted into the UMKC Entrepreneur Hall of Fame — donated $75,000 to the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to support under-resourced entrepreneurs.

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