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CAPS Network expanding into rural Kansas schools with $951K education grant

By Tommy Felts / December 14, 2023

Nearly $1 million in federal funds is expected to help CAPS Network expand its profession-based learning into rural school districts, focusing on the state of Kansas, Corey Mohn shared. The $951,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education was announced earlier this week. “We are really excited about the impact this funding will help us…

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Former sports executive teams with startup veteran to simplify visa process for foreign athletes

By Tommy Felts / December 13, 2023

After 16 years handling immigration visas for the Kansas City Royals, Kyle Vena knew there must be a better way to streamline the daunting task of bringing athletes to the U.S. to play baseball — and keeping them, he shared. “When I left [the job] in the summer of 2022, I had this concept baked…

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Cheese, chips, and cheers: Deez Nachos joins Parlor with its first fixed location

By Tommy Felts / December 13, 2023

Dwight Tiller II is taking his family’s loaded nacho business from wheels to brick-and-mortar with its new spot — parked on the first floor of Parlor, Kansas City’s first modern food hall.  Previously at the Crossroads-based Parlor as the former co-owner and head chef of KC Mac and Co., Tiller now is taking Deez Nachos…

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This ‘Tiny Town’ just opened on Spring Hill’s Main Street; here’s how it’s connecting kids growing up in KC’s urban sprawl

By Tommy Felts / December 13, 2023

SPRING HILL, Kansas — Two sister companies on the edge of the Kansas City metro are now offering a scoop of ice cream with a drizzle of imagination on top. Three years ago, Dale and JoAnn Romano opened Pop’s Sweet Shop on Main Street in downtown Spring Hill, a nostalgic ice cream parlor that also…

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Serial entrepreneur Matt Watson completes strategic buy-out of Full Scale

By Tommy Felts / December 11, 2023

A prominent, twice-exited Kansas City entrepreneur has acquired full control of a company he co-founded five years ago — with plans to expand its leadership team and grow its employee count from 300 to 500 in 2025. Matt Watson announced Monday the completion of a strategic buyout of his co-founder, Matt DeCoursey, at Kansas City,…

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He dreams of a pickle truck driving through your neighborhood; How word of mouth fuels Ritchie Cherry’s Good Ass Pickles 

By Tommy Felts / December 9, 2023

Ritchie Cherry has good friends to thank for his latest business venture, Good Ass Pickles, he shared. After trying his sweet and spicy garlic pickles during the pandemic, he said, they encouraged him to sell them — with one friend even buying him a case of jars to fill. “They all just started me off,…

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KC’s first Hispanic beer company faces make-or-break holiday season; this popup could tap its potential

By Tommy Felts / December 9, 2023

A holiday-time popup location for Kansas City’s first Hispanic brewing company offers a taste of what’s to come if Rizoma Liquid Creations gains the support it needs for a brick-and-mortar space of its own, said Damon Arredondo. “We can’t get the capital at this moment, so doing these events allows us to bring in potential…

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Pipeline entrepreneur expands his Omaha-based senior living network into Kansas City

By Tommy Felts / December 8, 2023

A 10-market expansion for HomeCare Advocacy Network is expected to bring the Omaha-based company to Lee’s Summit and Overland Park as Mark Goetz and his team work to provide personal care and specialized services for seniors who wish to age in place. “With one of the largest metropolitan areas in the Midwest, the Greater Kansas…

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Raygun’s anti-leaf blower agenda might have triggered rock-in-a-sock vandal at KC store, founder jokes

By Tommy Felts / December 7, 2023

Mike Draper has only one regret after someone threw a rock wrapped in a sock at one of the display windows at Raygun’s Crossroads store last week. “We did not keep the rock,” lamented the boutique retail operation’s Des Moines-based founder. “People were like, ‘Oh, you should sell the rock in the sock’ and we’re…

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PayIt forward: Kansas renews contract with KC tech company that took DMV headaches off the road

By Tommy Felts / December 7, 2023

For the more than 1 million Kansans who’ve already avoided long lines at the DMV thanks to PayIt’s award-winning digital payments platform, that experience — and others — will only get more convenient with the mobile-first technology’s Sunflower State renewal through at least 2026. PayIt this week announced a new deal with the State of…

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