All Stories

It started as a T-shirt company (now it’s a popular cheesecake destination); meet the nonprofit that helped this Kansas biz pivot

By Tommy Felts / July 13, 2023

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. This series is possible thanks to Entrepreneurial Growth Ventures (EGV), a business unit of NetWork Kansas supporting innovative, high-growth entrepreneurs in the State of Kansas. WICHITA — Side hustles don’t…

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Former office space set to offer affordable downtown workforce housing as historic Midland renovation begins

By Tommy Felts / July 12, 2023

New life is set to pour into the historic former Midland office building as The Cordish Companies transform the space into 135 studio and one-bedroom apartments. “The Midland Lofts renovation is a major step in the direction of making living downtown more broadly accessible to the downtown workforce, and we believe that the Midland Lofts…

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Prepped for Phase 2: How a New Orleans-inspired caterer grew organically into a KC kitchen collective

By Tommy Felts / July 11, 2023

Food is a way to bring communities together, share cultural traditions and teach individuals about the importance of a healthy, ethically-sourced meal, said Dr. Karen Patrice Boyd.  “My passion is teaching. Yes, I produce great food. But at the end of the day, I can impact the community more in terms of their knowledge and…

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Cafe Cà Phê returns to the West Bottoms with second location for KC’s popular Vietnamese coffee shop

By Tommy Felts / July 11, 2023

A Cafe Cà Phê satellite location inside 12th Street Post in the West Bottoms is the perfect step for continuing the mission of Kansas City’s only Vietnamese coffee shop, shared founder Jackie Nguyen. Just shy of the one year anniversary of its Columbus Park space, Cafe Cà Phê celebrated the grand opening of its new…

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She wanted to bring her favorite foodie magazine to KC; her mother’s sudden death put this publisher’s plans on the back burner 

By Tommy Felts / July 7, 2023

Lauren Cook’s passion for Edible Communities magazine drove her appetite to revive it in Kansas City, she shared, but an unexpected life change has her hoping to hand the publisher’s apron to someone else. Cook purchased the license to publish the city-specific food magazine — each independently run by publishers in metros across the country…

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Digital Sandbox alum earns new round of funding — this time for sports tech; Meet the latest batch of just-funded startups 

By Tommy Felts / July 7, 2023

From making the college admissions process easier for students to summarizing books and podcasts using artificial intelligence, the latest startups to join Digital Sandbox KC are a great example of the creativity of this region’s entrepreneurs, said Jill Meyer. The four newly selected companies are expected to receive up to $20,000 in project funding and…

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MTC

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2023
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Her red sauce is dynamite but Ragazza’s owner gives the chef title to her Italian heritage 

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2023

Family is baked into the core of Laura Norris’ restaurants, she shared, from the Italian recipes served at Ragazza in Westport to the brother-sister duo running the new Enzo Wine Bar and Bistro together in the River Market. She opened Ragazza, which now sits at the corner of 43rd and Main streets, in 2013 and…

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How a ‘City Hall Swiftie committee’ is bringing joy (and business) to NKC as concert tour hits Arrowhead

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2023

The street lights are pointing in an arrowhead, leading Taylor Swift fans to North Kansas City where they can walk the iconic “Cornelia Street.” In June, North Kansas City Mayor Bryant DeLong announced that Swift Street in NKC was to be temporarily renamed Swift Street (Taylor’s Version) in honor of the artist coming July 7-8…

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Former Independence mayor named interim executive director for LGBT Chamber

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2023

An interim leader was announced Thursday as the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce forms a search committee tasked with identifying the next full-time executive director for the Kansas City-based business advocacy group. Eileen Weir, who served as mayor of Independence, Missouri, from 2014 to 2022, takes on the interim role July 11 after the announcement…

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