All Stories

Federal ban on noncompetes would ‘unleash’ entrepreneurs, open door to more startups, advocate says

By Tommy Felts / January 9, 2023

A proposed rule change that would stop employers from imposing and enforcing contract clauses to limit their workers’ ability to change jobs within their fields is being hailed as a “vital step on the path to expanding economic growth in the United States,” according to one Kansas City-based advocate for entrepreneurs. Earlier this month, the…

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Ice Cream Bae returns to the Country Club Plaza with its own storefront, more flavors 

By Tommy Felts / January 7, 2023

Adison and Jackie Sichampanakhone have a soft spot for the Country Club Plaza, they shared. It’s where the journey with their soft-serve ice cream shop began. “We’re excited to be back. We had so many great customers down here before, so we’re happy to be able to serve them again,” said Adison, who co-founded Ice…

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Just Walk Out: Crossroads Market features Amazon tech for checkout-free convenience

By Tommy Felts / January 6, 2023

Grocery shoppers in the Crossroads can now skip the checkout line. Newly outfitted with Amazon’s Just Walk Out and Amazon One technology, Community Groceries Crossroads Market reopened to the public Friday. The Crossroads Market — owned by Kortney Lee at 640 East 18th St. — is the first store in Kansas City and the first…

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UMKC receives $12.97M grant from Kauffman Foundation to boost barrier breaking across KC region, beyond

By Tommy Felts / January 5, 2023

Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. New grant provides support to continue and expand entrepreneurship programs on the UMKC campus and across the Kansas City region The University of Missouri-Kansas City has received a historic, five-year, $12.97 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation…

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This 11-year-old’s lemonade sells out in hours at Hy-Vee; Here’s how he hopes to extend the shelf life of his young family business

By Tommy Felts / January 5, 2023

The all-natural, fresh-squeezed lemonade made by 11-year-old Tre Glasper and his family in a Manhattan commercial kitchen is making its way to Kansas City thanks to a tart partnership with one of the Midwest’s leading grocery chains. Tre typically sells about 100 bottles of Tre’s Squeeze — an amount that takes two to three hours…

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City’s KC BizCare experiment proves itself as a model to replicate, says new small biz official 

By Tommy Felts / January 5, 2023

Editor’s note: KC BizCare is a financial supporter of Startland News. This story was produced through a paid partnership. Amanda Wheeler’s background in biology provides new insight and expertise within Kansas City’s growing small business culture, the KC BizCare official said — a community give-back hypothesis supported by Wheeler watching women in her family do…

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Grief happens on (and off) company time: Why a startup founded from loss is building holistic bereavement plans for corporate America

By Tommy Felts / January 3, 2023

When grieving employees return to work, managers and colleagues often aren’t equipped to properly support them, said Lisa Cooper. “While I was working in corporate America for quite some time, I had witnessed a lot of dysfunction surrounding grief,” said Cooper, co-founder of Workplace Healing alongside Mindy Corporon.  For example, I can remember specifically when someone…

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Cherry enters the endorsement game, scoring NIL deals that also boost female college athletes

By Tommy Felts / January 3, 2023

Partnering with college athletes is a natural elevation of sports apparel company Cherry Co., said Thalia Cherry. The KC-based brand signed agreements with 18 athletes for NIL (name, image, likeness) endorsement deals, shared Cherry, founder and CEO. “It’s a perfect alignment,” she continued. “We were already working with professional athletes in some capacity. So when…

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Savvy duo builds their brand on embracing natural hair; Here’s how the salon chain is creating healthy space for stylists, clients alike

By Tommy Felts / January 3, 2023

Savvy Salon KC — one of Kansas City’s only Black-owned salon chains — is all about creating a better experience for both the customer and the stylists, said founders Rickey and Lenora Leathers. The salon — which specializes in curly- and coily-textured hair and creating sustainable career opportunities for women of color — opened its…

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