Corporate

Zachary Oshinbanjo, Vetelligence, Pure Pitch Rally

Just funded: Sharks, crowd salute veteran-led tech newcomer with $32K in Pure Pitch Rally checks

By Tommy Felts / October 19, 2021

A fresh face to the startup stage, Zachary Oshinbanjo left Monday’s Pure Pitch Rally with the most-funded venture of the event — taking home more than a third of the day’s nearly $90,000 in cash prizes. A U.S. Army veteran, Oshinbanjo pitched “land sharks” on Vetelligence — a tech platform that aims to create a…

Read More >
Amazon has applied for building permits to renovate the former Tesla space at 450 Nichols Rd. on the Country Club Plaza; photo courtesy of Kevin Collison, CityScene KC

Amazon taps Country Club Plaza for its first brick-and-mortar retail store in Kansas City

By Tommy Felts / October 12, 2021

Editor’s note: The following story originally published by CityScene KC, an online news source focused on Greater Downtown Kansas City. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for the weekly CityScene KC email review. [divide] The first Amazon retail outlet in the Kansas City metro is in the works for the Country Club Plaza,…

Read More >
Kansas City International Airport concessions rendering

Why one chef calls city’s airport vote a ‘life-changing event for small businesses in Kansas City’

By Tommy Felts / October 9, 2021

A freshly stamped plan to bring more than a dozen women- and minority-owned businesses — among 40 local brands — to Kansas City’s new airport terminal is a surreal turn for Laronda Lanear, the Kansas City chef said, noting the project’s opportunity for generational impact. “It’s going to change my life, my daughter’s life. It’s going…

Read More >
Carlos Mortera, Poio

Brands from Poio to Made in KC booked for new airport; $1.5B expected through the gate over 15 years

By Tommy Felts / October 9, 2021

Local and minority-owned vendors selected to operate shops in Kansas City’s new airport terminal are more than up to the task, said Carlos Mortera, emphasizing the power of adding flavor to the highly anticipated project. “Most airports aren’t filled with local businesses,” noted Mortera, founder of Poio Mexican Barbeque. “We in Kansas City, I feel…

Read More >
Wendy Doyle, United WE

United WE powers forward with initiative to appoint women into government positions

By Tommy Felts / September 30, 2021

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly saluted United WE Wednesday as the women-focused nonprofit celebrated 30 years of change-making across the two-state region — from strengthening workplace benefits to empowering more women into civic leadership. “United WE is making a huge difference. Just this year, United WE partnered with my office to significantly expand parental leave benefits…

Read More >