Minority-Led

Why an Evangelical church in KCK opened a thrift store to build leaders in its immigrant-rich neighborhood 

By Tommy Felts / April 29, 2022

The heart and purpose of Mission Adelante is to develop and empower community members — especially its neighbors who come from backgrounds far from Kansas City, said Jared Meek.  “We started Mission Adelante in 2005 to really reach out to the immigrant and refugee community in our neighborhood. We focused a lot on individual transformation,…

Meet the KC Chamber’s Top 10 for 2022: One will be the next ‘Small Business of the Year’ 

By Tommy Felts / April 29, 2022

From a rapidly expanding restaurant chain to a 24/7 daycare facility to a workforce training and information technology leader building a statewide footprint, the finalists for the 2022 Small Business of the Year award run the gamut of forward-thinking Kansas City ventures, said Joe Reardon. “Every year I become more and more impressed with our…

Three-way tie: Public vote mixes ‘Fan Favorite’ small business honors between meals and more

By Tommy Felts / April 27, 2022

A trio of Kansas City small businesses is sharing the Honeywell Fan Favorite Award this week after wowing the public during the Chamber’s recent candidate showcase at Union Station. “The rules can be bent,” said Eric Wollerman, president of Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies, announcing the three-way tie in the lead-up to the Greater Kansas…

Avatar for hire (in a few years): Gamified career platform helps kids explore their future in the workforce

By Tommy Felts / April 26, 2022

It’s a powerful question asked in classrooms every day, Jessica Munoz Valerio said, recalling her own experience with the common prompt and how tapping into and gamifying it could change lives.  “When my daughter was young — as early as 5 years old — she got asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’”she…

Missouri startup wants to make it easier for HR to fill tech gap with foreign nationals; its immigration management software just got funded

By Tommy Felts / April 26, 2022

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 the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. ST.…