Minority-Led

Social entrepreneur cuts into kids’ shaken self-esteem: I can’t save them all, but I can put smiles on a few faces

By Tommy Felts / May 11, 2021

When Megan Williams’ daughter was diagnosed with hearing loss, the challenge put her confidence to the test.  “Sometimes kids are cruel,” Williams, a local hair stylist and salon owner, said of concerns her family faced as they sent the 5-year-old to school with hearing aids neatly tucked around her ears. Knowing full well the taunting…

Leah Hermida brought coffee home to KCK; her Windmill KC cafe already needs more space

By Tommy Felts / May 8, 2021

In the shadow of the Kansas City skyline, new entrepreneurial energy is brewing in Wyandotte County, the childhood home of Leah Hermida.  “I knew the community really well,” Hermida said from her pandemic-opened, Turner-based coffee shop, The Windmill KC, noting she grew up in the city before eventually relocating to Overland Park. “I worked locally…

How a KC native translated his family business into a development-to-delivery logistics firm

By Tommy Felts / May 6, 2021

Kyle Davis is connecting the globe to his hometown through Modus Light, his manufacturing and supply chain management provider. “Modus Light allows companies to have a single source supplier for their multiple product lines, [so then] they only need to manage us,” explained the founder and CEO of Overland Park-based Modus Light. “We’re the ones…

Overwhelmed, but not alone: How a KC serial entrepreneur helps Black founders move beyond side hustles and daydreaming

By Tommy Felts / May 5, 2021

As Kira Cheree drove down I-70, headed west from Kansas City to Manhattan, Kansas, she recalled the years of work that put her in the driver’s seat and behind the wheel at that particular moment.  “I started to notice this trend,” said Cheree, a serial entrepreneur, looking back on consulting work she’d done with Black…

Made in KC goes West: Why the local-first retailer is opening a marketplace (with shuffleboard) in Lenexa

By Tommy Felts / May 1, 2021

A newly announced Made in KC Marketplace at Lenexa City Center will make local goods — and the makers behind them — more accessible to a fast-developing piece of Kansas City, said Keith Bradley. “Part of our mission as a company is to make shopping local a habit,” said Bradley, co-owner of Made in KC, a…