Minority-Led

$4M childcare center on Prospect could be pivotal for urban core development

By Tommy Felts / March 27, 2019

Students who grow up in Kansas City’s urban core shouldn’t be denied access to a quality education based on their address, Myron McCant said as he thumbed through renderings of a 15,000-square-foot learning space that could soon grant such students access to a brighter future. “If you would come into my facility, then you would…

Next KCMO mayor needs this personality trait to build trust, Sly James says

By Tommy Felts / March 26, 2019

The role of mayor doesn’t always require being “the lead dog on the sled,” said Sly James. Rather, it’s an opportunity for a bridge between those knowledgeable enough to make change, the outgoing KCMO mayor added. “I sit in a position where — let’s say generally, not always — when I call, people call me…

KCMO adds $350K for entrepreneurs to proposed city budget after advocates’ last-minute push

By Tommy Felts / March 21, 2019

Kansas City entrepreneur advocates gained more momentum Thursday in their bid to receive greater civic support for startups and small businesses. “Entrepreneurs and small businesses are the driver of the Kansas City economy,” KCMO councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Scott Wagner told Startland Thursday afternoon, following the approval of the city’s $1.73 billion budget. An…

Liberty screen printer brings Hustle + Heart in the face of early-stage failure

By Tommy Felts / March 20, 2019

Liberty-based apparel company Hustle + Heart wouldn’t have found success without failure, said Serena Kotalik. “[You should] never give up whether you’re starting a business like mine or any other,” said Kotalik, founder of the primarily wholesale, online company, which sells many of its wares through a VIP Facebook group. “With each [failure] I have…

Doob in doubt: 3D-printed action figures fighting to secure a paying audience in KC

By Tommy Felts / March 19, 2019

Business isn’t what it should be for a company as innovative as Doob 3D, Nick Nikkhah said openly, seated on a leather couch that looked out across the Overland Park retail store’s showroom. “People don’t know what to do with [Doob]. They’re just like, ‘Whoa, what is that?’ … It’s a new thing for me.…