Minority-Led

KC engineering firm with global reach earns Chamber equity award for its community-focused blueprint

By Tommy Felts / June 14, 2024

Editor’s note: The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is a non-financial partner of Startland News, which serves as the media partner for the Small Business Superstars program. Equity is infused in everything Taliaferro & Browne engineers, said Leonard Graham, accepting the KC Chamber’s Small Business Equity Award alongside co-owner Hagos Andebrhan.  One of Kansas…

Best in show: Bar K vies for USA Today’s dog bar prize; here’s how a shared love of dogs is pushing expansion

By Tommy Felts / June 13, 2024

The human-dog bond — and a desire to embrace it at places like Bar K’s innovative bar, restaurant, and dog park experience — is stronger than today’s often partisan and divisive climate, said David Hensley. “It doesn’t matter your political affiliations … where you’re from, your socioeconomic status,” he said. “Everybody loves dogs, and that…

How this genre-hopping KC musician is fighting back against digitized entertainment

By Tommy Felts / June 13, 2024

A former college football star, Keelon Vann often found himself “running on fumes” as he chased his passion on the field — and on key. “I’d be up playing guitar until 3 a.m., which is not a joke, and somehow make it to 5:30 a.m. workouts the next day,” said Vann, a quarterback at Piper High…

Another point for Utopia: Small businesses score cash prizes in Access to Money competition

By Tommy Felts / June 4, 2024

Patricia McCreary is on a mission to show that Kansas City leads the way on senior and disabled care, she shared. Winning the established business category of the SCORE Access to Money pitch competition puts her one step closer, McCreary added. She founded Margaret’s Place — an adult daycare, senior recreation and wellness center —…

New summer pitch competition builds on KCMO capital programs’ early success; applications open now

By Tommy Felts / May 31, 2024

A new pitch competition is expected to give impactful small businesses and startups an opportunity to gain broader exposure and win cash prizes as the city’s KC BizCare Office expands capital programs supporting entrepreneurs in Kansas City, Missouri. In late July, five selected business leaders are set to pitch their ideas to about 50 judges,…