Minority-Led

Kin Seltzer marks first anniversary with strategic C-suite hire, national expansion moves

By Tommy Felts / April 23, 2024

Kansas City’s Black-owned beverage brand Kin Seltzer is popping the tab on a new year of business this month with the addition of a new chief strategy officer and a new focus on expanding the canned drinks’ footprint. Quincy Crutchfield, Kin’s new executive, comes with extensive entrepreneurial experience in marketing, branding, and creative design, successfully…

AI Hub’s art incubator is leaving River Market, taking over top floor of renovated PHKC space

By Tommy Felts / April 23, 2024

The AI Hub is moving into The Porter House KC’s new 811 Retail Incubator, James Spikes shared, and he’s excited about the connections and opportunities it will bring. After more than a year headquartered in the River Market, the AI Hub’s one-stop art incubator — launched by Spikes and his wife, Taylor Burris — will…

KCMO investing $900K in entrepreneur support as advocates push for more funding

By Tommy Felts / April 23, 2024

The City of Kansas City, Missouri, has budgeted an $900,000 investment in its KC BizCare Office as part of a broader plan to better support the metro’s entrepreneur community While advocates from within Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community love the city as much as its next fan, they acknowledge it can be a tough place to…

Meet the Small Biz of the Year finalists: KC Chamber surprises Top 10 Mr K contenders

By Tommy Felts / April 19, 2024

The Kansas City Chamber just unveiled its hotly anticipated Top 10 finalists for the 2024 Small Business of the Year honor — surprising leaders from a wide range of industries with their tickets to the next round of the city’s most prestigious business competition. “This year, 60 candidates applied for awards, and we were awed…

Growing movement by Black farmers seeds plan to honor land, ancestors while cultivating better health

By Tommy Felts / April 19, 2024

Dina Newman wanted to reclaim Black growers’ seat at the table — helping an overlooked community in Kansas City create their own healthy and affordable food systems to nourish themselves. “When I’m talking food system, I’m talking from a seed to plant,” said Newman, founder of Kansas City Black Urban Growers (KCBUGS). “When you look…