Minority-Led

EDCKC boasts right team at the right time, CEO says as agency rebuilds its reputation

By Tommy Felts / December 15, 2023

With 18 months of foundational work now laid, Tracey Lewis said, the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City is well on its way to rebuilding the trust, respect, and effective communication needed to execute the agency’s economic development goals. That takes repairing bridges between the City of KCMO and the EDCKC, he said, as well…

Cheese, chips, and cheers: Deez Nachos joins Parlor with its first fixed location

By Tommy Felts / December 13, 2023

Dwight Tiller II is taking his family’s loaded nacho business from wheels to brick-and-mortar with its new spot — parked on the first floor of Parlor, Kansas City’s first modern food hall.  Previously at the Crossroads-based Parlor as the former co-owner and head chef of KC Mac and Co., Tiller now is taking Deez Nachos…

He dreams of a pickle truck driving through your neighborhood; How word of mouth fuels Ritchie Cherry’s Good Ass Pickles 

By Tommy Felts / December 9, 2023

Ritchie Cherry has good friends to thank for his latest business venture, Good Ass Pickles, he shared. After trying his sweet and spicy garlic pickles during the pandemic, he said, they encouraged him to sell them — with one friend even buying him a case of jars to fill. “They all just started me off,…

KC’s first Hispanic beer company faces make-or-break holiday season; this popup could tap its potential

By Tommy Felts / December 9, 2023

A holiday-time popup location for Kansas City’s first Hispanic brewing company offers a taste of what’s to come if Rizoma Liquid Creations gains the support it needs for a brick-and-mortar space of its own, said Damon Arredondo. “We can’t get the capital at this moment, so doing these events allows us to bring in potential…

UMKC’s Student Entrepreneur of the Year sees business potential in KC’s diverse futbol ecosystem

By Tommy Felts / December 2, 2023

Lesly Romo couldn’t shake an idea bouncing around in her mind for the past few years: a venture she ultimately would call Golazo, a multi-faceted soccer facility that offers the world’s diverse forms of futbol all in one place. Recently named UMKC Student Entrepreneur of the Year, Romo first conceived the concept during her freshman…