News

How UMKC’s top student entrepreneur found shelter (and a path forward) as a founder

By Tommy Felts / December 5, 2025

Shapree Marshall’s path began with shared struggle, re-routed to survival — and ultimately made a stop Wednesday evening at H&R Block’s World Headquarters where the startup founder was honored as UMKC’s 2025 Student Entrepreneur of the Year. “My journey into entrepreneurship did not begin with a business plan or a class project,” said Marshall, founder…

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First look: Made in KC’s new Union Station shop boasts all the trimmings (and World Cup timing)

By Tommy Felts / December 4, 2025

An influx of holiday shoppers is just the start for Made in KC’s newly-opened store inside Union Station — positioned to take advantage of coming FIFA World Cup traveler traffic — years after the local-first retailer’s owners first envisioned making the quintessential Kansas City destination a home for one of their shops. “We’ve been wanting…

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KC Tech Council reboots its visual identity, teases plans to open new downtown HQ

By Tommy Felts / December 3, 2025

It’ll be new year, new look for KC Tech Council as the regional tech advocate relocates to a collaborative headquarters space in downtown Kansas City, as well as embracing a bold brand update — all coded to better reflect a modern, tech-driven ecosystem. “As KCTC powers initiatives that further establish Kansas City as a premier,…

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Frustrated by the fit, this traveler-turned-swimwear founder crafted 10 pairs himself; now his trunk show is going global

By Tommy Felts / December 3, 2025

Opening a popup swimwear store in one of Atlanta’s most upscale malls represented a surge of momentum for Tristan Davis’ high-end brand that began not on a beach or a runway, but in Kansas City’s tight-knit startup community. “We’ve gone from an idea in a handmade bathing suit to a high fashion mall in less…

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Harvesting opportunity: How a KC chicken chain turned a strip of parking lot into its latest ingredient

By Tommy Felts / December 2, 2025

Months before snow blanketed Kansas City this week, Todd Johnson transformed a weed-filled, unusable portion of parking lot at his Lenexa restaurant into a flourishing garden that serves up fresh produce used in kitchens at all three of his Strips Chicken and Brewing locations in Johnson County. In its first season, Moonglow Gardens — as…

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