News

New hard cider brewery in Crossroads plucks inspiration from family farm, Midwest fruit industry

By Tommy Felts / December 20, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by CityScene KC, an online news source focused on Greater Downtown Kansas City. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for the weekly CityScene KC email review. Russ John of Brick River Cider Co. has a modest goal for his new place in the East Crossroads.…

Flocking back for the holidays: How this third-generation plant nursery keeps a custom Christmas tradition growing

By Tommy Felts / December 20, 2022

Christmas is a time to spruce things up at Family Tree Nursery, Jesse Nelson shared. And the business has kept a number of holiday customs through the years since Nelson’s grandfather, Ron, opened the venture in 1964. One such tradition: flocking — or the process of spraying Christmas trees with a mixture of cellulose, cornstarch…

How a Worlds of Fun data internship shaped this teen’s cookie cutter subscription box business

By Tommy Felts / December 17, 2022

Every cutting-edge business idea has a season, said Alex Santoro, baking the details of his 3D printing venture: a subscription box that delivers a set of Kansas City-made holiday-themed cookie cutters — and showcases the teen’s enterprising ambitions. When he turned 18 in August, the Lee’s Summit West student and Worlds of Fun intern celebrated…

EquipmentShare nonprofit’s holiday-time gift: No-cost mammograms for 50 community members

By Tommy Felts / December 16, 2022

COLUMBIA, Missouri — An employee-led foundation affiliated with one of Missouri’s top startups is helping offer free mammogram sessions for up to 50 uninsured individuals in the Boone County area where rapidly-scaling EquipmentShare calls home. The holiday-timed give-back is a partnership between the EquipmentShare Foundation, the Columbia/Boone County Health Department and JCB, the world’s largest…

HERImpact $50K pitch competition returning March 8; Here’s how KC women entrepreneurs can apply

By Tommy Felts / December 16, 2022

Women business owners and social entrepreneurs in Kansas City are encouraged to compete this spring for up to $50,000 in a Shark Tank-style funding event aimed at investing in women’s ambitions to start and scale local businesses. “Expanding access to capital and mentorship is critical to women’s success as they start their own businesses,” said…