News

Andrew Potter, Approach, Tile Five

Tile Five climbs higher with $1.5M seed round for Approach spinout, set to onboard 200+ gyms by year’s end

By Tommy Felts / October 13, 2021

A $1.5 million funding round for Kansas City-based Approach is expected to further develop the future of gym operations — a growing industry, primed for disruption, Andrew Potter said.  “Gym operations are becoming more and more efficient and are leveraging technology and data to help drive business decisions,” explained Potter, founding partner.  A platform of Tile…

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Amazon has applied for building permits to renovate the former Tesla space at 450 Nichols Rd. on the Country Club Plaza; photo courtesy of Kevin Collison, CityScene KC

Amazon taps Country Club Plaza for its first brick-and-mortar retail store in Kansas City

By Tommy Felts / October 12, 2021

Editor’s note: The following story 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. The first Amazon retail outlet in the Kansas City metro is in the works for the Country Club Plaza, according…

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Kansas City International Airport concessions rendering

Why one chef calls city’s airport vote a ‘life-changing event for small businesses in Kansas City’

By Tommy Felts / October 9, 2021

A freshly stamped plan to bring more than a dozen women- and minority-owned businesses — among 40 local brands — to Kansas City’s new airport terminal is a surreal turn for Laronda Lanear, the Kansas City chef said, noting the project’s opportunity for generational impact. “It’s going to change my life, my daughter’s life. It’s going…

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Carlos Mortera, Poio

Brands from Poio to Made in KC booked for new airport; $1.5B expected through the gate over 15 years

By Tommy Felts / October 9, 2021

Local and minority-owned vendors selected to operate shops in Kansas City’s new airport terminal are more than up to the task, said Carlos Mortera, emphasizing the power of adding flavor to the highly anticipated project. “Most airports aren’t filled with local businesses,” noted Mortera, founder of Poio Mexican Barbeque. “We in Kansas City, I feel…

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Sean Null and Philip Van der Straeten of Erkios Systems at the Oct. 1 Arch Grant Gala for the 2021 cohort

Erkios confirms KC headquarters moving to St. Louis; gears up for 2022 product launch

By Tommy Felts / October 7, 2021

While vendors for Erkios Systems were shut down during the pandemic, Sean Null and his team got busy learning the necessary skills to keep their startup going, he recalled. “We were doing a lot of the work on our own; so when the world started moving again, we were prepared. Essentially, we were able to…

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