Profiles

They built a coffee table magazine to showcase Black creatives; Why this week’s issue will be By Design’s last

By Tommy Felts / December 9, 2021

The sixth and final issue of By Design magazine is a culmination of the work of three Black men who saw a lack of community and representation in Kansas City’s art ecosystem — and decided to create their own, shared Muenfua Lewis and Justin Ikerionwu.  “By Design has always been about going deeper and breaking…

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KC software team of three builds $3.5M insurance risk management app from scratch

By Tommy Felts / December 9, 2021

A New York-based insurance management startup recently closed a $3.5 million funding round for its new end-to-end platform — an application built entirely by Kansas City software developer Binary Noggin. billy, a construction-specific insurance management and tracking application headquartered in Brooklyn, sought out Binary Noggin’s services early this year for developing its software. The startup…

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For the good of the hive: KC pediatrician builds buzz with award-winning urban bee farm effort

By Tommy Felts / December 7, 2021

No one is more surprised by pediatrician Marion Pierson’s newfound career success as a beekeeper and advocate for urban apiaries, the Prairie Village doctor said. “I didn’t know this would happen,” Pierson said. “In fact, I’m scared of bugs. My husband asked me how I was going to start a bee farm. When I’m in…

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Cotton candy calling: Why a South KC sweets shop’s signature treat is still hand-spun with an air of nostalgia

By Tommy Felts / December 4, 2021

Each ding of the oven generates more buzz for this whimsy-frosted bake shop and creamery in South Kansas City. But it’s the soft, sticky sweet treat that fills small tubs and lines the store’s shelves — (hand) spinning the entrepreneurial dreams of its owner into a sugar-rush of a reality.  “I really hit the jackpot,”…

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He wanted a dress shoe as comfortable as bare feet; How Joey Ahearn is reimagining wingtips to boots one step at a time

By Tommy Felts / December 3, 2021

A newly unboxed, Kansas City-laced premium shoe company offers a single promise: to make often-uncomfortable men’s dress shoes healthy to wear — without stomping out fashion.  “I grew up wearing Converse and Vans and socks and lacing really tight every day,” recalled Joey Ahearn, a physical therapy assistant, as well as founder and CEO of Free…

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