Profiles

Daniel Edwards, Movement KC

Defiant anti-gentrification voice: Clock is ticking on east side neighborhoods, Movement KC

By Tommy Felts / September 6, 2018

Daniel Edwards isn’t shy about his frustrations with the perception of Kansas City’s east side. “I remember my first corporate lunch after graduating college: the joke was, ‘Nobody wants to go near 35th and Prospect at night time,’” said Edwards, a Kansas City area developer and the founder of Movement KC. “I was like, ‘Yo, it’s…

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Israel England, KC Cajun

Fried gator to chicken alfredo: Flavors driving KC Cajun to entrepreneur’s next phase

By Tommy Felts / September 5, 2018

Kansas City businesses should utilize every resource at their disposal to build stronger brands, said Israel England, owner and operator of KC Cajun. “I’m branching out,” England said with confidence as he detailed his coming venture — adapting his KC Cajun catering service into a food truck. “There is so much more room to improve,…

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Report: Black women’s impact overlooked in KC startup community and beyond

By Tommy Felts / August 30, 2018

Raise a hand if you know that black women have created more than 1 million jobs, Dell Gines challenged. A statistics-based question –– frequently answered with an expected, yet glacial silence ––  acknowledges an unprecedented phenomenon in both the small business community and within the confines of the often-exclusive startup ecosystem, said Gines, Federal Reserve…

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Entrepreneur’s pitch: Throw a life vest to those caring for loved ones with special needs

By Tommy Felts / August 21, 2018

Families of loved ones with disabilities are fighting the clock, said Samantha Lane, Kansas City-area entrepreneur and founder of Lumina Advocacy and Coaching in Gardner. “There is a huge gap to be filled,” Lane said as she described the array of physical, intellectual, and sensory needs affecting — what she referenced as one-fifth of the American…

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Inc 5000

Inc. 5000 report: Kansas City retailers among metro’s fastest growing companies

By Tommy Felts / August 15, 2018

Shoppers are buying, spurring retail growth in Kansas City, according to details gleaned from the 2018 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list. Released Wednesday morning, the report showed a slight dip in performance for Kansas City overall compared to 2017. Three dozen Kansas City-area firms landed on the 2018 Inc. 5000 list, a drop from the…

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