Woman-led

Girls in ‘tough-boy’ jobs: Young welders torch outdated beads on what’s possible

By Tommy Felts / June 15, 2021

Vanessa Bello and Adriana Figueroa feel a rush of adrenaline as they gear up in their welding uniforms and watch their blueprints come to life — it’s a feeling everyone deserves to experience, regardless of gender, they shared.  “It’s all dark but you see this little light while welding; then when you take off your…

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Clara Biotech team

Clara Biotech hits $850K in seed funding roundup, preparing to launch first product

By Tommy Felts / June 15, 2021

An emerging biotech startup in the region is reporting a busy spring with a significant seed round already raised and key steps under way to launch its product: a solution that removes manufacturing roadblocks for breakthrough drugs. “We’re in an exciting and growing space and currently have low regulatory hurdles in the research stage,” said…

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Megan Day, Burnt Finger BBQ

KC pitmaster joins celebrity chefs in ‘BBQ Brawl’; how reality TV pulled Burnt Finger’s pork through 2020 smoke

By Tommy Felts / June 12, 2021

When Megan Day hits the screen Monday on Food Network, the Lee’s Summit pitmaster, entrepreneur and veteran of TV appearances — from BBQ battles to morning talk shows — could face her greatest challenge to date, she said. “This was a completely different style of competition,” Day, co-founder and face of Burnt Finger BBQ, said of…

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Brian Roberts, The Black Pantry, and Kearra Johnson, Studio LO; Thank You Black America

Thank you, Black America! Juneteenth pop-up rallies power of KC’s Black creatives

By Tommy Felts / June 11, 2021

A celebration of Black America — and the critical work it’s done to begin breaking systemic cycles nationwide — is expected to launch soon in Kansas City, promising to shine a light on Black-owned businesses and creators, Kearra Johnson said.  “As young, Black entrepreneurs in the city, we’ve been looking for ways to get our brands…

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Fanny Ruiz de Chavez, Sabor Latino

‘I have to make it’: Fanny Ruiz de Chavez refused service to failure; 16 months later, she’s still cooking

By Tommy Felts / June 10, 2021

 Story and photos by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News | Video by Catherine Hoffman, Flatland Sitting in fear was quickly off the menu for Fanny Ruiz de Chavez — told less than two months after her Lee’s Summit restaurant’s 2020 grand opening that she’d need to close down because of COVID-19 restrictions, she recalled.  “I…

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