Chamber showcase fills Union Station with real-life social networking for small biz owners

Entrepreneur Dane Moss likes to do things a little over the top, he shared Wednesday from inside the Grand Hall at Union Station, noting that simply handing out T-shirts and koozies to event attendees simply doesn’t fit his style.

So for his first KC Chamber Small Business Celebration Candidates’ Showcase, Moss and his team from Moss Marketing Group set up a podcast studio — complete with a mini suit of armor —  to interview fellow founders, including Alex Reed with Noonan and Jasmine Nastasi with Stellar Image Studios.

Dane Moss, Moss Marketing Group, interviews Jasmine Nastasi, Stellar Image Studio, for his podcast in the Grand Hall at Union Station during the KC Chamber’s showcase for small businesses; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“I was like, ‘I feel like there’s a lot of business owners there that we could film something, we could put it out, and it’d be a benefit to them,” explained Moss, who hosts a weekly postcast for his marketing company and is also known for his taco reviews. “This is also very much showing what we do. It’s something different.”

Like Moss’ podcast, the Candidates’ Showcase gives Kansas City small businesses the opportunity to share their story and gain more exposure.

“Small businesses are vitally important to the growth of the Kansas City region,” said Vicky Kulikov, small business director for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. “Thriving communities encourage, nurture, and celebrate outstanding new and small companies, so that they can create more jobs, and change more lives.”  

Along with business leaders, nonprofits and community members, judges for the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year “Mr. K Award” socialized with and observed small business owners at Wednesday’s showcase to help determine the Top 10 finalists for the coveted honor.

Finalists are set to be announced April 18 with the winner revealed June 17 at the Small Business Awards Luncheon. 

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Other awards expected at the summer 2025 celebration — for which showcase participants also are eligible — include the Emerging Business Award, Legacy of Kansas City Award, Small Business Equity Award, Weida International Award, and the Luminary Arts and Creative Award.

“I think it’s great for Kansas City businesses just to be networking and being around the right people,” Moss noted. “I’ve always enjoyed just being around business owners and being around people that just have a common goal, moving everything forward for Kansas City.”

Check out a photo gallery from the event by Startland News’ Nikki Overfelt Chifalu and Taylor Wilmore, then keep reading.

Lenora Leathers, co-founder and CEO of Savvy Salon; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Like Moss and the Moss Marketing Group, Wednesday also marked the first showcase for Lenora Leathers and Savvy Salon KC.

“I love that the Kansas City Chamber puts this on for small businesses, especially for someone like me, because it gives us the exposure to meet new people and to connect with other businesses,” shared Leathers, co-founder and CEO of Savvy Salon. “We don’t know how that connection might actually continue to help us to scale. I also want to continue to introduce people to our business — which is a membership based salon — and continue to put our name out there in spaces that we may not be known.”

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The KC Chamber is an excellent avenue to kind of meet other business owners, said Sherry Lumpkins, principal consultant for Blue Symphony, a technology and marketing agency that was a Top 10 finalist in 2024 for the Mr. K honor.

“We are a B2B operation, so my clients are businesses,” Lumpkins explained. “So it’s a great opportunity to get to know other local businesses and see how we can help each other.”

A booth by Next Paige Talent Agency amps up the crowd in Union Station during the KC Chamber’s showcase; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Joan Charbonneau, CEO of Perfect Promotions, center, networks at Union Station during the showcase event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Perfect Promotions gained a couple of new clients from last year’s showcase, noted Joan Charbonneau, CEO for the merchandising company that was also a Small Business of the Year finalist in 2024.

“The exposure that we’ve gotten through the chamber, especially through the small business program has been really great for us,” Charbonneau added. “It’s really helped us.”

All candidates present at the showcase are eligible to take home the annual Honeywell (Kansas City National Security Campus) Fan Favorite Award, which is set to be announced at 4 p.m. April 10 in a Facebook Live on the Chamber’s Facebook page. Voting for the honor is open until 11:59 p.m. on April 9. 

Click here to vote for the Fan Favorite Award.

Check out more photos from the showcase below.