Meet 20 scaling companies making the leap with ScaleUP! KC’s latest small biz cohort

Successfully scaling entrepreneurs take the time to work on their businesses — rather than just in them, Jill Hathaway said, emphasizing the transformative power ScaleUP! Kansas City brings to the 20 top-tier business owners newly participating in its 11th cohort.

“This intensive program has had a profound impact on the small businesses it serves during the 16 weeks and long after the course ends,” said Hathaway, program director for ScaleUP! KC. “The tools, coaching and connections help them navigate unexpected twists and turns with confidence and a clear plan.”

ScaleUP! KC, which is administered by the UMKC Innovation Center, provides direct support for growth-oriented entrepreneurs and firms — to include underserved and underrepresented communities/populations — and strengthens the entrepreneurial ecosystem by filling a gap for second-stage businesses, according to the program. 

Click here to learn more about ScaleUP! KC, which is offered at no cost to participants thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The cohort’s latest additions from across the Kansas City region — each with revenues above $200,000 — represent such diverse industries as security, marketing, fitness, construction, insurance, tech, sanitation and education, according to ScaleUP! KC.

Members of the cohort include:

• Tony Blogumas — Green Resources Consulting, Cleveland, Missouri
• Brian Butner — NPB Companies Inc., Kansas City, Kansas
• David Chavez — INGEÑUITY, Olathe, Kansas
• Jocelyn Cohenour — Studio7 Pilates + Barre, Prairie Village, Kansas
• Isaac Collins — Yogurtini, Kansas City, Missouri
• Samantha Comer — Niftiest Construction Provider LLC, Kansas City, Kansas
• Nicole Feltz — Nicole L. Feltz Agency, American Family Insurance, Overland Park, Kansas
• Blair Hauser —  Marquette Physical Therapy, Leawood, Kansas
• Renee Jones — Patrick’s Heating and Cooling Supply, Kansas City, Missouri
• Maria Kunstadter — The TeleDentists, Kansas City, Missouri
• Toni Laban — Pacific Sanitation Services, Kansas City, Missouri
• Audrey Mathis — Lumen Touch, Kansas City, Missouri
• Corey Phillips — Trilogy Sports & Fitness, Kansas City, Missouri
• Andrew Powell — State Line Door & Lift, Grain Valley, Missouri
• Kristen Rising — Rising Construction Services Inc., Grain Valley, Missouri
• Randy Robbins — J&C Auto Glass, Raytown, Missouri
• Von Walker — Clean It All, Independence, Missouri
• Caleb Walston — Walston Door Company LLC, North Kansas City, Missouri
• Sanford Willis — Willis Willis and Sons LLC, Kansas City, Missouri
• AbdulRasak Yahaya — Open Minds Child Development Center, Olathe, Kansas

Including the newest cohort, 175 Kansas City-area business owners have participated in ScaleUP! KC. The program helps them create the processes, strategies and long-term plans to not only grow but also to scale their businesses and be equipped and ready for shifts and opportunities, according to ScaleUP! KC.