Tag: Neal Sharma

World Cup will be KC’s biggest-ever event, top founder says (and local businesses can still get in the game)

By Tommy Felts / August 23, 2024

When Neal Sharma co-founded DEG at the turn of the millennium, Kansas City felt like it had an inferiority complex, he said. Fast forward to 2024, and the city is teeming with extrinsic validation, he added. The exited founder-turned-civic leader hopes being a World Cup host city in 2026 pushes Kansas City to take a…

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World Cup is coming to KC (and so are the asks): How leaders must boost the region before 2026

By Tommy Felts / May 26, 2023

Kansas City is steadily growing and evolving, said Neal Sharma, making it more important than ever to engage at the community level to tackle challenges and secure opportunities facing the region. That’s especially true as Kansas City prepares for the 2026 World Cup, echoed fellow leaders who spoke Thursday at KC Rising’s Horizon 2023 event.…

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Clark Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs

Horizon event set for in-person return, amplifying region’s growth while pushing for more equity

By Tommy Felts / April 21, 2022

Kansas City is on the rise — and organizers of KC Rising’s annual Horizon event want curious citizens to come see such growth for themselves.  “Horizon is a diverse gathering that isn’t tied to a single organization but owned by the region. … It is a celebration of all of us,” said Meryl Dillman, program manager,…

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Neal Sharma, DEG exit

A weakness today can be KC’s superpower tomorrow: Call for corporate engagement begins with CEOs

By Tommy Felts / March 8, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story was sponsored by KC Rising, a regional initiative to help Kansas City grow faster and more intentionally, as part of a campaign to promote its CEO-to-CEO Challenge on supplier diversity.  Successful entrepreneurial ecosystems require a certain level of corporate engagement — and even stewardship — said Neal Sharma, noting the…

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Rich Smith, president-emeritus, and Kevin Lewis, CEO and president, Henderson Engineers — one of 12 companies in the first cohort of the CEO-to-CEO Challenge

Meet the 12 KC companies pledging to buy from diverse vendors; Join them in the CEO-to-CEO Challenge

By Tommy Felts / March 8, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story was sponsored by KC Rising, a regional initiative to help Kansas City grow faster and more intentionally, as part of a campaign to promote its CEO-to-CEO Challenge on supplier diversity.  A dozen high-profile Kansas City companies are at the vanguard of a new regional effort to boost supplier diversity programs…

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