Tour the UMKC Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
July 10, 2015 | Bobby Burch
Startland News took the opportunity Friday to tour the UMKC Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, which opened in late 2014. The hall aims not only to educate visitors on remarkable Kansas City businesspeople, but also celebrate the area’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Enjoy!
- The entrance to the UMKC’s Henry W. Bloch School of Management, which contains the UMKC Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. The school was designed by Kansas City-based architecture firm BNIM.
- A large touchscreen greets visitors to the hall of fame. The screen provides information on each of the now 20 inductees into the hall of fame, including a brief video on each.
- The hall of fame includes multiple pillars showcasing Kansas City entrepreneurs that have made an impact on the community and beyond. Twenty inductees are now in the hall, including such Kansas City icons as Ewing Kauffman, Lamar Hunt, Henry Bloch, Barnett and Shirley Helzberg and others.
- Within each pillar features an “artifact” that shares a personal detail into the entrepreneur’s journey. This particular artifact is H&R Block’s first tax return, which reports a profit of $347.64. H&R Block now has a market capitalization value of $8.56 billion.
- This Barnett and Shirley Helzberg artifact relates to Helzberg Diamond’s “I Am Loved” campaign, which was conceived in 1967 by Barnett Helzberg Jr.
- This artifact from former Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt is a replica of the American Airlines’ stationary on which Hunt drafted the idea and budget for the first year of the American Football League.
- A ticker provides attendees real-time stock quotes on publically-traded companies. To schedule a tour of the hall of fame, contact Beverly Stewart at 816-235-1741 or stewartbj@umkc.edu.
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Acre Designs to build KC’s first ‘net-zero’ home
A local design and architecture firm is building the Kansas City metro’s first net-zero home that will serve as a test lab for innovators aiming to create new smart home technologies. Acre Designs is now wrapping up design plans of its “Axiom House,” a 1,650 square-foot, solar-powered home that eventually will serve as a test…
Events Preview: Women & tech, millennial entrepreneurs
There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious Kansas Citian, we’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW Coding & Cupcakes When: Saturday, July 11 @ 2:00 PM-5:00 PM Where: Sprint Accelerator Join us for our bi-monthly coding series, Coding & Cupcakes. Mothers…
Ashton Kutcher backs former KC-based startup Neighborly
It appears Kansas City may have let a promising startup slip through its fingers. Formerly based in Kansas City and now headquartered in San Francisco, Neighborly landed an investment and sparkling endorsement from venture capitalist superstar Ashton Kutcher. An actor and active tech investor, Kutcher founded venture capital firm Sound Ventures, which dished out one…
1MC Recap: PerfectCube, Mission Academy help customers take action
Two local startups took the 1 Million Cups stage to discuss their solutions — each with a goal of helping their customers take action. PerfectCube started the entrepreneurial program by presenting their data analytics web tool designed for small retail stores and franchise systems. “We’ve pivoted a half dozen times on what we offer,” said…






