Tommy Felts
Editor-In-Chief, Startland News
Tommy is editor-in-chief for Startland News, a Kansas City-based nonprofit newsroom that uses storytelling to elevate the region’s startup community of entrepreneurs, innovators, hustlers, creatives and risk-takers.
Under Tommy’s leadership, Startland News has expanded its coverage from a primarily high-tech, high-growth focus to a more wide-ranging and inclusive look at the faces of entrepreneurism, innovation and business.
Before joining Startland News in 2017, Tommy worked for 12 years as an award-winning newspaper journalist, designer, editor and publisher. He was named one of Editor & Publisher magazine’s top “25 Under 35” in 2014.
Recent Articles by Tommy Felts
Tax bill guts historic tax credits used to rehab Westport Commons, Kemper, lofts
Plexpod Westport Commons wouldn’t exist without the historic tax credits used to make the massive renovation and preservation project financially feasible, said developer Butch Rigby. A GOP-led tax reform bill introduced this month to simplify the tax code, however, would eliminate the Reagan-era tax credit program, which provides a 20 percent federal tax credit for…
Ruby Jean’s juices unity, entrepreneurism with Troost opening (Photos)
Chris Goode is helping change what Troost Avenue means to Kansas City, pastor Stanley Archie said Saturday morning at the grand opening of Ruby Jean’s Kitchen & Juicery. Troost has been a place of division, he said, noting years of racial segregation along the corridor where those with a “permanent tan” weren’t welcome west of…
Coding at age 3? Operation Breakthrough connects STEM to program’s circuitry
Two small boys are standing on stools at a workbench, pretending to talk on outdated handset telephones. They might not yet know how the phones work, but they’re clearly familiar with how to take them apart. And they do. A few feet away, three children from low-income families are on iPads beginning a new lesson….
Likarda scaling up biotech research firm with $4M angel boost, new lab
An animal’s diabetes diagnosis comes with a heavy burden for the pet’s owners, Lisa Stehno-Bittel said. And it’s not just the cost of treatment, the president and co-founder of Likarda added. “Of those who will try twice-daily insulin injections, within a year, half of those have given up,” she said. “A lot of that is…
Proyecto de $3.5M del HEDC trae coworking, cocinas y cultura al Westside (Fotos)
Un nuevo proyecto del Centro para Iniciativas Urbanas quiere ayudar a limitar el riesgo para los empresarios emprendedores de Kansas City con ingreso bajo a mediano, Michael Carmona dijo. (Read this story in English. Click here.) “Estamos investigando las maneras en que pueden empezar y crecer empresas sustentables con las pocas ganancias que tienen para…
$3.5M HEDC project bringing coworking, kitchens, culture to Westside (Photos)
A new Center for Urban Enterprise project is expected to help limit risk for Kansas City’s low- to moderate-income entrepreneurs, Michael Carmona said. (Lea este artículo en español. Haga clic aquí.) “We’re looking at ways they can start and grow sustainable businesses with the little income they have as far as startup capital,” said Carmona,…
Hip hop entrepreneur: Rap stardom isn’t the only way to a paycheck
Music is everything, Kartez Marcel said. It’s an avenue to express anger and hurt in a positive way. It’s a way to heal. And for aspiring entrepreneurs, it’s an opportunity to earn a paycheck even if they aren’t destined for on-stage superstardom, said Marcel, a Kansas City rapper and hip hop industry mentor. “Everybody wants…
Primed for HQ2? Gardner area was made for Amazon, Kansas legislator says
Plans for bringing Amazon’s HQ2 to Southwestern Johnson County were laid in the 1800s, Bill Sutton said. “As soon as the (Santa Fe, Oregon, and California) trails divided here, all of this was in the cards,” said Sutton, a Kansas state representative whose district encompasses Gardner and Edgerton. “If the trails divided here, then guess…
Bodyrite duo cooks meal prep into personal training concept
Don’t just go with the flow at a traditional gym, Jamil Nelson said. Go with Flo. “Treadmills and ellipticals are pretty archaic to us,” said Nelson — or “Mr. Bodyrite” to his wife, Florese. “A jump rope is way better because it’s going to blow up your heart rate.” Modern workouts are all about functional,…
Housing trends show young professionals don’t care about Troost’s stigma, UC-B says
Lance Carlton initially was skeptical of developing east of Troost Avenue, he said. “But the mentality of the market has changed,” said Carlton, co-managing partner of UC-B Properties, which brought its offices to the 4300 block of Troost in August 2016. The company helped prove an appetite for residential development on the corridor with 19…