KC Chamber reveals Top 10 small businesses; one will be named Mr. K Award winner
April 1, 2026 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Dulcinea Herrera and her mother, Miel Castagna-Herrera, co-owners of Café Corazón, react to being named a Top 10 small business by the KC Chamber; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Awards season has arrived a little earlier thanks to the looming World Cup takeover, said Vicky Kulikov, but even at an accelerated pace, the 10 finalists for the KC Chamber’s Small Business of the Year honor shouldn’t rush past the significance of the moment.
Vicky Kulikov, director of small business for the KC Chamber, speaks after the Top 10 reveal at Union Station; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
“You got here by persevering, showing innovation and passion, and making a lasting impression on Greater Kansas City,” said Kulikov, director of small business for the Chamber.
The 10 businesses now in the running for Small Business of the Year or the “Mr. K Award” — named for iconic Kansas City entrepreneur Ewing Marion Kauffman — were announced Wednesday morning on social media. Selected business owners were surprised with the news Tuesday evening during a private reveal event at the Chamber’s headquarters at Union Station.
Click here to learn more about the 2025 Mr. K Award winner.
To be named Small Business of the Year signifies that a company shown growth or sustainability of their business, with strong employee relations, a commitment to diversity and a record of giving back to the community.
Vu Radley, co-founder of MADE MOBB, one of the Top 10 companies, cheers during a gathering of finalists at Union Station; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“Your companies are the backbone of this city,” noted Chris Grossman, senior vice president of regional business banking at UMB, which sponsored the Chamber’s festivities Tuesday, as well as Wednesday’s announcement. “I know you’re in the weeds every day, working so hard and doing what you do. But I hope that you’re all able to take some time right now to stop and step back and look at yourself up on this big screen and celebrate what you’ve done and what you’ve accomplished at this point.”
The just-revealed Top 10 small businesses — now vying for the Mr. K Award — include:
- Blue Symphony – A Midtown-based full-service agency that combines technology, marketing, and consultancy into a single creative and informational hub.
- Café Corazón — Kansas City’s premier, family-owned Latin and indigenous coffee shop that serves ethically sourced coffee, food, and teas.
- EAG Advertising and Marketing – A strategy-led, integrated marketing agency working established businesses in Kansas City and beyond.
- encompas Corporation – A women-owned provider of contract furniture and architectural products – everything from ideation to designing to ordering, installing, and follow-up service.
- Kansas City Catering – A three-generation, 43-year-old, family-owned business offering exceptional off-premise catering services.
- MADE MOBB – Crossroads-based streetwear brand rooted in collaboration and community.
- Pantheon Moving – North Kansas City-based company specializing in commercial and residential moving, logistics, and transportation of speciality items.
- RK Contractors – A certified MBE, DBE, and SLBE general contractor focused on community-centered construction across Kansas City that equips immigrants and refugees with trade skills and wraparound support for long-term stability.
- She Hauled It – Woman-owned company redefining waste and recycling by putting its own customers first.
- Slattery Design + Architecture – A vision-driven architecture practice that works alongside diverse stakeholders to find elegant design solutions and equitable outcomes that better the communities it serves.
Small businesses are the backbone of Kansas City, noted RK Contractors founder and finalist Reda Ibrahim.
Elvis Eneh, COO for RK Contractors, speaks alongside founder Reda Ibrahim at Union Station; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“This is a great initiative,” he said of the Small Business Celebration program, before pivoting to Kansas City’s small business ecosystem itself. “We can help our refugee community. We can help the immigrants. And we can build and we can fix and we can support that growth in the city. That is not going to happen with the big corporations only. We need the little small businesses around. And we’re a very good example of this.”
This is the second nomination for RK Contractors but the first since 2022, when Ibrahim and COO Elvis Eneh had no idea what the recognition really meant, they shared.
“We were in there with Chicken N Pickle,” Eneh noted.
“We looked at each other and said, ‘What are we doing here?’” Ibrahim added.
The company has come a long way since 2022, Eneh said.
“Knowing what it means, then there’s a sense of validation for us,” he continued. “It’s that validation of saying, ‘Hey, we’re moving forward. We are actually progressing from where we were.’”
Dulcinea Herrera and her mother, Miel Castagna-Herrera, co-owners of Café Corazón, speak to Startland News reporters and KC Chamber officials shortly before being named a Top 10 small business; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Café Corazón is a repeat finalist from 2025 and Blue Symphony is back on the list after being a finalist in 2024.
“Last year, it was extremely helpful,” said Dulcinea Herrera, who owns and operates Café Corazón’s three locations with her parents, Miel Castagna-Herrera and Curtis Herrera. “I feel like we made a lot of amazing connections with local and corporate people, and it helped our business rise a lot.”
Jesse Phouangphet and Vu Radley, co-founders of MADE MOBB, celebrate after being named a finalist for the Mr. K Award; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
It’s the first time MADE MOBB has made the Top 10, and its first attempt at the small business awards season.
“It’s an amazing accolade,” noted co-founder Vu Radley.
“We’ve been grass rooted,” added co-founder Jesse Phouangphet. “We’ve been hustling for a long time, so I think we’re ready for it.”
ICYMI: MADE MOBB bags massive wholesale deal with Scheels; setting its sights on Midwest fit
The Crossroads-based streetwear company is also ready for whatever the World Cup brings, the co-founders said.
“We’re moving and grooving,” Radley explained, “utilizing all of our processes that we’ve created over the years, relationships with our manufacturers to really get ahead of it. So all of our jerseys and scarves and things like that are already in production right now. We’re also helping a lot of other companies in Kansas City produce goods, accessories, and getting them ready for the World Cup, as well.”
Finalists were culled from dozens of applicants, many of which were on display during the KC Chamber’s recent small business showcase at Union Station.
Check out a photo gallery from the reveal event below, then keep reading.
The Small Business of the Year winner is set to be announced May 27 at the Small Business Awards Luncheon, at the Loews Kansas City Hotel, 1515 Wyandotte St.
Click here to get tickets to the event, which is recognized as one of the largest small business celebrations in the country.
In addition to the Mr. K award, specialty awards also will be presented at the May luncheon, including:
- The KC Chamber Emerging Business Award
- The KC Chamber Small Business Spirit of Inclusion Award
- The KC Chamber Weida Award for International Small Business of the Year
- The KC Chamber Legacy of Kansas City Award
- The KC Chamber Luminary Arts & Creative Small Business Award
Up next: The KC Chamber is planning a May 5 Virtual Top 10 CEO Panel, where the public can meet the Top 10 and learn from their experiences.
Representatives from the 10 finalist companies vying for the KC Chamber’s Small Business of the Year title; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
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