Supplier stops along Prospect: Bus tour connects corporate buyers to east side businesses

The Prospect Business Association is leaning into a more hands-on approach to economic development, said Simone Curls, describing a support concept that brings decision-makers directly into the spaces where small businesses operate.

That strategy was front and center ahead of National Small Business Week (May 3-9) when the PBA revved the engine of its Connections Express bus tour. Now in its second year, the initiative is designed to introduce procurement professionals, corporate partners, and community leaders to local businesses and what they can actually deliver.

Procurement professionals, corporate partners, and community leaders board a bus as part of the Connections Express bus tour organized by the Prospect Business Association; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

“The Connections Express bus tour was created to foster more meaningful, face-to-face connections between small businesses and the organizations that can support their growth,” said Curls, CEO of the PBA.

Instead of relying on traditional networking events, the tour places participants inside the businesses themselves, giving them a firsthand look at operations, capabilities, and potential partnerships.

“The tour creates access that might not otherwise exist,” Curls said.

The approach reflects the organization’s broader focus on long-term business success along the Prospect corridor.

The PBA’s year-round work — providing hands-on assistance and back-office support services needed to start, scale and sustain companies based on their unique needs — is effected through a number of in-house programs; from guidance through the incorporation process to monthly online tech training and partnerships with art students to help businesses scale with enhanced marketing tools.

Click here to learn more about the Prospect Business Association.

“PBA’s mission centers on helping small businesses not only launch but sustain and grow,” said Curls.

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Simone Curls, CEO of the Prospect Business Association, speaks at Alphapointe during the Connections Express bus tour; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Where introductions turn into real opportunities

The Connections Express tour has grown into a regional effort, highlighting businesses across Kansas City while staying rooted in the Prospect corridor.

For business owners, the upside is straightforward: access to people who control contracts, partnerships, and supply chains.

“The goal is for participants to leave with meaningful, lasting connections, not just introductions,” said Curls.

This year’s tour in late April included stops at multiple businesses across the metro, including a visit to Cherry Co. at Kansas City International Airport, where participants saw how a local clothing brand has expanded into a high-traffic retail space. Other stops featured industries ranging from manufacturing and workforce development to auto repair and fitness.

Ryan Williams, chief revenue officer for Alphapointe, takes visitors on a tour of the nonprofit facility during the Connections Express bus tour; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Inside a legacy nonprofit driving workforce innovation

Tour participants got a closer look at Alphapointe, where the nonprofit explained how it’s able to operate as both a service provider and a large-scale production partner.

“Alphapointe is a provider of employment and rehabilitation services for people who are blind,” said Reinhard Mabry, president and CEO.

The organization supports individuals who are blind or visually impaired through job training, adaptive technology, and independent living services, while also running manufacturing and contract operations that serve government and commercial clients.

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“We employ more than 220 people who are blind across the enterprise, making us one of the largest employers of people who are blind in any organization in the country,” said Mabry.

Mabry intended the visit to give attendees a clearer understanding of how organizations can be both mission-driven and highly competitive.

“We hope that tells a story to every employer that people who are blind are capable and talented,” he said.

Maceo Davis, owner of Davis Auto Repair & Tow, shares a laugh with visitors during the Connections Express bus tour; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

A neighborhood staple navigating change and growth

At Davis Auto Repair & Tow, the conversation turned to what it takes to stay rooted in a neighborhood while everything around it evolves.

Maceo Davis, owner of Davis Auto Repair & Tow, speaks with tour participants during the Prospect Business Association event; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

“Business has been in my family for a while,” said owner Maceo Davis. “I grew up two blocks from here, so I’ve been in this neighborhood all my life.”

Even with industry shifts and development pressures, Davis has stayed put, choosing long-term impact over higher earnings elsewhere.

“I have said a number of times I could probably go work at a dealership and make twice the money I make, but it would hurt the community to leave,” said Davis.

His shop has become a steady, trusted presence for residents, said Curls, who pointed to businesses like his as essential to long-term stability in the area.

“It’s not just about business and making money, but also making sure the community is positively affected and continues to have what it needs,” she said.

Jabari Washington, owner of The TUF Club, speaks alongside Simone Curls, CEO of the Prospect Business Association, during the Connections Express bus tour; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Turning fitness spaces into community anchors

Jabari Washington, owner of The TUF Club, building a business that’s closer to a full lifestyle destination than a traditional gym.

The space offers personal training, group workouts, and recovery options like sauna and cold plunge, while also creating room for collaboration and connection beyond fitness.

“We had a very supportive, strong community, and that became what we built our larger facility out of,” said Washington.

That growth has come largely through word of mouth and results.

“Up until probably 2024, I never did any advertising,” he said. “It’s just the work that we put out on display.”

His long-term vision is centered on developing an east side space where people want to return.

“I want to create this as a hub and show what’s going on in this part of the city,” said Washington.

Participants in the Connections Express bus tour; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Expanding pathways for local entrepreneurs

For PBA, the bus tour is one piece of a larger, year-round strategy to support small businesses and open doors that are often difficult to access, Curls said.

By connecting entrepreneurs directly with decision-makers and giving them the chance to demonstrate their capabilities in person, the organization is helping create clearer pathways to contracts and partnerships, she noted.

“True economic growth means ensuring that all businesses, especially those that have historically been underrepresented, have access to the same networks, resources, and opportunities,” she emphasized.