Corporate Stories

Hometown scramble: Noonan collaboration with neighboring Garmin brings startup closer to tournament win

Kansas City sports tech innovator Noonan’s latest big swing sees the startup paired with a major industry player whose homegrown headquarters exercises its domination in the wearables market from just a few miles down I-35 in Johnson County. Lenexa-built Noonan on Tuesday announced a collaboration with Garmin, a powerhouse in GPS-enabled sports technology — currently ranked…

This voter-approved investor backed Zhou B Arts, KD Academy and a new hotel at 18th and Vine; now it has a new home

EDCKC absorbing initiative built to strengthen KC’s urban core after $60M in investments A move to transition the Central City Economic Development (CCED) program under the umbrella of a larger KCMO impact agency is expected to boost the urban core-focused initiative’s ability to uplift both the people and the places at the heart of Kansas…

‘The American dream is the Midwest’: LaunchKC powers next generation of startup job creators

Editor’s note: The following is part of an ongoing feature series exploring impacts of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Relocating to Kansas City after winning a LaunchKC grant — and the community and infrastructure support that comes with it — gives Russel Karim’s startup a centralized…

World Cup will produce KC small biz millionaires in just weeks, leaders say, but it’s only the start

Kansas City can’t look at the World Cup in 2026 as one big event where businesses are going to make good money for a while, and then everything goes back to normal, said Wes Rogers.  “This has to be the beginning of the next chapter of our city,” the 2nd District Councilman for Kansas City,…

Harvesting KCMO’s urban-to-rural development wins means taking down silos, EDCKC leader says

Editor’s note: The following is part of an ongoing feature series exploring impacts of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Kansas City’s growth isn’t just shaped by skyline-changing projects, said Heather Brown, describing a simple formula — and delicate balance — that keeps the region building upon its potential…