Corporate Stories

Back to the people: Social venture firm connects WyCo entrepreneurs with a human-centered toolkit

Editor’s note: The following story is presented through a paid partnership with Network Kansas. An initiative built on collaboration with business boosters already embedded in urban communities is deepening Network Kansas’ impact, said Erik Pedersen, sharing how the strategy helps more readily connect entrepreneurs to available resources like loans and technical assistance. In Wyandotte County,…

Great Jobs KC aims to impact 50,000 Kansas City scholars within a decade — one life at a time

Editor’s note: The following story was written and first published by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri (EDCKC). Click here to read the original story. Natalie Lewis is no stranger to complex work. As chief operating officer of Great Jobs KC, she oversees programs that connect thousands of Kansas Citians with scholarships, tuition-free job training,…

Wichita program drives highway of resources to more KC startups; founders tout who they met along the way

Opening its doors to Midwest companies outside Kansas for the first time, a Wichita-based program that connects startups with the tools to better engage enterprise partners offered an added benefit to Kansas City entrepreneurs: a new ecosystem of support just a few hours from home. “The program’s Wichita location inspired us to broaden our outreach…

ATHENA honorees: Lifting up the next generation elevates us all; give them a reason to dream

When women lead, communities rise, Dana Foote said, lifting up two ATHENA award winners whose work in Kansas City has created outcomes more meaningful than mere professional success: “the ripple effect of leadership.” “And I see that in the room tonight,” continued Foote, national managing partner of audit operations for KPMG, sponsor of the Greater…