Corporate Stories

Clark Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs

Horizon event set for in-person return, amplifying region’s growth while pushing for more equity

Kansas City is on the rise — and organizers of KC Rising’s annual Horizon event want curious citizens to come see such growth for themselves.  “Horizon is a diverse gathering that isn’t tied to a single organization but owned by the region. … It is a celebration of all of us,” said Meryl Dillman, program manager,…

Paul Kempinski, Children's Mercy Hospital

Small biz could be solution to supply chain woes, says Children’s Mercy CEO; Why shared economic prosperity catalyzes innovation

Editor’s note: The following story was sponsored by KC Rising, a regional initiative to help Kansas City grow faster and more intentionally, as part of a campaign to promote its CEO-to-CEO Challenge on supplier diversity.  It’s all about the ripple effect of outcomes, said Paul Kempinski, diagnosing the community health potential (and business case) for supplier diversity efforts. Corporate…

Mary Shannon, Connectus Worldwide

Mary Shannon’s two words to describe the complexity of supplier diversity: Competitive advantage

Editor’s note: The following story was sponsored by KC Rising, a regional initiative to help Kansas City grow faster and more intentionally, as part of a campaign to promote its CEO-to-CEO Challenge on supplier diversity.  Don’t try to fake your way through diversity initiatives for optics, advised Mary Shannon, noting half-hearted commitment to efforts like supplier diversity — which…

Kara Lowe, KC Tech Council

Kara Lowe taking KC Tech Council helm as longtime CEO Ryan Weber departs

The KC Tech Council will soon welcome a familiar face as its new leader, the organization announced Tuesday. Kara Lowe, the council’s longtime COO, will succeed Ryan Weber as CEO next month — putting her commitment to Kansas City’s tech sector on full display and allowing her contributions to the regions tech ecosystem to further shape…

Frank James Jr., Pro X, and Quinton Lucas, Kansas City mayor, during an announcement event for the 2022 Pro X student internship

Real-world working: Relaunched initiative will put 500 paid teen interns into KC workplaces

A coalition of funders and employers are teaming up to provide 500 high school students across the Kansas City metro with paid summer professional experiences. “It’s really important that we come together as a community for these types of initiatives to make sure our young people are really connecting the dots and moving onto the…