Government Stories
LaunchKC earns honors of its own, must still keep hustling, KC eco devo leader says
Receiving the Bronze Excellence in Economic Development Award proves the real market value for programs like LaunchKC, said Drew Solomon. The win has been energizing, said Solomon, senior vice president of business and job development at the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, which partners with the Downtown Council of Kansas City to make the program…
Be fearlessly honest about diversity gap, Atlanta expert tells KC Techweek panelists (Photos)
Building an inclusive startup community begins with being unafraid to directly state the problem — a diversity gap — free of coded language related to race and gender, said Rodney Sampson. “I am unapologetically about being ‘color-brave’ and ‘race-brave’ — rather than being ‘color blind’ — because when you say ‘color blind,’ you’re saying you…
Rick Usher: How can KCMO balance policy and micromobility technology?
Update: On Thursday, KCMO City Manager Troy Schulte authorized Bird to deploy up to 500 scooters, as authorized in the city’s interim operating agreement. Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. This piece by Rick Usher was originally published by the National League of Cities, and comes days after Kansas City…
Is KC scaring away disruptive tech? Mayor candidates revive sharing economy debate
A wave of technology is coming — and Kansas City should be ready, said Steve Miller, entering the fray between mayoral candidates over regulating the sharing economy. Appearing Monday at a KC Mayoral Tech Forum to open Techweek Kansas City, Miller compared navigating the regulatory waters around such emerging services as Airbnb, Uber and Bird to…
Techweek opens Monday with KC Mayoral Candidate Tech Forum; launches app with full schedule
Candidates to be Kansas City’s next mayor will take the stage Monday at Union Station in one of Techweek KC’s first events of 2018 to talk tech and its importance in shaping the city’s future, said Ryan Weber. “We’re still a long way from the [April 2] primary election, but this forum will help voters…