Guest Authors Stories

CoreBuild

Frank Keck: Building a strong workplace culture starts today with values, behavior

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary about workplace culture are the author’s alone. Check out a previous column by Frank Keck here. Only 33 percent of employees are actively engaged in the workplace 51 percent are simply not engaged 16 percent are actively disengaged — Gallup’s ‘State of the American Workplace’ study, 2017…

Entrepreneur who left KC: Lack of funding, competitive pay drove me away

Editor’s note: Jacob McDaniel is an entrepreneur and former resident of Kansas City. This letter was penned by McDaniel in response to Zach Pettet’s op-ed on Kansas City being an underground tech hub. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. While I don’t personally know a ton about FinTech, I do know a…

CoreBuild

Frank Keck: How intentional is your workplace culture?

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary about workplace culture are the author’s alone. How do you build an organization that performs at a high level and attracts your industry’s top talent? Is there a proven way to help strengthen your business, increase productivity and prepare for growth? Does teamwork have something to do…

Kate Spade Kyle Smith

Kyle J Smith: Creating hope in a dark place; a reflection on the passing of Kate Spade

Editor’s note: Kyle J Smith, an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder in Kansas City, reflects on fashion designer Kate Spade, 55, who died Tuesday of suicide. Born Katherine Brosnahan in Kansas City, Missouri, she went on to build a widely successful business and brand that carried her name. My heart broke when I heard about Kate Spade’s…

VRoKCs

April Boyd-Noronha: VR Rocks in KC youth competition at Bloch Venture Hub

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. High school-aged virtual reality enthusiasts from across Kansas City recently gathered for a VRoKCs hackathon at Bloch Venture Hub. I was invited to judge the teams, which each delved into VR — an emerging trend in STEM that essentially allows a user to…