News Stories

Sheila Monroe, TrueAccord

TrueAccord exceeds growth projections, boosting hiring at its Lenexa second headquarters

What began as 12 new employees in an empty office space has now become a booming hub of activity with 118 full-time members — and growing — said Sheila Monroe. “We really blew away our growth projections,” said Monroe, general manager of collections for TrueAccord. “We’ll likely sign a lease for some additional office space…

BacklotCars developer balances work, school and helping recover 33,000 pounds of food for the hungry 

Behind the scenes of BacklotCars’ historic $425 million exit deal, one of the Kansas City company’s top developers is feeding innovation in his home country, said Josh Parsons. Pablo Ulguin — a full-time senior software developer at BacklotCars who also is completing night school in Uruguay to earn a degree in computer science and learn…

Kevin Garrison, Risotopia

Passion on paper: How decades-old tech helped ink creative ownership for a trendsetting designer

Kevin Garrison stockpiles canisters of ink like he collects cans of limited edition SPAM flavors — feeding a passion for vintage-inspired design that overflows from his Waldo home studio. “Some men get to a certain age and go buy a motorcycle or boats, and I went out and bought a Risograph printer,” the veteran graphic…

Jackie Nguyen, Cafe Cà Phê

New in KC: Why Jackie Nguyen hit the brakes on acting to open a mobile coffee cafe

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Lifting the curtain on the region’s first Vietnamese coffee traveling cafe, Jackie Nguyen is…

Christopher Oppenhuis, Marcell Coffee Projects

Barrel-aged blends: One of KC’s hottest new roasts comes steeped in local libations 

Something bolder is steeping on the Kansas City coffee scene — pairing one of the metro’s most experienced roasters with a leader in local liquor.  “People have been really interested in [blended beverages] around here,” said Christopher Oppenhuis, founder of Marcell Coffee Projects — the year-old private label roasting operation that helps keep a slew of…