Opinion Stories

STEM

New STEM leader Martha McCabe wants to prioritize diversity

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Kansas City cannot continue to grow as a tech hub without first establishing a vibrant — and diverse — local STEM talent pipeline. As a community, we’ve put the wheels in motion. For example, about half of metro school districts now offer the…

digital divide

Connecting For Good CEO analyzes the area digital divide

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. After my first four months as CEO of Connecting For Good, I’m compelled to share a viewpoint on what the Kansas City digital divide looks like. Knowing the answer to this question is only the first step to tackling digital inclusion efforts, but…

competitive advantage kool-aid

Gooding: Stop drinking the ‘competitive advantage’ kool-aid

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Check out more from Grant Gooding here. Your competitive advantage doesn’t exist anymore. Not only is this true but the whole concept of “competitive advantage” as you understand it likely doesn’t exist either. What’s taken its place is a cool new thing called…

Louis Byrd

How fatherhood and fear changed my entrepreneurial journey

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. As I near my sixth anniversary of becoming an entrepreneur, I decided to take a moment to look back and reflect on the changes those years brought me. I’ve had many ups — and many more downs — all serving as excellent lessons….

How Pipeline CEO Joni Cobb revitalized her waning democratic optimism

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone.   E=R. Have you seen this sticker on cars over the years? It’s the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s campaign during the Great Recession, meaning “Entrepreneurship = Recovery.” It was really a time of “push” for our political structure — and our communities in…