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Kharissa Forte, Holistic Hustle, Grace & Grind; photo by Lexi Holifield

Don’t just pop off when under attack: A healthier way to handle workplace drama (Holistic Hustle)

Kharissa Forte is a writer, certified health coach, and columnist for Startland News. Read her “Holistic Hustle” columns for Startland News here. For more of her self-care tips on how to keep your cup full, visit graceandgrind.co. One of the hardest things to navigate at work is conflict. When your beliefs or ideas are challenged,…

Michael Carmona, KCSourceLink

KCSourceLink hires new senior director to champion Kansas City entrepreneur ecosystem

Michael Carmona has ‘led and lived’ the mission of KCSourceLink; now he’ll officially take the resource hub’s helm A longtime advocate for businesses across Kansas City — including some of the metro’s most underserved — Michael S. Carmona understands how entrepreneurship can elevate communities, said Maria Meyers. His new role as the senior director for…

Jackie Nguyen, founder and owner of Cafe Cà Phê, and her team accept first-place honors in the James and Rae Block Kansas City Startup Awards at the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge

UMKC pitch contest puts Cafe Cà Phê closer to Jackie Nguyen’s big goal; winners range from students to emerging startups

The University of Missouri-Kansas City continues to brew innovation — and the return of its Regnier Venture Creation Challenge (RVCC) Friday poured proof, offering more than $88,000 in critical cash prizes to percolating ventures that spill far beyond its classrooms.  “I moved to Kansas City from Washington D.C. over the summer and I started following Cafe…

David Roberson and Jared Meek at Adelante Thrift

Why an Evangelical church in KCK opened a thrift store to build leaders in its immigrant-rich neighborhood 

The heart and purpose of Mission Adelante is to develop and empower community members — especially its neighbors who come from backgrounds far from Kansas City, said Jared Meek.  “We started Mission Adelante in 2005 to really reach out to the immigrant and refugee community in our neighborhood. We focused a lot on individual transformation,…

Analysts speak during the HCS Major Kansas City 2022, a bracket-style Halo tournament, at the Kansas City Convention Center

Halo championship arrives downtown as KC-built esports team ‘pioneers a dynasty’

KC Pioneers gain support of Chiefs, Charlie Hustle and other hometown household names for its #MyCity campaign as Kansas City hosts major esports tournament  It’s time to showcase Kansas City’s esports and tech community on a global scale, said Mark Josey — and what better way to do so than with a worldwide tournament hosted…

Myron McCant, KD Academy, celebrates after being named a finalist for the 2022 Small Business of the Year honor

Meet the KC Chamber’s Top 10 for 2022: One will be the next ‘Small Business of the Year’ 

From a rapidly expanding restaurant chain to a 24/7 daycare facility to a workforce training and information technology leader building a statewide footprint, the finalists for the 2022 Small Business of the Year award run the gamut of forward-thinking Kansas City ventures, said Joe Reardon. “Every year I become more and more impressed with our…

Mitch Case, More Than A Meal, talks with Deb North, Yes! Athletics, during the Chamber's Small Business Showcase at Union Station

Three-way tie: Public vote mixes ‘Fan Favorite’ small business honors between meals and more

A trio of Kansas City small businesses is sharing the Honeywell Fan Favorite Award this week after wowing the public during the Chamber’s recent candidate showcase at Union Station. “The rules can be bent,” said Eric Wollerman, president of Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies, announcing the three-way tie in the lead-up to the Greater Kansas…

Avatar for hire (in a few years): Gamified career platform helps kids explore their future in the workforce

It’s a powerful question asked in classrooms every day, Jessica Munoz Valerio said, recalling her own experience with the common prompt and how tapping into and gamifying it could change lives.  “When my daughter was young — as early as 5 years old — she got asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’”she…

Sandy Kemper, C2FO

C2FO helped women-, minority-owned biz access nearly $2B in 2021 alone; why that slice of $200B is set to grow as company approaches $1T funded

Customers of C2FO have accessed more than $200 billion in working capital, the company announced, touting its wide-ranging successes and highlighting pandemic-era growth that has solidified its place as a world leader in the financing space — and a pace-setter for deploying capital to underserved businesses.  “From Day 1, C2FO has worked to fill the…

BIOLO hits the scoreboard at Children's Mercy Park

Sporting KC teams with homegrown company to bring biodegradable straws to the Cauldron

Sporting Kansas City announced Tuesday a multi-year partnership with BIOLO as the official home compostable straw of Sporting Sustainability. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Kansas City, BIOLO manufactures bags, mailers and straws that are proudly made in the USA with Nodax – a revolutionary polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymer certified to biodegrade in soil, marine and…