News Stories

Flocking back for the holidays: How this third-generation plant nursery keeps a custom Christmas tradition growing

Christmas is a time to spruce things up at Family Tree Nursery, Jesse Nelson shared. And the business has kept a number of holiday customs through the years since Nelson’s grandfather, Ron, opened the venture in 1964. One such tradition: flocking — or the process of spraying Christmas trees with a mixture of cellulose, cornstarch…

How a Worlds of Fun data internship shaped this teen’s cookie cutter subscription box business

Every cutting-edge business idea has a season, said Alex Santoro, baking the details of his 3D printing venture: a subscription box that delivers a set of Kansas City-made holiday-themed cookie cutters — and showcases the teen’s enterprising ambitions. When he turned 18 in August, the Lee’s Summit West student and Worlds of Fun intern celebrated…

EquipmentShare nonprofit’s holiday-time gift: No-cost mammograms for 50 community members

COLUMBIA, Missouri — An employee-led foundation affiliated with one of Missouri’s top startups is helping offer free mammogram sessions for up to 50 uninsured individuals in the Boone County area where rapidly-scaling EquipmentShare calls home. The holiday-timed give-back is a partnership between the EquipmentShare Foundation, the Columbia/Boone County Health Department and JCB, the world’s largest…

HERImpact $50K pitch competition returning March 8; Here’s how KC women entrepreneurs can apply

Women business owners and social entrepreneurs in Kansas City are encouraged to compete this spring for up to $50,000 in a Shark Tank-style funding event aimed at investing in women’s ambitions to start and scale local businesses. “Expanding access to capital and mentorship is critical to women’s success as they start their own businesses,” said…

Startland enters new chapter with leadership transition, momentum for news, education programs

A leadership change at Startland is an opportunity for growth within the organization’s dual marquee programs — both of which have evolved rapidly since their inception as ecosystem-building efforts in Kansas City, the organization’s interim CEO said. Business operations for Startland News and its sister program, Startland Education, are now being steered by the two…