Latest news with #KansasCity-based
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Restaurant Now Under Construction in First Look Photos
1587 Prime is a Kansas City-based steakhouse by Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes The restaurant will be a first for the Kansas City Chiefs teammates It will open in summer 2025 ahead of the NFL seasonTravis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes are almost in business! On Tuesday, May 27, the official Kelce Brothers Instagram account for Travis, 35, and his older sibling, Jason Kelce, 37, shared photos of the aesthetics and construction site of 1587 Prime. 'First look at Travis Kelce & Patrick Mahomes' new steakhouse, 1587 Prime — opening soon inside the Loews Hotel!' the social media carousel was captioned. The content, which came courtesy of entrepreneur Mikey Tanha, showed what fans can soon expect. A zoomed in photo showing a collection of brown footballs with '1587 Prime by Noble 33' stamped in gold was the cover image. Noble 33 is a Miami-based hospitality group co-founded by Tosh Berman and Tanha. Both the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and the team's 29-year-old quarterback were tagged in the post. The second image showed a mostly hollow building with the makings of a winding staircase as teams of construction workers toiled away. Overlapping conversations were heard as the camera panned to show off the first floor. In the center seemed to be an area for a bar, with the center cut out as if it were making space for bartenders to craft their finest cocktails. Large windows throughout let in plenty of sunlight. A third and final slide within the Instagram carousel was another video, this time of the exterior — which was sealed off with a silt fence for privacy and safety. Alternating panels advertised the eatery as 'coming soon,' with other parts listing the establishment's name as well as Kelce and Mahomes. 'Looks interesting, I wish them much success,' one person wrote. Another added, 'Best wishes ❤️ I wish I lived closer.' While at a press conference for the 101 Awards in March 2024, the father of three opened up about his first culinary project with his teammate. 'Me and Travis have been working on that for awhile. We're always together. We're always at these restaurants, and we have a love for bringing people together,' he said in a video shared by Fox 4 Kansas City. 'We're going to do whatever we can to continue to bring people together and what better place than Kansas City.' He added that the dup plan to keep 1587 Prime affordable. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'I'm sure there will be some things on there that will be $15. All honesty though, we thought about that and we don't want to make it too upscale, too high-priced that not everybody can go,' he said. 1587 Prime is slated to open in Kansas City later this year. Read the original article on People
Technical.ly
25-05-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Economic development has something to learn from — and teach — ecosystem building
Traditional economic development hunts for economic winners and big infrastructure, while ecosystem building focuses on stitching together many disparate parts, yet practitioners increasingly note they have much in common. The two approaches are converging under 'entrepreneurship-led economic development,' with certifying bodies adding courses and professionals code switching between the terms to build broader coalitions. Tensions persist — some grassroots efforts are dismissed as 'nice to have,' and some ecosystem builders scoff at 'fusty' marketing — but history suggests new disciplines mature by setting standards and proving outcomes. → Read on for details and join Chris Wink's weekly newsletter for more Rob Williams remembers an unusual family dinner-table debate from his childhood. His botanist father insisted that ecosystems were strictly natural phenomena. His small business-advocate mother argued that economic development could learn deeply from nature's interconnectedness. They each had a point. Today, Williams is the founder and director of SourceLink, a category-defining nonprofit software platform spun out of Kauffman Foundation research. It is among the first in a constellation of tools that introduced the 'ecosystem building' metaphor to traditional state and local economic development, a big, boring and quietly influential discipline around creation of jobs, business and regional output. Williams has an unusual balance. He's among the earliest definers of entrepreneurship ecosystem building, and he also has traditional economic development training. 'We can't thrive as economic developers without placing entrepreneurship and innovation at the heart of our strategies,' Williams said. Williams is part of an industry transformation, and like other professional and academic changes before, it takes time to sort out standards. In the 1830s, sociology emerged from political philosophy to better understand the 'social physics' of how culture shaped individuals. In the 1980s, behavioral economics began as a splinter group before later shaping the entire field. In both and many other cases, individuals obsessed over a narrow set of differences within a larger, more established discipline long enough that those differences became their own field of study. Local entrepreneurship boosters who identify as 'ecosystem builders' are attempting something similar. In the 2010s, community organizers, startuppers and post-Great Recession economic activists formed coalitions around the country. Stewarded by funders led by the Kansas City-based Kauffman Foundation, these business and economic types took hold of the ecosystem metaphor. Then the post-COVID entrepreneurship boom gave ecosystem building its primetime moment. 'The pandemic showed us the fragility of some of our systems and the power of local entrepreneurship to build resiliency,' Williams said. Today about 1,000 people list ' ecosystem builder ' as a job title on LinkedIn. Overwhelmingly they are entrepreneurs, small business advocates and self-identified connectors. In 2010, published the word 'ecosystem' about 100 times. Last year, we did so over 1,000 times, a 10x increase in 15 years. A similar, if lagging, surge followed in books. Dating to those childhood debates between his parents, Williams understands better than most the nuance of the ecosystem metaphor: Many overlapping, differently-sized, independent species interact in unexpected ways to support each other. Traditional 20th century-style economic development focuses on economic winners (established businesses) and top-down investments (industrial policy and big infrastructure projects). As set down by the Kauffman Foundation, ecosystem building focuses on nascent entrepreneurs and stitching together many disparate parts of a local economy. Economic development is the big-game hunter storming the bush. Ecosystem building is the botanist carefully handling a butterfly. These differences can present discomfort. Politics are an obvious one: standard economic development has been a bastion of American-style conservative capitalism, whereas ecosystem building adopted progressive concepts of mutual aid and, quite literally, environmentalism. Rather than an obstacle, Williams and others see this as an opportunity for coalition building. One of the only ideals that unites Americans across the political spectrum also unites progressive ecosystem builders and conservative economic development leaders: entrepreneurship. 'Entrepreneur-led economic development' The work of integrating ecosystem building into the larger and more-established economic development can now focus on terminology and process. The International Economic Development Council, the trade's primary certifying body with more than 4,500 members, is a natural leader, introducing courses and certifications. The group received more than 100 applicants for its director of entrepreneurship position, according to LinkedIn, a role that Williams's own mother held. IEDC CIO Dell Gines, who spoke this month at the Technically Builders Conference, is a long-standing ecosystem-building champion, dating to his time at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He has helped incorporate ecosystem building tenets into established economic development. Williams too. For example, Williams adopts IEDC's preferred phrase of 'entrepreneurship-led economic development' (or ELED in the industry jargon) when speaking with more establishment economic development leaders. Other times, he relies on the 'ecosystem building' term. Insiders cite subtle differences but on the whole, they're becoming interchangeable. 'We have so much in common that it's more about language differences,' Williams said. 'You're code switching depending on who you talk with.' The merging isn't complete. At our storytelling-focused Builders Conference, one longtime ecosystem builder sneered on-stage at fusty economic development marketing. On the other side, a traditionally-trained economic development leader confided in me earlier this year that much grassroots 'ecosystem building' seems like 'a lot of Millennial bullshit.' For her, the small gatherings and resource mapping strike her as nice to have but not critical in her budget-constrained reality. The lesson from past discipline changes is that both approaches have something to teach, and to learn. Ecosystem building can sound faddish, and so years of establishing best practices and outcomes are welcome. Williams credits the 2017 book ' Beyond Collisions' as an example. Inspired by this, Technically has put forward a data-backed case for the economic outcomes of storytelling, another demonstrably important but squishy-sounding concept. Likewise, though, traditional economic development can overlook the real-world actions of individual humans. Entrepreneurs don't choose places to start companies. Entrepreneurs choose places to live and then start companies there. Place-based economic development needs humanity. 'It's like a Venn diagram but there's a lot more in the middle,' Williams said. 'There's no entrepreneurship-led strategy that's sustainable without a healthy ecosystem around it, and no ecosystem-building initiatives can work sustainably without critical economic development-led supports.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Academy Bank Named One of America's Most Innovative Companies by FORTUNE for 2025
Honor recognizes companies driving industry transformation KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Bank – a full-service community bank and wholly owned subsidiary of Dickinson Financial Corp. – has once again earned national recognition for its commitment to innovation, landing a spot on FORTUNE magazine's prestigious list of America's Most Innovative Companies for 2025. This marks the second time in three years the Kansas City-based bank has been honored, having also received the accolade in 2023. Now in its third year, FORTUNE's annual list celebrates 300 U.S.-based companies that are transforming industries and setting new standards in innovation. Academy Bank is one of just 10 companies in Kansas and Missouri to be included in the 2025 rankings. "We're incredibly proud to be recognized once again by FORTUNE as an innovation leader," said Paul Holewinski, CEO of Academy Bank. "This award affirms our belief that forward-thinking solutions, both for our clients and within our internal operations, are key to long-term success." The America's Most Innovative Companies list, developed by FORTUNE in collaboration with global research firm Statista, is based on evaluations in three equally weighted categories: Product innovation – Examines a company's products and services for design, usability and more Process innovation – Looks at a wide range of processes in a company, such as procurement, sales and marketing Innovation culture – Measures the creativity and inherent sense of entrepreneurship within a company, primarily based on associate/employee evaluations According to FORTUNE, the 300 U.S.-based honorees on its 2025 ranking collectively generated over $12.6 trillion in revenue, with a median revenue of $22 billion. "This recognition is a direct reflection of our associates' unwavering commitment to fresh thinking and finding better ways of serving our communities," Holewinski added. Academy Bank joins a distinguished group of innovators across various industries on the Fortune Most Innovative Companies list, reinforcing its dedication to providing a superior banking experience through fast, easy and personal service. Academy Bank's innovative approach to banking emphasizes convenience, security and providing a seamless client experience. Investments in AI and automation, including robotic process automation, translate to cutting-edge banking solutions that are accessible, secure and simple. Academy Bank is consistently recognized for excellence in banking by a variety of respected local and national organizations. Recent Academy Bank accolades include a 2025 HCM Distinction Award for Talent at Work from global human capital management technology provider ADP, Fortune's Best Business CDs" and "Top Mortgage Lender" from the Kansas City Business Journal. The institution also won a Silver Stevie Award in the 2024 American Business Awards for the redesign of the Academy Bank website. About Academy BankAcademy Bank is a full-service commercial bank with $2.9 billion in assets and more than 75 banking centers in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri. Academy Bank provides a wide range of financial solutions for business and individuals, including commercial and business banking, treasury management and mortgage services. Academy Bank is privately held and family-owned by Dickinson Financial Corporation, a $4.3 billion holding company headquartered in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Academy Bank's sister bank, Armed Forces Bank, headquartered in Leavenworth, Kansas, proudly serves active and retired military and civilian clients around the world with more on-base locations than any military bank in the country. For more information, visit Member FDIC View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Academy Bank
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arkansas prison board chooses contractor to build new 3,000-bed penitentiary
Members of the Arkansas Board of Corrections attend a meeting at the North Little Rock headquarters on Feb. 12, 2025. Left to right: Lona McCastlain, William "Dubs" Byers, Chairman Benny Magness, Lee Watson, Brandon Tollett, Grant Hodges. Board member Alonza Jiles attended remotely. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate) The Arkansas Board of Corrections on Thursday chose a partnership between Arkansas and Kansas City-based firms to build a proposed new 3,000-bed prison. In a special-called meeting via videoconference, the seven-member board unanimously accepted the recommendation of its selection committee to negotiate a final contract with the partnership of Nabholz Construction of Conway and J.E. Dunn Construction of Kansas City, Missouri. Board Chairman Benny Magness said he expects to appoint a negotiating team by the board's regular meeting on May 29. The choice of a general contractor for the new prison marks the latest step in getting the prison off the ground since Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced in March 2023 her intent to have the state build the mega-prison. Last October, the prison board hired California-based Vanir Construction Management as project manager for the prison. In April, the board chose Omaha, Neb.-based HDR and Little Rock-based Cromwell Architects Engineers as the design team for the 3,000-bed facility. Nabholz and J.E. Dunn both have extensive experience constructing correctional facilities, their representatives said Thursday. Dunn built a 2,552-bed prison in Tennessee that took 16 months to finish and was completed in 2015, according to its website. Nabholz has a 30-year history of working on Department of Corrections projects, said Jon Pahl, vice president of preconstruction. Board members were careful Thursday not to specify where the prison will be located; the motion to approve the contractor said only that the firms would be hired for 'the new prison build.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The planned prison became controversial last fall when Sanders announced on Oct. 31 that the state was buying 815 acres in rural Franklin County for $2.95 million on which to place the prison. Local officials and some lawmakers cried foul, saying they had been 'blindsided' by the decision. At least two citizen groups formed to voice objections to the site because of its remote location, which they said would make it difficult and expensive to provide adequate infrastructure and staffing. A bill to appropriate $750 million toward the prison project stalled in the last days of the General Assembly last month as lawmakers voiced concerns about the ultimate cost and continued to raise questions about the suitability of the Franklin County location. Administration officials provided an estimated cost of the project of $825 million, but opponents said it could cost upward of $1 billion. In a letter to Sanders the day the legislative session ended this month, Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, asked the governor to use previously appropriated prison funds for their originally intended purpose —expanding the prison at Calico Rock — and taking other steps to increase state prison capacity instead of sticking to the Franklin County proposal. King was accompanied at a press conference that day by about 20 opponents of the west Arkansas prison site as well as members of the Chickamauga, an Indigenous tribe with a presence in Franklin County. Tribal officials called for an archaeological study before construction begins because of potential artifacts and burial sites in the area. The state hasn't committed to a formal study but has said it is conducting an assessment of the site for potential archaeological evidence. The prison board took care of other matters at Thursday's special meeting, including approving the purchase of 23 TruNarc drug-testing devices for $822,000. The corrections department has been using one of the devices and sharing among its facilities. An official said it is more accurate than previous drug-testing methods. The board also approved the purchase of 70 new Arkansas Wireless Information Network two-way radios to replace older ones at a cost of $166,000 and 10 zero-turn mowers for $107,000. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Union Township residents show up in force to protest data centers proposed for rural community
The Porter County Expo Center was a mass exercise in solidarity Tuesday evening as over 1,000 Union Township residents crammed into the main ballroom to vehemently oppose two data centers proposed for Wheeler. The sea of orange T-shirts that read 'Wheeler Country Not Corporate' covered nearly every body in the 530 chairs, while hundreds more stood on three sides around them. That visual message was audibly reinforced at a deafening level as the crowd cheered their neighbors who spoke against the proposal and booed a NIPSCO official and other business leaders who spoke in favor of it. The town hall was organized by the Porter County Plan Commission as an extra step not required by state statute to allow petitioner QTS to hear the questions, concerns, and feedback from residents as it finesses its application for a planned unit development that would allow for changes to the county's Unified Development Ordinance through a vote of the Board of Commissioners. While the Plan Commission will run the majority of the application process it is strictly an advisory body, meaning it will take a vote to make a non-binding favorable or unfavorable recommendation to the Board of Commissioners which has the final say. 'I know a lot of people are impatient and they want it to stop now,' said Porter County's Director of Development & Storm Water Management Mike Jabo, 'but there's a process.' The proposed projects are being called Jeremiah A and Jeremiah B. Jeremiah A is proposed for a 351.85-acre parcel at the northeast corner of County Road W 450 N and County Road N 750 W owned by John Loxas of Hammond. Jeremiah B is proposed for 434.46 acres owned by Johnson Sunnybrook Farm, LLC and Ceres Cedar Creek Farm, LLC, of Hobart, at the southeast corner of W 450 N and N 650 W due north of Union Township Middle and High schools. QTS, a Kansas City-based data center owner, operator, and developer, was given 45 minutes to make a presentation. The formal petition came from AXPK, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, on behalf of the property owners who would transfer ownership upon adoption of the ordinances. Attorneys for AXPK filed papers with the county naming QTS as an affiliate. Nick Blessing, of the land policy and development department for QTS, started off with a lot of talk about core values. 'Integrity, character, and trust are foundational to every relationship,' he said while two women who live in Union Township and serve the children in the cafeteria at Union Center Elementary chuckled over his remarks in the middle of the audience. Upon his mention of QTS taking a team of boys from one of its data center towns to the Little League World Series someone in the audience muttered, 'He's gaslighting.' To talk of the installation of a 50-foot American flag on a 'Freedom Wall' another said, 'Oh big deal!' And to his claims that the company's data centers provide 'very skilled labor jobs' and 'highly skilled technology jobs,' someone shouted, 'That's a lie.' Blessing said 125 to 175 full-time permanent jobs were anticipated at the sites upon completion. He also said the county could expect $10 million in tax revenues upon full buildout. He then passed the presentation to his colleague Chris Kapper of the predevelopment team who addressed a series of particular concerns, including building height, setbacks, and site lines. Building height in the proposed light industrial zone would be 75 feet, plus additional height for mechanical equipment. 'We understand that is what is causing some angst,' Blessing said. A 32-foot landscaping berm with a 5-foot elevation change from the road level is proposed. 'We envision you will be able to shield the view of the development at maturation in about 10 years,' he added. He explained that setback plans have been expanded to 2,000 feet from the nearest school building, 1,000 feet from the nearest ball field, 100 feet from agriculture, 200 feet from residential development, and 500 feet from school property. The audience was unimpressed. After a few brief remarks from Blessing regarding noise and EMFs the meeting was turned over to public comment. What had been planned for two hours eventually stretched 45 minutes over schedule as moderator and Plan Commission President Rick Burns failed to maintain control of the event. While the audience was originally told each speaker would be given a maximum of two minutes to speak, some were haphazardly given up to five because they were deemed to have special status, such as a physician, or the crowd demanded they be allowed to continue. Rex Richards, president of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, spoke first. 'I'm here to compliment the county on going through this type of process,' he said. 'If you need to hire experts to help please consider doing that.' NIPSCO's Rick Calinski, director of public affairs and economic development, got big boos when he introduced himself next. He said NIPSCO's Generation Company is pursuing the separation of the cost of infrastructure for large projects like data centers from that of regular customers. Several county officials were in attendance, including the entire Board of Commissioners, Treasurer Jimmy Albarran, and County Council members Red Stone, R-1st; Michelle Harris, R-At-Large; Mike Brickner, R-At-Large; and Andy Vasquez, R-4th. Vasquez was the only one to speak. 'If it comes to me for a vote for an abatement, my answer is no,' he said. Speakers made a variety of points including statements that the project would not be a data center, but a hyper-scaled data center the size of many WalMarts and that Blackstone, which is considered by many to have contributed to the 2008 housing crisis, bought QTS in 2021. Porter Township School Corporation Superintendant Stacey Schmidt joked that despite Union Township Bearcats being their arch-rivals, her community did not support a data center being thrust upon them. 'Parents send our most precious asset (to school),' she said. 'School safety is lacking in your presentation.' Union Township resident Chris Navetta summed up the ethos of the crowd. 'I've moved here for this and I've never been more proud of Wheeler. These are your constituents.'
