by Kelly Rogge
The Kansas City Kansas Community College Endowment Association and the Workforce Development Department are partnering with the Bank of Blue Valley to produce a series of entrepreneurial-focused videos.
The Entrepreneur Profile Series began late last year after the Endowment Association was approached with an opportunity to highlight more entrepreneurs in the community. Patrick McCartney, executive director of the KCKCC Endowment Association, said initially the idea was to do the profiles in a magazine format. He said, however, the idea morphed quickly into a video series.
“I suggested the possibility of producing five to 10 minute videos and broadcasting those on our cable access channel and through our social media outlets,” he said. “The partnership with the Bank of Blue Valley was perfect. Other great partners in this project are the KCKCC Media Services Department and our host Robin Torez, and we want to thank them for all their hard work on this video series.”
Funding for the series comes from a $10,000 grant from the Bank of Blue Valley and the Regnier Family Foundation. Both the Bank of Blue Valley and the foundation have a strong focus on entrepreneurial studies and supporting small businesses in the Kansas City area. In fact entrepreneurship and philanthropy have been key areas the bank has focused on since it was founded in the late 1980s. KCKCC is also pursuing an increased focus on entrepreneurship in recent years. This includes the Innovation Summit, held each spring; the new Business Innovation Center and the newly-created entrepreneur certificate program.
“Bank of Blue Valley is pleased to partner with KCKCC on this Entrepreneurial Video Series,” said Bob Regnier, president and CEO of Bank of Blue Valley. “We have always understood the importance and complexity of entrepreneurs, and we’re excited to celebrate some of them with this series and hopefully inspire future entrepreneurs.”
The first video in the series highlights Bill Iler, president of Design Mechanical. Opened in 2003, the company has grown to become one of the top firms in the industry. The video can be seen on the KCKCC YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/KCECable. More videos will soon follow, highlighting entrepreneurs in a variety of different industries throughout the metropolitan area.
“I believe the success of our country is dependent upon innovation and creativity – the vast majority of innovation and new ideas are coming from firms who have been in existence for less than 10 years,” Regnier said. “We are proud to count many of these firms among our clients.”
McCartney said he hopes the video series helps people move toward starting their own businesses and will provide learning opportunities straight from local entrepreneurs’ experiences.
“The purpose of the Entrepreneur Video Series is to promote the successes, and failures, of local entrepreneurs,” he said. “This series will also help promote KCKCC as we expand our focus on entrepreneurship, and we are proud to partner with the Bank of Blue Valley who also puts a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship and supporting small businesses in Kansas City.”
For more information on the KCKCC Endowment Association or on the Entrepreneurial Video Series, call 913-288-7166.
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.