Month: February 2015

Registration open for KCKCC’s Innovation Summit

by Kelly Rogge

Kansas City Kansas Community College is preparing for the 2015 KCKCC “Innovation Summit” – one of the premiere start-up pitch competitions in the region.

The 4th annual Innovation Summit is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 3 in the Multi-purpose room of the Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave.

The purpose is to inspire entrepreneurs, individuals and educators to innovate; connect people and organizations; mentor and promote Kansas City’s entrepreneurial spirit and engage and facilitate community leaders so they can promote entrepreneurship as a vital part of the culture and economic health, according to a KCKCC spokesman.

Innovation Summit partners include KCKCC, State Street, MAMTC, SCORE, the Kansas SBDC, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the Wyandotte Economic Development Council, KCSourceLink, the KCK Women’s Chamber, the KCK Chamber of Commerce, the Native American Chamber of Commerce, the Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas Black Chamber of Commerce, the Women’s Business Center, the Central Avenue Betterment Association, the Leavenworth County Development Council, Youth Entrepreneurs Kansas, Emporia State University-KC and SCORE.

“This Innovation Summit is about bringing together lots of people from varying backgrounds and disciplines in order to combine creative ideas so that these innovations can become a reality,” said Jay Matlack, director of business retention and expansion for the Wyandotte Economic Development Council and former director of Workforce Development for KCKCC. “We hope anyone who has an idea feels invited to come as an attendee or attempt pitching their idea so that they can test whether their innovative ideas are feasible.”

After qualified participants give their pitches to the judges and the general audience, investors and attendees will have a chance to walk through the elevator pitch exhibit. This is an opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to answer additional questions from investors, other entrepreneurs, business leaders and venture capitalists for a chance to win a cash award.

There are two divisions in the perfect pitch competition – the general division, for those 19 and above and the high school division, for those who are 14 to 18-years-old. Four chances are available to qualify for the perfect pitch competition. Each pitch person will be given three minutes to pitch an idea, followed by three minutes for questions from the judges. The following are qualifying dates:

• Feb. 23 – KCKCC Flint Building, Room 3619B – 1 to 4 p.m.
• Feb. 26 – KCKCC Flint Building, Room 3619B – 4 to 7 p.m.
• Feb. 28 – KCKCC Flint Building, Room 3619B – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• March 13 – KCKCC Flint Building, Room 3619B – 5 to 8 p.m.

It is recommended that those who want to participate attend the first session if possible. This will give individuals a chance to tryout again on the second or third dates if not selected, according to summit organizers.

In addition, area industry experts will be available to assist participants in preparing for the tryouts. After the tryouts, critiques will be provided, allowing individuals to get free consulting from SCORE, the Women’s Business Center or the KSBDC to improve their pitch prior to the summit.

Those who qualify for the perfect pitch competition are then allowed to set up an exhibit and share their ideas during the elevator pitch exhibit at the Innovation Summit, the spokesman said. Exhibitors will give a 30-second elevator pitch and attendees will invest their Monopoly money in those ideas that interest them. The top six earners (three from the general division and three from the high school division) move onto the perfect pitch competition.

For those who would like to attend the 2015 Innovation Summit, registration is $15.

To reserve a spot at one of the tryout sessions or for questions, call 913-288-7644 or email ahooks@kckcc.edu. Registration for the Innovation Summit can be completed at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-innovation-summit-tickets-15737880424.

Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Warmer weather forecast for Friday; colder Saturday

Today, the high will climb to about 45 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

A south wind of 6 to 8 mph will shift to west northwest in the afternoon, the weather service said.

While there is another opportunity for light precipitation overnight Friday into Saturday behind a cold front, precipitation is likely to be to the north of the Kansas City area, and does not show up in the forecast during the daytime hours Saturday in Kansas City, according to the weather service.

During the day on Saturday, Valentine’s Day, the high will be near 34, according to the weather service, and the west wind will be 6 to 11 mph, becoming north northeast 21 to 17 mph in the morning. Winds may gust as high as 24 mph.

An arctic high pressure ridge will mean temperatures falling into the teens and single digits, according to the weather service. Saturday night, the low will be around 9, with wind chill of minus 5 to 5. The east wind will be 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

The high pressure will push eastward to the Great Lakes area by early Sunday morning, and as it does, an upper-level trough will dig from the Canadian Plains into the Midwest, the weather service said. This provides the lift for snow development beginning early Sunday morning and continuing through the day Sunday, according to the weather service.

There is a 40 percent chance of snow, and if it arrives, the snow could start around midnight and last through 9 p.m. on Sunday, according to the weather service.

Monday through Thursday appears to be dry, with temperatures on Presidents Day, Monday, at a high of 34, the weather service said. Tuesday’s forecast is a high near 26, then Wednesday, near 32, and Thursday, near 36, according to the weather service.

Questions and answers about economic development projects in Kansas City, Kan.

Window on the West
by Mary Rupert

Besides talking about the “border war” issue last Tuesday evening at the Leavenworth Road Association meeting, Mayor Mark Holland also gave an update of various economic development projects and challenges in the community.

The audience at the Leavenworth Road Association meeting, held at Eisenhower Recreation Center, heard his speech and asked plenty of questions for him to answer. Earlier in the day, the announcement was made that Dairy Farmers of America would construct a new 100,000-square foot office building on 98th Street between State Avenue and Parallel Parkway.

Here are some of the other Unified Government projects that he discussed:

Indian Springs – Mayor Holland said there is currently a $1.5 million project to take the asbestos out of Indian Springs. This will have to be done before the buildings are torn down and the area is redeveloped, he said. The mayor said he wanted retail development at Indian Springs, which was a 700,000 square-foot facility.

“We need to bring retail back to the heart of Kansas City, Kan.,” he said, and he is willing to wait for it. While they are working on redevelopment, there is nothing to announce yet, he added. A big-box store such as Walmart or Target would be needed, but they are not doing those kinds of building projects right now, he said.

Downtown – The UG is working on a $14 million community center and grocery store downtown, in the healthy campus project, he said. He is still in the process of raising $7 million for the community center, to be run by the YMCA. Together the buildings represent a $30 million investment, he said. It would be the largest development downtown in two generations, he said. “It would do for that area what Prescott Plaza did for 18th Street,” he said.

American Royal – Mayor Holland said representatives of the American Royal have talked with the governor and him, as well as with other communities, to move from the present location near Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. If there is an interest in it and it makes financial sense, the UG would take a look at it, he said.

It would be similar to the move of U.S. Soccer to Kansas City, Kan., according to the mayor. By itself, U.S. Soccer doesn’t do a lot for Kansas City, Kan., but it would bring a lot of people to the area as tourists or visitors, who would stay in area hotels and spend money at The Legends, he said.

“If it doesn’t work financially, I don’t want us on the hook for something that we can’t afford to do,” he said. Other media have reported the American Royals also has had conversations with Clay County, Mo., about moving.

The mayor added that the UG could not be the only partner for the American Royal for it to succeed; there would have to be other partners.

Casino hotel – The UG Commission asked the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway to wait until a feasibility study was done to see if a convention center was feasible in Wyandotte County, he said.

The study said a Bartle Hall-type convention center wasn’t feasible. If one were built similar to Overland Park, it would just take away business from Overland Park and Bartle Hall and not add new conventions to the area, he said. So, the UG is looking at exhibit space and other alternatives to see how it can fund another tourist draw, he said. He wouldn’t mind another arena, as currently, all three stadiums are closed for the season, and no one is coming to the community while they are closed.

A year-round arena could draw tourists, he believes, for events such as youth sports, but he wants it to make financial sense. Could it be built, he asked, without a long-term taxpayer subsidy? He said while he didn’t like the idea of a long-term taxpayer subsidy, he did not oppose a taxpayer incentive for it.

Since the feasibility study did not show any reason to change the plans for a hotel, the hotel proposal at the casino is moving forward, he said, and should go to a Standing Committee on March 9.

The EPA building downtown – Mayor Holland said the Environmental Protection Agency office building downtown, now vacant, has changed hands, and is owned by a real estate investment team. It has been sold a couple of times, he said. There have been a couple of nibbles, but because it is 200,000 square feet and was made specially for the EPA, it would be difficult to subdivide, he said. It would take a very large company to take that much space, he added. “It’s high on our radar screen for downtown,” he said.

While there has been talk about making the EPA building into a convention center or a new city hall, Holland thought that might be a disaster. The current Reardon convention center is only 20,000 square feet, the EPA building is 10 times that size, and it was built for offices, not conventions, he said. Currently, they are looking at selling the Hilton Garden Inn, he said. Holland said the EPA was the No. 1 user of the Hilton Garden Inn, and now the American Royal is the top user of the Hilton Garden Inn.

Leavenworth Road corridor – Mayor Holland said the infrastructure needs to be redone on Leavenworth Road, such as curbs and sidewalks, and utility infrastructure. He said it should be a historic byway, not a four-lane parkway. Maybe it could have historic period lighting. A master plan would be developed, and once approved, the project might be developed in small segments at a time, he said. From 62nd Street to I-635 might be the first stretch.

The Woodlands – The closed Woodlands racetrack on 400 acres at 9700 Leavenworth Road is caught in a dispute at the state, according to Mayor Holland. The state would take a higher percentage for slots at The Woodlands than it does at the casinos, and the racetracks have said that they cannot afford to open at that percentage. All parimutuel racetracks in Kansas are now closed, he said, largely because of the lack of slot machines and the law outlining the percentages. The UG has lobbied against reopening the bill, as it does not want to risk the success of the casino, he said.

There have been nibbles as to what might locate at The Woodlands, he said. While there has been discussion about the American Royal there, the Woodlands buildings might have to be torn down if that were the case, and existing buildings might not be salvageable, he said. It might take $20 million to restore the facilities for racing, he added. Also, the American Royal might want to locate closer to The Legends, within walking distance, he said.

Wyandotte County Fairgrounds – The fairgrounds, 137th and Polfer Road, has been struggling, according to the mayor and Commissioner Jane Philbrook. Philbrook said there is an effort to try to get groups to work together, including the fair board, the Extension and 4-H. She said it would cost about $28,000 to get a fairgrounds study brought up to date, so she suggested putting some of District 5’s funding there, then take the new study and get other groups to support the fairgrounds as a destination location.

To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email maryr@wyandottepublishing.com.