Category: Business

New business opens on Strawberry Hill

Artworks by Charlie Podrebarac are among those at the new Strawberry Hill Forever business in the Strawberry Hill area of Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo from Kathy Hanis)

Strawberry Hill Forever, 406 N. 5th St., Kansas City, Kansas, is now open for business from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily and will remain open through Thursday, Dec. 23, and closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas and throughout the holiday.

The mission of Strawberry Hill Forever is to create a destination for shoppers to purchase merchandise from makers, artists and designers, in Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County, from communities throughout the state of Kansas, according to owner Kathy Hanis.

The new business on Strawberry Hill features art from Kansas artists Stan Herd, Charlie Podrebarac, Mike Savage, Roy Inman, Jamie Lavin, Anthony Oropeza, Darryl Woods, Strawberry Hill artists Marijana Grisnik, Elaine Grisnik, the late Mary Ann Bartkoski and more.

Strawberry Hill Forever is seeking makers and artisans from Strawberry Hill to Piper and Bonner Springs and Argentine to Quindaro. Strawberry Hill Forever plans to work and support youth entrepreneurs and neighborhood organizations.

Strawberry Hill Forever merchandise will include art, jewelry, T-shirts, apparel, signs, home décor, consignment and diverse gift options and specialty items. Some of Kansas City’s best artists will showcase their outstanding art. Other items will eventually include “Strawberry Hill” candles, jewelry, Diversi-Tees, a cookbook, memory books, guest athletes, and book signings.

“It all came about in a dream and the interest and support has been overwhelming. I am passionate about creating hometown pride that is spreading throughout the Strawberry Hill neighborhood and the Kansas City community every day,” said Kathy Hanis, owner, Strawberry Hill Forever LLC.

The new business has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Strawberry-Hill-Forever-109480358259216.

Works by Strawberry Hill artist Marijana Grisnik are among those displayed at Strawberry Hill Forever located in Kansas City, Kansas.
Strawberry Hill Forever includes works by Kansas artists and Strawberry Hill artists, artisans and designers. (Photo from Kathy Hanis)
Strawberry Hill Forever is a new business located at 406 N. 5th St., Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Kathy Hanis)

Oracle buys Cerner for $28.3 billion

Oracle Corp. will buy Cerner in an all-cash tender offer for $95 per share, or about $28.3 billion in equity value, according to an announcement today.

The joint formal news release from Oracle and Cerner comes days after news broke about Oracle acquiring Cerner, which is a Kansas City-based company.

According to the announcement, the transaction is expected to close during calendar year 2022. It is subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions including Cerner stockholders tendering a majority of Cerner’s outstanding shares in the tender offer, the announcement stated.

Oracle provides computer technology for some of the world’s largest industries, including in the financial services, telecom, pharmaceuticals, retail, manufacturing and other areas.

Cerner is a provider of digital information systems used within hospitals to enable medical professionals to deliver better healthcare to individual patients and communities.

Joe Reardon, president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, issued this statement:

“Cerner is a key partner in the Kansas City region and has been for decades. They are an example of a homegrown business that has seen tremendous global success. In fact, the KC Chamber recognized them as the Mr. K Small Business of the Year in 1988 and they have grown to be our region’s largest private employer. Cerner operates in a very competitive and growing market so it is not surprising such a successful company would be sought out by others, especially in a global market.

“We’ve seen recent mergers like Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific, and Sprint and T-Mobile put those KC-grown businesses in stronger positions. In fact, the Sprint Campus became T-Mobile’s second headquarters, and CPKC’s U.S. headquarters is in Kansas City, which puts KC right in the middle of a U.S., Canada, Mexico single line railroad in a newly combined North American rail network. These transformations bring global innovation and exposure.

“Kansas City is an affordable, dynamic city with strong talent at the ready. Whatever the future brings for Cerner, we want to see it continue to grow while keeping strong roots in KC.”

UG offers small business resiliency grants

A new KCK Small Business Resiliency Grant Program has been announced.

The grant is funded through the Unified Government’s allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, according to a spokesman.

The grant was created to help reduce the financial strain on local businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the spokesman stated in a news release.

Businesses may use the funds to prepare for changes in the ways consumers are doing business, including funds for upgrading websites for e-commerce, buildings and physical plant remediation to comply with safety guidelines, software upgrades and professional service support, according to the spokesman.

The expenditure of the funds is subject to the eligibility requirements, rules and regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, according to the spokesman.

For more details, see www.wycokck.org/ARPA.

Local businesses wanting to apply for this grant are asked to submit the required documentation through the Economic Development’s online applicant registration form at KCK Small Business Resiliency Grant, the spokesman stated.

Grant applicants are for eligible to apply for up to $10,000 in funding, and if awarded are not required to accept the full amount of awarded funds. Priority will be given to businesses with fewer than 25 employees, but local businesses may have up to 100 employees. For a complete list of business, expense, and grant type eligibility requirements, review the Small Business Grant Program Overview document.

All businesses that receive grant funds are required to complete a business intake and two hours of business technical assistance training to assist with resiliency, sustainability and business planning.
Grant request applications will begin to be reviewed starting Jan. 4, 2022. The grant application process will remain open until all funds are distributed.

“Small businesses are at the heart of our local economy,” Unified Government Small Business Liaison Shaya Lockett said. “These grants will provide much-needed assistance to help small businesses in KCK adopt new technology and tools to navigate the impacts of the pandemic on our economy.”

For questions, any application accommodations, including technical assistance about the Small Business Grant Program, contact [email protected] or 1-913-386-7600. Phone hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.