Entrepreneurs at KCKCC Innovation Summit hear from successful startup CEO

Toby Rush, CEO of EyeVerify, gave the keynote address at the third annual Innovation Summit. The summit is held by Kansas City Kansas Community College. (KCKCC photo)

by Kelly Rogge

The 3rd Annual Kansas City Kansas Community College Innovation Summit took place April 4 on the KCKCC campus.

The keynote speaker, Toby Rush, CEO of EyeVerify, captivated the audience by telling his story about the growth of his startup businesses.

Approximately 325 people attended throughout the event and interacted with entrepreneurs in both high school and general categories.

Twelve high school representatives from Blue Valley, Basehor, Shawnee Mission and Wyandotte as well as a home school student offered creative innovations in sporting and medical equipment, drone technology, IT, pet grooming and more. Twelve adult representatives offered innovations in medical devices, recreational equipment, culinary arts, IT, safety and other areas.

Participants voted, using fake money, on exhibits which had the highest potential. While the “votes” were counted, a panel of successful entrepreneurs including Joyce Williams (beauty products), Joey Soto (coffee sales) and Edgar Galicia (printing and graphic design) provided highlights of their entrepreneurial journey. A luncheon address was delivered by Kansas City, Kan., Mayor Mark Holland.

Six finalists in each category competed with their three-minute pitch in front of the judges. The judges included expert bankers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, educators, and investors. In the general category, the first place prize of $2,500 went to Kristen and Katelin Karlin with Ship and Dip. Second place went to Charlie Chick with Flame Shield. Third place went to Greg Hardin with Awesome Mascot Media. The winner of the People’s Choice Awards was Nick and Nadine Civitello with the Intoxicator.

In the high school category, first place award of $2,500 went to Natlie Cabell with Dove Glove. Second place went to Kaitlyn Kotterman and Catie Dunn with Serve it LLC, and third place went to Caleb Moser with Mint Mug. The People’s Choice recipient was Kotterman and Dunn with Serve It LLC.

The Innovation Summit, originated by Kansas City Kansas Community College Workforce Development, is successful, due to a large amount of community support through sponsors and partners. State Street Bank served as the Platinum Sponsor with $10,000 of prize money. The University of Missouri-Kansas City sponsored the breakfast. Other financial sponsors included Youth Entrepreneurs, Unified Government of Wyandotte County, the Wyandotte Economic Development Council, Kansas Small Business Development Center, KCSourceLink, KCK Chamber, KCK Women’s Chamber, Sam’s Club and Emporia State University-KC.

Summit partners who helped with planning and execution included the Women’s Business Center, Unified Government, SCORE, the KCK Black Chamber, Leavenworth County Development Council, EyeVerify, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Central Avenue Betterment Association.

The KCKCC Workforce Development Team is considering expanding the 2015 Summit to include additional pitch competitions by summit winners at regional and national contests.

For more information, call 913-288-7284 or email Marisa Gray, business development liaison for Workforce Development at KCKCC, at [email protected].

Police hold meet-and-greet event with public

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department recently held a meet-and-greet session with the public at Trinity Community Church hall, 5010 Parallel Parkway. (Photo by William Crum)

by William Crum

Recently, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department held a meet-and-greet session at the Trinity Community Church, 5010 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan.

This event was designed for the public to meet local police officers.

By having these meet-and-greet sessions, this allows the public to interact with the Police Department.

The hoped-for result is that the public will feel more comfortable with the Police Department, and that the Police Department may have extra eyes in the community, leading to a crime reduction.

Kansas City, Kan., Interim Police Chief Ellen Hanson recently met with the public at a meet-and-greet event held at the Trinity Community Church hall, 5010 Parallel Parkway. (Photo by William Crum)

Enrollment open for KCKCC’s new ESOL program

by Kelly Rogge

Enrollment is starting for the Kansas City Kansas Community College’s English for Speakers of Other Languages Program and changes are coming for the fall semester.

The goal of the program is to help those who need to improve their English skills.

Students can choose academic ESOL or adult basic education ESL classes, depending on their current fluency and personal goals.

After being admitted to KCKCC, students are tested using the COMPASS ESL placement test.

Test scores are then used to help students with selecting classes.

Any student whose first language is not English or has not developed adequate academic English skills should meet with the ESOL department for assistance.

There will, however, be an exciting change to the program beginning in fall 2014.

The program will change from six levels to four, allowing students to complete ESOL in two years instead of three.

Liz Holloway, ESOL coordinator at KCKCC, said the curriculum change will be more compatible with the COMPASS testing and will allow students to make it through the program in less time.

“With the change, students will be able to move onto their content classes much faster,” she said. “We are excited about the new curriculum. It has been a work in process, but we are now ready to roll it out.”

The ESOL program is broken into several parts – reading, listening and speaking, writing and grammar and vocabulary.

During the first two semesters, students are solely in ESOL classes. Then, beginning in the third semester, schedules can become more individualized, depending on the student’s fluency.

Grammar is also separated from writing during the last two semesters, and students have the option of taking classes outside the ESOL program.

Other classes such as Improving Pronunciation are offered on an as-needed basis.

Holloway said the new curriculum allows for more accurate placement within the course sequence.

Currently, not all classes are offered during the fall and spring semesters.

So if students were to need a specific class in the fall, they might have to wait before being able to take it.

In the new course sequence, all classes will be offered in both the fall and spring semesters.

The new restructuring will also give students the opportunity to be better prepared as they transition into mainstream classes.

“This change will provide more intense foundation work at Levels 1 and 2,” Holloway said. “In Levels 3 and 4, the curriculum has been redesigned to present more English for academic purposes.”

For more information on the ESOL program, to enroll or to make an appointment, call 913-288-7625 or 913-288-7380. Students can also stop by the ESOL Office, Room 3415, during normal office hours. Information is also available by emailing Holloway at [email protected].