KC Options | 2012-2013

Olathe Chamber of Commerce

Hallmark

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table of contents

Contributors Writers and photographers cover Kansas City from the inside out

Letter from the KCADC

Artistry and technology collide to make Kansas City America’s Creative Crossroads

Tidbits

The people and places gaining recognition for Kansas City the world over

Essay: Jessica Nelson

How this young professional made it big in Kansas City

WORKING

Professionals from all around the world come to Kansas City to live their dreams

living

The Kansas City metro is a network of lively, unique neighborhoods

FACES OF AMERICA’S CREATIVE CROSSROADS

Up close with 32 Kansas City creatives

endmark

Kansas City leaves a lasting impression on visitors and residents alike 6

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contributors Randy Braley 2012/2013 Edition

Born and raised in St. Louis, Braley moved to Kansas City to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After nearly 20 years working for local

president & Group publisher, anthem publishing inc. dara macan

architectural and engineering firms, he pursued his passion for

Executive Editor, Lifestyle Group Katie Van Luchene

photography and now shoots for Patagonia and his Kansas City clients.

senior Editor, business fred bauters senior Editor, lifestyle kate brosseau

PETE DULIN Food writer Pete Dulin is editor of “Last Bite, 100 Simple Recipes from Kansas City’s Best Chefs and Cooks,” with photography by Roy Inman

associate editor kaitlin motley art director sara steffens

(lastbitecookbook.com). His work can be found in KC Magazine,

Senior graphic designer lauren keirsey

Kansas City Star Magazine and others.

Contributing writers PETE DULIN, NATALIE MCALLISTER, susan fotovich mccabe

GARY ROHMAN Educated on the West Coast at Brooks Institute of Photography, Rohman has an eye for capturing cinematic moments with movement and emotion. He has developed his photography skills in Kansas City and has photographed subjects from Barack Obama to Bo Diddley.

contributing Photographers farshid assassi, David Bickley, randy braley, julie GREEN, Pete Dulin, Cameron Gee, Kenny johnson, phil kline, michael mcClure, mark mcdonald, ryan nicholson, julia Parris, gary rohman, lisarae Turnbull-0livia, Allistar Tutton, jenny wheat, derrick yule EDITORIAL INTERNs ERIN DONALDSON, mary kastor, alex kluesner, KATHLEEN MARTIN, MEGAN O’NEILL, MICHAEL TANNER, HANNAH WESTBERG _______________________________________________________ events sales manager cherice kastner ADVERTISING sales manager ROBIN ATKINS

SUSAN FOTOVICH MCCABE

Senior client services managers Angela Alpert, jessica bokath

Fotovich McCabe is a freelance writer based in Kansas City. Her expertise

events coordinator jessica earnshaw

spans a wide array of industries, including agribusiness, aviation,

KCADC vice president, communications Ashlie hand

biosciences, animal health, consumer products, architecture and children with special needs.

KCADC vice president, marketing and creative Jonathan knecht KCADC specialist, marketing AND public relations Jessica Nelson _______________________________________________________ chief executive officer brian weaver

KENNY JOHNSON A resident of the Kansas City area for 35 years, Johnson considers himself practically a native. His photos have been published in Time, among a variety of trade publications. When he’s not spending time with his children, he enjoys running and relishing in Kansas City’s rich history.

chief FINANCIAL officer DAVID ALVERSON chief operating officer don ransdell President of Drive Digital Media and Executive vice president of Anthem erin calvin vice president, human resources & administration angela weaver

DERRICK YULE

division executives tom pokorny, dennis triola

Yule is a self-taught photographer in Kansas City, Mo. He works to combine his love of photography and philanthropy to inform others and make a difference in the world by partnering with nonprofits to celebrate life and help humanity along the way.

Green, owner of Danelle Photography, was born in Kansas City. After slinging drinks as a bartender for many years, she switched to photography and specializes in event, real estate, corporate, editorial, food and nonprofit photography.

NATALIE MCALLISTER Involved in all things writing, McAllister is a freelance journalist, communications specialist and public relations consultant. A fiction writer by heart, McAllister is writing her first novel. Her short stories have

credit MANAGER BOB ROGERS accounts payable analyst deana hicks

editorial and sales offices 7101 College blvd., Ste. 400 overland park, ks 66210 913-894-6923 | thisisamg.com KC OPTIONS MAGAZINE is published yearly at 7101 College Blvd., Ste. 400, Overland Park, KS 66210, www.kcmag.com, 913-894-6923. All contents copyright ©2010 by Anthem Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents, without the prior written permission of the publisher, is prohibited. For reprints of articles contact Nick Iademarco at Wright Media (281-419-5725, niademarco@wrightsreprints.com). KC OPTIONS is a trade name of Anthem Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Unsolicited photographs, illustrations, or articles are submitted at the risk of the photographer/artist/author. Anthem Publishing Inc. assumes no liability for the return of unsolicited materials and may use them at its discretion. Articles contained in the magazine do not constitute tax or legal advice.

Consult your tax or legal advisor before making any tax- or legally related investment decisions. Articles are published for general informational purposes only and are not an offer or solicitation to sell or buy any securities or commodities. Any particular investment should be analyzed based on its terms and risks as they relate to your individual circumstances and objectives. All letters, photos and manuscripts submitted to Anthem Publishing Inc, either solicited or unsolicited, become the sole property of Anthem Publishing Inc, and may be used and published in any manner whatsoever without limit and without obligation and liability to the author, photographer, artist or owner thereof.

ABC AUDITED

been published in Glimmer Train and Coal City Review.

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corporate accountant Shannon Simmons

executive assistant Brooke Novey

JULIE Green

8

controller stuart youngs

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america’s creative crossroads

The Kansas City region has a legacy of artistic and entrepreneurial

Through digital storytelling, social media, national publicity

innovation spanning more than 125 years. Today, the KC metro

and compelling imagery, America’s Creative Crossroads is

has one of America’s most inventive and creative cultures. A new

telling the stories of some of KC’s most creative people, places

collaborative campaign, America’s Creative Crossroads, highlights

and companies. Earning national publicity and using social

the Kansas City area as an intersection of artistry and technology.

media as a broadcaster for our region will amplify Kansas City’s

It is designed to elevate the KC region in the minds of potential

lifestyle assets and creative personalities.

residents, visitors, talented professionals and businesses.

With companies and people that design many of the nation’s premier

the passion and energy of Kansas City’s many creative personalities

sustainable buildings, create James Beard award-winning culinary

vividly express our city’s reinvigorated spirit. This compelling new

dishes, deliver internationally recognized performances, showcase a

narrative for KC is told through the bold images, words and lives of

gigabit-speed fiber network and win the Pulitzer Prize for music,

some its most inventive, prolific and influential residents.

Kansas City is a thriving national hub for arts and innovation.

The campaign was developed in 2011 by a collaborative

America’s Creative Crossroads is working to put Kansas City on

regional group of organizations charged with national and regional

the map to make our region a lifestyle and business destination,

pro¬motion. Area partners, including the Kansas City Area

as well as a hotbed for top talent. With the Baby Boomer

Development Council, the Kansas City Convention and Visitors

generation quickly approaching retirement and the population

Association, Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City and the

of Generation X being significantly smaller, there will be more

Arts Council of Johnson County, came together to develop a

positions for a company to fill than there are individuals. This

common messaging platform focused on Kansas City’s uniquely

gap creates a major race for talent, and cities across the country

creative culture. The mission of this campaign is to attract more

will be forced to compete for the most skilled individuals. The

visitors, residents, businesses and cultural participation for the

America’s Creative Crossroads campaign will help Kansas City

benefit of the greater Kansas City region.

gain a competitive advantage in this race, staying top of mind for young professionals looking to start or further a career.

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Through intimate black-and-white portraits (starting on p. 71),

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tidbits TRACY PANKO In cities across the nation, the number of female CEOs is on the rise, and with figures like Tracy Panko setting the example, Kansas City is no exception. She’s CEO at Spiral16, a company that provides Web-monitoring software for businesses seeking to improve marketing strategies. “There’s a lot of successful business people in Kansas City who are willing to mentor others, and there are many strong support programs here for startups as well as established businesses,”

photo by gary rohman

Panko says. “The ability to network with successful people has been terrific for my personal growth and for the growth of Spiral16.” —H.W.

A BEACON OF CREATIVITY When Frommer’s named Kansas City one of its Top Destinations for 2012—the only American city on the list—the fourth word in the write-up was “Kauffman”—as in, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The iconic addition to the KC skyline, built by renowned architect Moshe Safdie, embodies the spirit of America’s Creative Crossroads. This is the house that Kansas City built.

The Center’s state-of-the-art acoustics in Helzberg Hall and the Muriel Kauffman Theatre have drawn the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Itzhak Perlman, the Kansas City Symphony, Lyric

JULIÁN ZUGAZAGOITIA

Opera and the KC Ballet. But beyond the fine arts, the Kauffman also

Zugazagoitia has found his home in Kansas City as

has become a natural choice as venue for high-profile events. It played

CEO and director of the acclaimed Nelson-Atkins Museum

host to business consultants from around the world during the All-Star

of Art, after working with museums around the globe.

game in July. When E!’s Giuliana Rancic came to KC earlier this year

Since taking the helm of the museum two years ago,

to emcee a fundraiser for Truman Medical Centers, it was a Kauffman

he’s repositioned the museum’s role in Kansas City as

stage where she took the mic. KCnext, the technology council of

an accessible piece of the community. “In the past,

greater Kansas City, has hosted tech conferences there, and Teva,

people thought they had to be an art scholar to enjoy

a pharmaceutical company, held its 2012 associates meeting at the

a museum, but I think that perception is changing,”

Kauffman Center. When VML’s Mike Lundgren organized a TED

he says. “I want people to think of the Nelson as a safe

event for Kansas City, it also was held at the Kauffman.

place.” Zugazagoitia is accomplishing that by doing

The convergence of industries on the Center, from fine arts to

things like partnering with Latino organizations for an

pharmaceuticals, has made it a Midwest icon for creativity. The

annual Day of the Dead celebration and initiating a

distinguishing characteristic of the Kauffman is accessibility, not only to

series of sit-down chats with curators called “Art Tasting

various industries but also to the entire Kansas City community.

with Julián.” —K.M.

The Center’s Open Doors program connects families and children to the performing arts by mitigating the cost of transportation

WILLIAM ROSE

and reducing or eliminating ticket prices. The GRAMMY Museum

His talent came as a surprise—an “ah-ha” moment of sorts years

launched its Music Revolution Project, whereby select high school and

into an IT career. After stumbling upon his previously untapped talent,

college students develop their artistic talents and entrepreneurial skills.

the figurative artist and Prairie Village, Kan., resident saw his future

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, though it’s one of the

as a blank canvas. Twelve years later, his ability to covey the power

most technically advanced performance halls in the nation, has been a

of emotion in a human face through charcoal and oils has earned

symbol of creativity across industries in KC. And, with its wave-like

him national recognition. Rose’s work has been purchased by prominent

steel exterior, it’s made ripples in cultural scenes the world over. —E.D.

collectors across the United States, featured on the prestigious cover of American Artist Magazine, and most recently commissioned in the Eastwoods’ film, “The Forger.” —M.O.

resources: Spiral16 spiral16.com, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art nelson-atkins.org Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

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tidbits

UMKC BLOCH SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT The University of Missouri-Kansas City radiates a strong entrepreneurial spirit beneficial for business at both the local and national level. In March 2012, the Journal of Product Innovation Management ranked UMKC as the No. 1 university in the world for innovation management research, in front of institutions such as MIT, Harvard and Stanford. UMKC’s entrepreneurial strengths create a magnetic force in Kansas City, attracting top firms, talent and new businesses to the area. Plus, research conducted in the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at UMKC impacts the national community, yielding economic insight for companies involved in new product and service development. ––H.W.

WE HAVE AN APP FOR THAT No industry strives in a constant state of flux quite like the tech sector. Today, the intersection of Kansas City’s creative minds, technological talent and business structure has generated ample success, and the Android market is riding that wave.

With Sprint placed advantageously in Kansas City’s backyard, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Kansas City is top-ranked in Android app development, according to a study by VentureBeat. Android continues to be the much-favored platform for software developers.

NATIONAL WWI MUSEUM

Along with Sprint, information technology companies such as

From the south edge of downtown Kansas City, the 217-foot Liberty Memorial reaches upward like a

Cerner, Garmin and Perceptive Software have drawn a currency of talent since the beginning of the technology boom.

number one. Okay, maybe not exactly like that, but it’s

But KC’s creative population is what truly keeps app

an easy association to make after TripAdvisor named

development so competitive. These creative minds are aligning

it Kansas City’s No. 1 attraction. The tower marks the

with Kansas City’s infrastructure, telecommunication talent and a

nation’s only museum dedicated solely to preserving the

tax and business structure that is supportive of startups—most of

events of “The War to End All Wars.”

which happen to be app and mobile software developers.

Visitors can hop an elevator to the top of the tower,

“It’s not ironic that we’re in the middle of the country and these

where they’ll find a spectacular view of downtown—the

aspects are all aligning,” says Ryan Weber, president of KCnext,

Kauffman Center, Union Station, the Convention Center

Kansas City’s technology council. “Our surroundings are what

Sky Stations, One Kansas City Place, the Marriott hotel’s

keep us competitive.”

Besides fostering a robust entrepreneurial community, Kansas

animated facade and more in a single view.

Below the tower and its adjacent Memorial Hall and

City offers plenty of angel investor groups, incubators and private

Exhibit Hall lies the main attraction, a 32,000-foot

equity funds supportive of app creators and tech startups, says

exhibit titled “The World War, 1914–1919.” And you

Steve Roatch, CEO of 27 Global.

won’t encounter velvet ropes or “Do not touch” signs—

Always is this industry moving forward, and the numbers

the museum is meant to be interactive. Visitors get down

tell all. Android has far more application users than Apple, and

in the trenches of war with realistic trench scenes

with a growing need for software developers in the region,

scattered throughout the exhibit, complete with sound

the creative juices for Kansas City’s Android app development

effects of trench life and recorded statements, bringing the

are flowing. —M.O.

war to a personal level. Interactive tablets invite visitors to create patriotic posters, follow battle maps and learn the inner-workings of a Lewis machine gun.

In preparation for the World War I centennial, Liberty Memorial recently underwent nearly $5 million of improvements to make it even more visitor-friendly.

Now. it’s ready for its close-up. —K.M.

14

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KARA LARICKS She renders designs so non-traditionalist, genderless and edgy, it’s hard to believe a few years back this Overland Park, Kan., native was a fourth-grade teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District. After leaving the chalkboard and scholastic track, Laricks tried her hand in fashion, a decision that led her to the competitive stomping ground of designing elite in New York City and eventually NBC’s “Fashion Star.” As the winner of season one, Laricks has earned more than $6.6 million in contracts with Macy’s, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue. —M.O.

KC ORIGINALs ERIC ROSEN When he came to KC Repertory Theatre four years ago, Artistic Director Eric Rosen had a choice: play it safe or shake

Hallmark: 1910—Joyce Clyde Hall, 18, steps off a train in Kansas City with nothing

things up. He chose boldness over

more than two shoeboxes filled with picture postcards under his arm. Today, Hallmark

safety, opening his first season with a

is a $4.1 billion business selling greeting cards and making meaningful connections

hip-hop performance that raised the

in 38,000 retail stores in more than 100 counties.

curtain on an era that leaps away from the expected and traditional. The risk is

Helzberg Diamonds: 1915—Russian immigrant Morris Helzberg starts a small jewelry

paying off, as Kansas City embraced the

store in Kansas City, with help from his five children. After Morris’ disabling stroke, the

new approach. “Our most exciting and

responsibility of the store falls to his youngest, Barnett, at age 14. He helped the business

audience-pleasing plays also have been

weather the Great Depression and passed the reins to his son, Barnett Jr., who thought up

our most obscure and experimental,”

the overwhelmingly successful “I Am Loved” campaign in 1967. By the time Warren Buffet

Rosen says. As the theatre celebrates

bought the company in 1995, it was the third-largest jewelry retailer in the country.

its 50th anniversary, Rosen has led it to a national stage with several world

Disney: 1923—Walt Disney signs a contract with M.J. Winkler to produce a series called

premieres, including “Venice,” a show

“The Alice Comedies.” On the corner of 31st and Forest at the Laugh-O-Gram studio in

he co-wrote that is now in production

midtown Kansas City, Disney brought Mickey Mouse to life. Disney frequently said, “I only

for a New York premier. —K.M.

hope that we never lose sight of one thing, that it started with a mouse”—in Kansas City.

H&R Block: 1946—Henry Bloch and his brother, Leon, borrow $5,000 from their aunt with a desire to help small businesses succeed. The result: United Business Company, providing bookkeeping services from a rented office on Main Street in Kansas City. After advertising their tax preparation services in The Kansas City Star, the brothers found their focus. Today, the renamed H&R Block prepares one in every seven tax returns in more than 12,000 offices in the U.S. Cerner: 1980—Founding members Neal Patterson, Clifford Illig and Paul Group leave former company Arthur Anderson, establish Cerner and transform the face of health care.

photo by michael McClure

resources: Kansas City Repertory Theatre

The company’s first application, PathNet, provides a comprehensive information system for laboratory clinicians. In 2012, Cerner’s second-quarter revenue increased 22 percent from a year ago, totaling $637 million in revenue.

kcrep.org, H&R Block hrblock.com, Hallmark hallmark.com, Cerner cerner.com, Garmin

Garmin: 1989—Gary Burrell and Min Kao rent office space with a few folding chairs

garmin.com, National World War I Museum

and a card table in Lenexa, Kan., after raising $4 million from investors and their own

theworldwar.org, Henry W. Bloch School of

savings. Now based in Olathe, Kan., the company derived from the founders’ first

Management bloch.umkc.edu, Perceptive

names has more than 9,200 associates in 35 offices worldwide. —E.D.

Software perceptivesoftware.com Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

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tidbits A CHAMELEON CITY These days, Kansas City is known for a flourishing arts scene symbolized by the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, a hotbed of technology innovation rooted in major tech corporations like Garmin and Cerner, and a knack for cocktails that has snagged the attention of BBC Travel, The New York Times and Esquire. But once a year, Kansas Citians slip into a well-worn pair of boots and celebrate the city’s humbler beginnings in agriculture and livestock: The American Royal turns KC back into a cowtown.

The Royal, founded in 1899 as a livestock show, is now one of KC’s most prolific events, featuring horse shows, rodeos, livestock auctions, parade and, most notably, the World Series of Barbecue. The event rakes in more than $60 million in annual revenue. Held in the West Bottoms, home to the city’s former livestock yards, the Royal has a gritty, historic atmosphere that will soon get a facelift, as The American Royal and the Kemper family have announced plans to build a new Agricultural Events Center, which ultimately could draw $15 million more in annual revenue.

And “cowtown” isn’t the only identity KC eagerly adopts throughout the year. The city is host to a handful of high-profile events that grab the metro in a stranglehold of excitement and buzz.

For example, in March, Kansas City becomes center of the college basketball universe.

The Big 12 Basketball Championship tournament has been held in Kansas City 11 times since its inception in 1997. KC’s central location to Big 12 juggernauts like the University of Kansas and Kansas State University draws throngs of students, alumni and fans. KC has produced the top four attendance averages for the tournament, and seven of the top eight, with a $14 million impact each year. The Sprint Center, where the tournament first played in 2008, also will host regional action of the NCAA Tournament in 2013. Then, Kansas City will become a full-blown March Madness town.

Last July, the city’s identity was “host of the MLB All-Star game.” After a week of celebrations, blue-colored fountains, FanFest and the Home Run Derby, Major League Baseball declared Kansas City one of the best cities ever to host All-Star Week. FanFest brought 119,092 visitors (fourth highest ever) and a 19 percent increase in merchandise sales.

KC becomes the place for indie music and tech development at an incredible value each spring thanks to Middle of the Map Fest. Similar to South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Middle of the Map features three days of bands, tech and culture forums and more. In its second year in 2012, the fest drew more than 6,000 people to the Westport district for just $35 for a weekend pass.

And while Middle of the Map is fresh on the scene, Kansas City’s rich Irish roots landed it on U.S. News’ list of America’s top 10 St. Patrick’s Day parades. Started In 1873, floats and bands fill the streets before everyone heads to Westport for some brews. —M.T.

WHEELS UP Flight times from Kansas City KC....................LA ............................ 2 hours, 43 minutes KC....................NYC ........................ 2 hours, 12 minutes KC....................Chicago . .................. 49 minutes

resources: Hammerpress hammerpress.net,

KC....................Seattle . ..................... 3 hours

Teva Neuroscience tevapharm-na.com, Blue

KC....................Detroit ..................... 1 hour, 17 minutes KC....................Miami....................... 2 hours, 29 minutes Source: travelmath.com 16

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Valley School District bluevalleyk12schools.org, Digital Promise digitalpromise.org, Lee’s Summit R-7 School District lsr7.org

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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE “There’s no silver bullet when it comes to education, but technology can be a powerful tool,” says President Barack Obama about Digital Promise, a nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to use technology to improve education. The sentiment is one known all too well by Kansas City—the Kansas City Public School district continues to work to regain accreditation, yet in much of the metro area, students far exceed standards and are recognized nationally for excellence.

Blue Valley School District, located in the south-KC suburb of Overland Park, is one of just 35 districts nationwide selected as a member of the League of Innovative Schools, launched in partnership with Digital Promise in 2011. For a while, technology like cell phones and electronics were a no-no in the classroom; however, in a March meeting with the League, educators sought strategies to harness the potential of technology for learning.

“Innovation in the classroom is critical to student success now and in the future,” said Superintendent Tom Trigg in a statement. “Blue Valley is honored to take part in this very important initiative that will change how we think about educating students in the future.”

The League of Innovative Schools wasn’t the first major recognition for Blue Valley: All five Blue Valley high schools were named to Newsweek’s list of America’s top 1,000 public high schools; 38 students were named National Merit Finalists and the Kansas Master Teacher Award has been given to a Blue Valley faculty member 18 times.

photo by ryan nicholson

Blue Valley is joined to the east by the Lee’s Summit R-7 district. Consistently scoring above the state average on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test, the

BRADY VEST

Lee’s Summit district class of 2011 received $26.8 million in scholarship potential.

This print-maker has put his own stamp

“Consistent success is always important, and I am especially proud that our school

on Kansas City prints with Hammerpress, a

district has earned Missouri’s Distinction in Performance Award all 11 years it has been

studio that’s bringing back old-fashioned

offered,” says superintendent Dr. David McGehee. “More remarkably, Lee’s Summit

letterpress techniques with a fresh eye for

R-7 is among a handful of districts statewide earning this award with a perfect score

design. The store, located in the Crossroads Arts

all 11 years.” McGehee added that the R-7 high schools were ranked first, second and

District, has become a Kansas City favorite

third among KC metro-area districts for ACT college entrance test scores.

that brings scores of customers who are

In Olathe, Kan., Pioneer Trail Middle School was a finalist for the National Middle

searching for cards that push the envelope.

School of the Year Award given by the National Association of Middle Schools and also

Vest leads the studio in creating vibrant

was named a Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School for the 2011–2012 year. As a whole,

letterpress designs with rich layers and

the district has 17 National Blue Ribbon School awards from the U.S. Department

textures in vintage styles, the signature marks

of Education and exceeded all other Kansas schools in the number of

of Hammerpress creations. The printmaking

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

company also collaborates with bands

received since 1990. Standard & Poor’s rated Olathe Public Schools 99

and marketing teams to create concert

percent effective in spending state education dollars. —M.T.

and event posters. —K.M.

TEVA TEVA Neuroscience is leading the fight against diseases like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s from its location in Overland Park, Kan. A subsidiary of TEVA Pharmaceuticals, TEVA Neuroscience markets products to combat signs and symptoms of debilitating neurological disorders such as MS and Parkinson’s.

TEVA also has created programs for patient education and advocacy, including Shared Solutions for MS patients. —M.T. Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

17

tidbits THE KAUFFMAN FAMILY Beyond the Kansas City limits, most folks equate the name “Kauffman” with Kauffman

WATER.ORG

Stadium, home of the KC Royals and host of

Co-founded by civil and environmental

the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. Here, however,

engineer Gary White and actor Matt

“Kauffman” means more—innovation, dedication,

Damon in 2009, Water.org helps

philanthropy, prosperity, all brought to Kansas

people in developing countries obtain

City by the Kauffman family. Although both

safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Ewing and Muriel Kauffman have passed

Kansas City headquarters the nonprofit,

away, their imprint remains distinct through

and Rosemary Gudelj, a Water.org

two foundations: The Ewing Marion Kauffman

employee, knows the benefits of

Foundation and The Muriel McBrien Kauffman

location. “The cost of living is much

Foundation. The former focuses on improving

lower here than bigger cities, allowing

education and entrepreneurship, and the latter

us to make the most of our donor

fosters the arts. —H.W.

dollars,” Gudelj says. “And generosity is a part of the fabric of the Kansas City culture.” —E.D.

BNIM Innovative, gorgeous and revolutionary are just a few words used to describe BNIM projects. From the Nelson-Atkins’ Bloch Building and Egyptian Gallery to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, this architecture firm amazes passersby with its cutting-edge designs, but also maintains an unwavering focus on environmental build projects, with many designs being LEED certified or otherwise environmentally conscious. —M.T.

photo by kenny johnson MICHAEL SMITH It’s a common name, but type “Michael Smith” into the Google search box, and out of the 782 million (and counting) search results, “Michael Smith—A locally owned fine dining restaurant” claims top spot. Winner of the “Best Chef Midwest” James Beard Award, Smith has appeared in multiple national food publications like Gourmet and Bon Appetit, as well as appearing in a number of major

resources: BNIM bnim.com, UMKC Conservatory of Music and

ad campaigns, including Grey Poupon mustard. —E.D.

Dance conservatory.umkc.edu, MINDDRIVE minddrive.org 18

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Kansas city BY the Numbers Median household income ................ $53,919 Median sales price of existing single-family home .......................... $124,400

Median Salaries

Median rent ........................................... $766

Accountant, level 1 ................................. $29,994

Cost of living index ................................. 99.4

Systems Programmer .............................. $47,310

Grocery index ......................................... 98.9

Engineering Technician .......................... $60,402

Transportation index .............................. 98.7

Human Resources Specialist .................. $55,550 Licensed Practical Nurse ........................ $36,910 Physical Therapist . ................................. $70,772 Pharmacist ............................................ $109,054 Source: Society of Human Resource Management of Greater Kansas City Inc.

MINDDRIVE One car. Fifteen students. Ten days. Twenty-four hundred

people who were interested in alternative fuel and in the fact that

miles. It’s a challenge that the team at MINDDRIVE, a nonprofit

these high school students achieved something pretty big. We got

after-school program for at-risk high school students in Kansas

lead escorts in small towns, where the whole community would

City, confronted head on in June 2012, garnering national

literally show up to see us, we talked to clean energy coalitions

attention for driving across the country in an electric car they

and like-minded environmental groups and we even talked with

built themselves.

some petroleum companies.”

Founded by three Kansas Citians seeking to rewire the

In addition to recognition for its drive, MINDDRIVE has

educational system, MINDDRIVE uses real-world issues to

gotten nods from the Huffington Post, Wired magazine and

teach students in Kansas City’s urban core critical thinking,

numerous international design magazines in Germany, Hungary,

creativity and entrepreneurship in current and environmentally

the United Kingdom and China.

critical projects. The program enables students to complete these

The accomplishments of MINDDRIVE have ignited a global

projects by providing them with the resources they need to

interest in these kinds of educational programs. “[MINDDRIVE]

apply science, math and state-of the-art technology to design and

is a new model of learning that has had proven results,” Buchner

develop functional solutions.

says. “Kansas City has been the perfect place for a program like

In January 2012, MINDDRIVE students began working on

this to start and to gain momentum.” —H.W.

their latest endeavor, Project Lotus, which involved revamping a 1977 Lotus Esprit into an electric car that would achieve 600 miles per gallon at a steady 60 miles-per-hour rate. After months of transforming LOTUS, 15 students and several mentors from the MINDDRIVE team embarked on their coast-to-coast mission, driving from San Diego, Calif., to Jacksonville, Fla., to prove that electric cars are viable for long-distance travel.

Along their route, the team made periodic stops to meet with communities and students to share Project Lotus and discuss the importance of developing feasible alternative energy sources, a concern also listed near the top of the national agenda.

“The response was great,” says Linda Buchner, founder and mentor at MINDDRIVE. “We were met by a wide variety of Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

19

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kansascitykansascitykansascity kans kansascitykansascitykansascity kans kansascitykansascitykansascity kans kansascitykansascitykansascity kans kansascitykansascitykansas city kans

tidbits

kansas city los angeles new york

COST OF LIVING (BUSINESS) Average cost of monthly parking in a downtown garage

Average cost of a medium brewed coffee at a local downtown cafe Average cost of executive car service in a sedan/towncar

COST OF LIVING (LIFESTYLE) Cost of an adult ticket to a

$1.70

$7.50

7.85%

Cost of a gym membership (24 Hour Fitness Super Sport)

$95

$71/hour

weeknight movie (AMC Theatres) Sales tax rate

$49.99/month

$107

$3.37

$82/hour

$12.50

8.75%

$54.99/month

$573

$1.82

$95/hr

$14.00

8.875%

$72.99/month

All numbers compiled from research by KC Options staff. Sources include kcmo.org, boe.ca.gov, nyc.gov, amctheatres.com, 24hourfitness.com

ZHOU LONG Growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China, Zhou Long didn’t let the communist KEMPER COUSINS

regime stifle his musical imagination. He

It’s all in the family here in Kansas City—that is, if your surname

was born into an artistic family and began

reads “Kemper.” Two of the most successful banks in the United States

piano lessons at an early age. By 1993, he

sit within a block of each other in the financial district and are run

had earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree

by cousins—UMB Financial CEO J. Mariner Kemper and Commerce

from Columbia University, studying under

Bancshares CEO David Kemper. Their regional stronghold reveals an

Mario Davidovsky, Chou Wen-Chung and

admirable dedication to the city, and it doesn’t stop there. From the

George Edwards. In 2011, Long was awarded

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art to Kemper Arena and the W.T.

the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in Music for

Kemper Foundation, the family’s philanthropic tendencies have woven

his first opera, “Madame White Snake.” Long

a charitable gene into the community’s DNA. —H.W.

is the Distinguished Professor of Composition at The University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. —E.D.

20

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SPORTS AT EVERY TURN As Olympic athletes fought this summer for pride, glory and gold, Kansas City had its own symbol to be proud of: London’s Olympic

AUGIE GRASIS Staying ahead of the curve has allowed Augie Grasis and his passionate team at Handmark, a mobile app developer, to grant users an ever-evolving mobile experience. “We are fortunate to have a team who seems to instinctively throw the ball where the receiver will be,” says Grasis of the company he founded just 13 years ago. Handmark recently launched POWWOW, an Android-based messaging app, and Grasis points to an unmatched quality of life in KC as his reason to stay: “What other important city can I be in my sailboat 30 minutes after I leave my office downtown?” Sometimes, it’s as simple as that. —M.O.

Stadium was the handiwork of Populous, an architecture firm based in downtown’s River Market district. It was the latest project on Populous’ resume of more than 1,000 projects completed around the globe, including two other Olympic Stadiums, Yankee Stadium and Wembley Stadium. Populous also is the architectural powerhouse behind KC’s LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, which recently won Venue of the Year at The Stadium Business Awards in Turin, Italy.

Sports stadiums become beacons of pride for fans—think Fenway Park or Madison Square Garden. Built well, they’re timeless structures where fans store memories of nail-biters, bitter losses and unforgettable victories. That’s where sports architecture firms like Populous come in. And in Kansas City, Populous isn’t alone. The metro area is a major player in the niche market of sports architecture.

Sporting Innovations, a spinoff of Sporting Club, collaborated with Populous to incorporate cutting-edge technology into LIVESTRONG, enhancing game day with high-density wireless technology and ultra high-speed wireless networks so that, with a full house, 80 percent of fans could still connect to online networks without delay.

Hailed by Fast Company magazine as the nation’s fourth most innovative sports company (ESPN is fifth), Sporting Innovations contributes to venues, franchises and leagues worldwide. The company’s efforts have been channeled through multi-dimensional platform FAN360, which won The Stadium Business’ Product Innovation Award.

Based in downtown KC, 360 Architecture keeps a global focus. After designing high-profile stadiums such as New Meadowlands—the only stadium built for two NFL teams—the architecture firm is taking the reigns for Basrah Sports City, the largest building project ever undertaken in Iraq.

The massive complex will hold soccer fields, team housing, a fire station, and two stadiums that seat 75,000 combined. Basrah Sports City will place Iraq’s athletics on a global stage when it hosts the 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations. ­––K.M.

RACHEL HACK Formerly the president of the Software and Information Technology Association of Kansas, Rachel Hack was selected as community manager for Google Fiber, Google’s ultra-high-speed, fiber-optic broadband network, which debuted in Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., in July 2012, making these the first cities in the national to get it. Hack is leading the rollout to residences and businesses in the metro. —M.T.

resources: Google Fiber fiber.google.com, Handmark handmark.com, Populous populous.com, Sporting Innovations

photo by Julie Danelle

sporting-innovations.com, 360 Architecture 360architects.com Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

21

tidbits HIGHLY RATED

#

Turn on The Weather Channel these days, and in the center of the national map is Kansas City. What used to be a region marked by St. Louis now is evidence of the deafening buzz surrounding KC as it climbs its way back into the forefront of arts, innovation and culture. There’s more in Kansas City than barbecue and fountains—and we’ve got the rankings to prove it.

9 Places You Wouldn’t Think are Hubs for Tech Startups – Entrepreneur America’s 50 Greenest Cities – Popular Science Bronze-Level Bicycle Friendly Community – The League of American Bicyclists America’s Favorite Cities, 2011 – Travel + Leisure No. 1 Best U.S. City for Affordable Getaways – Travel + Leisure America’s Best Downtowns – Forbes No. 6 Sports-Crazed Cities­– Travel + Leisure Top Destination in 2012 (the only American city on the list) – Frommer’s Best Cities for Foodies – Travel + Leisure Top 10 Metros for Job Recovery in Retail Sector – US BLS Top 20 for Green Jobs – Brookings Institute No. 6 of 10 Clean-Tech Metros – Brookings and Battelle One of seven Up-and-Coming Innovative Centers – The Wall Street Journal #9 Best U.S. Cites for Seniors – Bankers Life and Casualty Company Center for a Secure Retirement, (2011) ­ 22

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essay

Growing up, I always had the dream of “making it” in the big city. And, after graduating with a journalism degree from the University of

Making It

Kansas, it was time to decide where I wanted to “make it big.”

I had spent time living in Chicago as a public relations intern and was seriously contemplating making the permanent move upon graduation. It was a big city full of opportunities, right?

But as my journalism degree taught me, assume nothing. Using my newly honed skills, I started exploring a city that I thought I knew like the back of my hand: Kansas City.

As I spent time really taking in what this area has to offer, I had that “ah-ha” moment.

Only in Kansas City can I cheer on an MLS soccer team in the world’s best stadium, eat at a restaurant inspired by James Beard and watch a performance in one of the most innovative performing arts venues, all in one week… and still pay my rent.

But that’s just the beginning. In Kansas City, I can build relationships with the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, learn from the latest mobile app developer and get access to the fastest fiber network in the country, Google Fiber.

In Kansas City, I can do whatever inspires me, and the unique hospitality of the citizens translate into boundless opportunities for success. This collaborative spirit is in the DNA of the city, and in me.

I had a dream of making it big, but I didn’t realize that I have been “making it” all along.

All the best,

Jessica Nelson

Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

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Kansas City Arrivals Who

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CHANDA R I C H N E A L M I C A T H O M A S & R Y A N W E B E R

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Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

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working

Hub of Creativity story by Natalie McAllister |

@HallmarkPR

Creativity and entrepreneurship have long been the founding principles of business in Kansas City. Few companies embody these principles more than Hallmark Cards—one of the city’s largest employers and an international hub of creative energy.

Founded in 1910 by Joyce Clyde Hall, a teenage entrepreneur with two shoeboxes of postcards and an idea, Hallmark has found success through its mission to help people make meaningful connections with one another. Headquartered in KC’s Crown Center district, Hallmark’s support of young professionals and dedication to innovative messages and designs makes it a coveted employer in Kansas City.

KCO: What is it like being a young professional at Hallmark?

Kansas City, they do a good job of making in town, compared to the cost of living, I feel it less intimidating, especially for those who very fortunate and very lucky to be here.

JF: I’m not on the creative side—I’m on might not actively try to meet people. more of the support side—but I still feel if I

LT: I like the idea that there is a whole

JO: That was the part that attracted me range of different people here. I was born and

want to contribute my ideas, I can. There are the most when I came here from a huge tech raised in Arizona, but I lived in Lawrence for a lot of vehicles for me to do that here.

company. It was a different culture. When six years. In a college town, it’s all the same

JK: Even being younger, I feel like I still have you look at Hallmark as a brand, the brand a voice, just like everyone else at the table.

LT: I also feel like because I’m younger, I get

is lived internally as well, and that’s how I feel

JF: I grew up in Denver, and then I lived

every day. That idea of sharing, connecting in Chicago, Minneapolis and Indiana. My

tapped a lot. I feel like it’s really unique to feel with each other, that is totally true here. like my opinion is wanted.

people, all the same age.

friends who come visit are really skeptical

AMM: People here are genuinely nice. about the city, but then they visit and love it.

AMM: There’s a wealth of resources within People from the outside might say that we

DC: The people here are key. They make the

our community. We have an employee drink the Kool-Aid, but if this is Kool-Aid, city what it is. Moving here from Seattle, it resource group that’s all about Millennials. then I’ll have gallons of it.

was a little harder to find a local restaurant

We have one that is all about Asian culture,

that we wanted with good food. You could

Hispanic culture, LGBT culture, and we can

KCO: How do you all like living in KC?

call upon those collectives at any time to help

JK: I love discovering the different ask them, and they would give you five places

us inform product development.

AS: It’s also interesting to have employee

neighborhoods and districts.

stop someone on the street in Kansas City and to eat. In Seattle, they’d say, ‘Yeah, that place

JO: I was born and raised in Penang, is good,’ and walk by you.

resource groups within Hallmark because Malaysia. What was surprising to me was you start to grow your own network. I’ve met

how I can actually do a lot of things that I

KCO: Hallmark has branched out into new

a lot of other young professionals at Hallmark think of being in a big city, but then in just ways of delivering greetings—how do these through meetings and presentations.

JF: That’s a good way to make Hallmark

a few minutes drive, you can drive to products contribute to Hallmark’s vision? somewhere in the middle of the country.

DC: We want to make that connection, and

feel smaller, too. With 3,300 employees in With the quality of the art museums we have we know there are different ways people

Jan Fogarty

t Manager Associate Produc 28

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John Ong

Multimedia Desig ner

Annie Scheibel

Lindsay Tippett Greetings Designer

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t Management HR Specialist, Talen

express their feelings. If it’s a blooming flower

AMM: Even just walking around the halls

versus a card, people have different ranges of here is like going to the Nelson-Atkins—there’s expression. That’s where the Text Band came so much artwork. (Pieces from the Hallmark from—mothers don’t always want to hug Art Collection, one of the country’s premier their kids in front of other kids, so they can corporate art collections, are displayed in fist-bump them.

Hallmark’s headquarters.)

AMM: I think it’s just natural evolution, and

LT: I was actually considered creative before

it’s the smart thing for Hallmark to do and I came here, and it’s been very humbling! Even to understand that you can keep your tenets, the [art director] desks alone are works of art your foundation principles, but have them and presentations of their personalities.

AMM: I’m a KC native, and the art

evolve beyond one type of product.

JF: I come from a digital and mobile community is very special to me. My mom background, and we’re finding if someone’s was an art teacher at the Kansas City Art going to make that effort to send a greeting, Institute for 35 years, and it’s really been such it better be the right one. It’s even more a nice development over the years.

unique message or format.

KCO: What is the best creative landmark in Kansas City?

JK: I love how we’re really taking the time to understand who our consumer is

AMM: The shuttlecocks at Nelson-Atkins.

LT: The Plaza’s Spanish architecture. Every

and what they want and what they like time I bring anyone there, there are always and listening to them. That really helps

oohs and ahhs.

JO: The Kauffman Center. That’s up

us push into new territories.

AS: I think that over the last 100 years, and coming very quickly. It’s art in so Hallmark has done a really good job of establishing the brand, and now we’re just expanding what we’re creating.

many forms.

JK: The Plaza fountains. Fountains are so big here, everywhere you go.

DC: Liberty Memorial is great—it’s the

KCO: KC is becoming a creative hot spot centerpiece of the city. thanks to companies like Hallmark.

Hallmark isn’t just cards. The company is innovating personalized expression: Text Bands: A bracelet for pre-cell phone-age kids to text phrases to friends and

important to have that extra special card that she’s looking for, whether that is in a

Creative Greetings

family—texts are transmitted through “fist bumping” someone who also has a Text Band.

Recordable Stories: Storybooks that capture the voice of someone reading aloud.

Books can be experienced by reading or listening to the recording.

Blooming Expressions: Paper flowers that share a greeting by “opening” when someone presses the button at the base of the flower pot.

Go Cards App: The app lets users select, personalize, sign and send a paper greeting card from an iPhone anytime, anywhere.

AMM: Brookside is another place that’s a

Does Kansas City’s creative environment nice creative hub that is not as marketed as the Plaza. It’s a genuine neighborhood.

contribute to your development?

DC: I moved here from out of state, and we love it. We moved to the Crossroads

JK: Brookside is a hidden gem—the Trolley Trail is great.

Arts District because we felt like this

AS: I appreciate all of the murals on walls

was the closest thing to us from another

around town. It’s nice to see good graffiti

big city.

versus graffiti.

resources: Hallmark hallmark.com, Liberty Memorial theworldwar.org, Brookside brooksidekc.org

Amy Mendenhall-Man sfield Ar t Director/Editorial Di rector

Dave Celichowski Assortment Planning Analyst

Jill Kleg

in Industrial D esigner Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

29

working Q&A with an HGTV Star

A former elementary art teacher and winner of season one of HGTV’s “Design Star”

competition, Jennifer Bertrand finds it easy to include children in her process. “I am a bit of a dreamer, and I can remember what it was like to be that age,” she says. Still, she always paints in a way that can grow with the child, even incorporating work from local artists when she can. “But never forget your inner Tim Burton when addressing a kid’s room,” she warns. “You can never go wrong with a splash of whimsy.”

How do you help clients understand the power color holds over an interior design?

You can enter a space, and the color alone can affect your senses. So no pressure picking a paint color, right? I try to teach my clients how to look at color [so that] it empowers them to take risks and know they are making great choices. For some, I pick the colors for them, but it’s like a therapy session: I have to figure out what their dream environment is and go from there.

When approaching a new job, how do you select your palette and plan a design?

When you pick a haircut out of a magazine, the haircut has to have the right face shape, and that holds true to design. You have to play up your room’s strengths. A magazine photo can give you inspiration, but the concept may have to evolve to fit your room.

What is your personal style?

With my clients, I’m a chameleon, and I mold to their dream style. My personal style tends to be a comfortable contemporary with accents that have been gathered over time and tell a story of my family’s adventures. I [consider myself ] the cobbler with no shoes: In my head, my completed home is fabulous, but with a super-cute toddler with medical issues and a new puppy, sometimes paint and design is the last thing on my mind. So, like everyone else, I have to baby-step it.

What is your favorite design period in history? How do you work this into kids’ design?

I love infusing modern twists into kids’ rooms if it fits with the parents’ style. When you design a nursery, you’re actually designing [something] for the parents to stare at during 3 a.m. feedings. For older kids, I want the child to be proud of it, and the parents not to mind if the door is open.

How has interior design’s approach to color changed in the last 10 years?

People are taking more risks, and they understand that the color is the easiest part to change.

The only hard part is figuring out whole-house palettes and how to make it flow. Also, with the advances in paint technology, you can find the paint that fits you—low VOCs (volatile organic compounds), no VOCs, self-priming, you name it.

Who has most influenced your life?

My largest influence by far is my lovely English husband, Chris, and our fabulously cute son, Winston, who was born with a mixed lymphatic and venus malformation. All the medical drama we have gone through, and are continuing to go through, has made design very relaxed for me. It is so simple for me to guide people through the process now because once you’ve faced life and death, choosing paint colors becomes effortless.

30

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The City as

My Muse essay by Jennifer Bertrand | photos by AUSTIN WALSH

“You’ve lived in Germany and Italy… how did you end up here?”

I’m often asked that question, but if you know anything about Kansas City, it’s easy to see why my family and I live here. To me, Kansas City is sophisticated yet welcoming, the perfect combination. And as an interior designer, I find inspiration for unique designs within local boutiques, museums and beyond.

For me, a former military kid, my grandparents’ 80-acre farm in Bonner Springs, Kan., was the one constant that was always “home.” Following suit with the rest of my family, I attended the University of Kansas to be closer to the farm and family, and thus my Kansas City story truly began. After college, I traveled to Italy for my student teaching and then returned to Kansas City with my lovely English husband, Chris, and we have stayed here for the past 12 years.

My mother, Cathie Cordova Oldham, is a sculptor in Arizona whose art is on display in the Reagan Presidential Library, and my father, Terry Oldham, is the director of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in St. Joseph (if you haven’t been to the Albrecht-Kemper, it’s a fabulous day trip!). Thanks to my parents, I have a pedigree that makes artwork an easy way to find creative stimulation.

As an interior designer, finding daily inspiration throughout Kansas City is a piece of cake. I see the world through color, pattern and high-end fashion. I always joke that it’s an illness, but I can’t help it! Everywhere I wander, there is something that effortlessly inspires the design of any given space. If you take the time to look closely at some of Kansas City’s hidden gems, you can experience some of my all-time faves.

At the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Caravaggio’s “Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness” reminds me of a sophisticated Valentino dress––rich, luxurious and dramatic. Translate the inspiration into a room with deep, dark, gunmetal-colored wall coverings so rich you’ll soon feel lost in the color. And accents throughout the room could include red velvet and caramel leathers and hides. Less is more, but play purely with drama and scale, and in the name of Caravaggio, be sure that lighting plays a key role.

It’s just as easy to find a design muse at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Look at every piece of art as a color palette for a room. Your inspiration might come from a fusion of a local Dale Chihuly installation like “Persian Wall”––translating into a room design with tonal shades of a vibrant color and high-gloss lacquers––and the likes of Carolina Herrera and her timeless, beautiful designs. Maybe your “Ah-ha!” moment comes from the local, untitled Willem de Kooning painting that challenges Vivienne Westwood’s colorful expressions in such a way that instigates a brilliant challenge to incorporate into your room design.

Of course, you could always just attend a fun event like DIFFA’s Dining By Design, one of my favorite Kansas City warm fuzzies that benefits a local charity. The event provides endless inspiration as creative Kansas Citians come up with brilliant tablescapes, and fabulously chic attendees wear bold ensembles. Remember the dress, shirt and pants reflect a room’s basic elements—think paint and basic furniture—and jewelry transforms into accessories for a space. Secretly snap a photo to remember how someone layered color. Or if you’re too chicken to flash your camera, visit diffakc.org and view images of this year’s tables to remember your muses.

With this much brilliance in Kansas City, make a point to notice the moments within nearby art and fashion scenes that might unlock your next home design muse. Inspiration truly is everywhere!

resources: Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art albrecht-kemper.org, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art nelston-atkins.org, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art kemperart.org, DIFFA Kansas City diffakc.org Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

31

working

story by Hannah Westberg | photo by Mark McDonald |

@KCArtInstitute

pencils, oil paint, paint-by-numbers—these were the supplies with which she began to explore and develop her skills as a young artist. The initial support and encouragement from her parents strengthened Chanda’s confidence and conviction that art was what she was born to do.

With time, art began to fuse with Chanda’s identity, directing her career path as well as her personal life. Her story began in Detroit, but art has taken her all around the globe and made her the creative professional she is today.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972 from UCLA, Chanda moved to Paris to pursue both a Master of Arts degree in art education and a Ph.D. in art history from Sorbonne University.

As part of her dissertation, Chanda spent six years in Zambia studying art history among the Chokwe people in Mwinilunga, a small village in northwest Zambia along the Angolan border.

During this time, she also taught French to Zambian children in secondary school.

Chanda then taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District for several years before spending the next chapter of her life as a college professor at institutions including Ball State University, University of North Texas and The Ohio State University. From 2006 to 2009, she served as associate dean of academic and student affairs at the University of Arizona before returning to France once again to take a job as the academic dean of the Institute for American Dr. Jacqueline Chanda sits in a swivel chair poised at the end of a Universities and director at Aix Center in Aix-en-Provence. table in a second-floor room of Vanderslice Hall at the Kansas City

That just scratches the surface of Chanda’s travels, though.

Art Institute (KCAI), her office since she was inaugurated as the 23rd Through numerous professional grants and a few personal trips, president of the institution in July 2011.

Chanda has visited more than 24 countries—including the Ivory

Built in 1896, the three-story red brick mansion’s eighth-century

Coast, Kuwait, Belgium, Armenia, Tunisia and Bulgaria—because

Flemish Queen Anne-style architecture creates a sophisticated of art. atmosphere that is as inviting as Chanda’s name is elegant. She seems to fit the room like a glove, or better perhaps, the room fits her.

Few sunrays reach past the dark rain clouds outside, muting

And now, art has brought Chanda to Kansas City, where she has latched on to the local culture and has become a crucial organism in the area’s intricate art ecosystem. Although her initial draw to Kansas

the light. As raindrops fall softly on the windows, Chanda begins City was leading KCAI, Chanda has quickly developed a connection to explain how her life became intertwined with art at an early to the city. age. It all traces back to a single memory, of a picture that she drew as a young girl.

“I don’t think I realized at first completely what it really meant to work here, to live here and to be present at this institution,” she

“When I was 7 years old, I drew a portrait of my mom,” she says. says. “But the longer I stayed, the more I realized that this was a “And apparently it looked like her, so everybody got excited that I perfect fit for me.” could draw, or at least capture the likeness of someone at 7 years old.

A big part of that perfect fit is the arts-friendly environment in KC.

I got so many compliments and comments from that picture that I

“The city is just rich with an interest in both the visual and performing

knew I wanted to pursue [art].”

arts,” she says. “A lot of students who graduate from KCAI want to

From that day on, Chanda’s Christmas and birthday wish lists

stay here because they feel that the community provides support for

always had art supplies written at the very top. Paper, crayons, them to continue their practice, become entrepreneurs and be able to 32

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Globetrotting artist

remain in the area of the arts. We’ve even had students who’ve moved away and come back.”

Chanda has seen art through the lenses of many different

33 24 27 10 8 1112

cultures. Such experiences have allowed her to form and refine an artistic perspective that reflects her tale thus far.

“The experience of being in Africa and studying art helped me to see that art is really one universal instrument for conveying ideas and

1 18

2 3 4 20

information to the public,” she says. “So I see art as a means of

9 34 5 6 23

26 19

educating people, as a means of helping, as a means of beautifying

21

22

25

7

28

31

29 30

one’s surroundings, as a possible element of healing. I see it as a means

13 14 15

of really transforming one’s environment, transforming oneself—and

16 17

I know saying that art transforms the world seems a little big, but I do

32

feel that art has that power and that potential to be transformative in

1 Detroit: childhood 2 Los Angeles: middle school,

— During graduate research in

high school B.A. in fine arts

16 Kenya 17 Zimbabwe 18 Muncie, Indiana (1987–mid

art is a [part] of life, it’s a part of the healing process, it’s a part

4 L.A. United School District,

1990s): Ball State University

of the celebration process, it’s part of your identity process, it’s

(1985–87): taught in school

19 Denton, Texas (mid 1990s–

a part of your historical recognition process,” she says. “So it

district

2006): professor at University of

permeated everything. And in the same way, we can talk about

5 Bordeaux, France (1971): studied

North Texas

art even in terms of aspects of culture here in Kansas City. I

abroad during junior year at UCLA

20 Tucson, Arizona (2006–09):

think that universally we use art in exactly the same ways, it’s

— During study abroad in

associate dean at the University

just that it presents itself somewhat differently.”

Bordeaux, visited:

of Arizona

someone’s life.”

By viewing art as a universal element across cultures, Chanda has been able to pinpoint similarities in art even in the most disparate environments.

“In other cultures—for example, in traditional African cultures—

3 UCLA (1968–1972): pursued

but it is healing mentally,” she says. “It’s changing people’s thoughts

6 7 8 9

and ideas and where their positioning is in terms of their own life.”

master’s degree in art education

Although she has been in Kansas City for barely a year, Chanda

and Ph.D. in African art history at

She cites Truman Medical Centers, where the use of art to create a warm, welcoming, reflective and introspective environment has been used to treat certain conditions. “[Art] may not be healing physically,

Zambia, visited:

Spain

21 Aix-en Provence, France

Italy

(2009–11): dean at Aix Center

Greece

— During work at Aix Center,

Paris (1972–79): pursued

visited:

22 Armenia 23 Tunisia

wasted no time forging direct connections to the arts community. She

Sorbonne University

has immersed herself in the local arts scene, frequenting First Fridays

• 1977: completed master’s

in the Crossroads Arts District, going to gallery openings, museum

degree in Arts Education

24 Bulgaria 25 Kuwait 26 Kansas City, Mo.: (2011–present):

openings and other arts events.

• 1983: completed Ph.D. in

president of KCAI

“That’s one of the things that is so rewarding to me about being

African Art History

here—to be able to have that, a chance to interact with the

— During graduate and Ph.D

Research

community,” she says.

studies in Paris, visited:

27 Netherlands 28 Mali 29 Ivory Coast 30 Brazil 31 South Korea 32 New Zealand 33 Switzerland 34 Portugal

After all of the globe trotting, Chanda is just happy to be where she

10 Germany 11 England 12 Belgium 13 Gabon 14 Congo Brazzaville 15 Zambia (1979–1985): taught

is. “I think Kansas City is a really pretty city,” she says. “I like the hills,

English while completing field

I like the bluffs, I like the river. I love the visual image of the city, and I

research for dissertation

Chanda’s two favorite local art spots are the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, which is convenient, considering both are located within walking distance from her Vanderslice office at KCAI. She tries to find time to visit both on a regular basis.

do find it very, very attractive.”

resources: Kansas City Art Institute kcai.edu, Truman Medical Centers trumed.org, Crossroads Arts District kccrossroads.org, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art nelson-atkins.org, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art kemperart.org Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

33

working Decidedly

story by Fred Bauters | photo by Gary Rohman We’re sitting on the Neal family’s patio in northern Kansas City on a clear and cool August night when a cicada lands on the wood railing a few feet away. In the midst of a discussion on the merits of maintaining a childlike mind as an entrepreneur, Rich Neal changes direction to talk about the monstrous, hideous attributes of the insect. There’s a prehistoric quality to them, he says, which leads the conversation into one centered on his love for fossils, which he often helps sort at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History in nearby Lawrence.

This is how he operates, as an admitted serial entrepreneur— an occupation becoming more and more popular in KC. He’s done everything and anything, and is always looking for the next thing. At 21, Neal partnered with a friend to start Assets Infinitum, which sold parcels of time to companies for long-distance calls. “We were at the right point at the right time with the right pricing to capitalize,” Neal says. It was the first of what he guesses have been eight or more ventures that he’s been a part of coordinating.

Trust is, probably, most of the recipe for entrepreneurial endeavors. It’s overwhelmingly the most critical factor of success. You can have the drug to end cancer, you can have the answer to world peace, but if your partners are not trustworthy, it will fail.

That go-go-go mentality was distilled into Algorithmic Ventures, which he intended to use as a lab to market-test ideas. “Those that gained market traction I would then spin off as their own LLC. But then as soon as my first idea of analyzing social media gained traction, I started Temetic Research,” says Neal, which he still has a role in, but is turning over to others to build upon.

The next move is a nutritional supplement Neal created himself and is working to distribute that blends cocoa, red wine and olive oil. It’s a concoction he says was the result of one of his many insomnia-induced “creative benders,” rooted in endless research.

While Neal is doing all of that, he can feel good about making it all happen in KC. “You cannot beat the quality of

Neal continued to learn on the job everywhere he went to life in terms of building a young family here.” And, “There’s maximize the potential opportunity available. It’s so much a feeling of growth and anticipation here for ideas to come. that he has trouble keeping the timeline straight. He was consulted We have a higher state of momentum than other places in the to build digital trading floors for hedge fund operators on country right now. We didn’t fall as far.”

Wall Street, then changed course to tackle medical imaging

Where he will fall even a few months from now is impossible

for areas around the world that don’t have the resources the to grasp, but Neal will be sure to enjoy the distractions.

United States enjoys. Neal soon joined a technology consultancy,

34

Stonebridge, to work on enterprise projects for Microsoft,

resources: Temetic Research temeticresearch.com, University of

flying all over the country.

Kansas Museum of Natural History naturalhistory.ku.edu

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working

Tale of Two

Industries story by Kaitlin Motley | photos by Derrick Yule |

@quixoticfusion, @KCnext

On a Wednesday afternoon around 4, Ryan Weber and Mica Thomas met at The Filling Station on McGee Street, just south of downtown Kansas City. Ryan is the president of KCnext, Kansas City’s technology council, and Mica is co-artistic director for Quixotic Fusion, a multimedia performance troupe. After coffee orders were in (iced mocha for Mica, an iced coffee for Ryan and iced decaf for me, your faithful scribe), the two got to talking about their roles in technology and arts innovation, two unlikely industries booming in the heartland.

••• Both your industries rely on creativity, though in different ways. How can it be that the city commonly known as a cowtown is supporting this progressive creativity?

RW: You’re seeing intersections between arts and culture and the tech and business community here more so than anywhere else. We can thank companies like Hallmark—they brought a lot of creative people to Kansas City; they have kids, their kids have kids, and now there’s a giant creative culture. There’s a strong culture in the arts, but then there’s this strong business side, too, and with the emergence of tech we’re seeing Kansas City become a leader in things like digital media and animation. Those are things I think quietly are making a big disruption in the space.

MT: It’s interesting; it’s drawn new people to KC. I came to KC seven years ago, not really knowing much about the town and finding there’s this collective of talent finding more talent. And that talent attracts other talent. And so it’s just kept building and building.The more talented people you put in one place, the more it attracts other people to want to congregate with them.

36

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RW: I grew up in the ’burbs. I’ll be honest, we never came into the city at all. When I first moved to Kansas City as a small child, we lived downtown for like a month. And it was scary as hell. As a small child, my mom would not let me go outside. We lived at 6th and Central, which used to be a hotel. Now it’s condos. Then we moved to Olathe, and we hardly came into the city at all.

Then I went to college at K-State and then moved to Indianapolis, and at the time I was like, I’m not missing out on much—Kansas City will always be here. It’s going to be the same way it’s always ever been. But then in 2007, the Power & Light District was going to be created, and Sprint Center—they were actually focusing on the downtown area. I made the decision in 2005 to move, and it was a no-brainer. Coming back, it was not the same city I moved away from.

MT: I hear a lot more people talking about the city in a positive manner, like, “Oh yeah, I’ve been starting to hear a lot of interesting things,” like they’re starting to have this buzz that’s created.

RW: Well, I think we can thank social media for people being able to share that story.

Your story in particular—I think that’s one that’s shared on social media all the time. I hear about your shows through my friends on Facebook and Twitter.

MT: It’s a lot more awareness in a lot of different factions. You have a lot of big things happening right now, a lot of new interest and people perking up to check out what’s going on.

RW: I think we were very humble for 20 years, and now people are finally OK to celebrate things going on here. I’m at the point where I’m getting on the bandwagon, that I hate to be referenced as a barbecue town, and if I hear that “Kansas City” song redone one more time … We’re so much more than that.

MT: Yeah, and what’s been interesting is that slowly, different people are accepting it. Years ago, when [Quixotic] would go out, [people’s response was], “Kansas City? Really?” [They were] really surprised. Then, the people I talked to in the arts scene would say, “Oh yeah, I heard Kansas City has some cool stuff going on now.” And now, in general, people are like, “Oh yeah, Kansas City is a really cool town.”

RW: I think it’s our challenge as a community to start acting as if people should know about this stuff. Because we’ve done so much telling the world about what’s going on in Kansas City that now we should just start expecting the

The Unexpected is the Norm Kansas City’s unique culture was borne of the efforts of several creative-minded philanthropists.

The founding families of KC—the Kauffmans, the Kempers, the Halls and more—created a strong business community yet also invested heavily in the arts. Their efforts spawned a place where business and fine arts intersect and creativity is rampant across industries. This multifaceted creativity has led to progressive organizations and businesses that are redefining Kansas City.

Quixotic is a collective of artists from various specialties including aerial acrobatics, dance, fashion, film, music and visual arts. Quixotic performances incorporate movement, sound and digital artistry. Quixotic has performed across the nation and around the world on the sides of buildings, at music festivals and the TED conference in California.

The Kansas City region is gaining recognition as “Silicon Prairie,” the plains’ counterpart to California’s Silicon Valley. The startup tech industry is growing in Kansas City, Omaha and Des Moines. Most of the action in KC is based in the Crossroads Arts District, juxtaposed with the artists in KC’s creative core. Supported by programs like those of the Kauffman Foundation of Entrepreneurship and

by Google Fiber’s ultra high-speed Internet, app developers and Web innovators are increasingly making Kansas City a technology destination.

world to know what’s going on here. That’s a big paradigm shift in the way we Midwesterners, in our humble way, talk about ourselves, right? That’s something I really challenge people on. It’s time to start talking like people should know this stuff.

So what should people know about what you guys do?

RW: I essentially run a nonprofit, which is really exciting. We get to have relationships with these big corporations, small- to medium-size companies and also entrepreneurs. And it’s fun to watch those worlds collide. Also, from a more civic standpoint, technology doesn’t really care where you went to

resources: KCnext kcnext.com, Quixotic Fusion

school; if you can do the work, similar to if you can perform [for Quixotic],

quixoticfusion.com, Hallmark hallmark.com, Kansas

your future is very bright.

City Art Institute kcai.edu, Sprint Center sprintcenter.com,

MT: It’s all about the product.

Power & Light District powerandlightdistrict.com, Teva

RW: It’s all about the product, right. Here’s this one industry that doesn’t tevapharm-na.com, Garmin garmin.com, Kauffman care about your background; it cares about your performance. Opportunities Foundation of Entrepreneurship kauffman.org, Google are endless for the Kansas City region.

Fiber fiber.google.com Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

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working

Po

u Success story by Susan Fotovich McCabe | photos by Paul ingold |

@jvergara

There was a time when Jenny Vergara had no interest in gourmet foods or flavors, pushed her plate away at ethnically diverse cuisine and never dreamed of eating raw fish.

Yet, when she later acted on her passion to experience the world around her through food, her keen marketing sense and experience as director of marketing for Zio’s Italian Kitchen combined to produce two of Kansas City’s most unique culinary experiences.

Vergara is the founder of Vagabond Culinary Events and The Test Kitchen.

Vagabond is a partnership between Vergara and KC Chef Alex Pope, a pop-up restaurant installation and culinary event highlighting venues, art and décor in the Kansas City area with haute cuisine. The concept originated in London less than a decade ago and then trended in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Miami and Seattle—the city where Vergara first read about the idea during a visit with her aunt.

Pop-ups allow a restaurant to open and close within a matter of days or weeks and turn a local chef loose on the design of a creative menu. Guests enter a lottery to earn a spot at the table and pay $50 to $100 for the dining pleasure.

“This is an exercise in how far we can push the dining experience outside the

completely unique approach to each

restaurant,” Vergara says. “So often, we treat restaurants like our own kitchens, putting

of her pop-up dinners, highlighting

our own thumbprint on the meal by asking the chef to make changes to suit our

each chef’s individual culinary talents

tastes or diet. Here, everyone is asked to sit down and take a bite of everything. It

for eager Kansas City foodies.

gives the chef complete creative control.”

Vergara also is behind the wildly popular Kansas City underground supper club The Test Kitchen. Vergara refers to The Test Kitchen as “a secret dining society,” open to members who pay $100 for a five- to seven-course meal with a willing Kansas City chef. The details of the dinners are revealed 24 hours prior to the event. According to Vergara, The Test Kitchen is never the same twice.

“It’s a one-night culinary lovefest,” she says, “like a playground for up-and-coming chefs to demonstrate their mad skills, as well as a place for seasoned chefs to test new menu items, push new culinary boundaries and show off new techniques.”

Vergara began as a food blogger looking for a way to turn her passion into a paycheck, then honed her business skills at Zio’s. In fact, that experience gave her the good business sense to avoid trouble with the health department by selecting approved kitchen sites for her pop-ups. Vergara’s dinners have been held at private catering kitchens, the City Market and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, all of which have health department-approved commercial kitchens.

Today, Vergara continues to blog and is a columnist for Tastebud magazine. Despite her public persona in the magazine and online, Vergara managed to keep her identity hidden for many years, choosing instead to focus the attention on the chef and his or her culinary talent, though she admits that probably added to the allure of the event.

“Eventually, I didn’t keep it a secret because I learned that anything you can earn a living from, you should take great pride in,” Vergara says.

38

Jenny Vergara (above) brings a

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World Class

Many Kansas City food and wine enthusiasts have followed their passion and creativity all the way to the bank, using it as a foundation for starting their own companies.

Such is the case for local chef Christopher Elbow, founder and owner of Christopher Elbow Artisan Chocolates. Elbow, who landed his first cooking job at the Lincoln Country Club while attending the University of Nebraska, earned his degree in restaurant and business administration and eventually opened his chocolates business in Kansas City, San Francisco and online, with several chef positions along the way. One of those stops was to help celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse open the Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Positions in Paris and in Kansas City led to a pastry chef position at KC’s The American Restaurant, where he honed his chocolate-making skills. Today, Elbow’s artisan chocolates have been featured in magazines such as Oprah, Food & Wine, Fine Cooking and InStyle and on programs like Food Network’s “What’s Hot, What’s Cool.”

His creations are available at retail outlets in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. His flagship store in KC’s Crossroads Arts District offers tempting creations such as Glacé Artisan Ice Cream and his Cocoa Noir Drinking Chocolate, blended with vanilla bean.

Similarly, Doug Frost is everyone’s favorite Master Sommelier, passing a rigorous exam and becoming America’s eighth Master of Wine. Frost’s love of wine began in the 1970s as a waiter and wine steward. Eventually, he parlayed his knowledge and skills about wine, beer and spirits into a full-time career as a Kansas City author, lecturer, former wine wholesaler, contributor to multiple wine magazines and TV host of Kansas City Public Television’s “Check Please!“ Today, Frost is wine and spirits consultant for United Airlines, helping to select tens of thousands of cases of wines and spirits each year for service aboard the airline. He’s a founding partner of BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource), considered to be the preeminent education and examining body for the spirits and cocktail industry. Frost continues to share his expertise through writing and judging, as well as consulting with retailers, restaurateurs, wineries and distillers in the realms of marketing, merchandising, sales, education and sensory perception.

resources: Vagabond Culinary Events vagabondpopsup.com, The Test Kitchen testkitchenkc.com, The City Market thecitymarket.org, Christopher Elbow elbowchocolates.com, Check Please! kcpt.org/checkplease Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

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kc

working

’s

Mane man story by Megan O’Neill | photos by Kenny Johnson

Hair is a luxurious accessory. It’s snipped and styled to enhance every facial feature or fleeting whim. But beyond that, it’s a tangle of talk and triumphs between client and stylist.

Inside the industrial-chic Skyline Salon is Kansas City stylist Nick Jenkins. With polished skin and a perfectly disheveled brown mane, the KC transplant tousles the Kardashian-like locks on his current client. It seems that along with the new shape he’s crafting, the 25-year-old projects his own ebullient personality into the cut. The salon is the start to our Saturday afternoon of coffee, shopping and some complimentary advice from the up-and-comer.

On the Clock The contrast of Skyline’s décor (loft ceilings, open duct-work, chandeliers, polished white floors) suits Jenkins’ own fluctuating style. Some days it’s a three-piece suit, others an American flag tank top with cutoff jeans—wherever the day takes him.

Today, it’s cuffed, dark-wash denim and a gingham oxford sans a few buttons around the chest, with a stack of wristwear just barely revealing some ink on his arm. Jenkins’ star is on the rise, with national editorial work in The Knot and other wedding mags, but most days he’s here, in the historic Firestone building in downtown Kansas City, attending to the well-tressed of the Midwest.

Jenkins credits the salon for opening doors for him in the editorial world. “Kansas City at this point is an amazing incubator for the arts and creative minds,” he says. “You’re able to grow and comfortably be who you want to be. It’s a great place for a creative mind to evolve.”

40

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But what’s a creative mind without coffee, right?

With a final spritz of Oribe Impermeable Spray, Jenkins clocks out. We turn onto Main Street and head to Westport for a pick-me-up.

Style to Spare A small but powerful group

Coffee Break We end up at Broadway Café, which Jenkins frequents for coffee. His other favorites include

of stylemakers has put Kansas City on the map around the globe.

The Filling Station and Café Gratitude, a locally owned, organic cafe that came to KC from L.A. A quick wait in line later, we sit down to chat.

1 Matt and Emily Baldwin own and operate Standard

Growing up in Omaha, Jenkins didn’t struggle to

Style—which has two

choose a career path, he says. His style, abstract and

Kansas City locations—and

far from technical, has been honed with experience

Baldwin Denim & Collection,

and a stretch working with ethnic hair. Then

an international men’s and

came Skyline; it fit like a glove.

children’s clothing line. The

“I certainly love to transform people,” he smiles.

duo sold their self-designed,

“Showing people that they can look a certain way,

self-created, self-branded and

feel a certain way—that’s what inspires me.” And

self-owned luxury denim at

with transformations, he’s not just talking hair.

Standard Style on the Country

“Most hairstylists agree we’re not just working on

Club Plaza before expanding

hair. You become a friend, a listener and a shrink

with the Baldwin brand in

at times.”

2009. The premium brands are

With that, we bid adieu to Broadway and head a quarter-mile up the sidewalks to The Bunker.

shipped all over the world. It doesn’t hurt that GQ calls the store “The Best Place to Buy

Around the town

Jeans. Period.”

The corner accessories joint has an endless supply of Ray Bans and an eccentric watch selection with

2 Peregrine Honig, artist and

styles by L.A.M.B. and WeWood. We graze displays

owner of lingerie boutique

of colorful socks and countless V-necks. Perhaps the

Birdies, donned Kansas City

caffeine is finally kicking in as we goof off trying on

fashion when she appeared on

hats: an oversized ball cap for him and a fedora for

Bravo’s “Work of Art: The Next

me. But our trip to the boutique is a short one.

Great Artist.” She wore designs

Jenkins points us down the road to Bistro 303.

by Ari Fish, who appeared on

Tucked between buildings, Bistro 303 is a

“Project Runway,” and Peggy

nighttime favorite in Westport. After his daily

Noland, whose eye-catching

workout, which ranges from hot yoga to a run

downtown boutique has

through the rose gardens at Loose Park, and long

become a Kansas City icon.

hours with a round brush in hand, Jenkins often stops in for a drink.

As we wrap up the afternoon, Jenkins’ appeal is

3 Kansas City Fashion Week founded Midwest Model Expo

clear. Equal parts couture sensibility, urban edge and

in 2011, bringing top national

Midwestern charm, Jenkins is a success story many

agents and casting directors to

aspire to be. And he’s just one of the people who

train models in the industry.

have made Kansas City ready for its close-up.

resources: Skyline Salon skylinesalon.com, Broadway Café broadwaycafeandroastery.com, The Filling Station fillingstationcoffee.com, Café Gratitude cafegratitudekc.com, The Bunker bunkeronline.com, Bistro 303 bistro303.com, Baldwin Denim baldwindenim.com, Standard Style standardstyle.com, Kansas City Fashion Week kcfashionweek.com, Peregrine Honig peregrinehonig.com, Ari Fish arifish.com, Peggy Noland peggynoland.com Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

41

something

working

Kansas City’s arts culture is built on countless collaborations that start with conversations like these. Five artists met at Great Day Café in Overland Park, Kan., to talk about the arts scene.

What has Kansas City given you as an artist?

KD: There’s a long history of industry in this

story by kaitlin motley photos by Randy braley

the start of

lot of processes that we employ through third-party vendors that we wouldn’t have access to if we lived in San Francisco or New York.

NE: If you have kids, there’s a place for you to

NICOLE EMANUEL | artist/arts organizer

raise your kids. You have a good school system,

ARZIE UMALI | artist/assistant director AT

and there’s an excellent way for you to support

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY (UMKC)

yourself as an artist.

WOMEN’S CENTER

42

town, and it helps us as metal sculptors. There are a

JM: I grew up in Kansas City and transplanted

JEREMY MADL | toy designer, Mad Toy Design

to L.A. for about 12 years. Coming back to

REILLY HOFFMAN | sculpture artist

it and seeing the Crossroads [Arts District]

KELLY DICKENS | sculpture artist

appear out of nowhere—when I grew up, that was a wasteland.

RH: Artists always end up being the infantry for cultivating a new area, infiltrating it with art and making it a great place for other people to live. In every area like that, artists have moved in, fixed up houses, rebuilt neighborhoods

Each of the artists create work that expresses their unique perspective: (clockwise from top) Jeremy “Mad” Madl’s toy designs, a painting by Arzie Umali and two works by Nicole Emanuel

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and encouraged more people to move there and create a community.

KD: And the Crossroads has exploded in the last couple of years. You talk about raising a family— there’s more baby strollers in the Crossroads.

NE: I did a gigantic show that included street artists and gallery artists, so we spanned that [space] between what you would describe as low-brow, street art, to what you would describe

Visit kccreativecrossroads.com

as gallery-level. There’s a seamlessness, that you

Where do you find inspiration?

can go in and out [in KC].

JM: I have four kids. I just play with my kids all

JM: Yeah, you’re not stuck in one level. In other cities, you’re either a gallery artist or a street artist.

Here, it all intertwines and flows together.

NE: If you want to do something innovative,

day, so it’s a rough life.

RH: [We] drive a lot. Basically any place within 60 miles of KC, we’ve been. We take our dog with us and just look at things. We drive through the

if you’re a nimble thinker and you want to be [West] Bottoms, North Kansas City. able to afford where you’re going to live, you

KD: There’s a lot of hidden niches that people

can live here and have a nice life, not totally have no idea exist. waste every penny on your rent and be around stuff that’s amazing.

RH: It’s interesting to see. In a lot of cities,

NICOLE EMANUEL

when things get old they just knock ‘em down,

KD: I met this one woman who said, “I can but here they keep fixing it and fixing it. either live in L.A. and get a part-time job or

AU: I think it’s talking to other artists. I can

I can move to Kansas City and not have to get caught for hours sitting and talking about work at a desk job.” New York is still the art art, whether it’s in a studio or just at a gallery capital of America, but it’s no longer that you like Leedy-Voulkos on a Saturday afternoon. In absolutely have to live in New York in order a place where there are things like that going to work.

RH: And if you’re in the heart of America,

on, you can find inspiration anywhere.

RH: It’s easy to talk to other artists, and

the plane ticket to any point is pretty much it’s a lot easier to physically interact with the same.

the [gallery owners here than in other cities].

ARZIE UMALI

JM: Oh, I love that. I travel several times a They make themselves more accessible so you month, and it’s three and a half hours to L.A., can talk to them, whether you’re interested three hours to New York, two and a half to in a show or you’re interested in other artists Miami. The reality is that with the Internet

who are represented. That should be something

and a drawing board, you can be wherever. If

that’s not just attractive to other artists but

you know how to market yourself and brand attractive to anybody who would come here. yourself correctly and keep that work ethic—

AU: There’s this great collaboration between

I think that’s another thing people identify

the Art Institute and the UMKC conservatory

with the Midwest: our work ethic. They say, called Art Sounds, blending the visual arts and “You guys work harder.”

JEREMY MADL

music and dance, and even video. It’s this multimedia experience of the arts that you really can’t experience anywhere else.

RH: And the city of Roeland Park and the City of Leawood have Arts on Loans programs, so it gives the students the ability to experience a piece without having to deal with all the things that go into it that can be really stressful.

They can actually put a piece out there that the city essentially rents for six months to a

KELLY DICKENS

year. It’s a great opportunity.

resources: Nicole Emanuel nicoleemanuelstudios.com, Reilly Hoffman & Kelly Dickens reillyhoffman.com, Arzie Umali arzie.com, Jeremy “Mad” Madl madtoydesign.com, Kansas City Art Institute kcai.edu, UMKC Conservatory conservatory.umkc.edu, Leedy-Voulkos Art Center leedy-voulkos.com, ArtsKC artskc.org, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art nelson-atkins.org

REILLY HOFFMAN

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43

working

At the foreFront of story by Susan Fotovich McCabe | Cancer research is top of in that. We draw referrals from a

@KUMedCenter

In other preliminary and

mind for many of the world’s multi-state region throughout the innovative cancer research that physicians. The KC region is no Midwest and beyond.” exception, where the University

Templeton’s

has not yet moved beyond the

Osteobridge lab, Templeton and a team of KU

of Kansas Medical Center is implant surgery helped to researchers also are studying the generating excitement for its improve the quality of life for a potential beneficial effects that innovative orthopaedic cancer 19-year-old man diagnosed with vitamin D can have on malignant research and surgery. At the a primary bone cancer. Having osteosarcoma cells. center of this is KU Orthopaedic broken his arm prior to cancer Oncologist Dr. Kim Templeton.

Templeton’s lab research in the

treatment, bone removal and area of adding antibiotics to bone

Templeton is director of restoration were more or less cement also shows promise. Even musculoskeletal oncology and impossible. Templeton implanted though antibiotics can negatively professor of orthopaedic surgery the Osteobridge after he had impact bone cement, Templeton’s at KU. She was the first U.S. completed chemotherapy. doctor to implant the titanium

“Normally,

prosthetics

studies have demonstrated that are a certain percentage can be

Osteobridge, designed to replace stimulated by movements of added safely. lengths of bone destroyed by

other muscles,” Templeton says.

cancerous tumors.

“However, the Osteobridge in women’s health and says KU’s

Templeton also specializes

“Primary bone cancers, in matches electrodes in the arm to innovation in cancer research is general, are pretty uncommon,” nerves in the arm, chest and back an appealing draw for talented Templeton says. “There are not

area, allowing more intuitive and and cancer-oriented health

a lot of physicians who specialize natural movements.”

care professionals.

resources: University of Kansas Medical Center kumc.edu, Truman Medical Center trumed.org 44

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Leading

By Example Innovation abounds in Kansas City’s health care community.

Truman Medical Center (TMC) recently received the Health Care Innovation Challenge Award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. TMC will receive $4.5 million over three years to implement its innovative chronic disease and behavioral health care management program.

TMC is turning heads with its Sleep Illness Program, providing patients a comfortable setting. The hospital is creating new employee programs that promote good health, too, including an on-site farmers market and a tobacco-free workforce, according to TMC President and CEO John W. Bluford.

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46

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47

living

photo by derrick yule story by Alex Kluesner is the place to go,” Roberts says. Blanc is a locally owned restaurant Travel the world: Check. Play a professional sport: Yep. that serves up burgers such as the “Inside Out,”—stuffed with blue Graduate from Yale: You bet. Work for one of the largest privately cheese, alongside mini shopping carts full of french fries drizzled in owned insurance brokerage companies in the world: Of course. truffle oil—and has garnered national attention for it.

Kansas City resident Brian Roberts has done it all.

Living just 10 minutes from the Plaza, Roberts enjoys its unique

Roberts, a Los Angeles native, never thought he would live in KC. culture. “The pace that the Plaza functions on is certainly different He has soccer to thank for that. After being forced out of L.A.’s inner from L.A., but that’s what makes it a great place,” Roberts says. “It city because of escalating violence in 1992, Roberts and his family has some great coffee shops and lunch spots to relax at during the day. moved to the suburbs. That’s where he first fell in love with the game. But it also has so many different bars you can go to when you want “When I got out into the suburbs, kids were playing soccer,” Roberts

to have some fun. The abundance of apartments and homes

says. After he played soccer at Yale, Roberts tried out for the Kansas

allows people to be very close by, making driving, parking and

City Wizards, made the team and moved to Kansas City in 2004.

walking around a very easy thing to do.”

Later, Roberts worked for the Wizards selling tickets. “When

Other firms, such as American Century Investments, MRI Global

I felt myself hitting a ceiling with the Wizards, I reached out to

and Polsinelli-Shughart all enjoy Plaza locations. Plus, the University

Lockton,” he says. Located on the Country Club Plaza, Lockton is of Missouri-Kansas City campus is just a short walk east. The a privately held insurance broker with clients nationwide. Roberts

surroundings make for a diverse crowd of young people, students

now is an operations associate, managing the company’s expenses and

and business professionals.

working directly with COO Mark Henderson.

Headquartered on the Plaza since 1966, Lockton is nestled in a

resources: Country Club Plaza countryclubplaza.com, Lockton lockton.com,

destination surrounded by high-end shopping, restaurants, Blanc Burgers + Bottles blancburgers.com, Gram & Dun gramanddun.com, architecture and residential buildings. “Sometimes when I want a Tomfooleries tomfooleries.com, Three Dog Bakery threedog.com, Polsinelli cheap beer after work or on the weekends, Blanc Burgers + Bottles Shughart polsinelli.com, American Century Investments americancentury.com 48

Need more information about life in Kansas City?

Visit kccreativecrossroads.com

Cultural Indulgences The Country Club Plaza is one-of-a-kind. Since its grand opening in 1923, the area has been bringing together the people of Kansas City to educate one another, be creative and indulge a little.

ARTISTIC EXPRESSION The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, just east of the Plaza, is home base for KC’s visual arts legacy. The nationally renowned museum opened in 1933 and maintains the acclaim it garnered in national newspapers for its extensive art collection, displaying genres from around the world including the giant shuttlecocks in the front lawn. The new Bloch building addition has been named by Time magazine as one of the most beautiful museums in the world. For the past 76 years, the Plaza has hosted the Annual Plaza Art Fair every fall. Hundreds of artists from around the country converge on the Plaza every year to display their work and mingle with patrons, among a wide variety of food vendors from upscale local restaurants, and two performance stages featuring literary artists, musicians and dancers.

BUILT BY THE WORLD Opened in 1923, the Plaza is recognized as the first shopping center in the world to be accessible by motor vehicles. The European architecture is modeled off of the city of Seville in Spain. The creator and architect of the Plaza, J.C. Nichols, wanted the area to reflect the westward expansion movement by adding touches of San Francisco-style street lights and displaying small statues throughout the area. The J.C. Nichols Fountain pays tribute to its creator as an impressive welcome to the main stretch.

EAT UP Plaza-goers can tire easily if they don’t take a second to refuel in one of many restaurants and cafes. If swanky is what the occasion calls for, the Plaza can accommodate that at Chaz on the Plaza, within the elegant Raphael Hotel, or Plaza III, a steakhouse. When it’s the end of a long day or happy hour is paramount, Tomfooleries offers multiple happy hours and weekend burger specials. For those with a will to experiment, gastropub newcomer Gram & Dun offers traditional eats infused with experimentation. For those who have canines that crave something delicious, Kansas City-based Three Dog Bakery offers gourmet doggy treats. All of these places are easy to access with free parking.

TREAT YOURSELF The term “shop till you drop” might be able to trace its origins back to the Plaza. The Plaza is home to affordable couturiers such as H&M and Forever 21 and high-fashion designers such as Michael Kors and Kate Spade—plus those that fall in the middle: Pottery Barn, American Apparel, Banana Republic and Loft. Everyone is covered, whether it’s Burberry and Tiffany’s or GameStop and the Apple Store.

Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

49

living

to experience story and photos by PETE DULIN |

@KCCrossroads

First Friday is a rite of passage from routine to exploration, an experiential state of being where the senses kick into high gear. On this day every month, arts, music, cuisine, street fashion and life coalesce in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, just outside of the downtown loop.

Expect Adrenaline I stroll past Crossroads Bootcamp on E. 18th Street. Window lettering preaches: Expect Adrenaline. Men and women heave weights and cross train, pushing heavy metal away from and toward physiques that could double as Grecian deities. This personal focus on fitness is a good omen for the economic fitness of the downtown, where small businesses bustle and thrive.

First Friday compresses the anticipated and unexpected into moments that crackle. Golden afternoon light graces faces and objects, suffusing downtown with quiet electricity. Artist and illustrator Tyson Schroeder approaches The Slap-n-Tickle Gallery, where he’s showing new work. His T-shirt, dress jacket draped in soft lines and wide-brimmed fedora is a study in gray. Schroeder says guitarist Amy Farrand and bassist Jeff Harshbarger will perform tonight on a tiny stage as he paints before an audience. That cross-pollination between disciplines is commonplace in KC’s creative community.

Art and Commerce Collaborate Bill Krzyzanowski steps outside of his first-floor gallery in a building that houses his second-floor studio, Krzyzanowski Photography. He’s an artist-entrepreneur like many in the Crossroads, where supporting art goes hand-in-hand with making coin. Krzyzanowski is kind enough to be subject to the receiving end of a camera.

Then he prepares for art-goers like a cultural shopkeep. Street art next door boldly declares “Buy Art”—the underlying imperative that helps gallery owners and artists keep the lights on.

Grinders, the pizza joint featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” steadily fills with customers. Inside, death metal churns through chords.

A tattooed server sweetly takes our booth’s order for beers and tandoori chicken pizza. Couples on a date, a suburban family of four with young tots and stylishly dressed twenty-somethings populate nearby booths and tables. Grinders’ owner, STRETCH, an artist and urban development evangelist, gabs with friends at the equally packed Grinders West next door.

First Friday is a passport stamped, a cultural visa to the Crossroads that attracts suburban dwellers and out-of-towners to rub elbows with urbanites.

That’s the key to homegrown growth in the district, formerly an underdeveloped patchwork of light industrial businesses, empty warehouses and scrubby artist hovels a few decades ago.

50

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51

living

B-boys and b-girls invite bystanders to break it down with them

Master graffiti artist Scribe puts on a live show outside the Kultured Chameleon while the Crossroads Music Fest rocks along at food and sound mecca Grinders

52

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Back then, artists like Jim Leedy and galleries like Dolphin

break dancing and live graffiti before an audience. Master graff

and Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art began to transform

artist Scribe applies spray paint to a wall, and a blue bunny in boxing

blighted spaces. Entrepreneurs followed and opened restaurants,

gloves takes shape. Gear and other artists let aerosol paint fly

bars, salons and offbeat boutiques that radiated originality

onto murals. Background beats boom off brick walls. B-boys and

and a sense of place. Condos and apartments popped up to

a b-girl pop, lock and rock limbs. Around the corner, Impulse

offer urban living with amenities.

and a street team paint the face of the Kultured Chameleon in a

Businesses like the motion graphic and special effects company

funky tribal palette.

T2 + Back Alley Films, StagePort’s sound and video facilities,

The city itself is on display as much as its creative ambassadors

the eco-friendly building materials shop Inhabit and Cellar Rat

and patrons. The Kauffman Performing Arts Center, the grand

Wine Merchants bolster the economic infrastructure. YJ’s

dame of architecture on the edge of the Crossroads, glows in

Snack Bar, Peggy Noland’s fashion boutique and intimate apparel

the distance. Meanwhile, a young kid busts out beats on a full

apothecary Birdies along W. 18th Street make for yet another

drum kit, solo, in an empty parking lot for passersby. That

creative commerce epicenter. This ecosystem of art, shopping, dining

visual juxtaposition isn’t a dichotomy, it’s an essential part of the

and housing continues to evolve and attract the curious and creatively

Crossroads’ DNA where civic development, fine arts and grassroots

inclined to work, live and play in the city’s urban core.

performance blend together in a savory cultural gumbo.

Live Music Soundtrack

Closing Time

The annual Crossroads Music Fest (CMF) takes place in

It’s late, but the music hasn’t stopped at The Brick, a music club

September in the open-air venue behind Grinders and other

and restaurant at 17th and McGee owned by talented cook Sheri

establishments. The mighty 17-member ensemble My Brothers

Parr. It’s easy walking distance for a half-dozen Zim’s Hot Wings,

and Sisters, led by rock-and-soul bandleader Jamie Searle, command

powered by rock photographer Todd Zimmer’s adulterated buffalo

the stage. A horn section, string section, dual percussionists, a trio of

wing sauce, and a precious pint of Boulevard Wheat beer.

gospel-fueled singers and bassist pump hip-shaking rhythm and groove into the night.

CMF organizer Bill Sundahl joins his wife, Wendy, with their toddler and baby in tow. Sundahl is one of many who create family-friendly indie events large and small around the Crossroads year-round.

The room is packed with the city’s creative class and their patrons, young and old, from all corners of the city. You only live once. This moment, this place—it’s a microcosm of what the Crossroads has to offer in the magic hours of First Friday.

There’s so much more to explore block after block. The cuisine of Chef Howard Hanna at The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange

Midwestern Musical Company, a guitar, amp, drum and gear

calls my name. I missed Dave Creighton’s Hammond B-3

shop, opens up its space down the street for First Friday mini-jams.

organ simmering with a drummer and saxophonist in front of

Local alt-country rockers The Afterparty cover Velvet Underground’s

YJ’s. Laura McGrew’s Tomboy Design Studio is preparing for a fall

album “Loaded” track for track. Guitarists Cody Wyoming,

fashion show later in the month. Christopher Elbow Chocolates,

David Regnier and Marco Pascolini play with wild abandon. Lou

Hammerpress letterpress shop and other destinations will have

Reed should make a guest appearance, if he were hip to what’s

to wait for another visit. For now, photographer-instructor Paul

happening in the Paris of the Plains. Instead, guest vocalist

Andrews will entertain comrades in his loft-studio with beer,

Lauren Krum pours vocals into the dizzying mix.

whiskey, music and words until 2 a.m.

Afterward, Krum will perform on CMF’s main stage with The

I want to be everywhere at once and I cannot. That’s the

Grisly Hand, a spirited alt-country/pop outfit. Like Krum, many

spirit of the Crossroads, not only on First Friday, but throughout the

musicians in town perform in multiple bands, willing to support

month. Indie art, music and theater are happening. Galleries,

each other and a talented scene in the spirit of collaboration.

boutiques, bars, restaurants and other businesses serve customers day in and out. There’s more to explore in the Crossroads

Street Art Plays a Part The Kultured Chameleon, a gallery that sells street art supplies, hosts an indoor art show and outdoor symposium of hip-hop,

than I can ever experience in one night. And, with that consolation, I embrace my choices tonight and relish the surprises that make each outing its own adventure.

resources: Crossroads Arts District kccrossroads.org, Crossroads Bootcamp crossroadsbootcamp.com, Slap-n-Tickle Gallery letyourfreakflagfly.com, Grinders grinderspizza.com, Dolphin Gallery thedolphingallery.com, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art sherryleedy.com, T2 + Back Alley Films t2.tv, Cellar Rat Wine Merchants cellarratwine.com, StagePort officeportkc.com/stageport, Peggy Noland peggynoland.com, Birdies birdiespanties.com, Crossroads Music Fest cmfkc.com, Midwestern Musical Company midwesternmusic.com, Kultured Chameleon kansascityartgallery.com, The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange theriegerkc.com, Tomboy Design Studio tomboydesign.net, Hammerpress hammerpress.net, The Brick thebrickkcmo.com Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

53

living

Two people, one passion

SHAUL JOLLES |

@OfficePort

He sends a text message while at The Jacobson, a recently opened

Instead of business incubation, Jolles’ approach is organic and

restaurant in the Crossroads Arts District, his second appearance in

community-driven. “The Crossroads is a commune of talent,” he

the area today. Eight hours earlier, he took a meeting at Crossroads says. “My goal with places like StagePort is to bring creative talent Coffeehouse, located a few blocks away.

here. When people work together, it’s a win-win. You see it happening

He is Shaul Jolles, an Israeli-born broker, real-estate developer and all over the Crossroads with artists, architects and builders.” entrepreneur who embedded himself in KC in the late ’90s. He studied

Now, Jolles is developing TechPort, a community-oriented training

at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and met his future

center focused on teaching kids and adults critical technology skills. A

wife, Michelle. He also discovered downtown Kansas City filled, at the trained workforce must be prepared to compete for tech jobs now and time, with “empty buildings surrounded by pockets of cool spots.”

in the future. “I would like to see more learning centers,” he says. “I

After living in New York City, starting a technology company and see it as a huge opportunity in Kansas City. contending with the aftermath of 9/11, Jolles returned to Kansas City

“Kansas City is proud of Kansas City. People graduating from

with his wife and sons. He transformed a Crossroads building into the

the University of Kansas, University of Missouri and UMKC once

popular W Lofts, a condo project where buyers-to-be decided how to

went to work in New York or Los Angeles. They stay here now

finish each raw space into a residence reflecting their tastes.

because they can create quality work and pay Kansas City prices.”

Jolles redeveloped numerous buildings in the Crossroads to address needs with smart solutions. He saw a lack of small, affordable

That’s why Jolles and many others have invested in the Crossroads and downtown KC as a place to live, work and socialize.

spaces for individuals and startups to be and grow with flexible terms.

Jolles’s second appearance in the Crossroads today is no surprise.

He says: “Give them a chance where they won’t fail because of

After all, he helped redevelop the space he’s in: an old industrial

overhead. They need close to zero costs in the beginning.”

warehouse that now houses The Jacobson, Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop

He developed OfficePort and StagePort, inexpensive collaborative and RHD (art studios for adults with disabilities). In a way, any place spaces used by startups, freelancers and the creative community.

in the Crossroads is a collaboration space for KC’s creative minds.

resources: The Jacobson thejacobsonkc.com, Crossroads Coffeehouse kccrossroadscoffee.com, Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop lulusnoodles.com 54

Need more information about life in Kansas City?

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RYAN MAYBEE |

@RoundTableRye

The Pendergast could be the ambassador to Kansas City’s

to foster urban growth by developing venues with a sense of

cocktail culture. “The Pendergast has three essential qualities,” place and history. says internationally recognized mixologist Ryan Maybee about

He worked with Entertainment Concepts, an affiliate of The

the drink he named for KC’s corrupt 1920s–30s political boss, Cordish Company, which developed the Power & Light District, to Tom Pendergast. “It tastes good, it’s easy to replicate, and it bring The Kill Devil Club to life. “I was blown away by the layout hearkens back to Kansas City’s history.”

Maybee invented the Pendergast, with bourbon, sweet vermouth,

and view of downtown,” Maybee says.

The name, taken from an Irishman’s description of rum circa 1630,

Benedictine and Angostura bitters. He’s also been key to inventing the and its connection to rum’s history evokes KC’s beer and spirits local contemporary cocktail scene, supporting urban growth in far heyday before Prohibition. “Kansas City used to be a wild place back more respectable ways than Boss Tom’s infamous reign.

in the day,” Maybee says. “I want to recreate elements of that era, so

Maybee opened JP Wine Bar in the Crossroads Arts District in I’m glad Cordish went for it. I wanted to see Kansas City’s downtown 2006. A year later, he launched RoundTable Marketing and

come back as a dynamic area.” Maybee himself lives in the area and

Consulting to develop wine lists and cocktail menus for restaurants walks to work. “Rent is cheaper than the suburbs, and it’s the heart and bars, provide consultation and train staff. He and industry of the city,” he says. expert Doug Frost created the Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition, now the Paris of the Plains Cocktail Festival (PoPFest).

Manifesto and The Rieger are the heart of the city’s cocktail scene and reason enough to call KC “one of the next great

Maybee co-owns The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, the cocktail cities,” by Reuters’ “The Spirited Traveller,” in a column restaurant above his basement-level, speakeasy-style bar, Manifesto. for which Maybee was the main quoted source. “These businesses This year, he helped concept The Kill Devil Club in the Power & Light have true integrity behind them, a strong sense of place,” District. He’s been featured in Esquire magazine and BBC Maybee says. “People love coming to Manifesto. The Rieger is Travel. His talent is undeniable, but the x-factor is in his ability

part of Kansas City’s history.”

resources: Paris of the Plains Cocktail Festival popfestkc.com, The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange theriegerkc.com Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

55

In the

living

ow

er

&L

ight D

istric t

story by Natalie McAllister |

P

From his office on Locust Street, Terry Dunn,

working in downtown Kansas City, which certainly

president and CEO of JE Dunn Construction,

is the center of our city—it’s the center of arts

has a front-row view of his company’s success.

and activity. We think we’re in an ideal place as far

Some of downtown’s most notable buildings,

as the quality of life we provide to our employees.”

including the new H&R Block headquarters, KC

Location also plays a role in JE Dunn’s

Live! entertainment district, the federal courthouse

proximity to both the Charles B. Wheeler

and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Airport (just a mile and a half drive) and the

are JE Dunn projects, which share the cityscape

Kansas City International Airport (within 15

with JE Dunn’s downtown headquarters.

miles). The accessibility of the city’s primary

Founded in 1924, JE Dunn has roots downtown and beyond that stretch back more than 70

Kau the ffman Center for

r Pe

y

fo le rm urs ing H m Arts | Photo by Ti

on-the-go employee base.

Most importantly, Dunn says JE Dunn’s

part thanks to its ability to continuously innovate

decision to maintain a downtown presence—

and grow along with the community. In 1981,

even during the decades when the region

the Dunn Family Foundation was founded to

struggled—affirms the company’s commitment

support education, health, the elderly, ethnic

to civic engagement. It’s a commitment that

minorities and community development. Started

continues to pay off, both in attracting new

as a family-run contractor, JE Dunn was ranked

business and luring candidates for leadership

the twelfth largest general building company in

roles within the company.

the U.S. in 2011, a testament to its sustained presence in Kansas City.

“To actually work in an area that we have done so much work for is a great opportunity

“I think there’s a closeness here to so many

for our firm,” Dunn says. “We’re a service-based

other organizations, businesses and governmental

business that affirms our commitments as we

agencies that we look to as our clients,” Dunn

complete other people’s dreams. To be able

says. “We have a great client base, we have the

to have people come to our office and see

financial center of the city, and we have the legal

what we’ve built, I think that has been very

center of the city right at our footsteps.”

rewarding as we recruit quality candidates

for his company’s employees—many of whom live outside of the urban core.

Sprin

tC

en

te

56

airports is a tremendous benefit to the company’s

years. Its generational staying power is in large

Dunn also says downtown is the best location

r

@godowntownkc

for leadership positions.”

With a skyline that serves as an active portfolio, JE Dunn’s investment in downtown is a long-term

“From a location standpoint, we believe this

one. “Our roots are in the downtown,” Dunn

is the best location in the city,” Dunn says. “We

says. “To live in an area that is only a couple

have access just outside of our door to all of the

of blocks away from where our business began

interstate highways, and we have the benefits of

is extremely rewarding.”

Need more information about life in Kansas City?

Visit kccreativecrossroads.com

Drawn to Power & Light entertainment districts. Complete with an outdoor stage, open-air plaza

Nights on the Town

and plethora of bars, restaurants and nightclubs, the KC Live! district

Known as a hotbed of jazz

serves as a weekend haven after a long work week.

and blues culture, downtown

Downtown Kansas City is home to one of the metro’s most notable

photo by jenny wheat

Kansas City still plays host

Why do you love KC Live!?

to a number of music clubs

“I come to the Flying Saucer because I’m working on my plate [brass plate given

and sophisticated bars for an

as a trophy to anyone who tastes 200 beers], and I enjoy trivia.”

evening on the town.

–Treva Tanajoti, bankruptcy attorney

1 The Phoenix: Located at 8th and Central, The Phoenix “KC Live! is everything you’re looking for. Whatever your fancy is, everybody

has a long history of offering

gets it here. There’s an eclectic group of music all around. There’s good food—

live jazz and cocktails six

the food is off the charts in Kansas City.

nights a week.

–“Funk,” operations manager for Angels Rock Bar

2 The Kill Devil Club: The newest libations experiment “We have kickass entertainment here, all the time, every night of the week. There’s

from KC cocktail king Ryan

always something to do. Any concept you want is right here, and you can just

Maybee blends “adult oasis”

walk around with your beer. If you want a nice meal, go to Maker’s Mark. If

with social plates, live music

you want to watch a game, go to McFadden’s. If you want to lose inhibitions,

and cocktails sure to make

go to Angels Rock Bar. If you want to ride the bull, go to PBR.”

you feel famous.

–Frank Boatwright, production director of PBR Bar

3 The Majestic: Hearkening back to the days when Kansas “We were in town for training [at] iModules. They’re based out of

City was inhabited by cattle

Overland Park. We asked their staff where to go, and Power & Light was

barons, jazz musicians and

at the top of their list.”

mobsters, The Majestic offers –Bob Lacomba

a taste of the steaks and sounds that earned KC the nickname “Paris of the Plains.”

“We’re here for a tech summit—kind of a bar crawl before, here at Power & Light. It’s got a bunch of variety, and the fact that you can charge your card at

4 Alamo Drafthouse: The

one bar and then you can walk to each other one is great. It’s got a great

Austin-based group of

atmosphere and it’s centrally located.”

specialty theaters brought

–Stan Woodard from Columbia, Missouri

its brand of menus, cocktails, creative programming and events to Main Street.

“I come to Johnny’s [Tavern] for the away Sporting KC matches, and we come to

Wired.com has said it’s the

the Flying Saucer for trivia on Tuesday nights. They treat us pretty well down

“coolest theater in the world”

there. They put on all the away matches and some of the pay-per-view events

and Entertainment Weekly said

and some of the YouTube-only broadcasts.”

it’s the #1 theater in America.

–Steve Cherry, Sporting KC fan

resources: JE Dunn Construction jedunn.com, KC Live! powerandlightdistrict.com, Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport flymkc.com, Flying Saucer Draught Emporium beerknurd.com, Angels Rock Bar angelsrockbarkc.com, McFadden’s mcfaddenskc.com, Maker’s Mark makersmarkrestaurant.com, PBR Big Sky pbrbigskykc.com, Sporting KC sportingkc.com, Kill Devil Club killdevilclub.com, The Phoenix thephoenixkc.com, The Majestic majestickc.com, Alamo Drafthouse drafthouse.com/kansas_city Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

57

living

Back to the future The West Bottoms’ Blue Djinn Gallery, Dolphin Gallery and The Roost represent a grassroots arts movement that incubates local artists and provides them the resources they need to make a living making art in Kansas City.

Many graduates of the Art Institute, like the members of

story by Michael Tanner | photo by Daniel Goggin What began as a living space for roommates has evolved into an up-and-coming local hot spot in the historic West Bottoms. The Roost is part of a revival movement.

The Roost, find KC’s affordable studio space and tight-knit arts community to be assets.

The Roost is a studio and gallery comprising six artists: Ben Hlavacek (above, left), Brandon Forrest

The old Daily Drovers

Frederick (second from left), Stephanie Bloss (second from right), Jason Comotto (right), Adam McBride

Telegram building now

and Jacey Joern. All twenty-somethings and Kansas City Art Institute graduates, The Roost artists

houses Amigoni Urban

live and work in their repurposed space, creating and showcasing their and other artists’ work.

Winery’s tasting room

They began on the top floor of a former warehouse whose bottom floor houses a popular

and event space. Amigoni

vintage home furnishings market. This September, The Roost relocated to allow for expansion. “We have

partners with Green Dirt

such a raw, lively, inviting and free space,” McBride says. “Some galleries can be so stuffy and sterile, but

Farm and Farm to Market

we arrange the space however we want since we have so much flexibility.”

Bread Company for bread

Formerly a booming stockyard upon which Kansas City was reared, the West Bottoms suffered a bout of

and cheese in its tasting

fires, war and economic hardship that decimated much of the activity in the area. Except for the

room. Owner Kerry Amigoni

construction of the Kemper Arena in the 1970s and the annual American Royal barbecue festival,

saw beyond the Bottoms as

not much has happened in the Bottoms for decades. But now, the area’s nearly untouched history

a ghost town and instead

and affordable real estate attracts progressive business owners and artists like those of The Roost.

recognized potential when

“The West Bottoms are like the Wild West because it’s sort of the final frontier as far as the downtown

she opened in 2007. “It was

region is concerned,” Bloss says. “Kansas City has made a niche for just about everything in its respective

just this feeling that things

districts, and the Bottoms are still very much a blank canvas of lawlessness and possibility.”

were happening,” she says.

In short, the West Bottoms are up for grabs. “It’s a great place to live and work. I can go out on the fire

The Bottoms bustle with

escape and look out at the skyline and across the city,” Frederick says. “That’s inspiration enough to keep

activity the first weekend of

doing what I’m doing and to help other local artists achieve recognition and success.”

every month, when a slew

Although, for being a blank canvas, the West Bottoms does feature some eccentric things. Full

of vintage markets open

Moon Productions, a haunted attractions company, operates four haunted facilities in multi-level

their doors to locals looking

converted warehouses, as well as ghost tours through the West Bottoms. The haunted houses are

for a twist on antique home

open-format, where unsuspecting wanderers are subject to werewolf attacks and other scares not

furnishings. Good Juju, Liberty

for the faint of heart. The only way out: a four-story spiral slide down the side of the building. On

Belle, Bottoms Up, Bella

the lighter side of things, hand painted signs decorate sides of buildings where high school senior

Patina and Nook and Cranny

and wedding photos are frequent occurrences.

are just some of the markets packed with repurposed vintage furnishings that draw thousands to the West Bottoms every month.

resources: The Roost Gallery theroostgallery.com, American Royal americanroyal.com, Kansas City Art Institute kcai.edu, Kemper Arena kemperarenakc.com, West Bottoms westbottoms.com, Full Moon Productions fullmoonprod.com, Blue Djinn Gallery bluedjinngallery.com, Dolphin Gallery thedolphingallery.com, Amigoni Urban Winery winery.amigoni.com, Good JuJu goodjujukc.com, Liberty Belle libertybellekc.com, Bella Patina bellapatinakc.com 58

Need more information about life in Kansas City?

Visit kccreativecrossroads.com

Why Kansas City, KAN.?

Village West Near the Kansas Speedway and T-Bones Minor League baseball LIVESTRONG Stadium (top) is packed every night for Sporting KC. Matt

park, Legends Outlet Stores provides high-end outlet shopping and

Besler (middle), drafted by Sporting and from KC, has his own T-shirt

a host of restaurants. The family-friendly vibe spills across the highway

sold by the fan section, The Cauldron. Seth Sinovic (bottom) grew up in

to Schlitterbahn Water Parks, which boasts King Kaw Rapids River,

Leawood, Kan., and has made his way back through several MLS teams.

voted The World’s Second Best New Waterpark Ride in 2012.

photo by Gary Rohman

LIVESTRONG Sporting Park debuted in 2011 as home turf for the 2012 U.S. Open Cup champions, Sporting KC. As one of the most technologically advanced arenas in the world, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park was partially underwritten by Cerner, one of Kansas City’s fastest-growing corporations. The health care corporation is planting its third office location within walking distance of the award-winning venue, thereby creating 4,000 new jobs.

New transit corridor Wyandotte County drew up blueprints for a new transit center in the heart of Midtown. More than 1.3 million riders are expected to use the bus services annually in KCK, and the $4.5 million center will make waiting for and transferring buses more convenient and safe.

Great schools The Kansas City, Kan., school district saw an uptick in enrollment in 2012 and is set to accommodate that growth. Construction is under way to enhance two elementary schools, which will give students and faculty more space and cutting-edge resources to stay competitive. In 2012, the district was honored in Washington, D.C., as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, which awarded the district’s efforts to combat the dropout rate and spur innovation.

The University of Kansas Hospital The University of Kansas Hospital’s placement on U.S. News & World Report’s list of notable hospitals has been consistent, and in 2012 the hospital was named a National Cancer Institute, placing it among

photo by Gary Rohman

only 67 hospitals in the nation with an NCI designation.

gigabit speed Google chose Kansas City, Kan., from a pool of more than 1,000 communities to be the first to receive its ultra high-speed, fiber-optic broadband Internet, which delivers gigabit speeds. Soon after the initial announcement, Google expanded the unprecedented service to include Kansas City, Mo. Since the announcement last year, Google has identified “fiberhoods,” or areas where locals have mobilized and garnered enough pre-registration numbers to qualify for service. In the coming months, Hanover Heights, Dubs Dread, Piper Schools and Delaware Ridge, in Kansas City, Kan., will be the first neighborhoods to experience the gigabit network. Crown Center, Midtown, Sunset Hill and South Plaza West will be the first in Missouri.

Brought Brought to to you you by

by KCADC KCADC & & Anthem Anthem Publishing Publishing

61

living story by Hannah Westberg | photo by Julia Parris |

@Westport_KC

One year later, the first Middle of the Map Fest was born, featuring 50

Located just north of the Country Club Plaza, Westport was bands in four venues and drawing 3,000 attendees. founded in 1834 as an outfitting center where ambitious settlers

Reusch’s brainchild has matured into a full-fledged music festival

gathered supplies before heading out along the Santa Fe Trail, making getting plenty of national recognition. From the first to the second it the land equivalent of a “port to the West.”

year alone, Middle of the Map Fest doubled in size, featuring

The frontier has faded, but the neighborhood’s heritage and bold more than 115 local, national and international bands in eight spirit persist through its distinctive culture, which now is defined by different venues to an audience of 6,000. Last year’s lineup included a vibrant nightlife, a thriving music scene and a daring attitude not

bands like FUN., just before they hit it big with “We Are Young,”

unlike that of the pioneers who traveled west so many years ago.

No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks straight last spring.

Westport’s young inhabitants and entrepreneurs have opened music

With its many venues and bars, Westport was the perfect

venues, restaurants and shops in the area. Perhaps none embody this environment for Middle of the Map Fest. “What’s nice about attitude better than Nathan Reusch and Chris Haghirian.

Westport is that there are proper venues here, like Riot Room, The

At first glance, one would not pin Reusch and Haghirian as Union, Beaumont Club and Record Bar,” says Haghirian, who’s a pioneers. Reusch’s thick-rimmed glasses and Haghirian’s long regular at each. “But then we’re also able to bring in enough sound

ver market power & light crossroads westport plaza brookside waldo overland park

de waldo overland park

river market p

river market power & light crossroads westport plaza brookside waldo o

ponytail and laptop bag, made from a recycled Chipotle billboard,

equipment to adapt rooms into proper venues and turn rooms that

certainly don’t match the traditional image of a pioneer. But may have never had a band play in them before into a prison riot—but they are pioneers nonetheless, for they have ventured to uncovered all of the good parts of a prison riot,” he jokes. ground in Westport.

Both Haghirian and Reusch aim to keep focusing on local bands

The duo are responsible for launching the Middle of the Map Fest in and affordability, which means keeping the original $35 ticket fee and 2011, a three-day music festival held exclusively in Westport venues.

It all started in 2010 after Reusch, who owns The Record Machine,

featuring as many local acts as possible.

The local focus is what both Reusch and Haghirian say set Middle

a Kansas City-based record label, went to Austin, Texas, with a group of the Map Fest apart from other well-known music festivals like of local bands for South by Southwest. “When I was there, I Coachella or South by Southwest. “What we try to do is to pepper realized we needed to bring that vibe back to Kansas City because in the big national acts so that people come out to see the local acts, there’s just so much opportunity here, and we needed to share it on a which gives them a new stage to shine on,” Haghirian says. larger scale,” Reusch says.

In addition to the music festival, Haghirian and Reusch also added

Back in Kansas City, Reusch pitched his plan to Ink magazine, a tech, art and culture forum to the 2012 lineup, inviting key players where Haghirian, his close friend and colleague, worked. The team in Kansas City’s creative scene to gather together and discuss at Ink loved the idea and agreed to collaborate to organize the event. different challenges.

62

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“There are so many different people in Kansas City who are

Aaron Confessori and Richard Wiles, who together have opened

doing some really cool things,” Reusch says. “We wanted to give

three restaurants in Westport since 2010: The Boot, an Italian

these people a place to come together by creating something a bit more restaurant; Westport Café and Bar, a French bistro; and Westport organic, something that spoke to the city and what we felt like the needs of the city were.”

Street Fare, a Mexican-style food truck.

“What’s nice about the Westport footprint is that it fits younger

The entrepreneurial spirit of Middle of the Map Fest and its people who might not go to a fancy restaurant,” Haghirian says. “But dedication to all things local are the norm in Westport, where the

they can walk into any of these places and get foodie food—real,

streets teem with locally owned shops, restaurants and bars. Reusch delicious food—that’s unique to Kansas City.” and Haghirian moved to Westport immediately after graduating from college and have been an integral part of the daily scene ever since.

Among their other favorite spots: Oddly Correct Coffee, McCoy’s Public House, Westport Flea Market and Jerusalem Café, several of

Reusch explains his attraction to Westport at a young age: “There’s which helped with Middle of the Map, donating meals to the bands. nowhere else to go in this town that is just this gathering of people

Beyond music and food, Westport abounds with local shops. Last

your age who are wanting to do the same kinds of things that you December, Haghirian completed an entirely local Christmas for his are. Out in the suburbs you don’t really have that; you have the

power & light crossroads westport plaza brook-

family with gifts from ScreenTee Gallery, which sells independent

By the Numbers south by southwest

austin, texas

days . 2,286 bands . $625

lollapalooza

chicago, illinois

days . 130 bands . $230

coachella

indio, california

days . 125+ bands . $285

austin city limits

overland park

austin, texas

days . 130+ bands . $200

river market power & light crossroad

randomness of age, and it feels like people are in limbo between being brands. Reusch is a longtime fan of Arizona Trading Company, a in high school and taking the next step. In Westport, people are just secondhand store, and Poptopia, a modern toy and collectibles store. living their lives.”

In Westport, ideas turn into reality; it’s a place where young,

Reusch and Haghirian rave about the businesses and restaurants ambitious Kansas Citians embark on new frontiers. Reusch and they know so well in Westport. They are particularly boastful of the Haghirian did it with Middle of the Map Fest. Confessori, Wiles and up-and-coming food scene, which in recent years has been revived by Ryan do it with their food. Shop owners do it with their wares. a group of young entrepreneurs in the district such as Patrick Ryan,

“If Nate and I weren’t passionate about what was going on here,

who in 2012 opened Port Fonda, an authentic Mexican food truck we wouldn’t spend the amount of time that we do on this event,” turned bricks-and-mortar restaurant that has been packed since day

Haghirian says. “We both see so much good here and we want other

one. Two other young and driven individuals in the area are

people to see it. That’s our motivation.”

resources: Country Club Plaza countryclubplaza.com, Westport westportkc.com, Middle of the Map Fest middleofthemapfest.com, The Record Machine therecordmachine.net, Ink Magazine inkkc.com, Riot Room theriotroom.com, Beaumont Club beaumontkc.com, Record Bar therecordbar.com, Westport Café and Bar westportcafeandbar.com, Oddly Correct Coffee oddlycorrect.com, McCoy’s Public House mccoyspublichouse.com, Joe’s Pizza joespizzakc.com, Beer Kitchen beerkitchenkc.com, Westport Flea Market westportfleamarket.com, Screen Tee Gallery screenteegallery.com, The Bunker bunkeronline.com, Poptopia poptopia-online.com Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

63

Suburbs

living

story by Kathleen Martin |

@visitop

The Heart of the Matter

For Grundfos’ marketing manager, Amy James, the decision to join

Great for career or best family fit? Quality education or

the company was just as simple. In a community filled with

affordability? Low crime or sweet nightlife? These compromises

easy-access parks and quality school systems, it’s the perfect place to

might seem necessary in order to find the best location for budding

raise a family. Yet young people seem just as attracted to the area.

careers and raising a family. Yet somehow, Johnson County has managed to have its cake and eat it, too.

“I was single for 10 or 15 years and still chose to live in Johnson County because there’s great access to the rest of the

Even at its surface, it’s a beautiful place. Overland Park is renowned for its lush canopy trees, and both Olathe and Overland Park boast

city, so I can get to all the different parts of the city really quickly,” James says.

dozens of park locations. On the practical side, the area is known for

Indeed, Grundfos is within driving distance to hot shopping places

its safe neighborhoods and the best school systems in the country.

such as One Nineteen, Town Center Plaza and downtown Overland

Yet beneath its canopy of trees is a bustling business hub and a city

Park, where trendy restaurants such as La Bodega and local

stocked with trendy shopping, dining and entertainment.

mainstays, such as Oklahoma Joe’s and Bo Ling’s, are located.

Central and Essential

opportunities. Reputations soar for Johnson County school districts,

This goes hand-in-hand with the area’s renowned educational

64

For Grundfos, the world’s largest manufacturer of water pump

which include Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley and Olathe. The

systems, Olathe was the obvious choice for its headquarters. The

area offers higher-level opportunities as well, with Johnson County

heart of the Midwest is a practical location for global distribution,

Community College and campuses of Kansas State University,

and the talent pool in the area was too good to pass up.

University of Kansas and Mid-America Nazarene University.

Need more information about life in Kansas City?

Visit kccreativecrossroads.com

For Students, Success is Spelled in All CAPS

Johnson County has a lot to be proud of in the educational arena, but one program takes the spotlight for encouraging ambitious youth. Each day, students of the Blue Valley School District transform into young professionals when they spend time at the CAPS (Center for Advanced Professional Studies) Program.

The CAPS Program gives juniors and seniors a jumpstart in the professional world by giving them a window into their chosen fields.

Students find the program boosts their resumes and gives them the tools to thrive in the “innovation generation.”The program gives students the opportunity to explore professions in the fields of bioscience, business, engineering and human services.

CAPS partners with hundreds of local businesses that provide real-world projects to challenge students in their chosen field. But these academic high-fliers don’t have to go it alone—mentors are paired to each student and tasked with advising while providing a real-world role model. Graduates of the program have come away from CAPS with a tool belt of skills and experiences that equip them in finding their footing in college, and give them a sharp edge on the competition when applying for jobs and internships.

Downtown Overland Park: Stepping Off Beat

“We’re kind of the anti-chains,” says Mike Cole, owner of the

As the small hand of the red-brick clock tower moves to the number

General Store & Co. His shelves are filled with gifts with wit and

10, downtown Overland Park is waking up. Shopkeepers and bakers

whimsy, turning the conventional idea of an old-fashioned,

open their doors to locals who hope to spot items with personality.

family-friendly general store inside out.

“When you go in, you’re buying something that’s hopefully a little

Perhaps the most famous scene in downtown Overland Park is

more unique than you find at other places,” says Jim Smith, on the

the farmers market, which Cole says is “definitely the anchor,”

hunt for a gift for his son. Smith is headed to The Tasteful Olive, an

adding that it “draws people from all over the city.” The music

independently owned store known for its quirky flavors of olive oil.

of hometown bands often wafts from beneath the famous clock

Unexpected yet well-loved: This could be the anthem of downtown

tower, accompanying shoppers as they fill their baskets with

Overland Park—devout loyalty to the offbeat, catered with local

everything from seasonal produce to golden loafs of bread and

charm. Other stores sing the same tune—from Images, a gallery

country-style bouquets.

operated by local artists, to Mysteryscape, a bookstore whose only genre is (you guessed it) mystery.

Downtown Overland Park is embracing the independent vibe, and the community is feeling the warmth.

resources: Grundfos us.grundfos.com, One Nineteen onenineteenshopping.com, Town Center Plaza towncenterplaza.com, Historic Downtown Overland Park downtownop.org, La Bodega labodegakc.com, Oklahoma Joe’s oklahomajoesbbq.com, Bo Ling’s bolings.com, Shawnee Mission School District smsd.org, Blue Valley School District bluevalleyk12schools.org, Olathe School District olatheschools.com, Johnson County Community College jccc.edu, Kansas State University k-state.edu, University of Kansas ku.edu, Mid-America Nazarene University mnu.edu, Blue Valley CAPS Program bvcaps.org Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

65

living

can’t-miss

cities and towns story by Erin Donaldson

Leavenworth In the land of the free and the home of the brave, Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kan., prides itself as the

le

“Best Hometown in the Army.” As the oldest active Army post west of the Mississippi River, Fort Leavenworth has been operating for more than 180 years. Fort Leavenworth stands out from other Army bases around the country by housing The U.S. Combined Arms Center (USACAC), which provides leadership and supervision for leader development and professional military and civilian education as well as institutional training. The CAC is known as the “Intellectual Center of the Army,” and the Combined Arms Center-Training provides challenging experiences for soldiers and civilians living on base at Fort Leavenworth.

Topeka The state capitol is home to Hill’s Pet Nutrition, the company behind Prescription Diet and Science Diet pet foods.

But its real sweet spot: Mars Chocolate North America is finishing construction on a brand new Topeka facility. The plant will begin production on M&Ms and Snickers late in 2013. Sweet tooth satisfied, a Topeka visitor could stop by the Kansas Museum of History, voted by Kansans as one of the “Eight Wonders of Kansas,” or enjoy Topeka’s public trails, playgrounds, a motorcycle museum and locally owned dining options.

Olathe Aside from being the leading worldwide provider of navigation communication and information devices and applications, Olathe-based Garmin motivates the residents of greater Kansas City with the annual Garmin Marathon In the Land of Oz. And the navigational juggernaut is in good company in the southern Johnson County town: The Kansas Bioscience Authority is located in Olathe, as is the Kansas State University-Innovation Campus. Olathe also has one of the nation’s best school systems and an active community. Each fall, 65,000–75,000 people turn out for the Johnson County Old Settlers parade.

Parkville Ten miles from downtown Kansas City, the vibrant community of Parkville, Mo., boasts a picturesque setting of a historic downtown, quiet neighborhoods, art galleries, antique shops and a community that carries a strong sense of pride. It’s also the home to The National Golf Club of Kansas City. Designed by legendary golfer and hometown hero Tom Watson, The National in Parkville is the finest private golf club in Kansas City. The course has been recognized as a Top 100 Golf Course by Golf Digest, and Travel + Leisure Golf magazine named the community of Parkville a Top 100 Golf Community in the Country for four consecutive years. The laid-back vibe of Parkville residents encourages a healthy and relaxed lifestyle; solitude and serenity can be found on the trails of the nature sanctuary along the Missouri River or from playing a round of golf with family and friends on the finest golf course in the KC area.

St. Joseph St. Joseph-based Heartland Foundation’s emPowerU is an organized youth agenda that focuses on youth’s ability to learn and be successful. At-risk youth and top-performing students have participated in the emPowerU program, totaling 15,000 participants so far. St. Joe’s culture also is sculpted by the presence of numerous global animal health companies, including Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Nestle Purina Petcare, American Angus Association and Biozyme, among others.

66

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photo by Phil Kline

eavenworth topeka olathe parkville st. joseph photo by Phil Kline

photo by Phil Kline

Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

67

living

More than

photo by Spencer Museum of Art

Rock Chalk story by Alex Kluesner | photos by KENNY JOHNSON

Usually noted for Jayhawk of the many fashion boutiques,

of the Asian-fusion variety. The

basketball and being a Civil such as Britches and Eccentricity

cozy yet lavish dining room is the

War site, the city of Lawrence, Too. Jock’s Nitch Hawk Zone, a

setting for meals costing upwards

Kan., offers much more than sports apparel outlet, is the place of $50 to $70, but what Café that just west of KC proper.

Lawrence’s

political

roots

stretch far and wide across the county. Its historical events are

for every University of Kansas

Beautiful lacks in cost efficiency,

(KU) student and fan to get their

it makes up for in intimacy, as the

crimson and blue gear.

space allows only one party to to the stage, including ballet and

Massachusetts

Street

offers dine at a time.

well-documented at sites around as many eateries as it does retail

jazz concerts.

Lawrence holds contemporary

Families come together in

the city. The Carnegie Building,

stores. Staying true to the nature and performing arts as a key

Lawrence at parks and recreation

part of the Freedom’s Frontier

of a college town, the main

centers. The activity isn’t limited

part of its community. One of the

National Heritage Area, is a Civil thoroughfare features burger most notable places to view art in to games of football, basketball War museum that tells the story and pizza joints, such as The its many forms is at the Spencer

or baseball. The national trend

of the many battles that happened

of Geocaching—a game where

Burger Stand. Contrary to what

Museum of Art. The museum

on the Kansas-Missouri border its name might suggest, this boasts 36,000 pieces of art in the object is to find hidden or and what it meant for America.

establishment is far from a

all media and genres, such as disguised GPS devices with a GPS

Relics of the Civil War era are curbside stand. Customers can

American, Asian and European. tracker—is a popular activity

scattered throughout the city, choose from a wide selection of Admission is free. Lawrence also and a great way to discover but Lawrence is now an area of

burgers, some topped with provides an answer for those

both cultural and industrial

habanero-cactus jam.

the city at one’s own pace.

looking for the off-Broadway

modernity. All of this manifests

Lawrence also features fine

experience at playhouses, such as

resources: Garmin garmin.com,

on Massachusetts Street. The

dining spots, including Café

the Theatre Lawrence. The Lied

Lawrence lawrenceks.org, Parkville

style savvy can explore the latest Beautiful. Chef-owner Melinda Center of Kansas brings a more parkvillemo.gov, Topeka visittopeka.us national clothing trends in one 68

Roeder offers nine-course meals eclectic brand of performances Leavenworth leavenworth.org

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Augie Grasis | Entrepreneur and Founder, Handmark

Debbie Gold | Chef

Faces of America’s Creative Crossroads Davyeon Ross | Entrepreneur

portraits by Cameron Gee

Hampton Stevens | Writer Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

71

72

Laura Jones | Principal Dancer, Quixotic Fusion

shaul jolles | Entrepreneur

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Tracy Tapp and Whitney Rice Architects, Populous

Reilly Hoffman | Sculptor

Peregrine Honig | Artist

michael edmondson | Entrepreneur

Eric Rosen | Theatre Producer

nick jenkins | Stylist Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

73

Jim Leedy | Artist and Visionary

anthony magliano | Musician, Composer and Designer

Jeff Harshbarger | Musician and Composer

Teri Rogers | Entrepreneur and Owner, T2 Studios

Zhou Long | Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer 74

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christopher elbow | Chocolatier and Pastry Chef

Rachel Hack | community manager, google

Ryan Maybee | Restaurateur and Mixologist

spencer schubert | Sculptor

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75

Beth Nybeck | Metal Sculpture Artist

Alacartoona | Modern Cabaret Ensemble 76

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Tracy Panko | Entrepreneur and CEO, Spiral16

Bob Berkebile | Architect and Principal, BNIM

Peggy Noland | Fashion Designer

Tyrone Aiken | Dancer and Theater Director

monica delaorra | Associate Editorial Director, Hallmark

STRETCH | Artist and Entrepreneur Celina Tio | Chef

Mike Farmer | Entrepreneur and Founder/CEO, Leap2

mark westervelt | Painter Brought to you by KCADC & Anthem Publishing

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web directory

Block & Co, Inc. Realtors www.blockandco.com

Block Real Estate Services www.blockllc.com

Kansas City Regional AssocIATION of Realtors www.kcrar.com

Blue Cross Blue Shield www.bluekc.com Boehringer Ingelheim www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

HCA Midwest Division www.hcamidwest.com

Olathe Chamber of Commerce www.olathe.org

CRB Engineers www.crbusa.com

Hallmark www.hallmark.com

Mark One Electric Company www.markone.com McCownGordon Construction www.mccowngordon.com

City of North Kansas City www.nkc.org

Go Topeka Economic Partnership/Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce www.gotopeka.com

K-State Innovation Campus www.olathe.k-state.edu Leavenworth County Development CorP www.lvcountyed.org

Burns & McDonnell www.burnsmcd.com City of Gladstone www.gladstone.mo.us

Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences www.kcumb.edu

Shafer, Kline & Warren www.skw-inc.com

Southwest Johnson County Economic Development www.thinksouthwestjohnsoncounty.com

Spencer Reed Group www.spencerreed.com

JE Dunn www.jedunn.com

St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce www.saintjoseph.com

Johnson County Community College www.jccc.edu

Truman Medical Center www.trumed.org

Johnson County Library www.jocolibrary.org

UMKC www.umkc.edu

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endmark

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