KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The owner of the historic Katz Drug Store building in Midtown has moved to start a countdown clock for the structure to be saved in light of the City Council’s vote to deny incentives for an apartment redevelopment last week.

Redeemer Fellowship, the building’s owner, expects — and wants — commission members to deny its request. If that happens, city code prohibits Redeemer Fellowship from obtaining a permit or carrying out the demolition for 36 months. Afterward, the church would have the right to proceed with demolition without a certificate.

Kansas City Council nixes plan to turn old Katz Drug Store into luxury apartments

“We don’t want to demolish the building,” he told the Kansas City Business Journal. “But we thought it was clear from the council discussion last Thursday that there doesn’t seem to be a will … to support the redevelopment of this building.”

Council voted unanimoulsy June 24 to deny a development and property tax abatement plan. The buyer wants more than 10 years of a 75% property tax abatement. Opponents said they want to focus on affordable living over luxury apartments.

Read more details on the Kansas City Business Journal

Close Modal

Suggest a Correction

Suggest a Correction

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here

Real estate deals gone wrong bring out the worst in people. Today a Kansas City fight for cash offers a PERFECT example of this truism.

Check the highlights that are making the middle-class panic because high hopes for the streetcar extension have already started to fall apart . . .

KC Biz Journal: “Redeemer Fellowship, which owns the historic Katz Drug Store building, seeks permission to demolish the structure after incentives were denied for an apartment complex. If the city’s Historic Preservation Commission denies the request, the property owner will have the right to tear down the building after three years if no better offer comes along.”

To which we add . . .

PLEASE TEAR IT DOWN!!! HISTORIC OR NOT, KANSAS CITY SHOULD NEVER DO BIZ WITH PEOPLE WHO BARGAIN BY WAY OF THREATS!!!

The only way to answer this threat is by way of strength.

Losing the Katz building will be sad, so take a picture while it’s still around. 

But giving into this kind open economic hostility sets a HORRIFIC precedent and will inspire every two-bit developer scrounging around for cash to follow the same greedy path to riches. 

More to the point . . .

Blame for the impending destruction of the Katz building belongs with streetcar extension supporters who have sparked a development feeding frenzy and rampant speculation. 

Critics of the toy train warned of the real estate nightmare that would unfold and now we’re at the outset of developer mania in Midtown . . . More human tragedy will follow when residents are soon displaced. 

Sure, this low-rent church is bargaining like a thug but they own the property and it’s their right to play hard ball. 

What’s worse is that a rigged, gerrymandered vote for an obsolete mode of transit put Kansas City is a weak bargaining position that will likely end with the iconic building’s demolition.

More info here for subscribers . . .

Katz Drug Store owner hopes to start the development clock with demolition request – Kansas City Business Journal

Redeemer Fellowship, which owns the historic Katz Drug Store building, seeks permission to demolish the structure after incentives were denied for an apartment complex. If the city’s Historic Preservation Commission denies the request, the property owner will have the right to tear down the building after three years if no better offer comes along.

Post A Comment

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here

On the heels of Crux KC doubling its square footage in January and growing its headcount 118 percent since June 2020, the marketing firm — one of the KC Chamber’s Top 10 Small Businesses — announced a significant investment this week by Grant Burcham, former Mobank CEO.

“I’ve long valued Grant’s business acumen and insight as a leader, which makes it all the more meaningful that he’s invested in the future growth of Crux,” Melea McRae, Crux’s founder and CEO, said of the undisclosed deal.

Burcham’s investment enables the company to continue its growth trajectory, which has already hit a 50 percent revenue increase for the first half of 2021, according to Crux. With the investment, Crux’s top priorities are to hire new team members, offer additional employee perks and expand to a larger office space, all necessities to accommodate its growth strategy, the company said.

Crux already has added 12 employees to its roster since January in anticipation of 60 percent revenue growth by the end of 2021. After upgrading to a 2,500-square-foot office earlier this year, Crux recently re-leased a separate space in the same building to accommodate its rapidly expanding team.

The company is currently on the hunt for its new permanent home in the downtown Kansas City area.

Click here to learn more about Crux KC.

“We’re approaching our five-year anniversary in July, fueled by the recent successes and all the momentum,” McRae said. “Because of this partnership, we can move forward sooner than expected with several strategic investments that we planned to make in 2022, thereby better serving our clients. We’re just getting started.”

 

Crux KC offices; photo by Morgan Miller Photography

Crux KC offices; photo by Morgan Miller Photography

Crux’s rapid growth trajectory, as well as Burcham’s belief in the importance of marketing, were both factors that compelled him to invest, the company said. Following another recent investment in the IT solutions company CyTek, Burcham plans to focus exclusively on helping these two local businesses grow for the foreseeable future.

Click here to read more about Burcham’s newly announced involvement with CyTek.

Melea McRae, Crux KC

“Crux has a dynamic leader, a differentiated business model and a talented team; that’s the triple threat of success,” Burcham said. “The brand differentiation at Mobank prompted me to take a great interest in understanding the power of good marketing. The minute Melea and I started working together, I could see the energy, passion and success of the company — validated by the numbers — and I immediately saw the value in investing.”  

Crux combines executive-level marketing and business strategy to provide a simple, smart and affordable outsourced marketing solution, according to the company.

Despite the pandemic, Crux increased its topline revenue by 40 percent in 2020, the company reported. Among its new local clients: Hoefer Welker, Morgan Hunter, Pipeline Entrepreneurs, the City of Mission, Kansas, CrossFirst Bank and SourceLink, as well as several in the Dallas market.

Wanting to give back to the community in a meaningful way, Crux also launched its pro-bono marketing services program last year, devoting $30,000 of marketing services free to one worthy nonprofit annually.

This year’s recipient is KC Shepherd’s Center (KCSC), a unique, peer-led platform of services aimed at helping senior Kansas Citians stay active, involved and independent.

The 2020 recipient was People of All Colors Succeed (POAC), a conversation starter working to build diverse communities grounded in understanding, acceptance and inclusion, and a future free from bullying.

Click here to read more about the efforts of Jamie Grayson and POAC.

Crux’s McRae recently was honored among the Kansas City Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business 2021 class, and won the Enterprising Women of the Year Award in May.

This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that seeks to build inclusive prosperity through a prepared workforce and entrepreneur-focused economic development. The Foundation works to change conditions, address root causes, and break down systemic barriers so that all people – regardless of race, gender, or geography – have the opportunity to achieve economic stability, mobility, and prosperity. 

For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with us at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Facebook Comments

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here

Local media dutifully and politely ignores grumbling over the Kansas City obstacle course for drivers on Main street. 

Instead, locals are mostly offered hype in support of transit that will lead locals to an “entertainment district” that protesters nearly burned down during “mostly peaceful” protests and now confronts the same uptick in violence endured by most Kansas City residents.

Subscribers can read more here . . .

Main Street utility work gets underway to prepare for southern streetcar extension – Kansas City Business Journal

Kansas City’s $351.7 million southern streetcar extension will continue creating a rocky road for local motorists along Main Street for the foreseeable future. Workers with the city’s Water Department and 15 private companies are expected to perform piecemeal utility upgrades and relocation along segments of the streetcar’s upcoming 3.5-mile route to the University of Missouri-Kansas City into early fall 2022, weather permitting, said Alex Miller, a spokesperson for the Upgrades on Main team.

Local budget off track amid recent TAX fail . . .

KC Streetcar fleet may soon double in size

Kansas City’s streetcar fleet could soon have the green light to double in size. The Kansas City, Missouri, Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations City Council Committee is set to review a contract Wednesday to buy six new low-floor light rail vehicles.

Developing . . .

Post A Comment

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Rx Savings Solutions, the market leading tool for pharmacy transparency, has announced plans to hire an additional 100 employees between now and December 31, 2021. The aggressive effort is spurred by explosive growth – expected to be greater than 80% this year – and the successful release of new product verticals such as AdminRx for Care Coordination and Rx Home Delivery.

The Overland Park-based company, a leader in the industry, is looking for skilled team members in engineering, sales, marketing, operations, customer success and pharmacy technicians (including bi-lingual). The search includes strong candidates with AWS experience and knowledge of frameworks such as Laravel, Spring, Vue.js and Flutter. Positions will be both based in the OP office, as well as remote.

Named a “Best Place to Work” by the Kansas City Business Journal for the past 3 consecutive years, Rx Savings Solutions patented a web-based healthcare consumerism software driving proven results to save employers, employees, and health plans money on prescription medications.

The company currently serves 9 million members today – and is expected to nearly double that and serve 17 million by year’s end. In May 2021, over $1B of pharmacy claims were run through the Rx Savings Solutions proactive, patented software.

Founded by a pharmacist, Rx Savings Solutions is made up of expert clinicians, technical engineers, and former pharma insiders. The team at Rx Savings Solutions is driven to make a difference in the costly pharmaceutical industry by exposing savings opportunities and analytics to its clients and members.

With a five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 66.5%, the company works with more than 40 of the Fortune 500 and growing. Just off the heels of announcing a notable 99% revenue retention rate in 2020, nearly all of Rx Savings Solutions’ clients who were up for renewal this year chose to extend their contracts. 

“Our mission-driven culture and phenomenal team are the primary drivers of the remarkable results we have experienced over the past several years,” said Michael Rea, a clinical pharmacist who is founder and CEO of Rx Savings Solutions. “As we continue to outpace our growth metrics year over year, we are proud to be able to do our part to enable healthcare consumerism in our country.”  

The new positions offer competitive salaries and benefits, including participation in the company’s 401(k) program with a dollar-to-dollar match of up to four percent of an employee’s salary contribution. Beyond competitive pay and attractive benefits packages, employees enjoy workplace flexibility and a hybrid structure, with employees currently working across the nation in 8 different states.

With a fun-loving culture which includes celebratory parking lot parties and corn hole tournaments, Rx Savings Solutions is proud to be part of the local KC community and is looking for ways we can give back. The RxSS Gives Back Program serves local Kansas City charities such as Hope House, an annual Thanksgiving dinner project for Harvesters, and Operation Tiny Home Pay-it-Forward Veteran Housing Program.

“At Rx Savings Solutions, people always come first, whether it’s the millions of members we serve or our rapidly growing team,” added Rea.

For more information or to apply for an opening at Rx Savings Solutions, please visit: https://rxsavingssolutions.com/company/careers.

About Rx Savings Solutions 

Rx Savings Solutions offers an innovative, patented engagement software system empowering employers and employees to be educated consumers of healthcare. Serving more than 9 million members nationwide, including 41 Fortune 500 clients and more than a dozen health plans, Rx Savings Solutions provides a state-of-the-art approach to pharmacy transparency using objective and unbiased information to inform better decision making. Rx Savings Solutions was founded and is operated by a team of pharmacists and software engineers who support a collaborative, cost-saving solution for purchasing prescription drugs. For more information, visit rxsavingssolutions.com or follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact:

Cecile Fradkin

S&C Public Relations Inc.

646-941-9139

media@rxsavingsllc.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rx-savings-solutions-to-create-100-jobs-through-2021-301317700.html

SOURCE Rx Savings Solutions

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here

OVERLAND PARK – Bank of Blue Valley, a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. recently announced that Brent Giles has been named President and CEO, effective Thursday, July 1.

Giles will also serve on the bank’s Board of Directors.

Morill & Janes Bank with branches in Atchison, Hiawatha and Sabetha is a division of Bank of Blue Valley since a merger in 2019.

“We are fortunate and excited to have Brent Giles lead Bank of Blue Valley,” said Bob Regnier, Vice Chairman of the Board at Bank of Blue Valley. “Brent has over 30 years of banking experience helping commercial businesses succeed as well as serving as a key leader in the Kansas City market. As a local bank with local decision-making, helping drive growth and contributing to the vitality of our community is essential.”

Giles is an exceptional banking executive who brings more than 30 years’ experience in commercial and consumer banking, strategic leadership, team building and delivering client satisfaction. He most recently was the President and CEO at Wisconsin Bank and Trust, another subsidiary of HTLF. Prior to this role, Giles held the positions of Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Liberty Bancorp, Inc. and BankLiberty, both headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Giles holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Missouri. “Bank of Blue Valley is a great bank with a tremendous story of growth and commitment to the community through the years,” Giles stated. “I am excited to help lead Bank of Blue Valley as we continue to build upon that story and help grow both the Kansas City community and Northeast Kansas communities that we serve.” Wendy Reynolds, current President of Bank of Blue Valley, will become HTLF’s, new Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, which is effective July 1. Reynolds brings a strong history of community service to this newly created role. She was recently recognized as a Kansas City Business Journal Women Who Mean Business honoree for her work in the industry and community.

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here

OVERLAND PARK – Bank of Blue Valley, a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. recently announced that Brent Giles has been named President and CEO, effective Thursday, July 1.

Giles will also serve on the bank’s Board of Directors.

Morill & Janes Bank with branches in Atchison, Hiawatha and Sabetha is a division of Bank of Blue Valley since a merger in 2019.

“We are fortunate and excited to have Brent Giles lead Bank of Blue Valley,” said Bob Regnier, Vice Chairman of the Board at Bank of Blue Valley. “Brent has over 30 years of banking experience helping commercial businesses succeed as well as serving as a key leader in the Kansas City market. As a local bank with local decision-making, helping drive growth and contributing to the vitality of our community is essential.”

Giles is an exceptional banking executive who brings more than 30 years’ experience in commercial and consumer banking, strategic leadership, team building and delivering client satisfaction. He most recently was the President and CEO at Wisconsin Bank and Trust, another subsidiary of HTLF. Prior to this role, Giles held the positions of Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Liberty Bancorp, Inc. and BankLiberty, both headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Giles holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Missouri. “Bank of Blue Valley is a great bank with a tremendous story of growth and commitment to the community through the years,” Giles stated. “I am excited to help lead Bank of Blue Valley as we continue to build upon that story and help grow both the Kansas City community and Northeast Kansas communities that we serve.” Wendy Reynolds, current President of Bank of Blue Valley, will become HTLF’s, new Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, which is effective July 1. Reynolds brings a strong history of community service to this newly created role. She was recently recognized as a Kansas City Business Journal Women Who Mean Business honoree for her work in the industry and community.

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here

Rx Savings Solutions logo 

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – June 23, 2021 – Rx Savings Solutions, the market leading tool for pharmacy transparency, has announced plans to hire an additional 100 employees between now and December 31, 2021. The aggressive effort is spurred by explosive growth – expected to be greater than 80% this year – and the successful release of new product verticals such as AdminRx for Care Coordination and Rx Home Delivery.

The Overland Park-based company, a leader in the industry, is looking for skilled team members in engineering, sales, marketing, operations, customer success and pharmacy technicians (including bi-lingual). The search includes strong candidates with AWS experience and knowledge of frameworks such as Laravel, Spring, Vue.js and Flutter. Positions will be both based in the OP office, as well as remote, including leveraging top talent from the St. Louis market.

Named a “Best Place to Work” by the Kansas City Business Journal for the past 3 consecutive years, Rx Savings Solutions patented a web-based healthcare consumerism software driving proven results to save employers, employees, and health plans money on prescription medications. The company currently serves 9 million members today – and is expected to nearly double that and serve 17 million by year’s end.

Founded by a pharmacist, Rx Savings Solutions is made up of expert clinicians, technical engineers, and former pharma insiders. The team at Rx Savings Solutions is driven to make a difference in the costly pharmaceutical industry by exposing savings opportunities and analytics to its clients and members.

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City payday loan business owner who tried to hide his financial assets to avoid paying up to $7.5 million in debt has been sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison.

Del Hodges Kimball, 54, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty in January to bankruptcy fraud. He was also ordered to pay more than $900,000 in restitution, federal prosecutors said.

Kimball was accused of claiming he lost millions of dollars in 2013 and 2014 when he had a gross income of nearly $160,000 in 2013 and more than $213,000 in 2014, federal prosecutors said. He also hid hundreds of thousands of dollars in his wife’s personal bank account to conceal his wealth from creditors and federal authorities, prosecutors said.

Acting U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said in a statement Wednesday that Kimball “made a mockery” of the bankruptcy system to avoid over $7.5 million in debt while maintaining a luxurious lifestyle.

Kimball and a payday loan company LTS Management, which he co-owned, were forced into a bankruptcy case in 2015 by creditors who said he owned them millions of dollars from investments. A bankruptcy trustee accused Kimball of concealing assets in 2017.

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Rx Savings Solutions, the market leading tool for pharmacy transparency, has announced plans to hire an additional 100 employees between now and December 31, 2021. The aggressive effort is spurred by explosive growth – expected to be greater than 80% this year – and the successful release of new product verticals such as AdminRx for Care Coordination and Rx Home Delivery.

The Overland Park-based company, a leader in the industry, is looking for skilled team members in engineering, sales, marketing, operations, customer success and pharmacy technicians (including bi-lingual). The search includes strong candidates with AWS experience and knowledge of frameworks such as Laravel, Spring, Vue.js and Flutter. Positions will be both based in the OP office, as well as remote.

Named a “Best Place to Work” by the Kansas City Business Journal for the past 3 consecutive years, Rx Savings Solutions patented a web-based healthcare consumerism software driving proven results to save employers, employees, and health plans money on prescription medications.

The company currently serves 9 million members today – and is expected to nearly double that and serve 17 million by year’s end. In May 2021, over $1B of pharmacy claims were run through the Rx Savings Solutions proactive, patented software.

Founded by a pharmacist, Rx Savings Solutions is made up of expert clinicians, technical engineers, and former pharma insiders. The team at Rx Savings Solutions is driven to make a difference in the costly pharmaceutical industry by exposing savings opportunities and analytics to its clients and members.

With a five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 66.5%, the company works with more than 40 of the Fortune 500 and growing. Just off the heels of announcing a notable 99% revenue retention rate in 2020, nearly all of Rx Savings Solutions’ clients who were up for renewal this year chose to extend their contracts. 

“Our mission-driven culture and phenomenal team are the primary drivers of the remarkable results we have experienced over the past several years,” said Michael Rea, a clinical pharmacist who is founder and CEO of Rx Savings Solutions. “As we continue to outpace our growth metrics year over year, we are proud to be able to do our part to enable healthcare consumerism in our country.”  

The new positions offer competitive salaries and benefits, including participation in the company’s 401(k) program with a dollar-to-dollar match of up to four percent of an employee’s salary contribution. Beyond competitive pay and attractive benefits packages, employees enjoy workplace flexibility and a hybrid structure, with employees currently working across the nation in 8 different states.

With a fun-loving culture which includes celebratory parking lot parties and corn hole tournaments, Rx Savings Solutions is proud to be part of the local KC community and is looking for ways we can give back. The RxSS Gives Back Program serves local Kansas City charities such as Hope House, an annual Thanksgiving dinner project for Harvesters, and Operation Tiny Home Pay-it-Forward Veteran Housing Program.

“At Rx Savings Solutions, people always come first, whether it’s the millions of members we serve or our rapidly growing team,” added Rea.

For more information or to apply for an opening at Rx Savings Solutions, please visit: https://rxsavingssolutions.com/company/careers.

About Rx Savings Solutions 
Rx Savings Solutions offers an innovative, patented engagement software system empowering employers and employees to be educated consumers of healthcare. Serving more than 9 million members nationwide, including 41 Fortune 500 clients and more than a dozen health plans, Rx Savings Solutions provides a state-of-the-art approach to pharmacy transparency using objective and unbiased information to inform better decision making. Rx Savings Solutions was founded and is operated by a team of pharmacists and software engineers who support a collaborative, cost-saving solution for purchasing prescription drugs. For more information, visit rxsavingssolutions.com or follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contact:
Cecile Fradkin
S&C Public Relations Inc.
646-941-9139
[email protected]

SOURCE Rx Savings Solutions

Related Links

https://www.rxsavingssolutions.com

>>> Don't Miss Today's BEST Amazon Deals!

Originally Appeared Here