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April 2012 - Posts
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NIC Inc. notched double-digit gains in both revenue and earnings during the first quarter.
“We experienced strong financial results during the first quarter of 2012,” Chairman and CEO Harry Herington said in a written statement. “Our success was driven by two of the fundamental ways we grow the business — increasing the adoption of existing transaction-based online services at both the state and federal level, and launching new services for our state partners.”
Here’s a summary of NIC’s...
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 Kansas City-area employers posted 25,300 new job ads online in April, the same number as the prior month.
That brought total local job ads online to 37,300, up about 500 from March and up 3,200 from April 2011, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine Data Series.
Nationally, online labor demand hit its highest level since The Conference Board began tracking the data in May 2005. Online advertised vacancies jumped by 90,900 in April to hit 4.76 million. That’s the fifth-straight monthly...
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 Eight Kansas City-area Target stores will enter summer with newly remodeled and expanded food sections.
Minneapolis-based Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) did a first round of renovations in March; a second round is set for June.
Stores locally that are included in the second renovations are three in Kansas City, two in Overland Park and one in Kansas City, Kan. The first round included one store each in Mission, Independence and Kansas City.
A map of all eight stores included in the remodel plan is available...
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 A North Kansas City company hopes to make a sparkling showing at the Kentucky Derby.
Helzberg Diamonds has partnered with jockey Javier Castellano, who will ride Gemologist in the 2012 Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
“Our customers consider us their gemologist, so it was a natural fit since Javier is riding Gemologist in the 2012 Kentucky Derby,” Beryl Raff, chairman and CEO of Helzberg Diamonds, said in a written release. “We are thrilled to partner with Javier, who is an incredible athlete...
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I keep getting reminded that we need to make data-driven decisions.
Heck, my instincts have gotten me this far. “I don’t need no stinkin’ data.”
These are the last words of a promising career!
I prefer to think like Mark Twain: “Lies, damned lies and statistics...”
I bet I could go to the computer right now and find four out of five doctors ... I think I will. I found a 2008 Journal of Consumer Research that indicates statistics greatly influence our choices. The data set is boring,...
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 Baseball food no longer is limited to hot dogs and Cracker Jacks, which is why the Kansas City Royals are pitching new options to fans at Kauffman Stadium.
On Monday, the Royals and concessionaire ARAMARK unveiled new additions, ramping up their concessions lineup prior to the All-Star Game to be held at Kauffman in July. Here’s a taste:
• The Urban Wok will provide egg rolls, crab rangoon and other Asian food offerings along the first base line on the Field/Plaza level.
• The Blue Moose...
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 CrossFirst Bank has signed an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Leawood-based Heartland Bank.
CrossFirst expects the acquisition to close during the second or third quarter. The transaction is subject to several conditions, including approval by the banks’ regulatory agencies and completion of a merger between Heartland Bank and Mercantile Bank.
Mercantile Bank absorbed Heartland Bank’s holding company, Mid-America Bancorp Inc., in April 2011.
“We look forward to welcoming...
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 Alliant Techsystems Inc. received more than $266 million in orders for ammunition that will be produced at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence.
The order includes a mix of 5.56-millimeter, 7.62-mm and .50-caliber military ammunition.
ATK Small Caliber Systems — a division of Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK), which is based in Eden Prairie, Minn. — has operated the Lake City plant since 2000.
“ATK is honored to be the Army’s industrial partner at the Lake City Army Ammunition...
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 Only one Kansas City-based law firm cracked the nation’s top 100 in revenue in the 2011 rankings released Friday by The American Lawyer.
Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP ranked 82nd on the list, down from 80th the year before, with revenue of $341.5 million. That was up 1.3 percent from the prior year.
The firm reported 116 equity partners among its 472 lawyers. Profits per equity partner were $1.07 million.
Dropping off the list was Husch Blackwell LLP, whose revenue dipped 4.6 percent to $266 million...
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 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Kansas City District has received an additional $31 million to repair damage caused by last summer’s flooding along the Missouri River.
The money from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act will be spent to fix river rock structures that were installed in the Kansas City District — between Rulo, Neb., and St. Louis — to reduce riverbank erosion and preserve the river channel. Recent inspections have found that about 400 of the district’s 5,000 river rock...
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 YRC Worldwide Inc. says its lenders have agreed to reset covenants from a July 2011 credit agreement, staving off the latest concern about the trucker’s financial future.
In a Monday release, the Overland Park-based company (Nasdaq: YRCW) said all of its term credit agreement lenders and credit agreement lenders for asset-backed loans agreed to the amendments.
In addition to resetting the loan terms, the lenders will allow YRC to retain all proceeds from the auction of certain surplus property.
If...
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A proposal to decrease income and property taxes could leave the Kansas budget $910 million in the hole when fully implemented, according to a report obtained by The Wichita Eagle.
The draft estimates put the cost of the tax cuts at $153 million for the 2013 fiscal year and increasing to $676 million in 2018, when nonwage income taxes would be wiped away for limited liability companies, S corporations and sole proprietorships, the Eagle reports. Projections from the Legislative Research Department...
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 Kansas City International Airport saw passenger traffic increase 5.3 percent in March from a year ago, partly as airline carriers offered slightly more seats.
KCI (Code: MCI) handled 878,871 arriving and departing passengers last month, the Kansas City Aviation Department reported Friday. Boardings alone increased 6.7 percent from March 2011, reaching 445,058.
Last month, KCI had 189 peak-day scheduled departures with service to 48 nonstop markets. KCI averaged 36,742 arriving and departing seats...
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A former employee of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said he landed on a “hot list” that has prevented him from being on the premises of the Fed since he was fired.
Arguably even worse, according to the lawsuit Christopher Nelson filed Wednesday in federal court in Kansas City, the prohibition extends to the Fed’s weekly bowling league. The suit says the Fed instructed the league’s three officers that he should not be at the bowling alley during league play.
Nelson’s attorney,...
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The merger of CoStar Group and LoopNet Inc. could create more business for Xceligent Inc., based in Independence, Mo.
As part of CoStar’s proposed $860 million acquisition of LoopNet, the Federal Trade Commission is ordering the combined entity to sell LoopNet’s stake in Xceligent to DMG Information Inc. The FTC wants to avoid anticompetitive and monopoly issues by helping create a national competitor to the merged company.
Xceligent is a real estate information company concentrated in Missouri,...
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A 9,150-square-foot industrial building in Shawnee sold to Ryan Lawn & Tree Inc. in a deal announced Thursday.
The building at 6411 Vista Drive will be renovated by Ryan Lawn & Tree, after which the Overland Park-based company will move its chemicals and sprinkler divisions to the new Shawnee location on 6.5 acres of land in the Attic Business Park.
The company said the Shawnee location will be its third in the metro area and is the result of continued growth in the Midwest. The company’s website...
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AT&T Inc. has finished upgrading its mobile Internet network along 750 miles of interstate in Missouri, the company announced Friday.
The effort by AT&T (NYSE: T) is designed to improve access to mobile content along the state’s most heavily used highways: Interstates 70, 44 and 55.
The company’s news release is below:
COLUMBIA, MO, APRIL 27, 2012 — AT&T* today announced completion of upgrades to its mobile Internet network along Interstate 70, Interstate 44 and Interstate 55 in Missouri,...
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 The last of roughly 3 million Ford Escapes produced at the Kansas City Assembly Plant will roll off the line on Saturday.
Ford Motor Co. then will begin overhauling its Claycomo plant to produce the Transit Van. The retooling will last into 2013.
See the slide show
The Escape work will shift to a plant in Louisville.
For expanded, exclusive coverage, subscribers can click here to read the story in this week’s print edition.
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 A Jackson County judge has ruled that Kansas City officials can move forward with plans to create a special taxing district in Downtown to build a streetcar system.
Circuit Judge Charles Atwell on Friday approved the city’s joint application with the Port Authority of Kansas City to call for an election to establish the transportation development district.
As part of the ruling, he determined that the city’s plan of special tax assessments on property owners and surface parking lots did not...
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 In this week’s edition, the Kansas City Business Journal ranks the top credit unions in the Kansas City area based on 2011 year-end assets.
For the full list, subscribers can take a look at this week’s edition of the Kansas City Business Journal. The list also includes number of local offices, membership criteria, contact information and a re-ranking based on number of members.
See the top 5
Want more research like this? Check out the 29th Annual Book of Lists in print or digital format here.
Think...
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Most businesses support comprehensive tax reform, which would reduce overall rates by ending a wide range of highly specific breaks, but they don’t want all those breaks to go away, Bizjournals.com reports.
Although tax reform won’t happen anytime soon, business groups are pushing Congress to renew breaks that encourage investing in new equipment, hiring and spending on research and development.
Check out the five breaks of particular importance to business leaders.
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The Kansas City Chiefs selected University of Memphis defensive lineman Dontari Poe in the first round of the National Football League’s draft, which was marked by aggressive trading, Sports Illustrated reports.
Although the Chiefs stood pat with the 11th pick, trades affected 14 of the 32 overall slots, Sports Illustrated reports.
Among the Big 12 players drafted: Baylor University’s Robert Griffin III (Washington) and Kendall Williams (Tennessee); Oklahoma State University’s Justin Blackmon...
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Epiq Systems Inc. reported record first-quarter revenue of $82.8 million Thursday as electronic discovery fuels growth for the Kansas City, Kan.-based legal services company.
That was a 53 percent jump over last year’s first-quarter revenue of $54.2 million for Epiq (Nasdaq: EPIQ). eDiscovery revenue was $48.8 million. It is expected to account for two-thirds of the company's revenue this year.
Net income of $2 million, or 6 cents a share, for the quarter was down from $3.1 million, or 8 cents...
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The mild winter is not bringing many smiles for executives at Compass Minerals International Inc., which posted a 29 percent drop in first-quarter profits and a 19 percent decline in sales as the warm weather cut demand for its road salt and professional deicing products.
The Overland Park-based company (Nasdaq: CMP) on Thursday reported earning $39.9 million, or $1.19 a share, during the three months that ended March 31. By comparison, it earned $56.5 million, or $1.69 a share, during the same...
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 Cerner Corp. reported continued sizable increases in profits and revenue in the first quarter as hospitals and physician offices continue moving from paper patient records to computer databases.
The North Kansas City-based company (Nasdaq: CERN) on Thursday reported earning $88.7 million, or 51 cents a share, during the three months ending March 31. By comparison, Cerner earned $64.6 million, or 37 cents a share, during the same period a year ago.
The results have been adjusted to reflect a two-for-one...
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 Cerner Corp. is releasing financial results for the first quarter Thursday afternoon and is expected to see a continued surge in revenue.
The North Kansas City-based company (Nasdaq: CERN) makes and sells information technology products for hospitals, ambulatory clinics and doctor’s offices. It has seen its fortunes ride high in recent years as the health care industry increasingly has turned to computers to track, deliver and charge for care.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the company...
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The good news from the Kansas City Business Journal’s panel discussion Thursday on “Johnson County After the Great Recession:” The fog is starting to lift, people. In Johnson County, home sales are picking up again, fine public schools continue to draw families to the area, and people still have a lot of trust in the local government.
Here are a few of the observations from panelists Clinton Robinson, associate vice president and director of community affairs at Black & Veatch; Doug Davidson,...
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Kansas City is tapping the River Market Loan Fund to make more microloans available for small businesses citywide.
The City Council will consider an ordinance Thursday to allow the fund, which only lends directly to businesses in the River Market area, to contribute $25,000 to Justine Petersen, a microlender that recently made its first loans in the Kansas City area.
Justine Petersen is the nation’s second-largest Small Business Administration microlender, having helped almost 2,000 small businesses...
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 Come Sunday, Kansas City residents can see their city in a new way — Lego form — when Legoland Discovery Center opens in Crown Center.
In a sneak peek inside the $15 million center, viewers could see Miniland, which includes a number of Kansas City landmarks, including the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Livestrong Sporting Park, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Starlight Theatre.
Also in Miniland is a section dedicated to the “Wizard of Oz,” including Dorothy’s spinning house,...
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 The U.S. Senate passed legislation Wednesday that aims to keep the money-losing U.S. Postal Service in business without closing thousands of post offices throughout the country.
The bill, which passed 62-37, provides the postal service with $11 billion to use for providing early-retirement incentives to hundreds of thousands of workers. The money will come from overpayments the postal service has made to its pension fund.
The legislation also requires the postal service to continue Saturday delivery...
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 Growth in the regional manufacturing sector slowed in April compared with recent months but still beat year-ago levels, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
A survey of the KC Fed’s district — Western Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Wyoming and northern New Mexico — found that manufacturing in those states expanded but that growth in employment eased in April.
Projections for growth and production through the end of the year were lowered, though the outlook remained...
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The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine has received a $400,000 gift to research treatment for pulmonary fibrosis.
UMKC will create the Mary Katherine Geldmacher Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Program at the UMKC Lung Research Center, the school said in a Thursday release.
The center is named for Mary Geldmacher, a former St. Louis teacher who died of the disease in 2009 but not before bequeathing the $400,000 to UMKC in her will.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a buildup of fibrous, or scar,...
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 Physicians in Missouri and Kansas made good progress in incorporating electronic health record systems into their practices last year but still lag on installing full computer networks, according to a new survey.
Using the annual National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the 2011 American Hospital Association supplemental Health Information Technology survey, researchers with the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation on Wednesday said that 61.2 percent of Kansas office-based physicians and 57 percent...
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 Polsinelli Shughart PC has added a group of 14 attorneys from the wreckage of St. Louis law firm Gallop Johnson & Neuman LC.
The new arrivals, starting May 1, include name partner Sanford Neuman, Managing Partner Tom Campbell and partners Alan Breckenridge, Ruben Chuquimia, Thomas Hohenstein and Bradley Kafka.
Associates and of counsel joining the firm are Peter Corsale, Robert Droney, Bridget Johnson, Ryan McCarty, John Temporiti, Johnny Swang, Mark Weisman and Robert Wexler.
The lawyers’ practice...
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Euronet Worldwide Inc. reported a 24 percent drop in first-quarter profits despite revenue gains in all of its business lines.
The Leawood-based electronic payment processor (Nasdaq: EEFT) on Wednesday reported earning $13.2 million, or 26 cents a share, during the three months ending March 31. By comparison, it earned $17.3 million, or 33 cents a share, during the same period a year ago.
Not including one-time items and share-based executive compensation, Euronet said it would have earned 33 cents...
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 H&R Block Inc. said Wednesday that it would eliminate 350 jobs at its Kansas City headquarters and nationwide.
The company also will close about 200 “underperforming” offices and cut back its seasonal work force, the Kansas City-based company (NYSE: HRB) said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The moves are expected to save $85 million to $100 million annually by the end of fiscal 2013, the filing said.
“Following the completion of my first tax season and a strategic...
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 H&R Block Inc. reported that a record 2.2 million tax returns were prepared for the fiscal year to date through April 18, a 4.5 percent increase from last year.
The Kansas City-based tax preparer grew in both the retail and digital channels.
Total retail tax returns reached 14.86 million, up 1 percent from the previous year.
Digital tax returns grew to 6.5 million, up 12.3 percent from a year ago. Online tax returns provided the biggest boost, up 20.4 percent to 4.4 million.
“I am pleased that...
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The Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City reported continued growth in the housing market in March, with 269 permits issued for new single-family home construction, up 49 percent from March 2011.
That brings the first-quarter total to 639 permits, up 64 percent from 389 permits issued a year ago.
That’s the best first quarter since 2008, when 836 single-family home permits were issued, but still well below pre-recession levels. The first quarter of 2006 saw 2,649 single-family permits...
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 A federal judge in Kansas has approved a settlement with Costco Wholesale Corp. in the “hot fuel” multidistrict litigation.
Costco agreed to convert gas pumps in some states during the next five years to automatically compensate for expansion due to changing temperatures. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil ruled Tuesday that the settlement was fair.
Costco won’t pay a monetary settlement, but plaintiffs’ lawyers have asked for $10 million in attorney fees. Class representatives would get...
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 Sprint Nextel Corp. CFO Joe Euteneuer sees his company’s mixed-bag first-quarter results as akin to the early-mile pacing of a marathon or station-to-station batting in a baseball game.
“The fact that we had generally free cash flow in the period, the fact that we had a great conversion rate on the iDEN (Nextel) subscribers and the fact we had a great increase in the (annual revenue per user) ... where we are is about hitting a bunch of singles in a row,” Euteneuer said Wednesday.
Sprint’s...
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 Gov. Jay Nixon traveled to Riverside on Wednesday morning to hail Premium Waters Inc.’s $36 million manufacturing expansion.
A groundbreaking ceremony took place in Riverside, where Premium Waters will start work on a 160,000-square-foot expansion of a private-label bottled water manufacturing and distribution facility.
The expansion is expected to lead to 100 new jobs in three years on top of the 25 jobs that were retained.
The Missouri Department of Economic Development approved $1 million...
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Sprint Nextel Corp. said Wednesday that it added a net 1.1 million customers, including more than a quarter-million contract customers, during the first quarter, the Kansas City Business Journal reports.
The Overland Park-based wireless carrier (NYSE: S) had revenue of $8.7 billion for the quarter, up 5 percent from the comparable period. However, it also reported a net loss of $863 million, or 29 cents a share, that was greater than the loss of $439 million, or 15 cents a share, it recorded in...
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H&R Block Inc. subsidiary Option One Mortgage Corp. agreed to pay $28.2 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission claims that it misled investors in residential mortgage-backed securities, the Kansas City Business Journal reports.
The SEC alleged that Option One promised to repurchase or replace residential mortgage-backed securities it sold in 2007 that breached representations and warranties. But the subsidiary, now known as Sand Canyon Corp., did not tell investors that it did not...
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Barbara Atkinson will receive more than $419,000 from the University of Kansas after retiring in June as vice chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center, The Lawrence Journal-World reports.
Atkinson reached an agreement with the university that includes a lump-sum payment of $419,253, representing unpaid salary through April 2013. A KU official told the Journal-World that money for the payment will come from privately raised funds.
The university announced April 10 that Atkinson would...
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 H&R Block Inc. subsidiary Option One Mortgage Corp. agreed to pay $28.2 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that it had misled investors, federal officials announced Tuesday.
The SEC alleged that Option One promised to repurchase or replace residential mortgage-backed securities it sold in 2007 that breached representations and warranties. The subsidiary did not disclose that its financial situation had degraded such that it could not fulfill its repurchase promises.
Robert...
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 The latest segment of businesspeople flocking to social media might come as a surprise: financial advisers.
An online survey this year of 300 financial advisers by Kansas City-based American Century Investments found that almost nine of 10 financial advisers have a professional profile for work, and six of 10 use social media for business several times a week. About 35 percent of the financial professionals said they used smartphones for both business and personal reasons, compared with 27 percent...
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 Kansas mass layoffs increased in March for the first time this year, with 11 such events compared with five a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Tuesday.
Mass layoff events are characterized as involving at least 50 workers from a single employer.
The number of people affected more than doubled. In March, 1,588 Kansans made initial claims for unemployment insurance, up from 727 a year prior, the report said.
The number of mass layoffs in Missouri decreased by one, with 20 events...
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 The U.S. Senate voted Monday to place Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Brian Wimes on the federal bench.
Wimes is expected to take his seat as a judge for the Eastern and Western districts of Missouri in May. He was nominated by President Obama in September and confirmed by a 92-1 vote.
In a statement, Wimes thanked U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., for their support.
The Grandview native has been a circuit court judge since 2007, following six years as a drug court commissioner....
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 UMB Financial Corp.’s first-quarter earnings leapt by more than 50 percent, thanks in part to a big boost from non-interest income.
The Kansas City-based holding company (Nasdaq: UMBF) for UMB Bank reported earning $46.4 million, or $1.16 a share, during the three months that ended March 31. That’s up 50.2 percent from $30.9 million, or 77 cents a share, during the same quarter last year.
Non-interest income rose 22.8 percent to $132.3 million, helped by increases in trust and securities processing...
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 Kansas City-based Lockton Cos. Inc. announced Tuesday that it will establish its own insurance brokerage in Australia — Lockton Australia Pty Ltd. — and open two new offices there.
The new Lockton Australia offices will be in Perth and Sydney. Exact locations will be announced later.
Lockton’s Australian business previously involved a strategic partnership formed in July 2009 with the Australian Reliance Group (ARG). Lockton owned a 10 percent equity stake. The partnership gave ARG clients...
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 Led by strong growth in automotive and intermodal shipments, Kansas City Southern reported its highest-ever quarterly revenue and beat Wall Street projections for profits.
The regional railroad operator (NYSE: KSU) said Tuesday that it earned $74.9 million, or 68 cents a share, during the three months that ended March 31. By comparison, it earned $62.6 million, or 58 cents a share, during the same period last year.
Not counting debt-retirement costs, the company said it would have earned 75 cents...
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Social Security will run through its reserves three years sooner than expected — by 2033, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The prediction from a government forecast issued Monday means more political pressure to address the program, which provides retirement and disability benefits to 56 million Americans, the report says. But politicians haven’t been eager to touch the program out of concern about how voters will react.
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Kansas legislators said Monday that they’re confident most of them want to slow down Gov. Sam Brownback’s efforts to reform the $2.9 billion Medicaid program, The Topeka Capital-Journal reports.
A vote could come next week on a resolution proposing that reform efforts be pushed back by six months to July 2013, the report says, adding that the move would be nonbinding and probably have little effect on Brownback’s plans.
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US Airways’ push for a merger with American Airlines doesn’t chart a different bankruptcy restructuring course for the latter, which plans big cost and job cuts, American CEO Tom Horton said Monday.
The Dallas Business Journal, an affiliated publication, reports that the message came in a letter to employees; meanwhile, American asked a U.S. Bankruptcy Court to scrap contracts with its three unions.
Last week, US Airways (NYSE: LCC) said it had reached labor deals with the three unions that...
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In the wake of Verizon Communications Inc.’s strong financial report last week, investors may tune out this week’s reports by Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T Inc., according to The Wall Street Journal.
Overland Park-based Sprint (NYSE: S) is expected to expand its loss from 15 cents to 42 cents a share, and AT&T (NYSE: T) is expected to have flat earnings, the Journal reports.
The saturated U.S. wireless market offers little new growth in terms of profitable contract customers, so Verizon adding...
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 Quintiles, the world’s largest biopharmaceutical services company, is getting a new leader.
Dennis Gillings, the company’s CEO and founder, announced his resignation after 30 years. He’ll be replaced by Accenture Ltd. executive Tom Pike.
Gillings still will be chairman.
Quintiles employs more than 25,000 workers in more than 60 countries, including about 950 full- and part-time workers at its facility in Overland Park.
Read more from the Triangle Business Journal, an affiliated publication.
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 Reece & Nichols Realtors has leased more than 9,000 square feet in the Country Club Plaza’s Valencia Place office building.
It plans to move its Shawnee Mission Parkway office in Mission Woods to the Plaza space by the end of the summer, with the new office a full-service Reece & Nichols location.
About 92 agents will office out of the Plaza location.
The move will leave Reece & Nichols with eight office locations in Missouri and nine in Kansas.
“The Plaza itself is a very important part...
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 The University of Kansas Hospital is restarting its heart transplant program for the first time since 1995.
The Kansas City, Kan., facility on Monday announced that it will begin the process of creating the program after receiving a $1.5 million gift from Dr. William Reed, chairman of the hospital’s Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, and his wife, Mary Reed.
KU Hospital would become the only heart transplant program in Kansas, though Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute offers transplants...
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 Missouri drivers could save $1.2 billion in fuel costs after the Obama administration’s new fuel-efficiency standards take full effect, according to a new report.
The nonprofit National Resources Defense Council ranked Missouri 19th in a list of the 20 states where drivers would save the most from the standards. The net savings include estimates of actual savings at the pump and of costs tied to fuel-saving technologies.
Kansas was not included in the top 20.
The standard of 54.5 miles per gallon...
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 For the fifth straight year, Commerce Bank topped the J.D. Power and Associates U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study in the Midwest Region.
With a score of 801 on a 1,000-point scale, Commerce Bank ranks in the top 20 nationwide. The study polled about 52,000 retail banking customers, analyzing their satisfaction with banking experiences related to account activities, account information, facilities, fees, problem resolution and product offering.
Commerce was one of several banks with a Kansas...
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A lawsuit claims that lawyers in a class-action suit against Bank of America Corp. directors have agreed to settle for $20 million, despite the potential for damages in that case to reach $5 billion, The New York Times reports.
The settlement of the class-action suit over Bank of America's purchase of Merrill Lynch is paltry and smacks of collusion, lawyers in the secondary case say, asking a judge to require justification of the terms of the settlement, according to the Times.
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Nestlé has agreed to buy Pfizer Inc.'s infant nutrition business for $11.85 billion in an effort to tap emerging markets and clinch its spot as the world's top provider of baby formula, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Swiss company estimates 2012 sales for its purchase at $2.4 billion, mostly from emerging markets. Nestlé expects the deal, which needs regulatory approval, to add to earnings per share in the first full year, the report says.
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A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to a $3.7 million wire fraud scheme.
Donavan Lee Jones, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to the charge in an April 2011 indictment, which included obtaining money from investors based on "material misrepresentations," according to a Friday release from David Ketchmark, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
According to prosecutors, Jones told investors he would offer loan financing to land developers...
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One of the bidders for the operator of Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kan., is bowing out.
KSL Capital Partners, which has been in a bidding war with affiliates of Apollo Global Management to acquire Great Wolf Resorts Inc. (Nasdaq: WOLF), said it didn't plan to make any more offers, according to a late Friday release from Great Wolf Resorts.
Apollo topped KSL's latest offer of $7.25 a share with a Friday bid of $7.85 a share in cash. The bidding had begun when Apollo (NYSE: APO) agreed to buy...
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The American Royal Rodeo will return to Kansas City's West Bottoms in the fall, but not to its longtime home at Kemper Arena, The Kansas City Star reports.
The rodeo, which made one appearance at the large new Sprint Center arena last year, will be at Hale Arena, which seats fewer than 3,000, compared with Kemper's 18,000 seats. That's because of scheduling conflicts at Sprint Center and logistical difficulties with moving rodeo performers between the West Bottoms qualifying events and the downtown...
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 Great Wolf Resorts Inc. said Friday that it has agreed to an amended takeover offer from Apollo Global Management for $7.85 a share, topping the most recent offer from KSL Capital Partners.
Great Wolf (Nasdaq: WOLF), which runs Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kan., had announced Thursday that KSL Capital of Denver was committing to a bid of $7.25 a share for Great Wolf's outstanding shares. Great Wolf was considering terminating a prior $7-a-share offer from Apollo.
The new agreement with the...
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 Scooter’s Coffee & Yogurt plans to serve up 10 new locations in the Kansas City metro area, adding to the 15 already in the area.
New franchisees Jon and Deanna Erwin will open the stores in an agreement with Boundless Enterprises, Scooter’s franchiser.
“Scooter’s has a huge brand presence in Omaha, Neb., and with over 25 stores already open and operating in the Kansas/Missouri region, the expansion opportunity in Kansas City was one we could not pass up,” Jon Erwin said. “Scooter’s...
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 Kansas added 21,500 jobs and Missouri added 5,200 during the year that ended in March, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, neither state made short-term gains from February to March. The Kansas unemployment rate inched up while the Missouri rate didn’t change.
Kansas’ 6.2 percent unemployment rate — two percentage points lower than the U.S. rate — was up from 6.1 percent in February.
Missouri’s unemployment rate stayed at 7.4 percent in March.
Overall,...
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 The Academy Awards of the food world — that’s the best way to describe the James Beard Foundation Awards. And one of those Oscars might come to Kansas City this year.
Bluestem co-owner and Chef Colby Garrelts is up for Best Chef Midwest for the sixth straight year, and during the first week in May, he’ll find out at a ceremony in New York whether he won the prestigious award.
If he wins, he would join three other Kansas City-area chefs who have snagged Best Chef Midwest.
See where the local...
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 YRC Worldwide Inc. is pursuing leniency from its lenders, a move that comes after warnings that its recovery wasn’t advancing fast enough to meet minimum requirements.
The Overland Park-based trucking company (Nasdaq: YRCW) explained its request in a Friday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Specifically, it wants to reset covenants from a July 2011 credit agreement that govern minimum consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; maximum total...
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Cabela’s is coasting into one of its favorite weekends of the year — race weekend.
The outdoor gear retailer opened in Kansas City, Kan., in 2002 to be near the Kansas Speedway, which is holding the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at 1 p.m. Saturday and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at noon Sunday, with a number of other events scheduled around the two races.
Jimmy Lopez, events coordinator for Cabela’s, 10300 Cabela Dr., said the store gets busiest on Friday and Saturday of race weekends.
“Race...
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 This week, the Kansas City Business Journal ranks the top airlines serving Kansas City.
The list is based on passenger market share at Kansas City International Airport for the 12 months that ended March 31. The information was provided by the Kansas City Aviation Department.
See the top 5
For the full list, subscribers can take a look at this week’s edition of the Kansas City Business Journal. The list also includes boardings at KCI, nonstop destinations and contact information.
Want more...
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A potential class-action lawsuit was filed April 6 in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., against race-car driver Scott Tucker for allegedly hiding payday lending activity in shell companies controlled by Indian tribes.
The suit, filed by Noah Wood of the Kansas City-based Wood Law Firm LLC, alleges Tucker avoided civil and criminal liability for charging excessive loan rates by setting up rental agreements with the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma in 2003 and with the Santee Sioux in 2005.
Critics call...
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An “extremely” limited number of tickets for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Kansas City will be available at 10 a.m. Friday. Tickets for the game and other All-Star Game events will be available on a first-come basis online.
Voting also begins Friday for the All-Star Game.
The Kansas City Royals rolled out the fan ballots at a ceremony on Thursday that included team owner David Glass, hall of famer George Brett and left fielder Alex Gordon. Fans can vote through June 28 at Major...
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Olathe Health System will start construction of a hospice house on its campus by the end of the year, the Kansas City Business Journal reports.
The facility will have eight suites for patients and their families. Olathe Medical Center has provided outpatient, and some inpatient, hospice services, but the hospice house will provide those services in a home-like environment.
The system announced construction plans after raising more than $3.2 million and qualifying for a $500,000 matching grant from...
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The Olathe Health System will begin construction by the end of the year on a hospice house on its campus after raising more than $3.2 million and qualifying for a matching grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation.
In a release, the Olathe Medical Center Charitable Foundation said it will receive the $500,000 matching grant after meeting the goal of raising $3 million.
The hospital has long provided outpatient hospice services to critically ill and end-of-life patients, as well as some inpatient...
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 Five Kansas City-area engineering firms earned spots in an Engineering News-Record ranking of the top 100 firms nationwide.
Only one moved up the list compared with last year; the other four slipped. The ranking is based on 2011 revenue.
• Overland Park-based Black & Veatch earned the No. 14 spot, up from 16th last year.
• Kansas City-based HNTB Cos. landed at No. 18, down one spot from last year.
• Kansas City-based Burns & McDonnell took the No. 23 spot, down from 20th last year.
•...
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 American Airlines announced more restructuring plans Wednesday, including laying off 1,200 nonunion employees.
No specific layoffs were announced for Kansas City International Airport (Code: MCI), but it will lose its Admirals Club location. American and American Eagle handled 9 percent of boardings at KCI last year.
KCI spokesman Joe McBride said the airport had not yet heard about the closing from American Airlines.
The Admirals Club is in Terminal C in American’s gated areas.
“It’s a...
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 RedStone Logistics plans to bring more than 100 new jobs to Overland Park during the next three years, the Overland Park Chamber Economic Development Council announced Thursday.
RedStone, a third-party logistics provider, also will invest more than $1 million in systems and support, according to a release. Its 4,000-square-foot office is at 8500 W. 110th St.
The company is receiving incentives, but the numbers are confidential until contracts are signed, Dan Lara, Kansas Department of Commerce...
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 CVR Energy Inc. has agreed to let activist investor Carl Icahn finish his tender offer if he gets a majority of shares.
The agreement also offers “important protections for CVR Energy stockholders,” the company said in a Thursday release.
CVR (NYSE: CVI) has been trying to ward off Icahn’s proposed $2.26 billion takeover and has urged shareholders to reject the offer, which amounts to $30 a share plus a contingent cash payment right. But earlier this month, Icahn claimed an initial victory...
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The Kansas City economy is expected to gain steam this year and even outpace national gains, according to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 Economic Forecast Update.
Recently, the regional economy has grown more slowly than the national one, with fourth-quarter gross regional product growth at 1.3 percent, compared with 1.6 percent U.S. gross domestic product growth. But the tables may turn in 2012 — the region is expected to experience 3.4 percent growth compared with 3.1 percent...
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In a bidding war that seems to change by the hour, Great Wolf Resorts Inc. said Thursday morning that it has received a committed offer from KSL Capital Partners to acquire the Great Wolf Lodge chain operator for $7.25 a share.
Great Wolf, based in Madison, Wis., has a Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kan.
The announcement came hours after Great Wolf (Nasdaq: WOLF) said in a regulatory filing that Apollo Global Management, the New York City private equity firm that has an accepted bid to buy Great...
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 Layne Christensen Co. estimates that it will have to pay the government $3.7 million — and potentially more in fines and penalties — tied to a flap about improper payments by subsidiaries in Africa.
The Mission Woods-based company (Nasdaq: LAYN) said it had preliminary talks with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission in February to discuss potential resolution of the possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. However, at this early stage, Layne...
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 New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has filed a lawsuit against Sprint Nextel Corp., alleging that the wireless carrier deliberately under-collected and underpaid more than $100 million in New York state and local sales taxes.
The allegations, which started with a whistleblower, deal with taxes collected from consumers on flat-rate access charges for wireless calling plans. The suit, brought under the New York False Claims Act, would require Overland Park-based Sprint (NYSE: S) to pay three...
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H.B. Fuller Co. announced Thursday that it will close six manufacturing facilities, including one in Kansas City, Kan., within the next 15 months.
The local factory, which employs 22, was acquired by H.B. Fuller in December as part of the $394 million acquisition of the adhesives business of Forbo Group. The factory, 3150 Fiberglass Road, will be put up for sale or lease, a spokeswoman said.
H.B. Fuller (NYSE: FUL) also plans to close facilities in Pointe-Claire, Quebec; Morris, Ill.; Eugene, Ore.;...
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 Cerner Corp. is making a second attempt at a groundbreaking for its new campus in Kansas City, Kan.
The ceremony now is planned for Tuesday at the southeast corner of State Avenue and Village West Parkway. Attendees will include Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback; Joe Reardon, mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan.; and Cliff Illig, vice chairman and co-founder of Cerner (Nasdaq: CERN).
Heavy rain forced Cerner to postpone its first groundbreaking attempt, which had been...
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Although carrying the iPhone was supposed to help Sprint Nextel Corp. boost subscribers, the immediate effect seems to be invective directed at CEO Dan Hesse, Bloomberg reports.
“I still get crucified for deciding to carry the Apple iPhone because the investment is significant and the payoffs are long term,” Bloomberg quoted Hesse saying at a Fortune conference. “I deal with that quite a bit.”
Overland Park-based Sprint (NYSE: S) agreed to buy about $15 billion worth of iPhones during the...
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The former owner of the Kansas City Knights basketball team pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to tax evasion and bank fraud.
James Clark, 52, of Overland Park, admitted that he withheld more than $502,000 in payroll taxes from employees of his health care consulting firm, SWISH Holding Corp., and used the money himself instead of paying the taxes. Some of the money went to operating the Knights, a defunct American Basketball Association franchise, Barry Grissom, the U.S. attorney for the...
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 VML CEO Jon Cook was in New York City’s Times Square on Wednesday morning to help launch the U.S. Olympic Committee’s 100-day countdown to the London Summer Olympics.
The Kansas City-based advertising agency did digital work on the USOC’s fundraising drive to support this year’s Olympic athletes. The U.S. team is the only one that does not receive direct government financing.
VML redesigned the USOC website, www.TeamUSA.org, and developed a new site to lead the fundraising effort, RaiseOurFlag.org....
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 Boulevard Brewing Co. is preparing to launch a new year-round beer as a way to tap more consumers in a rapidly changing craft beer market.
Bob Sullivan, chief marketing officer for Kansas City-based Boulevard, said the new beer will be called 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer. He anticipates a late summer release.
“It’s a new style for us, and one that we think offers a lot of potential for sales in our Midwest region,” Sullivan said.
Capturing market share throughout the Midwest is key to achieving...
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 Kansas City takes third place among the 10 best cities for real estate investors, according to MarketWatch.
The ranking, citing Realtor.com, says interested investors should act soon because Kansas City prices are recovering. As proof, MarketWatch pointed to a 4 percent year-to-year increase in the median list price ($134,950) for Kansas City homes, as well as a 21 percent drop in housing inventory.
Leading the list is Tucson, Ariz., followed by Austin, Texas.
These cities fill out the top 10:...
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 March is over and the Madness is long gone, but some universities rode that basketball wave all the way to social media victory, according to the Track Social Blog.
Businesses can take cues from schools such as the University of Kansas, Baylor University, Yale University, Harvard University and the University of Kentucky. The schools engaged with millions of followers and used innovative ways to interact, including fan photos and celebrity sightings.
Here are some highlights from how the schools...
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Mediware Information Systems Inc. has closed its $2.2 million acquisition of Cyto Management System, a Holland-based technology for tracking chemotherapy patients and medication.
The Lenexa-based company (Nasdaq: MEDW) announced Wednesday that it had finalized the purchase from Cobbler ICT Services BV. It announced plans for the Cyto deal last month.
Mediware said it will continue to sell the software through its network of European distribution partners under its own brand and will open a regional...
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Two longtime Kansas City real estate lawyers have joined White Goss Bowers March Schulte & Weisenfels PC.
Mark Bryant, a former Kansas City councilman, left SNR Denton to join White Goss, a law firm near the Country Club Plaza that’s best known for its real estate, land use and public law practices. It also does corporate and litigation work.
His April 16 arrival to the firm was preceded by Michael “Fuzzy” White, a former Polsinelli Shughart PC lawyer who joined White Goss in January.
The...
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 Garmin Ltd. has opened offices in China, Germany and Japan to support its work with automakers.
The offices are near leading car manufacturers and automotive suppliers, Garmin (Nasdaq: GRMN) said in a Wednesday release. They’ll host a staff of Garmin employees who specialize in work with automotive manufacturers — sales, marketing, product development and engineering.
Specifically, the offices are in Shanghai, China; Stuttgart, Germany; and Yokohama, Japan.
Garmin recently announced plans...
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 Jerry’s Sport Shop, a Kansas City-area sporting goods supplier, has sold to a Dallas private equity firm in a play expected to hasten the retailer’s growth.
Gold Creek Capital specializes in helping entrepreneurial, emerging companies grow more quickly. A Wednesday release did not include terms of the deal.
“Gold Creek Capital’s investment in Jerry’s will allow us to aggressively expand a business that has been a staple in the Kansas City area for over 50 years,” Jerry’s President...
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Garmin Ltd. has opened new offices in China, Germany and Japan to support its work with automakers.
The offices are near leading car manufacturers and automotive suppliers, Garmin (Nasdaq: GRMN) said in a Wednesday release. They’ll host a staff of Garmin employees who specialize in work with automotive manufacturers — sales, marketing, product development and engineering.
Garmin recently opened a similar office in Detroit.
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Boulevard Brewing Co. ranks as the nation’s 10th-largest craft brewer, based on beer sales volume last year, according to The Brewers Association’s latest list.
Among all brewing companies, Kansas City-based Boulevard — known for such brews as Boulevard Wheat and Pale Ale — ranks 17th. The top company is Anheuser-Busch.
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The owner of a Kansas City-area wellness company pleaded guilty Tuesday to participating in a scheme to distribute more than $1 million in steroids.
Scott Lofquist of Fairway admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute nearly 1.3 million units of anabolic steroids through his business, Lifetime Wellness LLC, between June 2008 and March 30, 2010. In a release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office estimated the retail value of the steroids at more than $1.3 million.
Prosecutors said Lofquist...
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 Woodyard BBQ thinks the scent of business heating up is in the air after the Kansas City, Kan., restaurant was featured on the Monday night episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations.”
The band The Black Keys met up with Bourdain at the restaurant. Manager Naty Cardenas said that the last time the restaurant showed up on TV — on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” — business went way up. He’s hoping the same will happen after Monday’s “No Reservations,” which...
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 The Liberty City Council has passed an industrial development plan for an unnamed company that is considering putting an auto assembly supply operation in Heartland Meadows Industrial Park.
The plan represents a $43.7 million project that would bring 156 jobs to the park.
Karan Johnson, economic business and development manager for Liberty, said she could not disclose the company’s identity until all incentive proposals are approved.
Nevertheless, the Liberty City Council voted during a Monday...
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 Cox Communications Inc. has volleyed patent infringement allegations back at Sprint Nextel Corp.
Cox is suing Overland Park-based Sprint (NYSE: S) in federal court in Wilmington, Del., for allegedly violating two patents — and it’s calling for a judge to toss Sprint’s patent infringement allegations against Cox, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Sprint spokeswoman Melinda Tiemeyer said the company had no comment.
The Cox litigation follows Sprint’s from late last year. Sprint filed suit in December...
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 The University of Missouri-Kansas City has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to create a postdoctoral fellowship program in cardiovascular outcomes research.
In a Tuesday release, UMKC said the five-year grant will provide two-year fellowships for doctors and researchers to learn how to better measure the effectiveness of various treatments on heart patient outcomes and how to use that information to improve clinical care.
The program will be based at Saint...
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 For every employee at OneLouder Apps Inc., the company has more than 103,000 Twitter followers.
The social app development company spun off from Kansas City-based Handmark Inc. in July 2011. Its social media presence has taken off, and its Twitter account, @OneLouderApps, has nearly 2.59 million followers.
But the company doesn’t plan to stop there. It’s one of the entrants in a new challenge measuring the growth of a company’s social media presence. Social Madness presented by Capital One...
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 AMC Entertainment Corp. is beginning construction on its new corporate headquarters in Leawood, which is expected to be open next spring.
The nation’s second-largest theater chain will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon at the Park Place mixed-use development at 117th Street and Nall Avenue.
AMC, which has been at 10 Main Center in downtown Kansas City since April 2002, decided last fall to move across the state line from Missouri to Kansas, lured by the promise of at least $40...
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 Menards Inc. will go before a Kansas City Council committee Wednesday to amend a development plan so the hardware store chain can start on a commercial project in the Northland.
The Wisconsin-based hardware concept quietly has made inroads in the Kansas City market, planning at least six locations, the Kansas City Business Journal reported in March.
Menards also is considering sites in Independence, Grandview, Lee’s Summit, Overland Park, Liberty and Cass County.
The company’s request before...
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A Jackson County jury handed out a $280,650 verdict Friday against developer Michael Atcheson and others in a dispute with a former partner.
Major Hammett II filed suit last year about the stalled Simon Square development in Bolivar, Mo. Hammett claimed that Atcheson used money from the project to make political contributions and to overpay construction companies he owned.
Troy Renkemeyer of the RCW Law Firm LC in Overland Park represented Hammett; Lee’s Summit attorney Mark Bredemeier represented...
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 Kansas Speedway is gearing up for NASCAR this weekend, after which it will start repaving the track.
The speedway doesn’t have an estimate for expected attendance, but its capacity is 73,000, not including RVs and suites, so the event is expected to bring an influx of crowds to Kansas City, Kan. Some tickets still are available.
Activities stretch from Friday through Sunday, starting with race practice.
On-track practices are set for Friday at 11:20 a.m. and 2 p.m. for the NASCAR Camping World...
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 Tax day is upon us, and some may end up with smaller bank accounts. But Kansas City-area restaurants are trying to ease the pain with Tuesday food deals that won’t break the bank.
• Ra Sushi at Leawood’s Park Place is extending its happy hour to close instead of stopping at the typical 7 p.m. Its “Tax Day Tuesday” special starts at 3 p.m., and patrons will be able to choose from more than 35 sushi, tapas and appetizers options that cost between $2 to $7. Drinks on special range in price...
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 Overland Park-based startup Front Flip LLC is going national with its technology.
The rollout comes after “successful pilots” in certain U.S. cities, Front Flip said in a Tuesday release. The company offers a smartphone app, available for iPhone and Android, that helps businesses develop and reward loyal customers, which is intended to help those companies accelerate revenue growth.
National availability means Front Flip can quickly bring on hundreds of thousands of businesses nationwide through...
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The University of Kansas is offering buyouts to 540 faculty and staff members on its Lawrence and Overland Park campuses, the Lawrence Journal-World reports.
KU employs more than 4,800 on its main campus and Edwards campus in Overland Park. Provost Jeff Vitter announced the voluntary separation program — which offers approved takers a cash payment of a year’s base salary, up to $100,000 — in a Monday afternoon email to the KU community, the Journal-World reports.
Vitter’s email said the...
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 Posty Cards Inc. has received the top certification for sustainable buildings for its Kansas City manufacturing plant.
The 65-year-old company, which makes business-to-business greeting cards, said it received its official Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification from the U. S. Green Building Council on Monday.
Posty Cards said it thinks its facility, which had been estimated as a $6.4 million project, is one of seven U.S. manufacturing plants to receive the platinum...
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 Construction will begin soon on an 821,256-square-foot warehouse in the I-35 Logistics Park.
The project’s developer, Kessinger/Hunter & Co., said in a Monday release that the warehouse will be the largest speculative building ever built in the Kansas City area and that it plans to eventually build three warehouses in the 200-acre park.
The warehouse, called “Building B,” is expected to be completed during the first half of next year.
The ongoing development of the 1,000-acre Burlington...
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 Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon is the official spokesman for the 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest.
FanFest will be at Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City from July 6-10. Gordon joins a notable list of players, such as Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols, who have served as spokesman for the event.
Alex Gordon was the second pick in the 2005 draft and set career highs in 2011 with a .303 batting average, 185 hits, 45 doubles, four triples, 23 home runs, 87 runs batted in, 101 runs...
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 The sales tax levy for the Independence Events Center will increase on July 1 by a quarter of a cent to help pay for debt-service costs.
The Independence Events Center Community Improvement District (CID) on March 22 approved the budget for fiscal 2013, which starts July 1. The budget includes increasing the half-cent sales tax on purchases made in a specified area around the arena to a three-quarters-cent sales tax rate.
Sales tax revenue has been between $3.2 million and $3.4 million since fiscal...
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 For companies trying to build awareness of their brands, going digital shouldn’t mean just taking an existing marketing campaign and cramming it into every social media channel online, said Ramsey Mohsen of Digital Evolution Group LLC.
Mohsen, social media practice lead and Web strategist at the Overland Park-based e-consultancy, said the “luggage-set approach” is a common mistake of companies taking their first marketing baby steps online.
Social media efforts have to be nuanced and executed...
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 Companies selling everything from dog biscuits and beer to jeans and wedding dresses have said, “I do,” to a competition that will help them boost their social media prowess.
The would-be social media aficionados have Twitter followings that vary just as much.
Three Dog Bakery (@ThreeDogNews — 2,974 Twitter followers), Boulevard Brewing Co. (@Boulevard_Beer — 18,465 followers), Lee Jeans (@LeeJeansUS — 5,783 followers) and Altar Bridal (@AltarBridal — 193 followers) are among the recent...
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 Tom Hoenig was sworn in Monday as a member of the board of directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Hoenig had been president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1991 to 2011; he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in October. Shortly after Hoenig retired, President Obama nominated him for the FDIC board. The U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 30, along with Martin Gruenberg and Jeremiah Norton.
“I welcome Thomas Hoenig and Jeremiah Norton to the FDIC and look forward...
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 Best Buy will pull the plug on its store at the Plaza at the Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., by May 12. The store is one of 42 on a closings list the electronics retailer released Saturday.
The store is less than four years old, according to David Block, principal at Block & Co. Inc. Realtors, developer of the Plaza at the Speedway. Block said that he already had spoken with clients interested in taking over the space and that they were interested in keeping it as one large store. The building’s...
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The Kansas City Chiefs will suit up season-ticket holders in personalized copies of the team’s new uniforms, the Kansas City Business Journal reports.
The Chiefs said Saturday that the team will give all season-ticket holders a free personalized jersey, complete with a 50th anniversary commemorative patch. The team will sport new uniforms designed by Nike this year.
In a release, Head Coach Romeo Crennel said the giveaway is a way to thank fans for their support.
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Best Buy will pull the plug on its store at the Plaza at the Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. The store is one of 42 on a closings list that the electronics retailer released Saturday.
Best Buy said it notified employees of the stores to be closed on Saturday. Most of the locations will close by May 12, according to a company release.
The retailer said in late March that it planned to close 50 U.S. stores this year. Best Buy closed a store at 509 N.W. Barry Road, near the Metro North Mall in Kansas...
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 The Kansas City Chiefs will have new jerseys this season because of a new contract the National Football League signed with Nike. The team announced April 14 that it will give all season-ticket holders a free personalized jersey.
Season-ticket holders will be able to choose the name and number they want on the jersey, and it comes with a commemorative patch that can be placed on the right shoulder, opposite of the Lamar Hunt AFL patch.
“This is a great opportunity for us to say thank you to our...
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Kansas could face strong storms, hail and even tornadoes during the weekend, Kansas Division of Emergency Management officials are warning.
In a release, officials said this “has the potential to be one of the strongest storm systems that has hit the state in years.” The severe weather is expected to touch much of the Great Plains, with the worst coming Saturday.
The eastern half of Kansas faces the biggest threat, according to the National Weather Service.
“We strongly urge everyone in...
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 CVR Energy Inc. which has been attempting to fend off a hostile takeover attempt by Carl Icahn, said in a regulatory filing that the company held a face-to-face meeting this week with the high-profile investor to discuss the situation.
CVR (NYSE: CVI) has been trying to ward off Icahn's proposed $2.26 billion takeover and has urged shareholders to reject the offer. The company also has a so-called poison pill amendment in place that prevents Icahn from adding more CVR shares to his coffers.
Nonetheless,...
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In oral arguments earlier this month, the Missouri Supreme Court weighed whether former Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP estate attorney John Davis should keep his law license.
A decision is pending.
Davis resigned from the firm in February 2010 after an investigation showed he made tax payments by improperly tapping into a trust account he handled for a widow for nearly 20 years. He repaid $85,000 to the account just before his resignation.
There was more than $4 million in the account when the woman...
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 Ford Motor Co. is working with Dow Automotive Systems in hopes of slashing the weight of its cars and trucks by as much as 750 pounds by the end of the decade.
The work involves researching the use of carbon fiber composites in vehicles to reduce their weight and boost fuel efficiency. The composites, known for being strong and lightweight, have been used in race cars and airplanes for decades.
“There are two ways to reduce energy use in vehicles: improving the conversion efficiency of fuels...
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 The Overland Park City Council on Monday will take up a preliminary plan for Prairiefire at Lionsgate. That’s one of the final remaining steps for the mixed-use development to start construction later this year.
Prairiefire, at 135th Street between Lamar and Nall avenues, long has been on Overland Park’s back-burner, primarily because of the recession.
Merrill Cos. LLC is the developer for the proposed 60-acre, $580 million project, which includes 300,000 square feet of new office space, twice...
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 Take the following qualities and toss them together: A solid focus on a mission, a determination to exceed customers’ expectations and a competitive spirit, along with far more than a pinch of integrity and loyalty. Mix all that up with vigor, and you have yourself a champion.
The Kansas City Business Journal is excited to reveal some of the businesses deserving of that title. The sixth annual Champions of Business awards program honors businesses that have been around for at least three years...
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 Jeffrey Hanson’s business began as a stand at the end of a driveway — an art hobby, not a potential career.
But last week, he won the Small Business Administration’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the region that covers Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. Hanson is in the running for the national version of the award.
Hanson — whose company, Overland Park-based Jeffrey Owen Hanson LLC, sells brightly colored original artwork — started out with note cards when he was 12. Now...
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 Fans attending the Kansas City Royals home opener Friday afternoon might notice they’re paying a bit more for tickets.
The Royals’ average ticket price increased 15.2 percent to $21.84 this year, according to Team Marketing Report. Still, Royals tickets go for less than the Major League Baseball average.
The average ticket price for all of MLB is $26.92, up a cent from last season. That’s the smallest overall increase in the report’s 21-year history. Ticket prices jumped 1.2 percent in...
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 The 810 Zone space on the Country Club Plaza won’t be empty for long.
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants will open in the fall in that 13,644-square-foot space, which is at 4686 Broadway next to Pottery Barn.
The casual dining chain makes its own wine, producing more than 125,000 cases a year. The menu, which includes gluten-free options, features items such as pistachio-crusted grouper, Mexican drunken shrimp, and red wine and mustard short ribs.
“We are excited about what will be our 11th...
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 Clifton Alexander isn’t some stodgy technophobe wondering what this Twitter thing is all about.
The words “stodgy technophobe” are among the last you’d use to describe a guy whose business card lists him as the “creative Chuck Norris” of Kansas City marketing firm Reactor. And Alexander does tweet and post Facebook dispatches from Reactor’s offices, otherwise referred to as “the world headquarters of awesome.”
But he’s not so sure of his social media prowess that he’ll offer...
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S.G. Property Management plans a $26 million retail development starring a movie theater in Grain Valley.
The developer said Thursday that it plans an April 23 groundbreaking for the project. The 24-acre Grain Valley Marketplace project will be located at Interstate 70 and Buckner Tarsney Road.
The project will include a theater managed by BB Theaters in Liberty and 50,000 square feet of retail space for lease.
S.G. Property Management is owned by Paul and Cathy Larino of Ozark, Mo.
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Television personality Bill Kurtis is selling 3,600 acres of his ranch holdings near Sedan, Kan., The Wichita Eagle reports.
Kurtis, whose big break came while covering a deadly 1966 tornado for a Topeka station, is selling part of his Red Buffalo Ranch. He told the Wichita Eagle he is selling the land because he wanted to reduce his debts.
Kurtis will retain the heart of the ranch, located in the Flint Hills region.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Bartlett Grain Co. with 13 violations in connection with a grain elevator explosion that killed six. Kansas City-based Bartlett fired back, claiming in a release Thursday that “all of the citations are flawed.”
OSHA cited Bartlett for eight “serious” and five “willful” violations in connection with the Oct. 29 explosion at its grain elevator in Atchison, Kan. The citations range from claims that Bartlett did not have an adequate...
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 A Bank of America trust has withdrawn its opposition to a downtown Kansas City special taxing district to finance the proposed streetcar project after city officials agreed to lower the tax rates.
An attorney for the trust, which oversees a surface pay parking lot at 11th and Holmes streets, filed the motion Thursday with the Jackson County Circuit Court.
In its original March 23 filing, the trust complained that special assessments envisioned for surface parking lots would create an unreasonable...
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The Antioch Crossing development, formerly known as Antioch Center, was approved by a Kansas City committee on Wednesday for the Super TIF development subsidy. The measure goes before the full Kansas City Council on Thursday.
The once-languishing Northland retail center has new owners and is headed toward a $67 million redevelopment.
David Horn, who helped redevelop Blue Ridge Mall into Blue Ridge Crossing, leads an investment group that took over Antioch Center from New York-based Eastbourne Investments...
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The Pew Center on the States released a report Thursday that counted Kansas among the leading states for measuring the economic effect of its tax incentives programs.
That came as news to me. Ever since I started reporting about economic development incentives, Kansas officials haven’t been able to describe the state’s return on its economic development incentive outlay.
The Kansas Department of Legislative Post Audit nosed around the same question in 2008 and concluded that the state’s disclosure...
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Polsinelli Shughart PC could get a batch of new lawyers from St. Louis law firm Gallop Johnson & Neuman LC, which is discussing splitting up after a proposed merger with Polsinelli fell through, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
It wasn’t clear whether Gallop’s partners already had voted whether to dissolve the 55-lawyer firm. The decision to disband was announced in an email that Gallop’s human resources director sent to other law firms Wednesday. The HR director later sent...
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Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Co. cooperated fully with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the investigation that led to the indictment of its ex-CEO, former Gov. Roger Wilson, the company said Thursday.
The MEM board said that when it learned of Wilson’s alleged use of company money to reimburse political donations, it placed him on leave and contacted authorities. Wilson later was fired.
St. Louis lawyer Edward Griesedieck III also was indicted Wednesday. He and Wilson are charged with laundering...
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 Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has started shuffling a handful of state agencies after the Kansas Legislature chose not to intervene.
Brownback on Thursday said he was implementing an executive reorganization order that he submitted in February to help prepare for a wholesale revamp of the state’s Medicaid system.
Brownback plans to convert how the state provides health care to the poor into a managed-care model, which his administration says will save money and improve the quality of care.
The changes...
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 Time Warner Cable Inc. is reaching out to mobile-minded customers through a new partnership with Verizon Wireless.
The companies are bundling each other’s mobile and video services in a handful of markets, including Kansas City.
Local customers now can buy Time Warner (NYSE: TWC) entertainment packages, including cable video, Internet and voice services, when they purchase mobile wireless service and devices at Verizon stores in the metro area. They also can buy Verizon products and services...
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 Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway recorded $10.97 million in revenue during March, its first full month open.
That’s about $4 million less than its sister casino, Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa in Riverside, brought in during the same month. The market leader among the local riverboat casinos, Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City, brought in about $20.35 million in March.
Hollywood Casino opened with much fanfare on Feb. 3, and officials reported that the casino raked in $6.8 million during its first...
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Commerce Bancshares Inc. rode improved loan quality and revenue growth to record first-quarter earnings.
The Kansas City-based holding company for Commerce Bank (Nasdaq: CBSH) recorded income of $66.8 million, or 74 cents a share, up 12.1 percent from $60.5 million, or 66 cents a share, during the same period last year.
“The growth over last year resulted mainly from a decline in our provision for loan losses of $7.6 million, coupled with revenue growth in our corporate card, capital markets...
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For an editor who’s been in the business for more than 25 years, the challenge isn’t to spot the spelling errors or to tackle misplaced modifiers.
It’s getting to know the community. It’s taking the time to discover that Kansas City is an artful, lovely city that sometimes bustles and sometimes takes its sweet time moving along.
Nearly a year ago, I moved here from Denver, where I was the lifestyles editor at the late Rocky Mountain News. Since the paper closed down about three years ago,...
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Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has joined 14 other states and Puerto Rico in a lawsuit alleging that Apple Inc. and three book publishers conspired to raise ebook prices, the St. Louis Business Journal reports.
The suit seeks to recover money for consumers who were overcharged.
Penguin Group, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster allegedly colluded with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) to drive up e-book prices starting in 2010, when Apple unveiled its first iPad. Similar allegations against HarperCollins...
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A Kansas City woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to her role in a $7.2 million securities fraud conspiracy.
Teresa Hill, 55, is the fifth person to plead guilty to involvement in a scheme that prosecutors say victimized thousands of investors who bought shares in Petro America Corp.
She entered pleas for securities fraud and mail fraud. Hill was a team leader who started soliciting investments in Petro America in 2008 despite not being licensed to sell securities.
The scheme largely spread by word...
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 Economic activity in the Kansas City region expanded at a faster pace in February and March, according to the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book report, released Wednesday.
Consumer spending improved, though retailers are concerned about declines in discretionary spending as gasoline prices continue to rise.
Manufacturing saw increased activity, and plant managers indicated moderate growth in capital spending plans.
High-tech firms saw continued sales growth, but the pace slowed since the last survey.
Bankers...
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 The United States still faces plenty of work to ensure it doesn’t repeat the mistakes that led to the 2008 financial crisis, Esther George said in a Wednesday speech at Bard College in New York City.
George, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, said the nation’s resolve to deal with a financial crisis diminishes over time. However, some problems still require attention unless we want to repeat history.
“First and foremost is to correct the misaligned incentives and...
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 Social networks and cloud computing closely followed mobile computing as the top concern among a group of information security professionals surveyed by FishNet Security Inc.
The Kansas City-based company, which surveyed 450 by email in January, found that 35 percent thought mobile computing represented the greatest risk to their organizations, according to a Wednesday release.
“Our company is seeing this as a major issue because of the number of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) instances and the...
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 Pinterest is fast becoming a place where thousands of people spend hours posting links of food, clothes, projects, animals and more.
That makes the online bulletin board yet another social media platform businesses should consider.
CHALLENGE: Boost your company’s social media presence — sign up for Social Madness
Kate McKinney, co-owner of K2Media, said companies looking to jump into the Pinterest pool should first get their feet wet by searching using industry keywords and geographic...
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Wow! The brains of the U.S. Army are located in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. I saw it for myself this week when I joined 15 other civilian executives from around the United States to attend the semiannual National Security Roundtable Seminar.
Words cannot describe the world-class 410,000-square-foot facility that houses the Command and General Staff College. Nor could we appreciate the finest leadership development operational training taking place there.
The intellectual capital alone is daunting and...
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 Cargill Inc., widely referred to as the world’s largest privately held business, is consolidating portions of its Midwestern operations in Overland Park.
The consolidation of the agricultural giant’s operations will put 65 employees at 5200 Metcalf Ave.
Cargill’s consolidation is expected to wrap up in May.
The business operations moving to Overland Park include:
• Management of eight grain facilities in eastern Kansas, western Missouri and southwest Iowa.
• Leadership and customer...
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RED Development LLC, as part of a joint venture with Cole Real Estate Investments, has purchased ownership interests in two retail centers in Arizona for a combined $45.8 million.
The joint venture bought 50 percent ownership interests from Macerich Co. (NYSE: MAC) in Chandler Festival for $31 million and Chandler Village Center for $14.8 million.
Chandler Festival is a 365,000-square-foot shopping center in Chandler, Ariz.
Chandler Village Center is a 130,000-square-foot power center in the same...
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A woman pleaded guilty Tuesday in a fraudulent tax refunds scheme — a case federal prosecutors said is the largest false claims case prosecuted in Missouri, the Kansas City Business Journal reports.
Jennifer Wilson of Cumming, Ga., pleaded guilty to trying to get fraudulent tax refunds for herself and others.
The nationwide tax fraud scheme pursued almost $100 million in fraudulent refunds. Five in the Kansas City area have been indicted in the scheme.
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More Kansas City-area companies are nominating themselves for our Social Madness challenge, which is based on the growth of a company’s social presence.
With the increasing role of social media in business, help your company get a leg up through a little friendly competition. Nominate your company today for Social Madness presented by Capital One Spark Business.
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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday that the proposed National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas is an important project and construction should move ahead, the Lawrence Journal-World reports.
Vilsack said the $650 million research facility, which would be near Kansas State University in Manhattan, would help make sure the nation and world maintain an adequate, safe food supply, according to the report.
President Obama’s proposed budget for 2013 includes no money for construction...
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A Georgia woman pleaded guilty to tax fraud Tuesday in what federal prosecutors are calling the largest false claims case ever prosecuted in Missouri.
Jennifer Wilson of Cumming, Ga., pleaded guilty to attempting to obtain fraudulent tax refunds for herself and others. She is one of three defendants who have pleaded guilty to roles in a nationwide tax fraud scheme that attempted to receive almost $100 million in fraudulent refunds, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the...
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 Hallmark Cards Inc. is looking to shed between 300 and 400 jobs through voluntary buyouts as it struggles with flat sales.
The nation’s largest greeting card-maker said Tuesday that more than 1,500, or 20 percent of its 7,500 U.S. employees, will be eligible for the buyouts, which will be determined in May and implemented through the end of July. Those accepted will receive severance.
The buyouts are open to employees who are 50 or older and who have at least 15 years’ experience with the company,...
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 Kansas and Missouri increased small business lending by $132.9 million in the fourth quarter thanks to banks participating in the Small Business Lending Fund offered by the U.S. Treasury Department.
The Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF) provides capital to banks at interest rates that drop the more loans the bank makes to small businesses. If lending doesn’t increase during the first two years, the interest rate increases.
The Treasury said the SBLF encouraged a $66.8 million increase in small...
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 Ron Baker, the current CEO of Cushing Memorial Hospital in Leavenworth, has been named as the new CEO of Saint Luke’s East Hospital.
In a Tuesday release, Saint Luke’s Health System said Baker will begin his position at the 125-bed Lee’s Summit facility in early May.
He will succeed Dr. George Pagels, who has been CEO since the hospital began construction in 2003 and who announced in February that he planned to retire in the spring. Pagels also is the health system’s chief medical officer...
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 One of the first and highest priority items for Kansas senators to take up when they return from legislative recess on April 25 is a bill to extend sales tax revenue (STAR) bonds for five additional years.
The state’s STAR bond authority, which is set to expire after July 1, gives approved economic development projects the opportunity to finance certain costs with sales tax receipts.
The House passed the extension on March 27 by a 92-31 vote, and the legislation has been referred to the Senate...
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 Cerner Corp. CEO Neal Patterson received an almost 10 percent boost in his compensation last year as he helped steer the health care technology company to higher profits and sales.
Patterson, also Cerner’s chairman, received compensation valued by the company (Nasdaq: CERN) at $5.6 million last year. He received $5.1 million in compensation in 2010.
Compensation details for Patterson and other Cerner executives were included in the North Kansas City-based company’s proxy materials, filed Monday...
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 Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage will open its first Kansas City-area store April 24 in Overland Park.
The family-owned grocer will open at 9108 Metcalf Ave., taking over space that Borders used to occupy.
Natural Grocers (http://www.naturalgrocers.com/) sells only organic produce and meats without hormones or antibiotics, as well as a variety of gluten-free products and other groceries.
“I believe this will quickly become a popular destination for regular grocery shopping because in Overland...
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Kansas City-based Card Compliant hired former H&R Block Inc. CFO Becky Shulman as its new CFO and COO.
Card Compliant provides technology solutions for the prepaid access and prepaid card industries, ensuring that they remain compliant with state and federal laws.
“We are thrilled to have Becky at Card Compliant,” CEO Wayne Chatham said in a release. “Her expertise and successes are a perfect fit in support of our growth initiatives. I look forward to her leadership.”
Shulman spent 10...
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 Corner Bakery Cafe will enter the Kansas City market with its first metro-area store in Overland Park in 2013.
The Dallas-based franchise has signed an agreement to open five locations in the metro area during the next five years, bringing 100 jobs to the market.
“I’m confident that Corner Bakery Cafe will thrive in Kansas City,” local franchiser Frank Westermajer said in a release. “When you consider the young, professional and active culture throughout this area, I truly believe Corner...
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 Bank Midwest will continue doing business using its current name despite its parent company legally changing the Kansas City-based institution’s name.
National Bank Holdings Corp. will change Bank Midwest’s legal name to NBH Bank.
NBH discussed the name change in a prospectus it filed March 30 for its initial public offering. The IPO could raise as much as $250 million.
The announcement of the legal name change in the prospectus said nothing about doing business as Bank Midwest. It led to...
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President Obama plans to pressure Republicans to support a minimum tax on millionaires to improve the tax system’s fairness, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Most economic analysts, however, say the effort would do little to boost the economy or make a dent in deficits, the newspaper reports.
As Obama and the Democrats heat up their campaign efforts, the Senate is scheduled to vote on — and expected to reject — the measure, which would require anyone earning at least $1 million to pay at...
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 Dr. Barbara Atkinson will retire June 30 from her roles at the University of Kansas, earlier than the previously announced date of December 2013, the school said in a news release.
Atkinson is executive vice chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center and dean of the School of Medicine.
Atkinson announced her retirement in November, saying she would stay on until December 2013 to ensure a smooth transition to her successor.
But with the conclusion of the school’s application for National...
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 Kansas City-area business leaders are touting a report that says investing in early child care and education will generate an economic boost for Kansas businesses and help communities in the long term.
The report by America’s Edge said that for every dollar invested in early care and education, an additional 68 cents is generated in Kansas, for a total $1.68 of spending in-state. Conversely, cutting this spending would eliminate 68 cents on top of every $1 cut.
Local business leaders releasing...
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 Two groups will infuse the Kansas City economy with $7.2 million during their gatherings in the city, the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association announced.
NeighborWorks America, which helps people find affordable housing and contributes to community development, will hold its National Training Institute in December 2013. The program will bring about 2,000 people, who will use about 7,200 hotel room nights. The attendees are expected to spend about $2.2 million.
NeighborWorks last held its...
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A Blue Springs business owner admitted in federal court Monday to faking veteran status to win more than $7 million in government contracts.
Warren Parker, 70, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud, major program fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and making a false statement, according to a release from Barry Grissom, U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas.
Parker falsely claimed to be a disabled veteran and war hero to help obtain $6.7 million in Veterans Affairs contracts and more...
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 It’s good news, but it’s also bad news for some: Missouri’s unemployment rate has dropped low enough that it no longer can offer federally financed extended unemployment benefits.
The change will affect about 9,000 of the 112,000 Missouri residents receiving benefits. The program is for people who already have taken all possible state benefits and all tiers of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. They stopped receiving benefits Saturday.
The state’s 7.4 percent unemployment...
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The resurgence of multifamily development at the Country Club Plaza continues to amass steam — a developer there is considering an apartment project with as many as 246 units.
The 46 Summit Redevelopment Corp. will ask the Kansas City Council this week to amend the Plaza Steppes Redevelopment Plan to allow for the construction of an eight-story or nine-story building between 46th and 47th streets and Summit and Jefferson streets.
That block also includes a 17-story Sheraton hotel and law firm...
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Redwood Technology Solutions in Overland Park plans to add nearly 40 jobs during the next five years, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced Monday.
The company, which provides network management and IT consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses, will expand at 6811 Shawnee Mission Parkway, according to a release. Redwood’s website already lists the address in the Cloverleaf business park as its home.
Mike Jackson, president of Redwood, bought the company in 2011. Jackson worked...
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Bill Ost has joined Kansas City advertising agency Kuhn & Wittenborn as its executive creative director.
He comes from Bernstein-Rein, where he had been a creative team leader since 2004, when he moved over from Valentine-Radford.
Ost will lead Kuhn & Wittenborn’s creative team, which also includes Creative Director Randy Robinson and Chief Creative Officer Alan Doan, who now works out of Phoenix.
Ost has done creative work for local companies such as Hallmark Cards Inc. and Farmland Foods Inc....
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 Truman Medical Center-Hospital Hill has won a $10,000 grant from the Livestrong Foundation for improving the hospital’s programs for seriously ill cancer patients.
On Monday, Livestrong said Truman was one of 20 U.S. hospitals that received the most votes in an online poll. It will receive a grant to help get formal certification from The Joint Commission for its palliative programs, which help cancer patients and their families deal with serious chronic illness and end-of-life care.
Liberty...
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The operator of Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Kan., is fielding a bidding war to acquire the indoor water park resort company.
Great Wolf Resorts Inc. (Nasdaq: WOLF), based in Madison, Wis., said Sunday that it had received an unsolicited cash offer for $7 a share from KSL Capital Partners. The board plans to evaluate the offer and “pursue the course of action that it determines is in the best interests of Great Wolf and its stockholders.”
The company declined comment beyond a short release.
That...
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AT&T Inc. and workers continue to talk — and work — despite their failure to settle on a new contract before a Sunday deadline, the Dallas Business Journal reports.
Union workers for AT&T (NYSE: T) in the Midwest, Northeast and West stayed on the job despite previously authorizing a strike by the Communications Workers of America.
The telecom company seeks concessions from workers because of declining revenue in its wireline business.
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Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP has added a team of seven lawyers to do big-dollar debt collection for corporate clients.
The three partners and four associates moved from Lathrop & Gage LLP’s offices in Kansas City and Washington. That leaves Lathrop without any lawyers in Washington, though it still has a consulting subsidiary there, EnGage LLC.
The Kansas City lawyers are partners Patrick Kenney and Steven McCartan and associate Rick Shearer. The Washington lawyers are partner Michael Zito and associates...
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 The Kansas resident who won the largest lottery prize ever in the state has chosen to remain anonymous in his or her claim of $157.9 million.
The winner chose the cash option of the prize instead of the annuity option, which was worth $218.6 million paid in 26 installments. After taxes, the resident’s win will total $110.5 million.
“We were so thrilled to meet with the winner earlier today and welcome the winner to the Kansas millionaire family,” Dennis Wilson, executive director of the Kansas...
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Papa Murphy’s is eyeing a larger slice of the Kansas City pie.
The take-and-bake pizza company plans to expand its local footprint, opening at least five more stores in 2012 to add to its existing 25. The company hopes to have 50 stores in the area in the next few years.
“Kansas City has just been a really good fit for us,” said Lindsi Taylor, director of corporate communications. “We’ve always done really good business there.”
The five new stores will be in Lee’s Summit, Overland...
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Kansas City Terminal Railway Co. has accused its recently fired president of allegedly pilfering hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company.
Federal investigators served a search warrant Feb. 1 at the Kansas City, Kan., office of Chuck Mader, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court. Investigators are looking into criminal allegations of conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, money laundering and transportation of stolen goods, but they have not filed criminal charges against Mader.
Company...
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A $26 million, 300-unit housing structure for University of Missouri-Kansas City students and 20 single-family homes are in the works at the Beacon Hill Housing Development.
Kansas City Council members next week will take up a resolution authorizing the city manager to apply for $5 million in gap financing from the Missouri Development Finance Board to develop the student housing project in partnership with UMKC.
Beacon Hill is between 22nd and 27th streets, and Troost Avenue and Vine Street near...
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Bank Midwest will change its legal name to NBH Bank sometime this year, according to a Securities and Exchange filing by its parent company.
That plan was in a March 30 prospectus filed by parent company National Bank Holdings Corp., which until March 26 was known as NBH Holdings, about its planned initial public offering.
The company did not say how many shares it intends to sell or for what price, and it didn’t provide a trading symbol. However, in November it said the IPO could raise as much...
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Facing pressure from commercial property owners and nonprofits, Kansas City officials are shrinking the maximum amounts of additional taxes those groups would pay to finance the proposed Main Street streetcar line.
City Councilman Russ Johnson said the city plans early next week to amend its petition before Jackson County Circuit Court to create a special streetcar taxing district.
Officials envision building a 2.2-mile downtown streetcar line along Main Street between the River Market and Crown...
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Google Inc. is applying a primitive-sounding name in its efforts to set up an ultra-fast Internet network in Kansas City.
“Google Fiber Huts” will play a key role in connecting homes to fiber-optic cables.
Yes, huts, though they may not be made out of straw and bamboo.
They came up in a recent Google Fiber team blog, which also marked the company hanging more than 100 miles of fiber in the Kansas City area.
The entry includes a Q&A with John Toccalino, manager of the Google Fiber project,...
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The Kansas City Health Department has received a $2.5 million federal grant to remove lead contamination from area homes.
The award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was announced Friday.
Health department officials said the money will go to remove lead paint in 172 homes that meet qualifications. It also will pay for 20 training sessions teaching workers and members of the public how to properly remove and replace lead paint, as well as its hazards.
Four neighborhood groups,...
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 Kansas City’s new Sea Life Aquarium held its much-anticipated grand opening at 10 a.m. Friday at Crown Center.
The aquarium’s mascot, Sharky, was to perform the ribbon cutting, and 12 members of the aquarium’s young environmentalist panel were to be on hand as well.
A few weeks ago, sharks and stingrays were delivered to the center, transported across the country from the Atlantic Ocean. Those black-tip sharks and Atlantic rays, one of which weighs 100 pounds, join more than 5,000 sea creatures...
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 This week, the Kansas City Business Journal ranks the area's largest public-sector employers.
See the top five
For the full list, ranked by number of local employees, subscribers can take a look at this week’s print edition of the Kansas City Business Journal. The list also includes contact information, nature of operations and executives.
Want more research like this? Check out the 29th Annual Book of Lists in print or digital format here.
Think your company might qualify for a list? Email...
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Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback named Dale Rodman to the Kanasas Bioscience Authority board, the Kansas City Business Journal reports.
Rodman, the state agriculture secretary, issued a strong critique of the authority in a legislative hearing last year, telling lawmakers that KBA board members “did not do their job.”
Rodman succeeds Sandra Lawrence, CFO of Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, on the authority’s board. On Tuesday, Brownback named cattle industry veteran Lee Borck to the board.
The...
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Kansas Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman, who issued a blistering critique of the Kansas Bioscience Authority before a legislative panel earlier this year, is joining the organization’s board.
Gov. Sam Brownback on Thursday appointed Rodman to succeed Sandra Lawrence, CFO of Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, on the 11-member board.
“Few people in the country have the unique qualifications for this position that Dale has,” Brownback said in his announcement. “His expertise and his...
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Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp. saw losses multiply last year even as it continued to ramp up production.
The all-electric truck maker lost $52.5 million in 2011, compared with $30.3 million in losses the year before, the Kansas City-based company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing late Wednesday.
Revenue from vehicle sales and maintenance rose 40 percent to $49.9 million.
Smith is pursuing a potential initial public offering and included the financial update in an amendment...
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Foundation Financial Group has acquired Leavenworth-based Assured Insurance Services for an undisclosed amount.
Atlanta-based Foundation Financial Group opened a Kansas City office in August, initially offering mortgage lending and refinancing services. Since then, it’s started offering a full range of service, including property and casualty insurance, tax services and retirement planning.
The acquisition gives Foundation Financial Group’s insurance practice a boost, bringing new clients.
Assured...
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A Raymore plan pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to his part in a $7.2 million securities fraud conspiracy linked to Petro America Corp.
Allen Collins, 55, admitted before U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith that he was involved in a conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud that started in September 2008. Prosecutors said the scheme victimized thousands of investors throughout the United States and Canada who bought shares in Petro America.
Collins promoted the company and sold...
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 Kansas City’s leading architects, brokers, investors, lawyers and developers turned out in droves for the Kansas City Business Journal’s Capstone Awards luncheon Thursday to celebrate the past year of real estate achievements.
Taking it all in, it was easy to see the impressive year Kansas City enjoyed in new development projects.
On the heels of a shaky economy, some of Kansas City’s landmark developments were featured from 2011.
Some of them, such as the Kauffman Center for the Performing...
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 The Microsoft Store plans to open soon at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, booting up what will be its 20th store in the world.
The concept, which will fill the former Talbots space, offers computers, software, games, music and phones. Key products include Microsoft headliners such as Windows 7 PCs, Windows Phones, Kinect for Xbox 360 and Office 2010.
See images of a new store in Virginia >>
The stores, which typically employ between 45 and 55 each, also feature a theater space where customers...
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 Sprint Nextel Corp. has launched a new smartphone, claiming a few firsts for the company.
For starters, the HTC EVO 4G LTE is the first phone Overland Park-based Sprint (NYSE: S) has released to work on its incoming LTE 4G network.
The phone, which features an advanced digital camera and a super-fast Internet connection, could hit stores next month — before Sprint’s multibillion-dollar network upgrade is complete. For instance, Sprint’s target date to roll out the new 4G network in Kansas...
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Texas-based jewelry retailer James Avery has opened its first Kansas City-area store at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park.
The family-owned chain, which now runs 64 stores in nine states, specializes in hand-crafted designs in sterling silver and 14-karat gold with various gemstones and sizes, according to a late Wednesday release. It’s best known for designs such as faith-inspired jewelry and charms, including new Avery Art Glass Charms.
The location is the chain’s first in Kansas; the James...
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Kansas driver exam stations on Thursday morning began issuing and renewing driver’s licenses and identification cards after several days of being unable to do so.
A server had crashed over the weekend, leaving the state unable to offer the cards. Exam stations gave 15-day extensions to people whose licenses or ID cards were set to expire March 31 through April 6.
“We realize this outage has been a great source of inconvenience and frustration for many people,” Director of Vehicles Donna Shelite...
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Ten Kansas City-area companies are presenting at this year’s InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum, which is Thursday in St. Louis.
The event gives high-growth and technology companies from eight Midwestern and Southwestern states a chance to make their case for venture capital or angel financing in front of scores of fund managers and private investors.
The 10 local firms include: Flow Forward Medical LLC, Olathe; ImmunoGenetix Therapeutics Inc., Lenexa; Metactive Medical LLC, Olathe; Spinal Simplicity...
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 Kansas City’s quest for federal help to build a proposed downtown streetcar line faces a lot of competition.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday that the Department of Transportation had received 703 applications for the latest round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants asking for a total of $10.2 billion. Congress has set aside only $500 million.
In a release, LaHood said the demand shows the need for increased financing for infrastructure.
“President...
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Teva Neuroscience Inc. will move its Kansas City operations to Overland Park, taking more than 400 employees across the state line, the Kansas City Business Journal reports.
A source familiar with the project said the company will secure land on the Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) campus at the southwest corner of College Boulevard and Nall Avenue for a new 154,000-square-foot building.
Another source said Teva received strong interest from several cities in the metro area.
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A former Raytown attorney was indicted Wednesday for allegedly stealing almost $650,000 from three clients.
Harley Kent Desselle, 61, was charged in a six-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, according to a release from David Ketchmark, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Prosecutors said Desselle pilfered $19,500 from the bank account of a foundation that was to build a playground in the memory of two children who had been kidnapped and murdered by their...
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 Teva Neuroscience Inc. will move its Kansas City operations to Overland Park, taking more than 400 employees across the state line.
A source familiar with the project said the company will secure land on the Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) campus at the southwest corner of College Boulevard and Nall Avenue for a 154,000-square-foot building.
Another source familiar with the Teva Neuroscience project said the company received strong interest from several cities in the metropolitan area, including...
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 For the first time since the 2008 banking crisis, workers who expect raises during the next year outnumber those who don’t.
A first-quarter survey by job review website Glassdoor.com says 43 percent of workers expect raises, compared with 38 percent who don’t expect a pay boost. The rest don’t know.
Optimism also is growing among the unemployed. Of those without jobs, 36 percent think it likely that they’ll get work in keeping with their experience and pay levels during the next six months...
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Kansas courts will close, and court employees will be furloughed on five coming Fridays unless a budget gap is filled, the state’s top judge said Wednesday.
Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss said the closings would occur April 13 and 27, May 11 and 25, and June 8. The state’s judicial branch is waiting on a $1.4 million supplemental appropriation that’s part of budget negotiations in the Legislature.
“This impasse creates an operational dilemma for the state court system because...
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A Lenexa-based engineering and architectural firm has opened a new office in Broomfield, Colo., to expand its services for the life sciences industry.
George Butler Associates Inc., which is known as GBA Architects & Engineers, also plans to use the new office to focus on work surrounding data centers and telecommunications clients, according to a release.
The firm’s life sciences group has been working with clients in Colorado for the past several years, so GBA opened the Broomfield office to...
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A Jobs Fair and Resource Expo on April 10 in Olathe will include at least 75 employers and resource providers.
The event is an effort of U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., and the Workforce Partnership.
Some of the employers planning to attend include Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), Children’s Mercy Hospitals & Clinics, FedEx Ground and Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), said Matt Manda, Yoder’s communications director. About 75 businesses and resource providers have signed up, and more continue to do...
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Exam stations across Kansas have been unable to renew or issue new driver’s licenses and identification cards for more than two days.
An 8-year-old server malfunctioned over the weekend, and vendor technicians still are trying to repair it, according to a Wednesday release from the Kansas Department of Revenue. According to the release, the server is due to be replaced.
Exam stations are giving 15-day extensions to people whose licenses or ID cards were set to expire March 31 through April 6.
“Resuming...
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 The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has joined the Google Art Project, making the Kansas City museum’s permanent collection available to online viewers.
“The Google Art Project has transformed the way art is viewed digitally,” museum Director and CEO Julián Zugazagoitia said in a release. “Our onsite collection of more than 200 permanent works is now universally accessible so that new audiences can discover them. We are excited to join in this collaboration with museums around the world and...
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 Union-represented AT&T Inc. workers in the region that covers Kansas and Missouri have voted to ratify a four-year labor agreement, the wireless carrier announced Wednesday.
The contract with the Communications Workers of America applies to about 8,800 members in CWA District 6, which includes Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The deal is retroactive to Feb. 25.
The contract included a $1,000 cash payment to eligible employees when it was ratified; wage increases of 2 percent the...
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Larry Brubaker plans to retire Sept. 30 as an executive vice president at Capitol Federal Savings Bank.
Brubaker, who has been at Capitol Federal for more than 40 years, is a well-known figure in the Kansas City area. He started as a loan officer in Overland Park in 1971 and became a branch manager in 1973, opening a branch in Olathe. In 1982, he became first vice president and eastern region branch coordinator; in 1987, he was promoted to senior vice president. Brubaker became an executive vice...
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 The new Chevrolet Malibu was the star of March sales among Kansas City-built automobiles.
Deliveries of the new Malibus, which started hitting sales floors in February, surged 53.6 percent in March to 23,887. In March 2011, that figure was at 15,551.
Those results made the vehicle, produced at General Motors Co.’s Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan., the company’s top-selling car in March, surpassing the Chevrolet Cruze for the first time in several months. The Malibu now is the nation’s...
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 The tornadoes that struck the Dallas area on Tuesday continue to disrupt air travel between Dallas and Kansas City on Wednesday.
American Airlines canceled two of its eight Kansas City-to-Dallas flights for Wednesday — an 11:05 a.m. flight and a 7:20 p.m. flight — said Justin Meyer, manager of air service development for the Kansas City Aviation Department. The airline also has canceled three flights from Dallas to Kansas City International Airport (Code: MCI). Those flights were scheduled to...
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Great Plains Energy Inc. and American Electric Power have formed a company that will build and invest in transmission infrastructure, the companies announced Wednesday.
The new company will be called Transource EnergySM LLC.
Kansas City-based Great Plains (NYSE: GXP) owns 13.5 percent; AEP (NYSE: AEP) owns the rest.
Great Plains said the partnership would put it in a good position to compete in the emerging competitive transmission market.
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Repair work on the rail line Amtrak uses for its River Runner service between Kansas City and St. Louis is going to cause a disruption of its regular service on April 9.
In a release Tuesday, Amtrak said Union Pacific Railroad is performing track work on the line west of Warrensburg.
That means travelers on Train 316, which usually stops in Kansas City, Independence and Lee’s Summit, will have to ride a bus service provided by Amtrak to Warrensburg, where they can then board the train for St....
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 Despite Wyandotte County’s attempts to boost the health of its residents, the county continues to place near the bottom among Kansas counties, according to a new report.
The third annual County Health Rankings, released Tuesday by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, measured counties in all 50 states by such metrics as smoking and obesity rates, percentage of uninsured adults, number of vehicle crashes, access to healthy food and instances...
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 Sprint Nextel Corp. is helping the National Basketball Association go green.
Overland Park-based Sprint (NYSE: S) kicked off NBA Green Week on Tuesday during a cellphone recycling event at a Sprint store in New York. Sprint is the first presenting partner of NBA Green Week, which started in 2009 as a way to build awareness about protecting the environment. This year’s awareness week runs through April 11.
The NBA and Sprint plan to roll out a Facebook application, “Unlimited Acts of Green,”...
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 Nike Inc., the new outfitter for the National Football League, on Tuesday offered a glimpse at its first uniforms for most of the 32 teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs. Nike is taking over that job from Reebok.
The Seattle Seahawks uniforms were the only ones to get a significant makeover, but there are subtle changes.
The NFL shield logo on the collar no longer says “NFL Equipment.” And the Nike Swoosh has taken the place of the Reebok logo on the sleeves.
Also, most teams adopted Nike’s...
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The Sierra Club said Monday that it plans to sue the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Public Utilities over air pollution from its power plants.
In a release, the Sierra Club said the coal-fired Nearman Creek and Quindaro plants emit an amount of particles that exceeds state and federal standards.
“BPU is using the same type of particulate controls that it installed over 40 years ago at Quindaro,” Craig Volland, chairman of the Kansas Sierra Club’s air-quality committee, said in a written statement....
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 Missouri has won a more than $16.53 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to help pay for cleanup in Joplin and other towns struck by storms last year.
The National Emergency Grant supplement, which will benefit 29 counties, goes to the Missouri Division of Workforce Development. Specifically, the money will pay for 2,200 temporary workers to help.
The $16.53 million is the latest of three grants from the Labor Department totaling about $36.3 million. The initial $5.82 million grant came...
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 Kansas City-area employers posted about 25,300 new job ads online in March, up significantly from last month and from March 2011, according to data from The Conference Board.
Last month, 22,600 were new; 21,100 were new in March 2011.
Overall, local employers had a total of 36,800 job ads online, up from 35,100 in February and from 33,300 in March 2011, the nonprofit’s Help Wanted OnLine Data Series showed.
Nationally, online job ads increased by 246,300 to about 4.67 million, marking the fourth...
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Missouri collected $512.4 million in taxes in March, up 3 percent compared with the $497.3 million it brought in during the same month last year.
March’s haul helped Missouri outpace last fiscal year’s year-to-date collections. So far this year, collections stand at $5.06 billion, up 2.5 percent from $4.94 billion during the same period of 2011.
Individual income tax collections, which are up 3.1 percent year-to-date over last year, make up Missouri’s largest revenue source with $4 billion...
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 Corporate takeover activist Carl Icahn is claiming a victory over CVR Energy Inc. in his hostile bid for the company.
As of a Monday afternoon deadline, owners of about 55 percent of outstanding CVR (NYSE: CVI) shares had agreed to tender them. Together with his holdings, that would give the Icahn group control of more than 69 percent of outstanding shares.
“I am gratified that shareholders have endorsed our offer in such a decisive manner,” Icahn said in a written statement Tuesday. “Well...
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 Problems with its initial public offering didn’t dampen market share for BATS Global Markets Inc. in March.
The Lenexa-based exchange operator had a 10.9 percent market share of U.S. equities trading in March, the same as in February. However, it was down slightly from 11.1 percent during the same month last year.
Meanwhile, BATS Options dipped to 2.4 percent market share, down from 2.6 percent in March 2011.
BATS Chi-X Europe was the star of the show, reaching a 24.3 percent market share of...
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Kansas City’s largest businesses are far from uniform in their uses for Twitter — interacting with customers (Sprint), discussing movies (AMC Entertainment) and even drumming up support for games (Sporting Kansas City).
Twitter interaction is a key part of a new contest by the Kansas City Business Journal and affiliated papers — Social Madness presented by Capital One Spark Business. Local companies will compete based on their social media prowess, with local winners advancing to a national...
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BATS Global Markets Inc. maintained a 10.9 percent market share of U.S. equities trading in March despite the exchange operator’s failed initial public offering.
Lenexa-based BATS also had a 10.9 percent market share of U.S. equities in February. However, that figure was 11.1 percent in March 2011.
BATS pulled its stock offering on March 23 after technical glitches caused problems in trading some stocks, including BATS’ IPO and Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) stock.
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Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has named cattle industry veteran Lee Borck to the Kansas Bioscience Authority’s board of directors.
Borck, who lives in Manhattan, is chairman of Innovative Livestock Services and of the Beef Marketing Group Cooperative and was elected to the “Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame” last year.
“Lee is a well-qualified and highly respected advocate for Kansas agriculture interests,” Brownback said in a statement released Monday.
His appointment still must be confirmed...
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 AirTran Airways, which merged with Southwest Airlines Co. in May, clinched the top spot in the latest Airline Quality Rating report.
Southwest (NYSE: LUV), the busiest carrier at Kansas City International Airport (Code: MCI), ranked seventh.
Overall, the industry soared to new heights last year, scoring the highest in the 21 years the report has been compiled. The rating uses U.S. Department of Transportation data to measure airline performance on criteria that include on-time performance, baggage...
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Kansas City Council members this week will consider giving up a city-owned surface parking lot to a development agency to help with the rehabilitation of the Argyle Building.
An ordinance to transfer title of a surface lot at 1121 McGee St. to the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority appeared on Wednesday’s Kansas City Planning, Zoning & Economic Development Committee meeting agenda.
If approved by the committee and full council, the LCRA would take control of the surface lot near the vacant...
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Overland Park-based Morningstar Communications has been named as public relations agency of record for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.
Morningstar will handle strategic communications, corporate communications and brand integration for the health insurer, which serves nearly 1 million residents in the Kansas City area and 30 counties in northwest Missouri.
Morningstar will target audiences seeking health care advice and promote Blue Cross services as they come to market.
“We were...
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 The governors of Kansas and Kentucky are placing bets on Monday night’s NCAA basketball national championship game — in the form of Kansas beef and a Kentucky country ham.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear bet their home-state foodstuffs that their respective teams would win. The University of Kansas takes on the University of Kentucky at 8:23 p.m. Monday in New Orleans.
“This is the way it’s supposed to be — the two winningest programs and the two most passionate...
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Kansas City-based Lockton Cos. Inc. announced Monday that it has formed a new venture: the Lockton Global partnership.
Lockton Global is a partnership of 30 of the world’s top privately held insurance brokers and risk advisers, providing companies with risk management, insurance and employee benefits solutions. It’s starting out with more than 1,000 clients around the world.
“Lockton Global is an evolutionary step, strengthening existing partnerships that serve the global insurance, risk...
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NCO Group Inc. temporarily will hire more than 600 people for its customer contact center in Lenexa.
All the positions will let employees work from home as they help customers with payments. Employees will train for four weeks, then use both their personal computers and phones for the jobs. NCO, which offers business process outsourcing services, will provide the tools to help with customer interactions, program transactions, reporting and data security.
“Our Work at Home model continues to gain...
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 Some renovations at Black & Veatch’s Overland Park headquarters are ahead of schedule, Chief Administrative Officer Jim Lewis said.
The extensive overhaul that kicked off in January for the 600,000-square-foot headquarters at 114th Street and Lamar Avenue is scheduled to end by 2014. But some floors should be finished this year, the engineering firm said in a Monday email.
The firm, which has experienced intense employee growth during the past year, said in 2009 that it would buy its headquarters...
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 Kansas City businesses largely are cashing in on the Kansas Jayhawks’ success so far in the NCAA tournament.
Basketball fans started arriving at the Johnny’s Tavern in the Kansas City Power & Light District about 2:30 p.m. Saturday for a 7:49 p.m. tipoff for the University of Kansas’ Final Four game versus Ohio State University.
Managing Partner Nick McMillian was surprised at the number of University of Missouri fans who arrived to cheer for Kentucky and then for KU’s opponent Ohio State....
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 Phil Gaines, CFO of YRC Freight, has left the company to take over the finances of KBP Foods in Overland Park, YRC Worldwide Inc. confirmed Monday.
Gaines’ departure comes only weeks after Paul Liljegren resigned as YRC Worldwide’s chief accounting officer and corporate controller.
YRC Freight is Overland Park-based YRC Worldwide’s national less-than-truckload carrier, meaning it combines smaller customer shipments into single truckloads.
Gaines had spent 23 years with YRC Worldwide (Nasdaq:...
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The Kansas City, Mo., School District has given its permanent superintendent job to interim leader R. Stephen Green.
In a Monday release, the school system praised Green’s efforts to bolster student achievement and operations, maintain balanced budgets and work with state education officials to pursue re-accreditation, among other accomplishments.
Green has been interim superintendent since September, when the former Kansas City superintendent, John Covington, resigned.
Green’s previous positions...
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Google Inc. announced Sunday that the fiber it plans to launch in Kansas City actually is a nutritional aid, rather than an ultra-fast data network. Oh wait, Sunday would be April 1st — April Fool’s Day.
The tech company posted a blog Sunday acknowledging speculation that it was building a high-speed fiber-optic network. “And while we are humbled by these speculations, we have focused our efforts on a different kind of fiber — Google Fiber.”
A video discusses the outdated modes used to...
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One of three winning tickets in the $640 million Mega Millions lottery drawing was sold in northeast Kansas, although no one has yet come forth to claim their share, The Kansas City Star reports.
The Kansas Lottery announced Saturday that one of the winning tickets was sold in an undisclosed retail location in northeast Kansas. Other winning tickets were sold in Maryland and Illinois.
State law gives winners as long as a year to claim their prize, and to remain anonymous. Until someone claims the...
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An effort in Jefferson City to end the development border war with Kansas appears dead because of a lack of interest in calling a truce in Topeka, the Associated Press reports.
A bill that would prohibit giving tax credits to companies located within 30 miles of the Missouri-Kansas border passed the Missouri House. But, even assuming it passed the state Senate, it would not go into effect until Kansas put in place the same restrictions — and there’s been no movement on the Kansas side of the...
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