University of Central Missouri, along with the Greater Kansas City MetroLab Partnership, announced the creation of Gigabit Lab in September. A gigabit network allows for technology to operate at a greater speed of transmission; the lab serves as a hub to develop gigabit applications in education, cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and health care. Located at the Missouri Innovation Campus in Lee’s Summit, Gigabit Lab welcomes researchers, innovators and…

North Kansas City construction firm Mega Industries Corp. announced this month that it is now 100 percent employee-owned. Founded in 1992, the construction company became a 56 percent Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 2006, beginning its approach to total employee investment. Until June, CEO Brian Gordon and COO Craig Bridgeman were majority owners. “We wanted to send a clear signal to all of our employee-owners that Craig and I…

A.B. May, an HVAC plumbing and electric company based in Kansas City, Mo., has received a Global Healthy Workplace Award for its company-wide well-being program. Presented by Wolf Kirsten International Health Consulting and i-genius, the Global Healthy Workplace Awards began in 2013 and are open to any organization from any nation in categories of Small and Medium-sized, Large Enterprise, and Multinational. A.B. May won in the Small and Medium-sized category…

On Sept. 22, three Professional Fellows participating in the Young Leaders of Americas Initiative arrived in Kansas City. Their arrival followed the kick off in Detroit of the YLAI Professional Fellows Program, funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and implemented by Meridian International Center. The program welcomes 250 young entrepreneurs and social innovation visionaries from Latin America and the Caribbean to…

Connectus Worldwide is a new consulting firm that aides minority-, women-, disadvantaged-, veteran- and LGBTQ-owned companies seeking corporate and governmental certification. Founded by Mary Shannon, who retired from a Fortune 500 company earlier this year, Connectus Worldwide provides a variety of services to diverse businesses, while also connecting such enterprises with majority organizations. The firm consults in areas of supplier diversity, public engagement and mediation. Instead of slowing down after…