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J.M. Neil, City of KCMO Win MO Governor’s Awards

Two Kansas City organizations were among the winners at the 2016 Missouri Governor’s Conference on Economic Development.

 J.M. Neil & Associates
J.M. Neil & Associates

J.M. Neil & Associates, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, received the Governor’s Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year Award. The WBE-certified staffing and recruiting firm assists clients in a range of industries, including aeronautics, avionics, telecommunications and information technology.

The company is owned by Colleen Ellis, whose mother, JoAnn Mina, founded J.M. Neil. It was the first agency in the Midwest to earn a Multiple Award Schedule contract through the General Services Administration, and that has allowed J.M. Neil to supply temporary workers for any federal agency.

The City of Kansas City, Missouri, Office of Culture and Creative Services won the Missouri Arts Council Alchemy Award. Part of the office’s mission is to use the arts to encourage economic development, and it has worked with other organizations to launch a microloan program for artists and arts-based businesses, which have received about $70,000 in loans so far.