The Henry W. Bloch School of Management has announced the second class of honorees for its Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. The first class was inducted in 2014.

The Hall of Fame is a gift from Joe and Judy Roetheli, founders of the Lil’ Red Foundation and the creators of Greenies. Their vision was to have a permanent, immersive and interactive Hall of Fame that would inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. The exhibit is located on the main level of the Bloch Executive Hall at 5108 Cherry St.

“The goal of the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame is to celebrate the stories of Kansas City’s most iconic entrepreneurs – those who built businesses from the ground up,” said Hall of Fame director Beverly Stewart.

To be eligible for selection, individuals must have founded or substantially grown a for-profit business, given back to the community in a meaningful way, and lived in or have ties to the Kansas City region.

The 2017 inductees are:

• Kate Spade, a Kansas City native who co-founded a line of handbags with her husband Andy. The brand grew globally and now includes totes and luggage, shoes, eyewear, stationery and a home collection.
• Ollie Gates, who became president and CEO of Gates Bar-B-Q in 1970 after working in the family restaurant for years and serving in the army. The family’s first restaurant opened in 1946, and has expanded to six family-operated locations since Gates took the helm.
• Annie Hurlbut Zander, CEO and co-founder of Peruvian Connection, an apparel company based on ethnographic and historical textile inspiration. For the last 40 years, her business has grown from her love of woven textiles into a thriving direct-marketing business, releasing five internationally-renowned collections a year through catalogs, online and in the brand’s retail stores across the U.S. and in the U.K.
•  Tom McDonnell, who joined DST in 1969. While serving as president and CEO of DST Systems Inc. from 1973 to 2012, the organization grew rapidly, both domestically and internationally. McDonnell also served as president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

The formally induction ceremony will be held on March 3, with an unveiling of their individual exhibits. Each exhibit tells the honoree’s personal story of entrepreneurial vision and achievement.