Champions for women entrepreneurs: ‘Transformational’ legislation smoothed path for future business owners

Nearly 10 million American women own businesses. According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, these entrepreneurs pay more than $264 billion in wages to more than 8 million employees, and their companies contribute more than $1.4 trillion in sales to the U.S. economy. Such staggering numbers would have been hard for some to imagine a generation ago, when women often couldn’t get a business loan without a male…

Made to Last, Success Stories

Renner Supply Garage Door: Bad weather opened market for supplier

Denise Dahms’ family has been selling garage doors for more than 60 years, but the family business barely survived its first year. In 1955, Gene Renner, Denise’s dad, was selling garage doors—among other things—for a local lumber company. A year later, he started R&R Garage Door with his father, Elmer Renner, but the company struggled. Gene Renner wanted out of the business, but an F5 tornado in May 1957 changed…

Company to Watch, Expansion, Success Stories

Chicken N Pickle: Entrepreneurs plan to expand with unique concept

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, so it should be no surprise that Chicken N Pickle has expansion plans of its own. The owners of the North Kansas City hotspot broke ground on their second location in May in Wichita, but the expansion won’t stop there. Kellen Mumm, vice president of business development, said the company could have as many as 10 locations within three years….