It didn’t feel like it then, but getting fired was one of the best things to ever happen to Joe Vazquez. Losing his job as an accountant led the Kansas City entrepreneur to found Vazquez Commercial Contracting, one of the city’s fastest-growing construction firms — one that can tackle everything from stormwater projects to demolitions to historical restorations. The Midtown-based company was on pace to end 2018 with about $40…

When he started Tallgrass Freight Co., Damon Anderson had a couple goals. He wanted to run his own small freight brokerage from his farmhouse in Leavenworth. And he wanted to give his clients outstanding service, the way he saw fit. It didn’t work out exactly like he planned, but the journey’s still been pretty amazing. Six years after it launched, Tallgrass Freight Co. is one of America’s fastest-growing private companies,…

Just think of everything that goes into the making of a successful athlete. Years or sometimes decades of hard, grinding work. A ferociously competitive spirit. The ability to gracefully accept coaching, even when it’s delivered bluntly, while working alongside teammates from completely different backgrounds. Sounds like somebody who would be a pretty good employee, right? Unfortunately, too many athletes struggle to transition into the working world after their playing days…

Freedom Interiors creates the kind of workspaces that make people excited for Monday morning. The company figures out exactly how clients want their offices to feel and function, then translates that vision into reality. For the longest time, though, Carol Espinosa and her team couldn’t do the same thing for themselves. As a young, growing company, Freedom rented space in other people’s buildings. That changed late last year, when Freedom…

Crema builds apps for the nation’s biggest companies and most promising startups….