Missouri manufacturing showed a strong pulse in February with a Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of 66.8, an increase of 13.1 points and the highest since 2004. The PMI measures new orders, production, supplier delivery times, backlogs, inventories, prices, employment, import orders and exports, and other factors. Economists consider it a key economic indicator. A score greater than 50 usually indicates an economy that is expanding. A score below 50 forecasts…

Small-business owners are more optimistic than they have been since before the Great Recession, according to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index. The overall index is now at 100, up 20 points since November and up 33 points from one year ago. This represents the largest quarterly increase in three years. U.S. small-business owners are the most optimistic than they have been since July 2007. It is nearly 70…

KC Rising is focusing on initiatives in three work groups as part of its vision to elevate Kansas City regional economic growth to its full potential. Trade, ideas and people are at the forefront of KC Rising’s economic plans.  KC Rising’s launch in 2014 focused on creating a sustainable 20-year vision to accelerate the performance of the regional economy and to expand economic opportunity for every individual, said Scott Smith,…

It’s not the Battle of the Bands and it’s not the March Madness Battle of the Hoops. Much more important than that. It’s KCSourceLink’s sixth annual Battle of the Brands. Battle of the Brands, a bracket-style competition between Kansas City’s homegrown brands, kicked off on March 6. The competition got underway with 120 companies, and online voting that ended on Feb. 23 narrowed the field to 64. These 64 companies…