Not many businesses can say they started out with a few horses and a wagon for hauling steamer trunks. But for Superior Moving & Storage, a family business spanning 105 years, its origin story is anything but ordinary. The company was created by John Thomas “J.T.” Lynch–who would later become one of the first fire chiefs in Kansas City–and his wife Theresa in 1914. Since then, the business has been…

There aren’t many companies in the Kansas City area that can claim roots as far back as the 1870s, but Rau Construction is a rare breed. The family business was founded in 1870 in Solingen, Germany, then moved to Kansas City around 1905. Since then, Rau Construction has been maintained and operated as a family-owned company. The company’s projects include structures such as churches, office buildings, retail, schools, industrial complexes,…

Riverside Red X considers itself the “store to explore.” The retailer celebrated 70 years in business in 2018 and is a family business. Ed Young founded the company as a filling station in 1948 with only $150 in inventory. Red X was the gas distributor. The store has evolved to offer a grocery, deli, pharmacy, liquor store, hardware and memorabilia — including a collection of bells — in 85,000 square…

Like a lot of U.S. businesses, Jack Livers’ lighting company didn’t survive the Great Depression. After the end of World War II, however, his sons found a new use for the family’s foundry and their metalworking skills: Livers Bronze Co. was born. Livers Bronze initially focused on casting bronze grave markers, but it soon expanded into signage and more. In the mid-1950s, a customer asked Richard Livers if he could…

Philip Wang left behind a New York-based wholesale fur company he co-founded when he set up his own shop in Kansas City in 1926. Three years into his new venture, the Great Depression hit. Despite selling luxury items in a weak economy, Alaskan Fur Co. grew, moving into an expanded facility during World War II. The new location offered controlled-environment storage, and the company developed a cleaning process that revitalizes…