The Kansas City Strategic Partnership Program celebrated 25 diverse small business-owners April 4 as they graduated from its intensive six-month course.

Founded by Edgemoor and the Clark | Weitz | Clarkson joint venture, the KC SPP is a free, MBA-style program for entrepreneurs of women- and minority-owned businesses (WBEs and MBEs). The program’s courses instruct on topics such as accounting, project management and partnership development.

Edgemoor, in partnership with CWC and architect Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, will head the $1.5 billion new single-terminal airport project, known as Build KCI. The project broke ground on March 25 and is expected to finish construction in 2023.

The SPP’s graduating firms are now eligible to score KCI terminal contracts.

Edgemoor and CWC have committed to continuing the partnership program until “everyone in Kansas City who wants to take the program can participate,” Edgemoor’s managing director Geoff Stricker told Thinking Bigger.

Photos from the event, provided by Jeff Evrard Photography, are available to view below.