Several KC companies will be among the honorees at this year’s Kansas Minority and Women Business Awards Luncheon on Oct. 5 at Topeka’s Capitol Plaza Hotel.
The event is part of the annual Kansas Minority Enterprise Development Week presented by the Kansas Commerce Department to highlight the state’s women and minority business owners.
Local winners at this year’s MED Week include the following:
Minority-Owned Businesses
Construction: Recyclable Materials Relocation LLC // Kansas City, Kansas
Professional Services: LaborMax Staffing KC Metro // Kansas City, Kansas
Retail: Paleterias Tropicanas // Kansas City, Kansas
Supplier/Distributor: SARIN Energy Solutions // Overland Park
Women-Owned Businesses
Construction: MySmartPlans // Kansas City, Kansas
Professional Services: FSC Inc. // Overland Park, Kansas
Service Industry: Sage Restoration LLC // Overland Park, Kansas
Supplier/Distributor: International Express Trucking Inc. // Kansas City, Kansas
Plus, Sandra Olivas of the Bank of Labor in Kansas City, Kansas, has been named the Minority Business Advocate of the Year. Debra Kunz of the Mission-based Center for Deliberate Growth is the 2017 Women Business Advocate of the Year. Paul Kaster of Leawood’s Crooked Branch Studio is the Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
“Minority and women-owned businesses make a significant contribution to the Kansas economy,” said Nick Jordan, interim secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce. “Seven percent of women and five percent of minorities in Kansas describe themselves as self-employed which, when taken together, equals a substantial portion of our local-owned businesses and employers. We greatly value their entrepreneurship and role in driving our state’s economy.”
Interested in attending this year’s luncheon? The registration deadline is Sept. 22, with admission costing $40 per person or $320 for a table of eight. Visit this website, or contact Rhonda Harris at (785) 296-3425 or rhonda.harris@ks.gov.
