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The city of Kansas City, Missouri, introduced a new small business task force to improve the development and support of the city's small businesses and entrepreneurs.
The effort stemmed from a debrief after KCMO hosted the NFL Draft in April.
In May 2023, KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas told KSHB 41 News he heard the concerns of small businesses.
“I plan to meet soon with a number of businesses that were impacted, and we are going to see how we can make sure that we can have everybody engaged and involved," Lucas said in May.
The future is here; Lucas said the task force was created to guide plans for future big events coming to KCMO like World Cup games in 2026.
The city says the task force will work to add funding, programming, technical assistance and other support services.
“Kansas City’s small businesses are vital to our growing community and economy, but there are a number of barriers entrepreneurs continue to face when growing or starting their business, including access to funding and resources for support," Lucas said in a press release announcing the task force. "To ensure our community and economy continue to grow and be successful, we must invest in the entrepreneur with a dream for a startup, or the small business owner who is struggling to make ends meet."
Phyllis Hernandez is one of seven appointed to KCMO's small business task force.
“I opened up this small business two years ago,” said Phyllis Hernandez, owner of Sala de Arte.
Surrounded by art, Hernandez is turning Sala de Arte into a community staple in KCMO's Historic Northeast neighborhood.
Hernandez said when she looks across the city and sees good ideas, people want to start a business, but then struggle to stay open.
"Often, I see people give up after one or two years," she said. "I want to be there to help them say, 'Hey, you can do it, and here are the steps to keep the business going in the community.'"
She said she’ll focus on communication and education when it comes to promotion.
“Especially people of color, there may be a language barrier and I want to make sure they get the resources, too," Hernandez said.
Looking ahead to 2026 World Cup, she says the task force will work to potentially increase profits for underrepresented businesses.
“We anticipate a lot of people coming to 9th Street and to the surrounding streets to visit, so my goal is to make sure all of these businesses are thriving when the (World Cup fans) do arrive ... all of our restaurants are up to code, there’s no empty storefronts,” she said. “We want to see a striving community with such a diverse soccer community across the street.”
Maintaining licenses, finding new strategies and giving support to the businesses, it's work that starts now.
Thalia Cherry, founder of CEO of Cherry Co., is the other small business owner on the task force.
“As a joint venture partner of the retail stores in the new Kansas City International terminal, I believe I can provide insight and perspective regarding the city processes and policies to develop a small business ecosystem that retains and develops small businesses,” Cherry said. “Additionally, I believe the task force will play a vital role in streamlining the entrepreneurial ecosystem and reducing barriers that often prevent growth or long-term sustainability. This task force will have the opportunity to adopt innovative strategies and best practices that could potentially increase revenues and profits for underrepresented businesses.”
Other members appointed to the committee include:
- KCMO councilman Wes Rogers;
- Davin Gordon with the Hall Family Foundation;
- Morgan Holecek with the city of KCMO;
- Evan Absher with with the UMKC School of Law;
- Christine Lau
Each member will serve two years on the task force.
