DST tries something new: mutual funds for everyday investors

21 May 2013, 12:34 am

DST Systems Inc. is attempting to appeal to a larger audience with a new effort aimed at giving regular consumers access to mutual funds. DST still is waiting for approval on the mobile investment app, TreeSwing, from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. But later this spring, the Kansas City-based data-processing company (NYSE: DST) plans to go after an audience it doesn’t have a hist

Sprint: Handmark, Clearwire acquisitions are mutually exclusive

20 May 2013, 9:42 pm

Sprint Nextel Corp. has clocked yet another acquisition, as if the wireless carrier doesn't have enough merger activity going on this year. On Monday, Overland Park-based Sprint (NYSE: S) revealed it had bought Kansas City-based Handmark Inc. and spinoff app developer firm OneLouder Apps. Inc. to help ramp up its mobile advertising and targeting services. The news came on the heels of Friday's a

It’s Clearwire Eve: Sprint expected to raise bid price for merger

20 May 2013, 7:25 pm

The wireless industry is watching Sprint Nextel Corp. for a higher bid on Clearwire Corp. before Tuesday’s shareholder vote. Clearwire (Nasdaq: CLWR) shareholders vote at noon in Bellevue, Wash., on whether to accept or reject Sprint’s (NYSE: S) $2.2 billion acquisition offer. The vote comes as uncertainty around the deal is at a peak. Sprint’s bid, which offers $2.97 a share for stock th

Sprint buys Handmark, OneLouder Apps

20 May 2013, 7:01 am

Sprint Nextel Corp.’s acquisition march continues, this time moving a Kansas City technology company under its umbrella. Overland Park-based Sprint (NYSE: S) announced Monday that it bought app developer Handmark Inc. and spinoff OneLouder Apps. Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The companies have been negotiating the deal since the summer. It closed on April 4, making Handmark and OneLouder a s

Timeline shows long engagement led up to Sprint-Handmark union

20 May 2013, 7:01 am

Sprint Nextel Corp. may have acquired Handmark Inc. this spring, but the companies’ relationship goes back eight years. Overland Park-based Sprint (NYSE: S) plans to bolster its mobile advertising program, Pinsight Media+, with Handmark’s mobile app development and advertising platform through spinoff OneLouder Apps Inc. Here’s a timeline of key events that led up to the acquisition: 2000

Techquila: When a watering hole mixes with the local tech scene

17 May 2013, 8:47 pm

Some technology stories in Kansas City are hard to find, but this one beat down my door. Here’s a snapshot into my reporter’s notebook, which this week features a watering hole I couldn’t escape in my coverage of the local technology and entrepreneurship scene. The beat demands an affinity for being social these days as Kansas City technologists and startup efforts are becoming more connec

Is Your Company’s Lifeblood Safe?

6 May 2013, 5:28 pm

Your intellectual property and infrastructure are the lifeblood of your business. Whether it’s software code, customer data, your hosting environment or operational data, you could not survive without it. So how well do you know the people and vendors who create, maintain and protect this sensitive information?  As your business moves to the cloud, your hosting environment becomes a critical pi

Tech Council Member FINDitKC: Video Does a Business Good

24 April 2013, 10:14 pm

Chris Olsen, founder and CEO of FINDitKC, explains why businesses need to budget for video and how to make the most of a video campaign. Why invest time and money in video? Online video has become the most important tool in an online marketer’s toolshed. To point: 85 percent of Internet users viewed some type of online video content in September 2012 alone, and by 2014 online video will account

“Don’t Call Us. We’ll Call You.” The Truth About Recruiters

16 April 2013, 11:02 pm

Matthew Denney, member of KCnext’s board of directors and founder of StarRecruit LLC, explains how top-level talent helps businesses rise to the top. If you’re a leader in your company, finding and recruiting great employees for your firm is likely a big part of your job. In this way, business parallels sports: One of the biggest responsibilities a coach has is to find the best players ou

Tech Council member Partnership for Technology Innovation Makes the Case for Open Communication

9 April 2013, 4:53 pm

Melissa Roberts, executive director of Tech Council member Partnership for Technology Innovation, stresses the importance of open communication in developing future infrastructure solutions. Nobody knows better than the KCNext community that technology is changing the landscape of Kansas City. From business to healthcare, education and social interaction, high-tech entrepreneurs are revolutionizin

KCnext | March 2013 News Update

25 March 2013, 11:41 pm

Build your team. Take your win. The never ending pursuit of talent

7 March 2013, 5:03 pm

Matthew Denney, member of KCnext’s board of directors and founder of StarRecruit LLC, discusses how your company can be successful in finding the top rookie recruits.   Recruiting talent is the life blood of success. Think of your company like a pro sports franchise or college team. Hopefully, your team is winning, if not, keep reading. Like winning coaches, winning companies know that sta

Top 11 Kansas City Startup Resources In 2013

16 May 2013, 1:30 pm

A long time ago (and we mean a long time ago) we developed a top 10 list of some of the best online and offline resources for entrepreneurs and startups in Kansas City.  Now that almost three years have passed, it’s about time we update this list with some of the newest and best entrepreneur and startup resources in the Kansas City area.  You may notice three years ago, we had a list

Interested in Think Big Partners? Join Us for a Tour

14 May 2013, 2:00 pm

What does Think Big Partners do? Can I join your coworking space?  How I can I work with Think Big Partners?  What services do you provide?  This is just a taste of the questions we get on a day-to-day basis.  We want you to come by Think Big so we can answer these questions—and many others—and help you find the best way to work with us! The best way to get

Why Do We Need Mompreneurs?

9 May 2013, 2:00 pm

In honor of Mother’s Day (don’t forget—it’s on Sunday, May 12!) we would like to honor all of the diaper-changing, meeting-holding, snot-wiping, money-making, up-all-night moms out there who aren’t just great parents, but are great entrepreneurs as well.  The term “mompreneur” (mom + entrepreneur) is here to stay—and we should be thankful.  According to an

Think Big Coworking Member Dwolla Raises $16.5 Million

7 May 2013, 2:00 pm

Ben Milne, Founder of Dwolla. It’s one thing for a startup company to successfully launch in the Midwest.  But it’s a whole different story when a Midwestern company gets $16.5 million in funding.  But Des Moines-based startup Dwolla was recently given that exact amount from Andreessen Horowitz, Village Ventures, Thrive Capital and Union Square Ventures.  For t

What Are The Think Big Accelerator Companies Up To?

2 May 2013, 3:00 pm

Things move fast here at Think Big Partners.  From the collaborations in our coworking space to our entrepreneur events, everything seems to be created very quickly.  And for are accelerator companies, the TBP experience is no different. Each of our accelerator companies have been making big waves in their own respective fields. With so many things going on, it’s hard to keep up

Google Glass Documentary Tech Trek will be Presented by Hallmark and Sprint

1 May 2013, 4:39 pm

Two of Kansas City’s largest local companies, Hallmark Cards and Sprint, have teamed up with a group of area entrepreneurs to tell the story of America’s most innovative technology companies on a cross-country road trip using Google Glass. Google Glass is a head-mounted display unit that connects with the user’s mobile phone to allow for seamless communication over the web. Glass al

Fiber to Fiber Speedtest: Google Fiber (Kansas City) to EPB (Chattanooga)

27 April 2013, 10:35 pm

We’ve been using Google Fiber in the #KCSV for a few months now, and the speeds are pretty sick.  However, long before Google started laying dark fiber and lighting up the village, Chattanooga was kicking it on the Internet @ 1Gbps.  Several years ago, the EPB built a smart grid connecting over 160,000 homes with fiber, offering them packages for Internet speeds from 25Mbps to 1Gbps.  Thi

Fiber Fridays! Episode 5 – YouTube Uploads : Google Fiber vs USA Average

22 February 2013, 5:17 pm

Episode 5 TGIF!  Let us start your morning off right with a little Fiber Fridays goodness.  Each Friday we showcase something possible when you have the power of Google Fiber and 1Gbps at your fingertips. This week we focus our attention on upload speeds.  We’ve shown you a few times the power of Google Fiber and downloading data at 1Gbps, but what about uploads?  The average upload spee

Fiber Fridays! Episode 4 – Google Fiber speed test to servers in NA & Europe!

16 February 2013, 1:05 am

Episode 4 Happy Friday, y’all.  Welcome to today’s episode of the #KCSV Fiber Fridays series.  Each Friday we showcase something possible when you have the power of Google Fiber and 1Gbps at your fingertips. This week we answer a request from a Fiber Fridays fan.  A. Burd hit us up asking for speed tests to Los Angeles, New York and London.  Keep in mind that most Speedtest.net ser

Fiber Fridays! Episode 3 – Real-time music collaboration with Google Fiber & CYBERJAMMER.

9 February 2013, 12:21 am

Episode 3 Hello friends!  Apologies for missing last week’s Fiber Fridays yet again.  We’re still trying to sort out our routine, and hopefully we won’t miss any more Fiber Fridays.  In fact, if you have any suggestions or requests, please send them our way.  If it requires SUPER broadband speeds, let us put it to the test. This week we bring you Synthia Payne, aka Hacker #3

Fiber Fridays! Episode 2 – Mass Streaming over Google Fiber.

25 January 2013, 5:45 pm

Episode 2 First off, apologies for not getting a Fiber Fridays episode out last week.  Our beloved Homes for Hackers resident hacker and Fiber Fridays guru, @NickBudi, was under the weather.  He’s back on his feet now, and delivers an awesome episode this week. When you have the power of Google Fiber and a 1Gbps pipe, bandwidth is no longer an issue.  Mediocre Internet speeds into and out

Fiber Fridays! Episode 1 – Google Fiber speed test on Speedtest.net.

14 January 2013, 8:16 am

Episode 1 Welcome to Fiber Fridays, a new series by the #KCSV! Each Friday we’ll showcase something incredible that’s possible when you have Google Fiber and 1Gbps at your fingertips.  This week, our very own Homes for Hackers resident, @NickBudi, brings you a simple speed test from the new Google Fiber server on Speedtest.net. OK, so this isn’t anything new really, bu

Final Funding Push for Juniper Gardens Project

26 April 2013, 5:18 am

We at Connecting for Good have successfully installed 70 Wi-Fi radios on almost 40 buildings at Juniper Gardens, a 390 unit low income housing project in Kansas City, Kansas. Located at 3rd and Quindaro, Juniper Gardens is a place where the average household income is half the average of the rest of the state and where the crime rate is four times the national average. We are working to bring f

After the Indiegogo Gold Rush: A Brainstorming Breakfast for Community Capital Fund

12 April 2013, 8:30 pm

The April 5th SMCKC breakfast brainstorm for the Community Capital Fund of Kansas City generated a wealth of interesting ideas for how social media could be used for community good. After enjoying a breakfast buffet prepared by Chef Celina Tio at the Kansas City Cafe, 50+ SMCKC-ers engaged in rapid-fire discussions to come up with ways three local neighborhood groups could drive awareness and eng

Connecting Kansas City: Juniper Gardens Neighbor.ly Project

1 April 2013, 2:30 am

Since the SMCKC computer drive last November when we collected over 40 used computers to be refurbished and donated, Connecting for Good has made a lot of progress towards their goal of helping close the digital divide in Kansas City.  Last Friday, Connecting for Good celebrated the opening of their new space located at 1624 Westport Rd near the Kansas City Startup Village. Thank you to many SMC

Thinking of Crowdfunding?

20 March 2013, 8:15 pm

DO YOU HAVE A CREATIVE PROJECT IN MIND BUT NO MONEY TO DO IT? DON’T FEAR THE CROWD! Learn the Ins and Outs of Crowdfunding Through Kickstarter & Indiegogo with J. Alexander Greenwood PR Consultant Publisher Successful Kickstarter Award-Winning and Top-Selling Author Do you have a creative project you want to bring to market, but no rich uncle to fund it? Have you ever considered trying you

Need a Wordpress Developer for two web site

6 March 2013, 6:25 pm

I need some help with both of these web sites: http://www.coworkwaldo.com/ http://www.brooksideroofing.com/dev/ Please contact me if you are interested. Melissa Saubers msaubers@gmail.com 816-935-6031 @trolleytracknws Thanks!

Volunteers Needed for Digital Literacy Classes at Public Libraries

17 February 2013, 2:25 am

As Google Fiber installations have begun in earnest, Connecting for Good plans to conduct free digital literacy classes at public libraries on both sides of the state line.  Besides introducing people to basic Internet skills, the sessions will include helping those involved to actually go through the Google Fiber sign up process. For class participants who need a computer but can't afford one,

Custom Coasters that are Fun and Functional are Available from New Company Love Custom Coasters

20 May 2013, 6:18 pm

LAWRENCE, Kan., May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Love Custom Coasters, a company that specializes in offering a wide variety of high-quality and attractive custom coasters, has just opened for business. The newly-launched website is one of many micro-niche sites that will be created by...

Farmers Insurance Claims Teams Helping Wichita, Kansas Customers Following Storms

20 May 2013, 5:45 am

WICHITA, Kan., May 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers Insurance claims personnel and agents are helping customers throughout storm stricken areas of Wichita, Kansas and surrounding areas. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080605/LATH062) "Our claims teams and agents are deployed...

YRC Worldwide to Present at Wolfe Conference

17 May 2013, 5:00 pm

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., May 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) Chief Executive Officer James Welch and Chief Financial Officer Jamie Pierson will deliver a company presentation at the Wolfe Research Global Transportation Conference on Thursday, May 23, 2013, at 8:50...

Perkins & Marie Callender's, LLC® Honors Franchisee of the Year And Give Kids The World® Contributors

16 May 2013, 3:00 pm

MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Perkins & Marie Callender's, LLC this week recognized its Franchisee of the Year, Mr. Dan Esmond, Owner/Operator of four Perkins® Restaurants & Bakeries in Lawrence, Topeka, Great Bend and McPherson, Kansas. Hailed by Perkins...

Tramec, LLC Acquires Sloan Transportation Products, Now Tramec Sloan, LLC

15 May 2013, 5:00 pm

IOLA, Kansas, May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Gary E. Sullo, President of Tramec, LLC, announces that Tramec has acquired Sloan Transportation Products, founded in 1977, headquartered in Holland, Michigan.  The new legal entity, Tramec Sloan, LLC, will be fully integrated...

Spirit AeroSystems Recognizes 2012 Platinum Suppliers

15 May 2013, 1:30 pm

WICHITA, Kan., May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. [NYSE:SPR], one of the world's largest non-OEM designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft, recognized seven companies as 2012 Platinum Suppliers for their dedication to cost-reduction...

[Seminar] Become A B2B Content Brand With Limited Resources

21 May 2013, 4:02 pm

I know better than most that, generally, B2B marketers are short on time—not to mention money. And staff. If you find yourself in that boat, don’t miss Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That: How To Become A B2B Content Brand With Limited Resources. The free MarketingProfs seminar kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on May 30. And, as is typical with MarketingProfs events, this (free!!) seminar is a veritable po

Altimeter Joined H&R Block And Expion To Chat Employees and Amplification

20 May 2013, 4:00 pm

Altimeter Group Partner and Industry Analyst Jeremiah Owyang, H&R Block Director of Social Business Strategy Scott Gulbransen, and Expion VP of Strategy Zena Weist presented “Empowering Employees To Be Brand Advocates” earlier this month. Jeremiah kicked off the webinar by defining what employee advocacy really is and introducing an employee advocacy framework. He then shared pragm

B2B Mobile Marketing: 15 Ideas You Can Use Today

17 May 2013, 4:00 pm

Are you interested in learning more about B2B mobile marketing? If you’re like many people, you can think of a lot of ways B2C companies use mobile marketing. But if you work in the B2B world, then you might be stuck trying to come up with B2B mobile marketing ideas. The good news is that B2B mobile marketing can be every bit as useful in the business marketplace as it is in the consumer marketp

How To Be A Better Facebook Community Manager

16 May 2013, 4:00 pm

If you’re a Facebook community manager, you’ve probably gotten the “Wow—you get paid to be on Facebook all day?” reaction from at least one person in your life—are we right? Yet you, like us, know that Facebook community management isn’t a walk in the park—and it’s more than posting a few status updates and responding to audience comments. Facebook community management takes a lo

Report: Social Sharing Likely To Improve Search Rank

15 May 2013, 12:45 pm

When it comes to your company’s search rank, social sharing is likely a key factor–especially when it comes to evaluating the efficacy of your content. Marketers recently surveyed by BrightEdge reported they believe social sharing will play a more important role in improving rank. I know that when we do content audits for prospective clients, in many instances we find that the content they

How To Move Your Blog Post Up In Search Results

14 May 2013, 12:45 pm

When you publish your blog post, ideally you want Google to index it and send you relevant traffic for free! But to get that traffic you need to help Google so the content is indexed correctly–and that means your blog content needs to be optimized so that Google can more easily discover it. Translation? Blog visibility and website traffic. The next time you’re writing a blog post, use