Setting a Foundation for Progress

Fifty years ago, the Kansas City region was closing one of its most dramatic eras in public construction. When the first issue of this magazine’s predecessor hit the streets in December 1974, both the Truman Sports Complex and Kansas City International Airport were brand new. Downtown, Kansas City had just finished a series of major developments that included opening the Commerce Tower, expansion of the Muehlebach Hotel and Hallmark’s plan to turn old Signboard Hill into something called Crown Center.

But the wider metro region was about to experience a transformation. A project that had started nearly a decade earlier was by 1974 taking shape in the form of an asphalt ring around the central core. By the time Interstate 435 was completed in 1986, it had triggered development not just in Wyandotte County but suburban development into the far reaches of neighboring Johnson County as well as Northland’s Clay and Platte counties.

In the 50 years that followed, Kansas City was knee-deep in big business deals, headlines made on a national level, and sweeping changes. Here are some of the pivotal points along the path of that journey:

1974
Kemper Arena opens in the Kansas City West Bottoms, Oak Park Mall opens in Johnson County, and Kansas City becomes an NHL town—for a few seasons—with the arrival of the Kansas City Scouts. Independence Square opens.

1975
The first building opens at Corporate Woods, signaling Johnson County’s transformation from a bedroom community for commuters to a regional employment center.

1976
Republican National Convention is held at Kemper Arena, with incumbent Gerald Ford crowned the party’s nominee for the November presidential election.

1977
The 30-story City Center Square (now Lightwell Building) is the first major change to the Downtown skyline in decades. 
Flash (lets face it—horrendous) flooding on the Country Club Plaza claims seven lives and inflicts $100 million in property damage. Another deadly deluge would hit the area in 1998. 

1978
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, now the region’s biggest, is formed.

1979
Cerner Corp. is founded, originally as PGI & Associates.

1980
Kansas City Royals win their first American League pennant, but lose to Philadelphia in a six-game of the World Series.

1981
Only a year after the Hyatt Regency Hotel opened in the Crown Center complex, a walkway collapse onto the crowded lobby floor and kills 114. 

1985
General Motors opens the new $750 million Fairfax Plant. 
The Royals win the World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. The series was actually seized in game 6.

1986
Three major Downtown projects are completed for nearly $300 million in construction: One Kansas City Place, the Commerce Bank Building and the AT&T Town Pavilion. 

1987
The Kroh Brothers real estate development empire crumbles with the biggest bankruptcy filing in Kansas City history.

1988
American Italian Pasta is founded; a riches-to-rags story that ended with company barely avoiding bankruptcy in early 2000s and its CEO in prison. It was later reorganized and sold to Ralcorp of St. Louis for $1.2 billion.

1989
PCI Acquisition Corp. acquires Payless Cashways for $909 million.
Garmin is founded by Gary Burrell and Min Kao.
Dow Chemical agrees to buy 67 percent of Marion labs in a deal with estimated value of $5.5 billion, creating Marion Merrell Dow, which later became Hoescht Marion Roussel (German) and, still later, part of the Sanofi conglomerate (France).

1991
The Kansas City Stockyards permanently closes.

1992
The founding of global humanitarian-aid organization Heart to Heart International, now the region’s biggest non-profit.

1993
Chicago’s Centel Corp. and Sprint Corp. complete a $4.7 billion merger.

1994
H. Roe Bartle Convention Center opens; Jim and Virginia Stowers begin funding a cancer-focused institute for medical research.

1995
First public stock offering for DST Systems, originally an operating unit of Kansas City Southern Railway. It would be acquired by SS&C Technologies in 2018 for $5.4 billion.

1996
Bistate tax approval for Union Station’s $250 mil. restoration.
Founding of Inergy LP by John Sherman, who would sell to Crestwood Holdings in 2013.
Boatmen’s, one of the nation’s 30 largest bank holding companies, is acquired by NationsBank (later Bank of America).

1997
EPR Properties incorporates in August, IPO in November for $278 million.
Groundbreaking for the new $429 million Sprint headquarters in Overland Park.
Wyandotte County is chosen as the site of a new motor speedway by the International Speedway Corporation. 

1998
Legislature agrees to create a public health authority, severing the financially struggling University of Kansas Hospital from the main university. 

1999
Mercantile, now Missouri’s largest bank holding company, acquired by Firstar Corp. (which later was acquired by U.S. Bank).
Harley Davidson plant opens (it would close in 2019).

2001
WPP, the world’s largest ad company based on billings, acquires Kansas City’s VML, later merges it with Young & Rubicam to create VMLY&R. (In 2023, WPP combined it with its Wunderman Thompson unit and rebranded as VML.)
Kansas Speedway opens. Bruce Watkins Drive opens.

2002
Farmland Foods, the nation’s largest farm cooperative, files for bankruptcy and is later acquired by Smithfield Foods.
Yellow Freight completes the spinoff of SCS Transportation, creating one of the region’s Top 25 public companies. Just four years later, SCS merged into Louisiana-based Saia, Inc.

2003
H&R Block declares its intent to build a new world headquarters in Downtown Kansas City, and Cordish Cos. unveils plans for a $400 million, seven-block entertainment district (final cost: $700 million), two major milestones in the Downtown revival.
National health-care giant HCA completes $1.15 billion acquisition of Health MidWest. 
Sheraton Overland Park Hotel opens, along with Overland Park Convention Center, a project worth $240 million.

2004
Zona Rosa opens in the Northland.

2005
Quest Diagnostics buys Lenexa-based LabOne, a transaction valued at $934 million.

2006
Village West opens in Wyandotte County. 
H&R Block building move-in is completed in October.

2007
CrossFirst Bank is founded. KCP&L acquires assets of the former competitor Aquila. 
Power & Light district opens, along with Sprint Center (Now T-Mobile Center).

2010
DeBruce Grain, one of the region’s biggest private companies, announces the acquisition by Gavilon for an undisclosed sum. Dickinson Financial sells Bank Midwest to NBH Holdings. 

2011
The new $414 million Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts opens. 

2013
Prime Healthcare acquires Providence Medical Center and Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth.
AMC Entertainment’s initial public stock offering at $18 a share creates a market cap of $331.58 million.
Inergy, founded by John Sherman, merges into Crestwood Holdings to create an enterprise valued at $8 billion, setting the stage for his purchase of the Royals in 2019. 
Spire acquires Missouri Gas Energy for $175 million.

2014
Cerner Trails Campus (renamed Innovations Campus) construction starts on what was planned as the largest development project in Missouri history but fell far short of that after the Oracle acquisition and other office closings (including the North Kansas City headquarters building). 
Price Brothers confirms plans for $1 billion BluHawk project.
Swiss-based Lindt & Sprungli acquires Russell Stover for an estimated $1.5 billion.

2015
Prairiefire opens in Overland Park. 
Ford completes a $1 billion upgrade of Claycomo assembly plant. 
Prime Healthcare completes the purchase of St. Joseph Medical Center and St. Mary’s Hospital. 
Royals win the World Series, defeating the New York Mets in five games.

2016
Downtown streetcar starter line opens.
EPIQ Systems announces acquisition by OMERS, eventually for $1.3 billion.
Sun Life acquires benefits division of Assurant in a deal worth $975 million.

2017
Ash Grove Cement is acquired in $3.2 billion deal that in turn makes the Sunderland Foundation one of the biggest regional non-profits. 
Seven banks in the Valley View Bancshares empire are consolidated into Security Bank of Kansas City to form one of the region’s biggest banks.

2018
Utah-based savage acquires Bartlett Grain, a $3 billion company, for an undisclosed price. 
Western Resources and Great Plains Energy merge to create Evergy, a company with combined revenues of more than $5 billion and an equity value of $15 billion.

2020
The global pandemic arrives in Kansas City just days after the Chiefs defeat San Francisco 49ers to win their first Super Bowl in 50 years. 
Sprint goes away, merged into T-Mobile in a $23 billion deal. 
Blackstone acquires controlling interest in Tallgrass Energy for $6.31 billion.

2021
Perhaps the biggest year for acquisitions in Kansas City history sees Creative Planning snap up Lockton’s $110 billion AUM retirement-services division, on the way to overtaking American Century as the region’s largest wealth manager. Tyler Technologies acquires NIC, Inc. for $2.3 billion, Australian firm Macquarie buys Waddell & Reed in a $1.7 billion deal, and Nesco Holdings acquires/rebrands as Custom Truck One Source in a $1.47 billion deal. Chicago’s Eversana reels in Intouch Solutions for a reported $950 million. But the signature events of the year come when Oracle finalizes acquisition of Cerner in $28 billion deal, and QTS Realty Trust announces acquisition by Blackstone Funds for $10 billion. Mean-while, Children’s Mercy opens a $200 million pediatric research tower.

2022
Drug distributor McKesson Corp. says it will acquire the pharma technology firm Rx Savings Solutions for up to $875 million. Panasonic Energy breaks ground on a $4 billion EV battery plant in De Soto. Kansas City named a host city for the FIFA 2026 World Cup series.

2023
Chiefs defeat Philadelphia Eagles to win Super Bowl LVII; the NFL Draft draws 300,000 to the Downtown area. 
Kansas City Southern Railway formally merges into Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a $31 billion deal. 
J.M. Smucker’s acquires Hostess Brands for $5.6 billion. 
Kansas City International Airport’s single-terminal design opens.

2024
Saint Luke’s Health System and BJC HealthCare of St. Louis complete merger announced in late 2023. 
Chiefs defeat San Francisco 49ers to win Super Bowl LVIII.