Banking & Financial Services

Veto on $94M tax package from Kansas Gov. Kelly overturned

Kansas taxpayers will see a series of tax cuts and increases after the Senate and House voted to override Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a $94 million package. The measure cuts state revenue by about $130 million annually. It… more

Street preservation program introduced in Kansas City, Mo.

A recently introduced street preservation program would more than double funding for paving projects, including fixing potholes, in Kansas City, Mo. City Manager Brian Platt and Public Works Director Michael Shaw unveiled the proposal on Monday, which would allow for… more

KC Council sets stage for $8.2 billion in Golden Plains Tech Park incentives

City Council members on Thursday unanimously approved a Chapter 100 industrial development plan and bond request that could see $8.2 billion in incentives granted over 37 years to developers of Golden Plains Technology Park, should it achieve its projected scale. Diode Ventures… more

SafetyCulture given $1.6B valuation with new funding

SafetyCulture’s new $73 million funding round and $1.6 billion valuation only mean more growth for its North American headquarters in Kansas City. The Australian tech company developed safety and quality management software that can be accessed from a mobile device.… more

$1.7B sale of Waddell & Reed finalizes

Macquarie Asset Management officially closed on its $1.7 billion acquisition of Overland Park-based Waddell & Reed Financial Inc. on Friday afternoon. The transaction brings $76 billion in assets to Macquarie Asset Management, making it a top 20 actively managed, long-term… more

In a Nutshell: America May Have an Economic Boom on Its Hands

There have been many economic factors contributing to our present extraordinary expansion.  In the last several days of Wall Street reporting on financial indicators, one stands out as a dramatic example: March Retail Sales.  The first signs of a spending… more

$600M requested for Johnson County Gateway road project

The city of Lenexa bypassed the Kansas Department of Transportation and instead requested about $600 million from the federal government to pay for the third phase of the Johnson County Gateway roads project. Funding has been requested to pay for… more

In a Nutshell: Is This the New Mission of Corporate America?

Many of my Wall Street colleagues recently shared concerns about proposed board diversity plans. Differences of opinion between those advocating for greater corporate diversity and those seeing it as an industry quota system have created tensions.  Other arguments played out… more

Metro tech startup receives $41M capital infusion

Overland Park-based Replica experienced explosive revenue growth last year, and now it’s generating another win: raising $41 million in Series B funding.  San Francisco-based venture capital firm Founders Fund led the round and was joined by existing investors such as… more

Proposed Missouri transportation bill expected to reel in estimated $460M per year through 2025

[caption id="attachment_34218" align="alignleft" width="438"] Missouri Department of Transportation graphic[/caption] A broad coalition of transportation stakeholders, including the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Missouri AFL-CIO, have released a new study analyzing the economic impacts of a proposed transportation… more