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Mergers

Hostess Buying Voortman for $320M

Hostess Brands is purchasing Voortman Cookies Limited for $320 million from a San Francisco-based private-equity firm, boosting its exposure to the cookie category. “Voortman is a leading brand with a well-defined consumer position that complements and extends the growing Hostess… more

Creative Planning Purchases D.C.-Area Firm

Creative Planning has made its third acquisition of the year, this time buying OptiFour, an investment adviser with $400 million in assets under management, based in McClean, Va.  In February it bought the Minneapolis-based Johnston Group, which had $500 million… more

DFA May Acquire Dean Foods Assets

Dairy Farmers of America, the largest private company by revenue based in the Kansas City area, might get bigger. The Kansas City, Kan.-based national cooperative is reportedly in talks to buy all of the assets of Dallas-based dairy products producer… more

Lenexa-Based Big-Data Firm Yotabites Bought

Lenexa-based Yotabites, a tech firm specializing in big-data management, has been acquired by digital-engineering company PK, which is based in Portland, Ore. "We're thrilled to be joining a global company that will grow our ability to drive tangible business results… more

United Country Real Estate Affiliate Grows in Florida

United Real Estate, a residential brokerage firm that is a sister firm of Kansas City-based United Country Real Estate, has acquired a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Charles Rutenberg Realty, adding about 1,000 professionals based in South Florida to its national network. … more

Lathrop Gage Grows in Merger, Updates Brand

Lathrop Gage, the Kansas City area's fourth-largest law firm, is merging with Minneapolis-based Gray Plant Mooty, the firms announced Thursday morning. In a news release, officials said the move would bolster the national presence of both firms and give Lathrop… more

Academy Bank Closes KCB Deal

The parent institution of Academy Bank has closed on its acquisition of KCB Bank from Kearney-based Bancshares of Missouri. KCB had just under $243.2 million in assets as of the end of June.  Academy, owned by Dickinson Financial Corp., adds… more

Team Drive-Away Has a New Private-Equity Owner

Olathe-base Team Drive-Away, a commercial vehicle logistics provider specializing in Class 8 truck drive-away delivery, was sold by one private-equity firm to another. The Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle Group acquired the company, which is number 97 in the Ingram's Corporate Report… more

Country Club Bank Snaps Up Olathe’s Bank of the Prairie

The Kansas City-area local bank mergers keep coming. Country Club Bank parent CCB Financial is purchasing Olathe-based Bank of the Prairie, in a deal expected to close during next year's second quarter. It's the latest in a string of deals… more

KC Area Leads Kansas Job Growth

Kansas counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area led the rest of the state in job growth over the past year, according to the recently released Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) 2019 Kansas Economic Report. Total employment in the area,… more