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Burns & McDonnell to Design $232 Million Addition for MU Health in Columbia

University of Missouri Health Care (MU Health Care) has selected Burns & McDonnell to plan and design a new $232 million hospital for women and children on its main hospital campus. Officials say the new facility will create a centralized… more

Investing in Era of Democrat Rule

Prognosticators assessing this week's Democratic sweep of two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia had suggested that control of Congress and the White House will bring significant changes in tax policy (not good if you're a high-income earner) and energy policy… more

SBA Adds 20 New Women’s Business Centers

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced grant funding and the launch of 20 new Women's Business Centers across America to serve rural, urban and underserved communities. The opening of the business centers is the largest single expansion of its… more

Economic Chicken Littles Missed the Mark

All-time highs in all major indexes! NASDAQ and the Russell 2000 each recently gained over 3 percent and the S&P 500 added 1.25 percent. Cloud computing and cybersecurity stocks performed especially well due to multiple cyber-attacks on federal cabinet agencies… more

SBA Opening Door for New PPP Lending

The Small Business Administration has issued new guidelines under the latest update of the Paycheck Protection Program, which has been refined to place special emphasis on smaller lenders and borrowers. This PPP installment, totaling $285 billion, is expected to be… more

Macy’s Pulling Plug at Independence Center

For the second time in three years, Independence Center will lose an anchor tenant when Macy's closes the store in the spring. The retailer announced this week that that the site, at a mall routinely plagued by large-scale teen conflicts,… more

Coping With COVID: Jackson County Gets First Vaccine Doses

It's a small step--enough to treat 975 people--but Jackson County has received its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and began vaccinations this week, prioritizing health-care workers in direct contact with patients. The county has adopted a four-phase plan for… more

MCC Receives $5 Million from Sunderland Foundation for Three Expansion Projects

The Sunderland Foundation, the region's third-largest, has approved a $5 million grant to support three key expansion projects at Metropolitan Community College. It's the first time the MCC Foundation has received a gift of at least $1 million, and the… more

Expanded partnership to deliver new digital program to Blue KC individual, ACA members

Kansas City-based not-for-profit health insurer Blue KC has announced an expanded partnership with HealthMine, a technology-enabled member engagement and rewards company. As Blue KC begins its re-entrance into the Affordable Care Act (ACA) market in 2021, the expansion will help to… more

KCK manufacturer acquired by Fortune 500 company

Locally-headquartered protective coating manufacturer VersaFlex has been acquired by Pittsburgh, Pa.-based PPG Industries Inc. DalFort Capital Partners, owner VersaFlex, made a definitive agreement with PPG. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. VersaFlex is based in Kansas City, Kan.… more