“Meet the Makers” Invites To the Stage KC Entrepreneurial Luminaries

Kansas City has had a fair amount of time in the national spotlight lately.

There are a lot of reasons for that — many of them, admittedly, sports-related. But Kansas City is also a vibrant, attractive place because of the people here committed to doing new, creative things.

To celebrate that spirit, the Rockhurst University Young Alumni Council presents the annual Meet the Makers event, showcasing a handful of Kansas City’s entrepreneurs each year. On Wednesday, this year’s four makers again shared their experience, their advice, and their passion in series of TED Talk-style presentations.

Hosted by Nick Davis, ’19, a civil engineer and DJ and performer, the four makers represented different areas — from food to fitness — and shared their own unique perspectives on the creative energy of Kansas City, along with tips from their journeys as entrepreneurs.

Tommy Tyler, founder and owner of Revive Indoor Cycling, said his journey from collegiate athlete whose career was cut short by injury to 23-year-old business owner has taught him three important lessons, or “green flags,” as he called them: that not always knowing what you’re doing is OK, that business owners should always care about the people they serve, and to not be afraid to ask for help.

“When you walk into Revive, it's a safe space to go up and down, to experience life, to not be judged and to be who you are,” he said. “And when you leave Revive, you're going to leave higher than when you entered.”

Heather Coday, whose Alpha Lit KC marquee style decorations on demand were front and center for so many in Kansas City — especially the displays in Union Station during the NFL postseason.

“I love lighting up this city, obviously,” she said.

But for her, the gratification comes just as much in the smaller moments.

“Something I will never take for granted or ever get over is the light in the eyes of our customers when we plug them in and it's their wedding day maybe and it says a brand new last name,” Coday said.

But it’s not just about the happy times — chef Howard Hanna said the COVID-19 pandemic meant that overnight, his restaurant The Rieger was transformed into the Crossroads Community Kitchen, serving thousands of to-go meals to any Kansas Citian, regardless of ability to pay. Along the way, he and his staff worked and made decisions by consensus rather than hierarchy and Hanna said he realized that he couldn’t go back to the pre-pandemic status quo.

“I took the lessons that I learned and radically rethought how I wanted to operate and how I wanted to be in this business,” he said, working instead to establish Manaia Collective, a restaurant group based on increasing equity in the hospitality industry.

While Hanna’s big ideas were forged in adversity, Lisa Peña’s stemmed from childhood experiences. Her Urban Hikes KC was inspired by walking trails in her youth in Kansas City, Kansas, and exploring her environment as part of the Peace Corps. Urban Hikes KC seeks to inspire that same sense of wonder, highlighting Kansas City’s urban beauty.

“We tell a story, we tell a lot of times about the hidden gems in the city and try to pull back the layers of history in our city, which is extremely interesting,” Peña said.

She encouraged the audience, too, to pursue their passion.

“If you’re here today, I imagine that you might have an entrepreneurship idea,” Peña said. “And it’s percolating in your brain… hopefully what you’re heard tonight will help you take action on those ideas you have, because they are valuable.”

During the event, the University also honored two young alumni with the Faber Young Alumni Award. John Borders, ’10, ’13 MBA, who as a Young Alumni Council member and president sought to increase engagement among fellow Hawks; and Kaela Varberg, ’12, who gives back to her alma mater by helping to mentor and engage with current Rockhurst students interested in the medical field.