Kansas City business growth: redevelopment and women leaders

The articles describe new energy in Kansas City's business environment. Each story shows change driven by new leadership, whether through redevelopment, business ownership, or local support.

The Country Club Plaza project proposes tall buildings where old ones now stand. Developers plan to use dormant lots, including the former Nordstrom space, for mixed-use structures. The city reviews height increases and repairs for parking garages. In Lee's Summit, women lead an increasing number of startups.

An annual conference for female entrepreneurs sells out each year and provides networking and learning opportunities.

Over half of the new businesses set to open in 2025 will be woman-owned. Meanwhile, Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce open their steakhouse, 1587 Prime. The restaurant has become a popular destination where fans and players mix. Menu items evoke team spirit, and Mahomes describes juggling his football and restaurant commitments.

These stories together show Kansas City and its suburbs advancing through redevelopment, active support of women-led businesses, and new celebrity-driven ventures.

The 2024 Women’s Panel included community leaders such as Kim Randolph Davis, CEO/president of The Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce; Donna Lake, assistant city manager, City of Lee’s Summit; Lexi Johnson, CEO/founder of Lexi J Wellness Co.; and Sandy Stover, CEO/founder of Team Cadence Consultants.

NO. 1: AS WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESSES GROW IN LEE’S SUMMIT, EVENT OFFERS ‘ENCOURAGEMENT’

In just a few years, the Lee’s Summit Women in Business Conference has become one of the local Chamber of Commerce’s most anticipated annual events., reflecting the community’s positive climate for female professionals. | Published October 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Janice Phelan

The Dallas-based Gillon Property Group, owners of the Country Club Plaza, submitted a Master Development Plan Wednesday to Kansas City regarding the district’s possible future. It includes the possibility of buildings as tall as 150-feet to 200-feet. By Tammy Ljungblad

NO. 2: COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA OWNERS REVEAL PLAN FOR TALLER BUILDINGS. SEE THE DETAILS

The owners of the Country Club Plaza, looking to revitalize the Spanish-style shopping district that for 102 years has been considered one of the city’s jewel attractions, both surprised and pleased Kansas Citians in September when it proposed allowing a 275-foot office on the Plaza’s western edge in an empty three-acre lot where a Nordstrom’s department store had been planned and abandoned. | Published October 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Eric Adler

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Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, left, and superstar teammate Travis Kelce opened 1587 Prime steakhouse in Kansas City in September 2025. It has proven to be a wildly successful venture. By Left photo: Tammy Ljungblad; right: file

NO. 3: PATRICK MAHOMES DESCRIBES LIFE AS OWNER OF HOTTEST RESTAURANT IN THE KC METRO

Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce opened 1587 Prime — their new steakhouse — in mid-September, and there’s no doubt it has quickly become the hottest reservations in Kansas City. | Published October 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Pete Sweeney

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.