We Welcomed Five New Businesses:
American Companies, Inc., purchased an 18-acre lot Blue Ridge Blvd. that had been vacant for 20 years. Owner Gale Holsman plans to transform the property into a storage and rehab facility for the company’s nearby Grandview location. Read more about their plans here.
Fezziwigs opened a beautiful retail store at the Bailey Brothers Building & Loan building in the heart of Martin City. Owners Pat and Ryan Cocherl said it’s the perfect location to showcase their nostalgic, hand-crafted merchandise, and they’re excited to bring life back into this historic building Take a look inside.
Fishtech, a new cybersecurity company founded by Gary Fish, unveiled its state-of-the-art headquarters off Holmes Road in June 2017. The high tech facility was built to foster collaboration and creativity, with open offices, interactive video displays, robotics, and an awesome event space. The office is so “cool” it was voted as the “Coolest Office Space in Kansas City” in a competition held by the Kansas City Business Journal! View photos here.
MC Crossfit opened its doors in May 2017 after completely rehabbing a building off 135th Street and Wyandotte. The new intensive workout facility has experienced Crossfit trainers who teach classes from 5:30 AM to 7:00 PM five days a week. Owner Nilson Goes said his goal was to create a welcoming experience for anyone who wants to get in shape, no matter their skill level. Learn more and view photos of the gym here
The Martin City Telegraph recently moved into an office at 13356 Holmes Road. The locally-owned newspaper publishes every other Tuesday and covers the South Kansas City region. Former City Councilman, John Sharp, is a contributor who writes a column about Kansas City, Missouri initiatives affecting South KCMO. Here’s a look at their online edition.
Business Expansions, Awards, and Accomplishments:
Reno’s Powersports finished a brand-new 10,800 square-foot warehouse for storage and inventory inspections. They converted their original warehouse into a second showroom for motorcycles, Wave Runners, ATVs, and more. View photos of the new warehouse here.
Smithfield Foods hired 50 new production workers at their Martin City plant!
MMC Contractors and FishTech were both recognized as 2017 Cornerstone Winners by the Economic Development Corporation of KCMO! Fishtech also won the People’s Choice Award, beating out Virgin Mobile, a Sprint company. Sprint’s CEO Marcelo Claure tried to help Virgin win; however, the loyal Martin City fans came through and Fishtech won the title. Martin City was proud to be the home of this special award for the second time after fans chose the 135th Street Redevelopment project as the favorite in 2016. Read more
Jack Stack BBQ celebrated their 60th Anniversary in 2017! Martin City is proud to be the home to their original location opened by founder Jack Fiorella, which many still consider a “barbecue heaven” because of the location’s history.
Ozanam, Gillis, Healthy Families, Marillac, and Spofford united to become a single organization called Cornerstones of Care. By combining their efforts, they hope to serve more children and families who need help in our community. If you’d like to stay up-to-date with their growing impact, sign up for their newsletter here.
Suburban Lawn & Garden built a beautiful new website where customers can ask garden experts questions online through their live chat feature. Click here to take a look!
Martin City Brewing Company’s “Radical Candor IPA” craft beer was selected as one of Bloomberg.com’s Best Beers from 28 Cities Across America! Read the review
Jess and Jim’s Steakhouse received national attention as USA Today called it one of “America’s Most Historic Steakhouses.” TastingTable.com also declared Jess & Jim’s as Missouri’s best steakhouse.
Eagles Gymnastics trained Emily Lorimor, who won the 2017 Vault Championship at the Western Nationals Championship from USA Gymnastics! Watch her practice the vault at Eagles Gym here.
Martin City Golf Center owner, John Richman, gave Martin City some wonderful recognition when he appeared on The Golf Channel! Watch the segment
Community Giving:
Martin City K-8 School helped students collect donations of dog food and treats for Wayside Waifs.
Grade A Tree Care and Hangers Cleaners partnered to collect canned food donations to benefit the Community Assistance Council and Meals on Wheels. We saw them dropping off large truckloads of items so BIG thank you to everyone who participated!
MMC Contractors filled over 6 barrels of hygiene and household products for Giving The Basics at their annual open house event! They also had 16 employees donate blood to the Community Blood Center in KCMO in 2017.
Volleyball Beach hosted over 20 charity tournaments in 2017 for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, The Children’s Place, Engineers without Borders, Sherwood Center, Alzheimer’s, Paws for a Cause, One by One Against Sex Trafficking, Giving the Basics, Pediatric Brain Tumor Association, and more.
Community Events:
Whiskey Run 5K Race: Over 800 runners and walkers participated in KC Running Company’s annual Whiskey Run 5K Race in March 2017, and RC’s Restaurant served breakfast after the race! Recap and photos
The 30th Annual St. Patrick’s Parade included over 50 floats and many well-known Kansas Citians: Grand Marshal, Ian Byrne (leader singer of The Elders), John Holt (Fox 4 News Anchor), Thomas Bies (Owner of Premier Mazda), Dhomonique Ricks (Fox 4 News Anchor), Gail Worth (Owner of Gail’s Harley Davidson), Slacker (Radio Host at 101 The Fox), and Ryan Shreve (CFO at Fishtech). Read the full event wrap-up here.
Elders Concert: For the first time ever, Martin City hosted The Elders in concert after the Martin City St. Patrick’s parade. Thanks to Fishtech’s generous sponsorship, the concert was provided FREE of charge for everyone, and it was a packed house! View photos.
Martin City Holiday Lighting: The 2017 Holiday Lighting Event celebrated GIVING! Community members donated personal hygiene and household items to Giving the Basics for a raffle of gifts donated by District businesses. The donation barrel overflowed as visitors enjoyed music, visits with Santa, and snacked on hot chocolate and cupcakes. What a way to kick off the holiday season! Read the full event wrap-up and view photos here.
Free Dental Day in Martin City: The Dental Care Center of South Kansas City hosted a “Free Dental Day” where they provided FREE dental services to 30 military veterans! They also raised enough funds to donate a service dog to a local veteran. The event was such a success, they plan to make it an annual event and hope to include schools and other organizations in the future. Read more about their efforts here.
More Great News from 2017…
New MCBCA Directors:
The Martin City Business and Community Association (MCBCA) plans and manages all the events that happen in Martin City including the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Whiskey Run 5K (in partnership with KC Running Company), and the Holiday Lighting Event. New volunteers from local Martin City businesses have joined the board to help take these important District traditions to the next level. Welcome to the new board members!
Officers:
President: Nilson Goes, Infinite Energy Construction
Vice President: Stacy Barnhart, Fishtech Group
Secretary: Bridgette Elleman, Rob Sight Ford
Treasurer: Angie Boehner, LaserEquipment
Director:
Nick Lewman, Matai Services
The NEW Martin City Website:
The District website has taken on a new look and feel to provide a one-stop-shop for all things Martin City, starting with a giant search bar on the homepage!
We’ve given EVERY business in Martin City their own landing page to better showcase who’s who. The business pages are listed in alphabetical order in the business directory.
To satisfy the growing interest in Commercial Real Estate in Martin City, we’ve created an area on the site for real estate listings and development opportunities. This section will be updated frequently with new property information. View Martin City real estate listings here.
Job seekers and HR professionals alike can now utilize the Martin City website to find and fill workforce needs in the District. Having become one of the most popular pages on the site, the Jobs page will continue to provide information on openings and how to apply. See who’s hiring here.
We also post deals, events, Martin City news, and important information about how to do business in Martin City. Take a look around and get to know us: MartinCity.org
THANK YOU for Supporting Martin City in 2017!
Martin City has SO much to be proud of and so much more to be excited about in 2018. The future is BRIGHT because of supporters like you!