January Newsletter | 2nd Edition

25+ Partners, One Mission: Building a More Equitable Kansas City Through Employee Ownership

2026 is already off to a powerful start. This January, we proudly launched the Kansas City Task Force on Employee Ownership — a growing coalition of more than 25 community partners united around a common goal: making employee ownership more accessible, more understood, and more widespread across our region.

Employee ownership is more than a business model. It's a proven path to wealth-building for workers, a meaningful exit strategy for business owners, and a way to keep thriving local businesses — and the jobs they provide — rooted in the communities where they started.

The urgency is real. The Kansas City region is home to more than 6,500 baby boomer–owned businesses, with more than 56,000 across Missouri. As this generation of owners looks toward retirement, the question of what happens next to these businesses has never been more important. Our Task Force partners are on the ground helping to answer that question — connecting owners with options, expanding the ecosystem, and driving opportunity across Kansas City.

We're deeply grateful to every partner, champion, and community member who showed up to launch this effort with us. The energy in the room was a reminder of just how much is possible when a region comes together around a shared vision.

Here's to the work ahead — in 2026 and well beyond.

Sincerely,