KANSAS CITY, MO (APRIL 2016) Lead Bank, a locally owned financial institution dedicated to the needs of small businesses, has been named a Top 10 Finalist for the Mr. K Award, among a pack of 78 applicants. The honorees were announced during an evening celebration at Studio Dan Meiners on April 13.
“It’s truly an honor to be one of the best small businesses by the Kansas City Chamber,” Vice Chairman Josh Rowland said. “There are many businesses in this community who are well deserving for this award, so it’s very flattering we have been chosen as a Top 10.”
Lead Bank opened its third location in the Kansas City Crossroads in 2015. Before opening in October 2015, they invested $7 million in refurbishing an existing Main Street building along the downtown streetcar route, which resulted in winning a 2016 Capstone Award for adaptive reuse. In addition to the space housing the Lead Bank team, Henderson Engineers, Camp Fire International and the National Leadership Alliance also lease space in the 1801 Main street. The Lead Bank building provides a beautiful roof top event space that is frequently used by local non-profits and businesses for meetings as well as social functions.
Lead Bank supports downtown Kansas City not only through its physical presence but also through its products and services. Lead Bank recently enabled $1 million in loans to city contractors that wouldn’t have typically received financing through the “For Change” initiative with the City of KCMO. The bank supports entrepreneurs and the city’s startup ecosystem by providing rent-free incubator space to three winners of the LaunchKC grant competition. The bank ranks No. 2 on the Kansas City Business Journal’s Top Area Commercial Lending Banks List ranked by loan-to-deposit ratio.
The CEOs of each Top 10 business will share their insights as part of a panel discussion at the Sheraton Crown Center Hotel May 4. The other honorees include Adams-Gabbert & Associates, Alpha Energy and Electric, Centric Projects, DataLocker, K12itc, Posty Cards, Weave Gotcha Covered!, Veracity Consulting and International Builders & Consultants
The Small Business of the Year will be named May 25 during the Small Business Awards Luncheon at the Kansas City Convention Center, and Steve Case, AOL co-founder, will be the keynote speaker. The top company will be presented the Mr. K Award, named after the famous Kansas City entrepreneur Ewing Kauffman.
“We are in very good company for this honor,“ said Rowland. “We would like to thank the community and our partners for supporting our mission in growing Kansas City financially, entrepreneurially and socially. “
About Lead Bank
For more than 85 years, Lead Bank has remained a strong independent commercial bank dedicated to delivering smart financial solutions for business owners, managers and their families and communities. With locations in Garden City, Lee’s Summit and now the Kansas City Crossroads, Lead Bank continues to provide treasury management, lending services, and personal client products. Lead Bank also offers advisory services to companies from bookkeeping to business brokerage services through its division, Lead Business Advisors. The new flagship location in Kansas City’s dynamic KC Crossroads District introduces clients to a new “era of banking.” For additional information, call (816) 220.8600 or visit http://www.lead.bank