The Chamber’s Top 10
Four of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s 2005 Top 10 winners were previous winners of Kansas City Small Business Monthly’s 25 Under 25 Award: Canterbury Preparatory School (2004), RCA Group Inc. (2003), S&M NuTec (2003) and Take Two (2005). S&M NuTec went on to win the “Mr. K Award” as greater Kansas City’s outstanding small business. The award is named after Ewing Kauffman and goes to the business that best exemplifies strong growth and sustainability, outstanding employee relations and strong community service.

Printing Company Acquisition
Minuteman Press (Class of 2002) recently purchased Kansas Key Press, doubling its printing capacity and adding bulk mailing to its list of services. Because of the additional workload, the printer no longer will produce walk-in copy jobs.

ProPrint Wins Awards
North Kansas City-based ProPrint has (Class of 2005) won eight awards for printing excellence at the PIA Graphic Excellence Awards competition, which includes companies from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. ProPrint won four Awards of Excellence, two of which were for their annual four-color calendar and holiday card. The other two were in the process color business card competition and the non-process color competition. The company won four merit awards in other categories.

Local Dentist Recognized
Dr. Maria Kunstadter, owner of The Smile Salon (Class of 2004), has been recognized as one of the top Invisalign dentists in North America by Align Technology Inc., inventor of the technology. Each year the company awards the Century Club distinction to the top 100 Invisalign practitioners in the United States and Canada, based on the number of new patients each doctor started in treatment the previous year.

Bartunek Technology Group Receives Award
The Kansas Department of Commerce presented Jeri Bartunek, CEO of Bartunek Technology Group (Class of 2005), a Merit Award during the East Central Kansas regional awards ceremony. The honor, part of the Kansas Business Appreciation Month, is based on contributions made to the local community and state economy, as well as the honoree’s economic development, leadership programs, and community and business involvement.

Restaurant Opens in Overland Park
Gary and Linda Rohwer have opened PepperJax Grill at 13386 Metcalf Avenue. The restaurant specializes in Philly sandwiches, rice bowls, wraps and salads, with a choice of 40 complementary toppings and sauces.

Insect Control Company Opens
Automated Mosquito Solution LLC has opened in Independence. The company has designed the Mosquito Mist Away System, which works on a timer. At designated times, a light mist is released into the air to kill or repel mosquitoes, flies, ticks, wasps and other insects. The company professionally installs the system, which can be customized to target special insect control problems. A rental unit also is available for special events. Call (816) 820-6973 for information.

Bank Changes Name
The First Bank of Medicine Lodge has changed its name to SolutionsBank. SolutionsBank specializes in commercial real estate lending and has developed several commercial cash management products and services. The bank has locations in Overland Park, Gardner and Ottawa, Kan.

Specialty Coatings Adds Location
Allen’s Specialty Coatings, Inc., founded by Dan Allen of Overland Park, has added a second location at 201 W. 135th St. The company applies new coatings to existing countertops, sinks, bathtubs and tiles for both commercial and residential customers. The process fuses compounds to the original surface through a molecular bonding action. The surface is ready to use in 24 hours. The original location is at 6305 W. 145th St.

Surplus Exchange Opens New Facility
After a fire did $550,000-$600,000 damage to the old building, the Surplus Exchange has moved into its new facility at 518 Santa Fe in the West Bottoms. The new building is six blocks north of the old location. Call (816) 472-0444 for information.

Leawood Publisher Receives Award
Second Star Creations, formed by Jan Davis, has received the 2005 Benjamin Franklin Award for the best independently published Juvenile-Young Adult Fiction book of the year. The award for The Blacksmith’s Gift was presented at the annual Publisher’s Marketing Association ceremony in New York.

Company Offers Outsourcing
On Target Resource Network, LLC, connects a network of pre-screened and qualified suppliers to clients with specific needs. The new company is an outgrowth of On Target Marketing, Inc., which has matched clients’ promotional marketing needs with suppliers for 13 years. Both Overland Park-based companies are led by CEO Pamela Feingold. On Target Resource Network offers matchmaking connections in more than 25 categories and 228 subcategories. Call (913) 381-3388 for information.

Boulevard Brewery Expands
Boulevard Brewing Company has broken ground on its $20 million expansion project, a three-story, 70,000-square-foot facility next to the original brewery. An elevated walkway will connect the buildings. The new facility will house a 150-barrel brewhouse, packaging equipment, administrative offices and hospitality rooms. The new brewhouse will expand the capacity from 110,000 barrels to 600,000 and create more than 100  new jobs. The expansion is expected to be completed next summer.

Consulting Company Receives Patent Award
Contingency Now has received a patent for its ProVentNOW six-step, end-to-end computer disaster recovery planning process. ProVentNOW means “proactive prevention now” and is the service mark for the company’s recovery planning process. Contingency Now is a professional planning and continuity consulting company specializing in business-continuity plans, disaster-recovery plans, risk analysis and assessments, audits of existing plans and processes, training and information security.

Consulting Company Honored
Easy Street has received an award for excellence in product design in the second annual Dealer Design Awards Program sponsored by Air Conditioning Heating & Refrigeration News magazine. The company received an honorable mention in the Contractor Services & Software Category for its latest software release, Total Office Manager.

Real Estate Inspection Company Opens
Mike Cooper has opened Home Sweet Home Inspections LLC, a real estate inspection company that offers new and pre-owned home inspections, pre-closing mortgage inspections, pre-insurance inspections, as well as termite and radon testing. Every inspection includes a binder with a detailed, computer-generated report and digital photographs. Call (913) 238-2194 for more information.

Printing Company Expands
Z3 Graphix has opened a new 6,000-square-foot fulfillment center as part of its vision to provide clients with turnkey marketing support services. The company will use the new center for warehouse storage, document fulfillment, marketing materials fulfillment, promotional product fulfillment, pick and pack operations and kitting operations.

Lease Review Company Relocates
Independent Lease Review, Inc. has relocated to the Historic Fredrick House in Bonner Springs, Kan. After two years of restoration, the nearly 100-year-old house was opened for business last month and offers a suite of executive offices and conference room.

Consultancy Opens in Lenexa
Kurt Reinke has opened EN Group Resources, which offers training and leadership consulting. The company specializes in developing each person’s unique qualities through tailored programs. Call (913) 406-1199 for information.

Staffing Business Opens in Overland Park
Michelle Hersh and Mert Hersh have opened Interview Staffing at 10955 Lowell. The father-daughter team has 45 years of experience in the staffing industry. The business specializes in finding the right person the first time on a temporary, temp-to-hire and permanent basis. The industries covered are accounting, bookkeeping, office administration, information technology, human resources, legal and healthcare. Call (913) 451-4499 for information.

EBay Drop Off Stores Open
Rick Welsch has opened the Quik Drop store at 9860 Quivira in Lenexa. The store will take in items from clients, sell the items on eBay, and then give clients the money they received for their item, minus a commission percentage. Almost any item with a value of at least $50 can be dropped off for sale on eBay. Call (913) 754-1016 ext. 106 for information.

Data Hosting Company Expands
Arsalon Technologies’ second area data center is scheduled to open this month. The new 10,000-square-foot, $2 million Internet operations center in Lenexa includes redundant dedicated cooling systems and power from multiple utility circuits with a high-capacity generator for emergency backup. The center also has redundant Internet connectivity with multiple large-capacity data circuits and multiple security systems.

Local Marketing Companies Win Awards
Millenium Marketing Group, Impact Communications and Bernstein-Rein Advertising received top honors out of nearly 5,000 entries in the print media category during the Communicator Awards 2005 international competition. Millennium Marketing Group received two Crystal Awards of Excellence in the writing/technical category and the media kit/product introduction category. The company also received two Awards of Distinction in the brochure/prospectus category, as well as an Honorable Mention in the technical writing category.

Leawood-based Impact Communications won a Crystal Award of Excellence for producing and promoting a book, two Awards of Distinction for a custom slide show and an oversized B2B brochure, and an Honorable Mention for newsletter writing, layout and design.

Bernstein-Rein received a Crystal Award of Excellence for a free-standing insert it produced and distributed to more than 260,000 Kansas City-area households and businesses.

Business Card Company Opens in Olathe
Brad Shipley has opened Business Card Perfection, which specializes in full-color, digital-quality marketing materials, focusing on wallet-size business cards with color, graphics, photos and various fonts. The company also produces postcards, tri-fold brochures, flyers, trading cards and rack cards. Services include graphic design, logo creation and photography. Call (913) 829-5020 for information.

Gaslight Equity Acquires Arrow Material Handling
Gaslight Equity Group has acquired Arrow Material Handling, its third acquisition in six months. Arrow is a manufacturer of forklift forks with an in-house engineering and customization department.