The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Ken McClain
Polly’s Soda Pop was brought back to life by Ken and Cindy McClain, who were inspired by the nostalgic legacy of the local soft drink originally produced in Independence from 1923 to 1967. Their journey began with a dream of reviving the brand, which led Ken to acquire a vintage bottling line which had originally been housed at Union Station bottling Fitz Rootbeer. Read more>>
Danyell Brown Victoria Weddle
Modern Arc Wellness started with a long friendship and a lot of conversations between the two of us. We met over ten years ago while studying psychology at Northwest Missouri State University and stayed close as we built our careers as therapists. Along the way, we kept noticing the same thing. Read more>>
SHAFAWN Morrison
My journey has been about building opportunities and creating supportive spaces for women and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. I founded True Dignity Living, a shared living home host program, to provide safe, structured, and empowering environments for residents. Read more>>
Juan M Gonzalez
El Vaquero Imports began operations in 1994, founded by Juan M. González in Sioux City, Iowa. The project stemmed from his entrepreneurial spirit and desire to offer the community innovative, high-quality products at affordable prices. From the outset, the primary objective was to introduce Mexican-made cowboy products to the U.S. market. Read more>>
Krystal Neal
I’ve been a stationery lover for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I loved Lisa Frank and looked forward to back to school shopping so I could get all new matching notebooks, folders, and pencils for the new school year. When I decided to start a business, I wanted something that spoke to who I am as a person. Read more>>
Brandie Smith
Thank you for the opportunity to share my story. My journey to becoming a nurse practitioner and business owner has been anything but straightforward, but it’s a path I wouldn’t trade for anything. Growing up, I witnessed firsthand the disparities in healthcare in my community, and that lit a fire in me to make a difference. Read more>>
Lindsay Hays
Going on vacation with my family, my mom would let me use her film camera to take photos of the trip. Only problem was we never packed enough extra film rolls. I was very good at using up the whole roll at one location and not having anything else to capture rest of the trip with. Read more>>
Brian Smith
My son and I started home brewing back in 2007. After a number of years, we started to enter some local home brew contests and did well enough that the thought occurred to us we might be able to make a go of this as a business and people might actually pay for the beer we were making. Read more>>
Abigail Fry
I knew I wanted to be a hairstylist from a very young age. I grew up going to our family’s long term hairstylist. I absolutely loved going to the salon and watching all the girls get their hair done! Ever since then I knew I wanted to be a hairstylist. I absolutely love getting to help women feel even more beautiful! Read more>>
Bobby Coberley
It started out as a hobby. I enjoyed building things and learning the different species of wood. I started making pens, rings, bottle stoppers, signs, and cutting boards. I would go to craft fairs and sell my items. Then one day I found out the hard way that the company I worked for full-time was downsizing. I was affected by the changes. Read more>>
Ryan Lovell
Born and raised in what’s wildly considered the greatest city on earth, Kansas City, I spent my youth making skate films in KC’s urban core. That’s where my obsession with filmmaking started. But I quickly realized it wasn’t the cameras or the tech that pulled me in as much as the people, places, and stories. Read more>>
Skylor Yeager
For the past 13 years, I have worked in victim services, supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. I began my career at The Crisis Center in Manhattan, Kansas, where I worked directly with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Read more>>
Sarah Jenkins
Throughout my life, I have been enchanted by the beauty of light shining on stained glass – from the deep colors of centuries-old cathedral glass to modern patterns found on sidewalks and garden stepping stones. Read more>>
Shelby Townsend
I didn’t always know I wanted to own a business, however, I’ve always had this feeling of being meant for something more….. something bigger. I’ve always had this deep connection with nature and all things living, which is how I fell into becoming a nurse. Read more>>
Jody Apel
My name is Jody Apel (she/her). My life-partner’s name is Kye (they/them). Together, we started Honeycomb Cleaners LLC here in Kansas City. We provide residential and commercial cleaning services as well as organizing, decluttering, ‘fold & put away’ laundry services, and other special projects. We are a LGBT+ owned business! You know when you’re lying in bed, thinking about all your dreams and goals? Read more>>
Jaycie Ackerman
I started playing soccer when I was 3 years old. I got into soccer because of my older brothers and then from then on it just stuck with me. I grew up in Lee’s Summit Mo and attended Lee’s Summit West High School. Growing up soccer was the only constant in my life and to this day it is still one of the only constants. Read more>>
Abby Wempe
Along Came Abby really started very organically — I love solving problems, and honestly, I’m much better at a party when I have a job to do than just making small talk. More than once, someone would laugh and say, “Everything was a mess until Abby came along,” and that phrase eventually became the name and the heart of the business. Read more>>
Beth Christensen
I grew up in a very musical family, a lot of Sunday night singing and pulling out instruments to play, and a lot of music playing in the house from Rachmaninoff piano concertos to Pink Floyd. My mom taught me and my siblings piano but I was the only one of us that really wanted to dig in farther. Read more>>
Kyndall Dinwiddie
My glam journey started back in 2019. It was peak Youtube Makeup Tutorials era and I was fully invested. I watched tutorials every night out of pure wonder, delight and a longing to soak in as much as possible. My home collection of glam slowly grew, along with my skills on myself. Read more>>
Cindy Boyer
I graduated with a degree in occupational therapy from the University of Kansas. I have worked with children with special needs and their families for many years. One of the comments I have heard from parents often is that it is hard to go to church when you have a child with differences. I was a pastor’s wife for many years. Read more>>
Christina Hodges
I started LaniKai Photography in 2017 which stemmed from a hobby: I wanted stellar pictures of my kids. My photography journey began with a single high school class, but real growth came from showing up with my camera every day, practicing with my family, and learning through trial and error. Read more>>
Craig Keene
I’ve been framing the world for as long as I can remember. As a young boy—whether on family road trips, running errands around town, or simply sitting at home—I was constantly observing. I’d place my thumbs and index fingers together to form a frame, moving it through my surroundings in an effort to make sense of what I was seeing. Read more>>
Jeff Hume
My wife (Michelle) and I never planned to own an Inn. I am a pastor and my wife works for a shipping company, so becoming Innkeepers was not on our to-do list. However, we had discussed what might be next for us. Read more>>
Boll Shy
My wife wanted a yoga and health and wellness spa so I got the building and then she decided she wanted to do herbal medicine so I continued working on fixing up the building. It took five years and I changed it to an event space and membership club. Read more>>
Dimitri Golfinopoulos
I had been an internal medicine hospitalist practicing at multiple hospitals in the Kansas City area for nearly two decades. During this time, I noticed a troubling and consistent disparity between the demographic most in need of health care and the medical industry’s ability to properly care for these patients. Read more>>
SARYNA LE
I CAME TO THE U.S. AT THE AGE OF 2 WITH MY PARENTS AS REFUGEES. GROWING UP I’VE WITNESS THE STRUGGLES THAT MY PARENTS GO THROUGH TO NAVIGATE AND UNDERSTANDING THE U.S. SYSTEM AND IT’S FAR FROM EASY IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE LANGUAGE. Read more>>
Father Justin Mathews
My path has never been linear, but it has been consistent in one way. I have always been drawn to the intersection of people, purpose, and building something that did not exist before. I love the adventure of entrepreneurship. I started my career in leadership and community-based work with a conviction that systems matter, especially the ones that shape dignity, opportunity, and belonging. Read more>>
Behman Zakeri
The history of Behman Zakeri with Collector’s Cache, We Buy Gold, Mastermind Escape Games, Bury the Hatchet KC and beyond… I was 16 years old when after helping out my local baseball card shop for a couple years, my family and I decided to purchase Collector’s Cache in the Ranchmart South shopping center in Overland Park, KS. Read more>>
Heather Eichman
I started my own solo therapy practice in 2019. This was always a professional goal of mine. Much of my career prior was working in the social work field in various capacities, in addition to practicing therapy. Read more>>
Laura Ponce
I was in a nasty car accident in the fall of 2007. Shortly thereafter I received bodywork and had acupuncture for the first time. The acupuncture helped me tremendously. I had always been interested in the healing arts, although my background was in marketing. By December of that year, I had written my admission essay to grad school for Chinese Medicine. Read more>>
Heather Lopez Renteria
I started in social media and marketing over seven years ago, long before launching Pen & Pixel Collective. What began as helping small businesses and nonprofits manage their social media quickly grew into something I was deeply passionate about—helping organizations tell their story, connect with their audience, and grow in a meaningful way. Read more>>
Jason Gearhart
I started my career in physical therapy with a simple but powerful belief: movement matters, and no two people move the same way. I completed both my undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Missouri (Mizzou), where I built a strong foundation in human movement and rehabilitation. After graduating, I went on to complete a post-graduate fellowship at Washington University in St. Read more>>
Clayton Allen
I began my journey as an Assistant Home Concierge for a luxury property management service in Dallas, TX. I was quickly promoted into the position of Director of Maintenance Operations for a new service model, which involved day to day maintenance of each of the 100+ properties, overseeing handyman services, and promoting a higher level of client retention/satisfaction than had been seen previously. Read more>>
jesse Thomas
That vision led me to launch Active Strength Co., a space where athletes of all ages and skill levels could train with purpose. I started small, just me, a few athletes, and a deep belief that if I poured into them the way I wished someone had poured into me, it would grow. And it did. Word of mouth, results, and a commitment to building trust in the community helped me grow this business from a side hustle into a full-service, highly respected training facility. Read more>>
Mike Elder
Holy cow…. That’s a big question. One of those that im not sure how to answer I grew up in south Kansas City. My father restored Corvettes in a small shop behind our house, and my mother made cakes in the basement. Both were artist in their own right, and both were well known for what they did. Read more>>
Shelly Phalen
Jim and Shelly Phalen purchased what is now Phalen Equine Wellness Center and Horse Hotel nearly 9 years ago. The facility has been transformed from a run-down, half empty barn, to a full, thriving facility known for it’s exceptional care and customer environment. Read more>>
