Mentors and Counselors

Gradual, incremental and continuous improvement through transformational training and coaching.

Missouri Bank is a community bank focused on relationships, partnerships and community.

StarRecruit LLC is a premier IT recruiting firm, with over a decade of experience finding and recruiting the top 5-10% of talent in IT and software markets. We use proprietary databases, advanced Boolean searches, experience and skill to uncover “hidden”, passive candidates that aren’t looking for work. These high performers don’t show up on job board databases (Dice, Monster, Career Builder, etc). Our candidates are top performing, "free-agents" that are looking to upgrade their careers and lives. To borrow a sports analogy, we use our experience and skill to find the best players on the opposition team and work as their agent to help them upgrade to a team that is a better fit for their career objectives. Many recruiters are “smile and dial” telemarketers that make 100 calls a day hoping to wear down client companies into “giving them a shot”. This is generally proceeded by the telemarketer sending unemployed, unhappy, unqualified candidates to a client hoping that they are desperate enough to hire the candidate. StarRecruit LLC is quite the opposite.

Cohen-Esrey is a family of companies involved in apartment management, affordable housing development, apartment acquisition and ownership, tax credit syndication and construction. Harris is also the managing member of iiM, LLC, a venture capital firm that invests in early stage companies in the animal health, agribusiness and human health verticals. Cohen-Esrey operates on a nationwide basis with 450 employees and associates.

The Shirley and Barnett Helzberg Foundation provides support for other charitable organizations especially in the areas of entrepreneurship, education and the arts in Kansas City. Support is given to the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program (HEMP), University Academy, Friends of University Academy, Helzberg School of Management, The Nelson-Atkins Museum, The Kansas City Symphony, The Kansas City Zoo, Village Shalom, Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and other areas.

Hoffman Management Corp. manages investments in oil and gas production, as well as real estate.

Warehouse1 solves the material handling requirements of clients in Kansas City, across the US, and around the world. Utilizing our technical knowledge and expertise, we maximize the use and minimize the cost of vertical space and square footage in warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing and government facilities. We buy, recondition and install material handling products including 25 acres of in-stock pallet racking, shelving, conveyor, cantilever rack, pallet jacks, mezzanines, dock equipment, lockers, storage and flammable cabinets, bins and totes, and wrapping and packaging equipment.

Architectural Metal, wood and Glass fabrication. Core products are handrail systems, glass interior wall systems.

After selling my most recent company I am now focused on my role as a HEMP mentor and in philanthropic support of the KC community, women's personal and professional health, education, and children. In addition I occasionally accept consulting projects.

Renewable Energy / Venture Capital

Restaurant Management Company

Coffee Roaster

Industrial Distribution

Lux Research is an independent research and advisory firm, providing strategic advice and ongoing intelligence on emerging technologies. Science-driven innovation is a cross-cutting key to success in today's business environment. In an increasingly crowded competitive landscape, decision makers need critical advice about markets, technologies, and strategy – both to position existing business for growth and to launch new businesses wisely. Emerging technology fields are fertile hunting grounds for new business opportunities, and corporate executives, investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs across many industries look to these areas to drive growth. Whether it is cleantech or conventional oil and gas, advanced aerospace or consumer packaged goods, electronics or agriculture, the industries we serve are highly dependent on innovative materials, processes, and strategies to lower costs, increase revenues, defeat competitors, and serve customers. However, emerging technology markets are also uniquely challenging to understand and to take advantage of – Lux Research analysts are specialists in understanding and assessing these complex and rapidly-changing fields. Our research products are: Driven by proprietary primary research, not just publicly available data. We conduct over 5,000 interviews annually with company management, customers, partners, and outside experts, including on-site visits and facility inspections in 45 countries Based on a deep understanding of technology and markets. Our researchers are not generalist consultants or market researchers, but domain experts (most with advanced degrees in science and engineering), familiar with issues and trends in these technology areas. At the same time, our analysts aren't simply technologists, but are well-versed in assessing business implications of emerging technology Factual, detailed, and numerate. We don't indulge in vague generalizations, but support conclusions with specific data, examples, and case studies. Lux Research reports and other deliverables are not merely qualitative, but provide specific numbers – market sizes, figures of merit, price/cost, revenues – to help make decisions Bold and opinionated. We do not simply take claims or reports at face value, but apply critical analysis to cut through the hype and get to what is really true. We do not just report data or information, but say what it means – and put a firm stake in the ground in recommending what clients should do.

Marketing/Corporate Communications/Electronic Media Production/Live Event Production

Health & Wellness

Technology Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, Venture Capital, University Professor, Marketing, Sales, Automotive, Industrial Automation.

HEATHWOOD OIL CO., INC IS A LUBRICANTS WHOLESALER, OF OILS, GREASES, GEAR OILS, AND TRANSMISSION FLUIDS, ETC. WE SALE TO MOST ALL INDUSTRIES, SUCH AS CAR DEALERS, TRUCK LINES, CONSTRUCTION, GOVERNMENTS, ETC. WE ARE THE OLDEST AND LAST FAMILY OWNED OIL COMPANY IN KANSAS CITY, STARTED IN 1926.

Consulting

My business partner Scott Almsberger and I built a company which became the world's leading cigar accessory brand. We launched dozens of "cool" innovations annually, all incorporating great Function, great Form, great Feel at a Fair price. We then supported our customers and consumers with a lifetime unconditional guarantee. We sold that business in January 2018