The Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Missouri-Kansas City honored local, national and global changemakers at its 39th Annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards ceremony held at H&R Block headquarters.
“I believe perseverance is a quality that any successful entrepreneur must have.”
“Each one of tonight’s honorees has demonstrated that perseverance in their own way,” said UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal. “They’ve pushed through uncertainty, navigated challenges and translated ideas into something real and meaningful.”
Meet the Honorees
Henry W. Bloch International Entrepreneur of the Year
J. Craig Venter | founder, chair and CEO of J. Craig Venter Institute
J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., is one of the most influential scientists and entrepreneurs of our time. He led the team that sequenced the first draft human genome, decoded the first free-living organism using whole-genome shotgun sequencing and created the first synthetic bacterial cell. His discoveries have advanced medicine, accelerated genetic research and opened new frontiers in synthetic biology.
“It’s hard to explain to people who weren’t around in the 90s just how large the concept of sequencing the human genome was,” said Richmond Wolf, partner at Capital Group. “For him to stand up and say, ‘I’m going to do this, and I’m going to do this in the private sector,’ was just mind blowing.”
Venter has founded multiple innovative companies, including Celera Genomics, Synthetic Genomics, SGI DNA and Human Longevity, Inc., each pushing scientific boundaries and turning breakthrough research into real-world solutions.
“In my mind, science only moves ahead with entrepreneurial thinking,” Venter said. “There’s probably not a single pharmaceutical available today that didn’t have the basis somewhere in the genome and the data that we produced.”
Venter continues his work through the J. Craig Venter Institute and now focuses on transforming women’s health through genomic screening and AI-powered diagnostics.
Kansas City Entrepreneur of the Year
Bloch Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame Inductee
Peter Mallouk | president and CEO, Creative Planning
Peter Mallouk is a lifelong Kansas Citian and nationally recognized entrepreneur. As president and CEO of Creative Planning, one of the nation’s most respected wealth management firms, he has grown his idea from a local company into a global organization serving clients in all 50 states and abroad.
“I found myself working with other advisors, and my idea for Creative Planning was really simple,” Mallouk said. “The advisor and the product should be separate, the advisor and the commission should not be in the same place and the advice should always be unbiased.”
Mallouk uses his success to educate and uplift people in the local community. He founded KC CAN! to bring critical financial literacy programs to underserved Kansas Citians, and he helped launch Pathway Financial Education to give families and business owners access to training and tools that build long-term financial stability.
“There’s three things to know about Peter,” said Molly Rothove, wealth manager at Creative Planning. “He has a servant’s heart. He’s competitive — the competitor in him wants to be the best at everything he does — and the entrepreneur in him wants to take it to the masses.”
In addition to being this year’s Kansas City Entrepreneur of the Year, Mallouk was also inducted into the UMKC Entrepreneur Hall of Fame for his contributions to the economic growth and development of Kansas City.
Marion and John Kreamer Award for Social Entrepreneurship
Father Justin Mathews | CEO of Reconciliation Services and founder of Thelma's Kitchen
Kansas City native Father Justin Mathews is the CEO of Reconciliation Services and the founder of Thelma’s Kitchen, Kansas City’s first “pay-what-you-can” café. For 25 years, his work has been rooted in a simple but powerful belief: every person deserves dignity, connection and access to opportunity.
“The Kreamer Award recognizes leaders who use entrepreneurship as a vehicle for strengthening communities,” said Bob Regnier, chair of the UMKC Foundation Board. “Anyone who knows Father Justin knows that’s a perfect description of the type of work he does and the kind of leader he is.”
Through Reconciliation Services, Mathews has developed programs that promote healing, workforce training and economic mobility in the community. His restaurant, Thelma’s Kitchen, offers low-cost meals on Troost Avenue with a mission to transform the corridor into a gathering place for all.
“There are so many partners and neighbors who believe in the dream of tangible, social, racial and economic reconciliation in our city,” Mathews said. “There is no Reconciliation Services, there is no Thelma’s Kitchen and there is no award tonight without their heart and their sacrificial love for our neighbors most in need.”
Mathews co-founded the Social Venture Studio, an accelerator that has supported more than 21 social ventures in Kansas City, and developed the Social Leader Essentials online course to equip executives with tools for social change.
“You can see his passion, you can see his commitment and, more importantly, you can see his intentionality in everything that he does,” said DeAngela Burns-Wallace, CEO of the Kauffman Foundation.
Student Entrepreneur of the Year
Shapree' Marshall | CEO and founder of A Traveled Path Homes
Shapree’ Marshall, a master’s student in entrepreneurial real estate at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management, launched her venture, as many do, with a simple question: “Why isn’t there a better way?”
After receiving life-saving care from a traveling healthcare worker, Marshall learned how limited their access was to consistent, affordable housing. In response, she founded A Traveled Path Homes in 2022.
“I did not have capital or connections,” Marshall said. “In fact, my first business meeting took place inside the shelter where I was living with my children. What I did have was determination, clarity and the belief that my personal story could lead to something meaningful for others.”
In just a few years, Marshall has grown the company from an idea to a multi-year state lodging contract and model now expanding into national healthcare systems. She has been selected for the Pipeline entrepreneurship fellowship, joined Nashville’s Project Healthcare Accelerator and started developing a verification system to help protect traveling medical professionals.
“Entrepreneurship changed my life,” Marshall said. “It turned a moment of crisis into a mission. It allowed me to become the first in my family to pursue an advanced degree and the first to build a business.”
Marshall remains active in community work, advocating for youth and families while laying the groundwork for a future career in housing and community development law.
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