I recently celebrated my birthday with friends and co-workers at the new Power and Light District downtown. We explored everything, and I have to say, it was pretty incredible. Between the lights, music, and food; there is probably never a dull moment. I have always been the type of person who has always wanted to travel to other places to explore because I have felt that Kansas City really hasn’t had that much to offer. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Power and Light District offers a variety of different types of entertainment.

It was so nice to see Kansas City so united and upbeat. I can’t even begin to imagine how many thousands of people were there. If you don’t like big crowds then you would probably want to go on a week night or avoid the Power and Light District all together. Seeing all of the people that were there enjoying one of the busiest places Kansas City has to offer really made me proud to be a Kansas Citian.

Next time you are downtown and looking for some excitement, I encourage you to go check it out and get a taste of what Kansas City has to offer. I can promise you that you won’t be disappointed. Kansas City has officially arrived on the checklist of places to experience and for good reason.

Oh, and it was fun to celebrate my birthday there with close friends!

 Me, Jason and Abby at the Power and Light District

Highland Outdoor would like to thank the Moormeier Family for their generous donation to Phoenix Family Housing Corporation during their annual fundraiser held on April 24, 2008.  Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, Phoenix Family Housing Corporation is a non-profit organization that provides direct, integrated social services in low-income housing communities for almost ten years.

Every day, Phoenix Family Housing Corporation directly provides and administers a variety of social service resources and programs to more than 4,700 residents living in 28 affordable housing communities throughout Missouri and Kansas. At each community, Phoenix Family provides onsite community-based services to help children, families and older adults avoid homelessness and become more self-sufficient. Located in communities where families and seniors cannot generally afford to contribute themselves, Phoenix Family programs are offered at very low or no charge so as to allow residents to participate without financial difficulty.

Highland Outdoor believes in giving back to our local communities, but this organization really hits home with our philosophy of CREATING and MAINTIAINING QUALITY OF LIFE in communities across America. The Highland Outdoor Family offered a donation of $2,000.00 in services or credit to a contract to be bid on in the live auction.

Every year, proceeds from our annual fundraiser enable Phoenix Family Housing to continue to combat the cycle of poverty and end homelessness. The 2008 event was a huge success, raising a record $117,194.00!

Just this past week we had our crews at the Moormeier’s to give the front of their house a large splash of color with season annuals and installed over 1,700 annual plants! Her kids summed it up best when they returned home from vacation and said, “Wow that is a lot of flowers!” It’s amazing what a difference a day’s worth of work and some vibrant colors can change how your home greats your guests when they show up at your front door!

Thank you to everyone for you generosity either in donations or investing some of your personal time! We look forward to seeing you next year!

Here are some photos of the project we completed, as well as the event:

Moormeier Residence - over 1,700 annuals planted!

The Highland Outdoor Team at this years Phoenix Family Fundraiser:  David Rowan, Natasha Gabbert, Mitch Benjamin, Jason Cupp, Abby Smith and Rich Clark

Long-time friends Jason Cupp, Highland Outdoor CEO and Clifton Cohn, Yarco Companies CEO and Phoenix Family Board Member at Phoenix Families 2008 Fundraiser 

Highland Outdoor is proud to have a long standing relationship supporting Phoenix Family, now in our fourth year of support.  To read about last years event, click here.

Highland Outdoor was recently nominated for Kansas City’s Top 10 Buisness’ by the KCB and KC Magazine. They held a nominations event at Hotel Phillips, in beautiful downtown Kansas City. Rich Clark and I had the pleasure of representing Highland Outdoor, while Jason was at PLANET Summer Leadership in Vermont.

We were one of hundreds of companies that were nominated, and were in the Top 50.  To us, that is a HUGE honor, however, we weren’t ranked in the Top 10. We were thrilled to be in the running with other KC business’ like Children’s Mercy Hospital, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and BB’s Lawnside Grill.

We had a great time celebrating with local companies! Congratulations to everyone at Highland Outdoor!

Here was the criteria from the KCB / KC Magazine Website:

For the second year, the Top 50 Companies in Kansas City will be selected out of hundreds of submissions to KCB Magazine.  These businesses will be chosen based upon the following criteria:  contribution to Kansas City lifestyle, innovation, work culture, commitment to diversity, customer service, approach to challenges, community service, growth (projected and actual), and plans for expansion outside of Kansas City to a national or international level.

From this list, KCB will choose the 10 Best Companies in Kansas City, which will be revealed at a cocktail reception honoring all 50 Companies who made the list. The 10 Best Companies that are selected by independent judges will be profiled in the August and September issues of KC Magazine, and profiled in the June of KCB Magazine.

Living the Country Life Radio Show recently did a piece on tips to hiring a Landscape Company. Highland Outdoor CEO Jason Cupp, CLP, was the featured “landscape professional” in the interview. To read the article online, click here. To listen to the .mp3, click this link:

Jason Cupp Interview