Will Coates, Billy Goat Industries

Chuck Cooper, StrongBox Wealth

Chuck has been providing financial solutions and wealth management advice to his clients for over 25 years. Prior to co-founding StrongBox Wealth, Chuck served as Managing Director-Investments for Cooper Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors. Committed to delivering big picture client solutions through active listening, clear-to-understand advice, and sophisticated portfolio management, Chuck cultivates true long-term partnerships with his clients. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner.

Chuck graduated in 1992 from University of Missouri-Columbia with a B.S. in Business. He serves his community as Director and Past-Chair for Velocity Lee’s Summit, a resource group for entrepreneurs, while also supporting the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation as a member of its Regional Advisory Council. Chuck lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, with his wife and three children.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design), and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

Jon Cundiff, Weed Man

When Jon met his wife and business partner, Vic, in college he shared with her his dream of owning his own lawn service. Soon after they married, they started Turf’s Up, Inc, operating out of their basement. In 2000, they became a part of the Weed Man franchise system.

Jon and Vic are committed to bringing their customers the highest quality and most innovative lawn care possible.

Jon joined Velocity in 2016 and served as chair in 2019.  Jon and Vic are passionate about creating opportunities for their employees and giving back to their community. They both enjoy spending time with family.

Dr. Donna Duffey, Johnson County Community College

Donna started with JCCC located in Overland Park, Kansas in 1987 bringing with her 17 years of executive experience in the retail industry.  At JCCC, she was the Professor and Department Chair for the Entrepreneurship degree program. During her tenure, Donna has received the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Faculty Achievement Award, the Distinguished Service Award, and the several Publication Awards. External to JCCC, she was the winner of the 2009 National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) Entrepreneurship Faculty of the Year Award. Retiring in 2018, she is currently a Professor Emeritus at JCCC. 

Dr. Duffey holds a BS in Fashion Merchandising from Wisconsin State University-Stout, a Master’s in Business Administration from Baker University, and a doctorate in Community College Leadership from the Roueche Graduate Center of National American University, Austin, TX. 

External to JCCC, she has been actively involved in the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) since 1994, serving as the President of the Board of Directors during the 2001-2002 year. Additionally, she has been actively involved in the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) serving on the association’s initial Board of Advisors.  

Dr. Duffey has published numerous articles on entrepreneurship programming at the community college level and has developed and presented over thirty regional and national conference presentations.  She has provided assistance to numerous community colleges across the country in the development of their entrepreneurship programming initiatives.  

Currently, Donna is enjoying volunteer service as a mentor and event committee member for Lee’s Summit Velocity.  She lives in Lee’s Summit as does her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.

Liesl Hays, The Historic Browning

Liesl is an entrepreneur,  Human Resources Strategist and author.  In 2016, Liesl left her decade-long career in Human Resources because her life was a total wreck. In a brave effort to find herself, she opened the Historic Browning Guest House located in downtown Lee’s Summit and started doing Human Resources Consulting.  Entrepreneurship taught her the value of setting boundaries, balancing her work & family and loving her people tenderly.  Liesl is currently finishing her first book to be released in 2021.  She runs on coffee, “to do lists” and the belief life begins after you agree to write your own story.

Jane Monroe, Embrace the Grape

Born and raised in the Kansas City area, Jane has a Business Degree in Arts Administration and has spent most of her adult life in the events industry. She is an entrepreneur at heart and has been successful in several startup companies. Jane is the mother of 4, and wife of 1 for almost 30 years. Life is busy, but oh so good! Leisure time is spent cooking, exercising and hanging out with family. In 2009 Jane started Embrace the Grape Beverage Catering as a bar service, fully licensed in Kansas and Missouri. Finding a need for a true beverage caterer, she did some research and took the plunge. There are many food caterers, but few who are licensed and insured properly to provide alcohol service. Creating a niche in the Kansas City market as a beverage-only caterer was a great move. In 2019 ETG executed over 400 events! Today we are expanding into St Louis with other markets on our horizon. Cheers!

Joe Mullins, UCM Lee's Summit

Joe Mullins is a key cog in the University of Central Missouri machine, as well as in the education corridor of Lee’s Summit and in the entrepreneurial world of Velocity Lee’s Summit.

On the board more than two years, Mullins sees the benefit of the correlation and cooperation between Velocity and building of business in and around Lee’s Summit.

Mullins’ many duties at the University of Central Missouri include managing the UCM Gigabit Lab and co-lead on avionics program development. In his workforce and professional education role, Mullins manages the business, marketing and program development functions of the Workforce and Professional Development Team. He works to develop long-term business relationships with both economic development groups and companies in technology, education, healthcare and service industries.

Outside of his duties at UCM, Mullins stays busy around Kansas City as the marketing director for Bra Couture KC, a local charity supporting cancer survivors, and as a facilitator business coach with the Kauffman FastTrac program.

Supporting business, personal and charitable growth is certainly all over Mullins’ radar, and time and talents given to the Velocity Lee’s Summit board fit in squarely with those priorities.

Nick Parker, Fredcasts 

Rick Viar, Citizens Bank & Trust

Rick Viar is executive vice president of Citizens Bank & Trust.  A longtime Lee’s Summit resident, Rick is vice chairman of the John Knox Village board of directors and chairman of both the Executive Committee and Investment Subcommittee.

He currently serves as president of the Lee’s Summit Industrial Development Authority and is a past-chairman of the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council. Rick is civically involved in the Lee’s Summit Education Foundation, United Way of Greater Kansas City, and Rotary Club. In 2015, he was appointed by Mayor Randy Rhoads to serve as facilitator of the Downtown Lee’s Summit Master Plan Task Force.