Rockwell Labs Founder and CEO Cisse Spragins (center) with the '25 Under 25' award she was presented with recently.

NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rockwell Labs Ltd was recently recognized as one of the “25 Under 25” outstanding small businesses in the Kansas City area.  Selected companies demonstrate consistent growth, commitment to the community and an ability to overcome challenges.  Some 1,200 companies were nominated for the 11th annual awards presented by Thinking Bigger Business Media.  Honorees were recognized at an awards gala on March 3rd

Separately, Rockwell founder and CEO, Dr. Cisse Spragins was accepted into the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program (HEMP).  The mission of HEMP is to strengthen high-potential entrepreneurs and their organizations through mentoring, participation in the HEMP community, and supportive programming. Spragins was accepted into the three-year program with the fall 2011 class. The multi-step application process included an intensive review of business goals and objectives, business structure, company financials, reference and background checks, and an on-site interview by a committee of twelve business owners and executives.

 “I learned of the program a few years ago, and my only regret is not doing it sooner,” Spragins said.  “The application process is a little off-putting, but the program is phenomenal. My mentor is really wonderful.  Most of the decisions I’ve made over the last 13 years have been pretty lonely ones. Having a network of some 150 business owners and executives as a resource is just amazing.”