HWB Chairman Bruce Holloway to Receive Urban Hero Award at Downtown Council Annual Luncheon

The Downtown Council of Kansas City has announced that Historic West Bottoms Association Chairman of the Board Bruce Holloway will receive an Urban Hero Award at the 2026 Downtown Council Annual Luncheon on Friday, April 10 at the Kansas City Convention Center's Grand Ballroom.

The Urban Hero Award recognizes individuals who have helped improve the quality of life in Downtown Kansas City. Bruce is being honored for his longtime community advocacy in the Historic West Bottoms, where he has been a driving force in neighborhood revitalization and community building efforts as Chairman of the HWBA Board of Directors.

Bruce will be recognized alongside fellow Urban Hero honorees Bethany Alzanadi, founder and CEO of Art Garden KC; Dulcinea Herrera, owner and operator of Cafe Corazon; Rob and Deborah Reiman, community advocates for the River Market; and Courtney Thomas, President and CEO of Newhouse.

The luncheon's most prestigious honor, the J. Philip Kirk Jr. Award, will be presented to Warren Erdman, retired business executive with CPKC and current Chair of the Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission, in recognition of his community vision and downtown stewardship.

This year's theme, "Welcoming the World, Building on Our Legacy," celebrates how Downtown KC is preparing for the FIFA World Cup while advancing transformative public space projects including Roy Blunt Luminary Park, Barney Allis Plaza, Greenline_KC, and Rock Island Bridge. Featured speaker Carol Coletta, Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow and nationally recognized urbanist, will discuss how these projects will shape the next era of downtown revitalization.

The luncheon runs from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM. For sponsorship opportunities and more information, visit downtownkc.org/annual-luncheon or contact Jared Campbell at jared@downtownkc.org.