Kansas City-based Bar K has fetched an acquisition deal that will catapult bold expansion plans.

Retail Aware founder and CEO Keith Fix thinks American Greetings could be looking at the "temporary" opportunity as its shot to get permanent placement on Walmart shelves, taking over space previously dedicated to Hallmark. Even if Hallmark resolves its inventory challenges, recapturing that shelf space will be an uphill challenge, he says.

Hallmark Cards appears to be struggling with providing enough store inventory, which has led Walmart to turn to a competitor for products.

Fast-growing Chicken N Pickle secured financing to continue its growth trajectory.

Jeff Wagner founded Aspis Consulting just four years ago, and the cybersecurity startup already is on track to surpass $1.1 million in revenue this year. His secret: He understands how contracting works behind the scenes at the federal government, where he formerly worked.

An Indianapolis-based health care provider acquired Cerner Workforce Health Solutions, which was created by Cerner Corp.