Aristocrat Motors Official Blog

When the Maserati Levante Trofeo launched in 2018, it sent a shockwave through the segment as the most extreme Levante to ever see the street. This year a legend becomes a collection as Maserati places the Trofeo badge on what we can confidently call the fastest, most powerful versions of the iconic Quattroporte and Ghibli sports sedans.

At the crossroads of power and Italian craftsmanship, the Maserati Trofeo Collection is a refined declaration of performance. Each entry in the Maserati Trofeo Collection is engineered for driving perfection, pairing massive power with a driver-centric technology package. Features are designed to engage and excite the senses with the Launch Control electronic aid, Integrated Vehicle Control (IVC), Level 2 Advanced Driving Assistance Systems, and a “Corsa Mode” that enables faster throttle response, instantaneous gear shifts, and a powerful exhaust soundtrack.

Quattroporte Trofeo

3.8L V8 Twin Turbo  

580 hp @ 6,750 rpm 

0-60 mph in 4.2 sec. 

Top speed of 203 mph 

Levante Trofeo

3.8L V8 Twin Turbo  

580 hp @ 6,750 rpm  

0-60 mph in 3.7 sec. 

Top speed of 187 mph

Ghibli Trofeo 

3.8L V8 Twin Turbo  

580 hp @ 6,750 rpm 

0-60 mph in 4.0 sec.
Top speed of 203 mph  

The entries of the Maserati Trofeo Collection are masters of the pavement, and they look just as stunning as they perform. Each design is inspired by the concept of speed through the lens of timeless Italian beauty. In nature, some animals have flashy traits that signal a warning to potential challengers. There’s no need to hide if you can fight, after all. The details of the Trofeo Collection confirm what you already know to be true – these are sports cars of the highest order. There are aerodynamic details in high-gloss carbon fiber, dark finish taillights, race-inspired wheels, and air vents accentuated by red accents.  

The Trofeo Collection may be inspired by the world of racing, but it is uncompromising when it comes to luxury and comfort. Each interior in the collection features sculpted natural leather sports seats, carbon fiber patterns, a Trofeo-specific instrument cluster, cutting-edge technology, and a concert-hall sound system.  

Schedule a test drive today!

When Growing Futures launched in 1965, it was one of the
first Head Start programs in the country. More than 50 years
later, the Johnson County nonprofit is still providing early
education opportunities and family support services to the
community – and the job is only getting bigger, says Director
of Development and Community Relations Jessica Hoffman.
“Poverty has continued to increase,” she says. “Right now,
there are over 32,000 people in Johnson County who are
living below the poverty threshold.”
More than 3,000 of those Johnson County residents are
children 5 and under, according to United Community Services
of Johnson County data, and thousands more people
earn just over the threshold, which is $21,780 for a family of
three. During the past decade, Johnson County’s population
grew by 20 percent, but the number of people living in poverty
increased by 134 percent. While Growing Futures started
by serving 17 preschoolers in 1965, today it serves over 222
kids annually and maintains a waitlist filled with other kids
and families who have need of the nonprofit’s services.

A HELPING HAND

Growing Futures is one of several Head Start programs
serving Johnson County. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced
the Head Start program in the same year Growing
Futures was founded, and although offerings have evolved
over the decades, the nationwide program aims to promote
the health and school readiness of infants, toddlers, and preschool-
aged children from low-income families in communities
around the country.
Growing Futures offers numerous programs to address
those needs. Home-based Early Head Start serves pregnant
women, infants, and toddlers up to age 3, providing home
visits and group socialization activities that promote secure
parent-child relationships and supports parents in offering
quality early-learning experiences. Children 6 weeks to 3
years old can participate in the Early Head Start, a program
based on site at Growing Future’s Early Education Center.
An on-site preschool program is also available for kids 3 to
5 years old.

Staff members observe children for mental health or behavioral
concerns and work closely with parents to support
children through consultations, counseling, and play therapy.
Additionally, Growing Futures’ disabilities and school readiness
specialists identify kids with disabilities and coordinate
services to help them be successful.

But the organization doesn’t just work to help kids – it can
connect participating families with community resources
and support systems, whether they’re facing food insecurity
or want help reviewing a resume. Comprehensive family
services also ensure families receive dental exams and vision
screenings.
“They’re essentially getting their head start, as well,” Hoffman
says of parents.

ADAPTING TO COVID-19

Already contending with increased need in the community,
Growing Futures has been further challenged by
COVID-19. In the spring, the nonprofit shifted its programming
to offer remote virtual learning opportunities to children
and families. Children came back to school in early
September to a hybrid virtual and in-person model.
“We have a phenomenal staff, and they have been very
flexible and very able to pivot on very short notice in these
ever-changing times,” Hoffman says. “They’ve been so
creative and so adaptive.”
But the program experience is far from the only facet
of operations affected by the pandemic. Hoffman says
an increasing number of families have been applying to
Growing Futures programs this year as households lose
sources of income. Meanwhile, funding options are becoming
more limited.

Although Growing Futures receives federal funding,
they’re responsible for raising more than $400,000 annually
through monetary donations, in-kind donations, or
volunteer hours, which requires support from community
partners, corporate sponsors, and individuals. Grants the
organization normally could have applied for have shifted
to provide more targeted COVID relief, and individual
donors and community partners may be hesitant to make
a donation during a period of such economic uncertainty.

Help is needed now more than
ever as new families continue to apply to Growing Futures’ programs, Hoffman says. “We have a waitlist we maintain
of at least 100 children at
all times, so the need is definitely there, and that’s leading us to try to grow and expand, as well,” she
explains. “We’re hoping to launch a capital campaign soon for a new facility.”

To learn more about Growing Futures, including how to help, visit growingfutureseec.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelsey Cipolla is a local writer, editor, and social media specialist. Kelsey has covered
everything from the Kansas City culinary scene to home design, health, fitness trends,
hidden gems, and nonprofit in the Kansas City community.

The phrase “man of the world” could have been coined with Julián Zugazagoitia in mind. He was born in Mexico City into a family steeped in history, creativity, and culture. He has lived in Paris, Rome, and New York. Since 2010, when he was named director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Julián Zugazagoitia has called Kansas City his home.

What is it about Kansas City that has made it feel so much like home for you?

The most beautiful surprise that this city has given me is to have the murals at UMKC by Spanish painter Luis Quintanilla. He was exiled because of the Spanish civil war and he ends up in Kansas City painting some murals. He dedicated them to my grandfather. [Julián’s grandfather fought the Fascists in Spain of the 1930s. He was eventually captured by the Gestapo and executed.] Those murals make me feel that this is really home.

Does your family’s amazing history impact you and what you do, on a daily basis?

It’s different moments of consciousness in which you start realizing the complexity of your own identity. Growing up in Mexico City there were not a lot of questions, but I left for the UK for the first time when I was 12 and that was the first big shock. It was the beginning of my understanding that we’re all immigrants all the time. Identity is such a complex thing.

As we speak, the museum is closed due to COVID-19, and the world is also seeing protests demanding equal treatment and opportunity for all people. What does a place like the Nelson-Atkins mean in times like these?

When society and humankind come to moments that really challenge us, humankind needs to express itself. Art has found ways to tackle even these things. We have had pandemics in the past. Our collections have examples of artists creating art during very difficult moments. What I see is art that goes beyond the forms we normally celebrate. New generations expressing so much through social media and digital form. People can connect with us in the digital world.

The inside part of the museum is closed but people can still come and enjoy the landscaping and the sculptures. I trust that just being in the environment, in front of the art, is inspiring.

Some may look at places like the Nelson-Atkins and think, ‘Well, that isn’t really for me because of my socio-economic status or education or skin color.’

I know you and your staff work hard to make this a place for everyone.

We have made a lot of efforts to be a place of openness, of inclusivity, of making sure that everyone feels ownership of the museum’s legacy. Today’s events call for more effort.  I would say from the moment we opened this building in 1933, the first speech at that time said this place is for all groups, all races, all creeds. This is work that has to be done by society at large and work that we have to do together. We have a wonderful and wide diversity of people enjoying the museum and that is something we need to continue to foster.

We are using this time to look at ourselves as staff, look at our history as an institution, to reassess our collections, how collections have come to be. We need to be more cognizant, more attuned to our times. We also need to understand that we are part of a stream of history, knowing others have also faced times like these. Society today is waking up to many things. The younger generations are making us more aware of where we should be going.

In these uncertain, unsteady, unchartered times, should we look to art and places like the Nelson-Atkins as some sort of constant?

The nature of expression is always going to be there and museums like ours provide the ability to travel, not only the geographies of distant cultures but also in time. To see how time and different cultures and different civilizations and different ways of thinking are represented through art. A museum like ours can teach you that there’s hundreds of ways of thinking. That should give us a sense of awe. A museum like ours gives you a variety of possibilities. You see that humanity has so many ways of expressing and being. We can engage in dialogues that enrich and enlarge our perceptions and make us have more points of view than one.

Article taken from Fall 2020 edition of Today Kansas City Magazine, a publication of Soave Automotive Group. Interview by Joel Nichols.

Aristocrat Motors, a leading high-end, luxury dealership in the Kansas City automotive market, is looking to add a qualified FULL TIME ACCOUNTING ADMINISTRATOR to our team! We are looking for someone with a strong accounting background, preferably in a Dealership environment. The individual should be able to multi-task and prioritize in a high-stress environment. Experience with CDK DMS system is a plus but not required.

Apply today or refer a qualified friend. You can apply by visiting the following www.soaveautomotivegroup.com/careers. We look forward to hearing from you!

Job duties include but are not limited to….

• Post all retail new/used car deals in accounting
• Send contract packages to lenders for funding
• Receipt checks in accounting system for new/used car deals
• Post funding notices for new/used car deals
• Post internal charges to vehicles
• Remit/pay/post all warranty products sold through F&I for new/used car deals
• Process cancellations for warranty products
• Handle payoffs for floorplan vehicles
• Any other task, as assigned by the Controller

In addition to competitive pay, we offer our associates the following benefits:

• Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability insurance
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Paid Time-off
• 5 day work week – no weekends
• Closed for most major holidays
• Employee Vehicle Purchase Program
• Professional work environment, with job training and advancement opportunities
• World class beautiful facility

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $15.00 to $20.00 /hour

by PATRICIA O’DELL |  photos courtesy of QUIXOTIC

While many Kansas Citians have seen the artistic collaboration of Quixotic at events around town, some are unaware of the reach and scope of the performance company’s work. For the first time since its inception, the company will be offering regular shows near the Crossroads district.

Quixotic calls Kansas City home. The performance group began in 2005 as an annual creative collaboration to provide an outlet for local ballet dancers and stage professionals to work in the off season.

“We did one show a year in abandoned buildings,” says executive producer Mica Thomas, who managed production at the beginning. “We’d clean up the space and figure out a way to run power and put on a show. It was fun and people loved it.”

The community response was positive and Thomas, in conjunction with founder Anthony Magliano, began producing regular shows. About three years into the project people began approaching them to perform at events.

“They’d say, ‘We could give you $500.’ It was only $500, but that made it a paid gig.”

In 2011, they received a call from Mike Lundgren, director of innovation strategy at VML. He introduced the group to TEDx.

“That was a game-changer,” says Thomas.

The exposure from the TEDx performance led to international bookings. Suddenly, this group of local technicians and performers was traveling to Spain, China, India, and the Middle East. The bigger opportunities and bigger budgets allowed for a broader scope of work. They began to explore aerial performance, projections, and animation.

“We know that in Kansas City most people have seen us at Crossroads or the West Bottoms, the Nelson – and we love that, but I don’t think they know we’re doing video mapping for the Smithsonian.”

The company went from one performance a year to employing 15 to 20 people in a residency with a regular show in Miami, which is a riff on cabaret. It’s been remarkably successful.

While Kansas City has always been supportive of Quixotic, the group has performed some of its bigger, more complex material away from home. That is about to change. The group has two new projects launching in the fall. They are bringing Quixotic to Kansas City in a bigger way.

“Our first project is with the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens,” says Hilary Rambeau, producer. “I know when some people think about Quixotic, they think about sitting down and watching a show. This is going to be a like a luminary walk, but times a thousand. It’s about a mile and a half path through the grounds with innovative installments, musicians, and aerialists.”

The group is excited to perform for people who might not have seen them in the heart of the city.

“This is a great way for us to get to Johnson County and have something that is for everyone. We think there may be a lot of people who don’t know who we are in this part of the city,” Magniano says.

The group is equally excited about a collaboration closer to Crossroads.

“So, we opened the show in Miami and it was supposed to run for two months,” Thomas says. “We’ve been down there for two and a half years. We’re ready to bring our performers back – and some of our new Miami family – and do a show here in Kansas City two nights a week.”

Quixotic will be performing in the Heartland Theatre at Crown Center.

“It’s going to be a very unique experience,” says Magliano. “It’s a classic cabaret format – edgy – it’s a late-night experience with an allstar cast of artists, many of whom have been with us for years.”

But it’s not only the relationship to the performers that is at the new show’s foundation, but the connection to the city, as well.

“We’re putting a Kansas City spin on it,” Magliano says. “This will be more jazz inspired than the show in Miami. Next year is the 100th anniversary of Prohibition. We want it to reflect that speakeasy vibe.”

The group sees this new concept as an exciting addition to Kansas City’s nightlife.

“Whether it’s people in from out of town as tourists or on business, or people who are taking friends for the third or fourth time – which was our experience in Miami – we really think this is going to add something unique and special to Crown Center, Crossroads, and downtown,” says Magliano.

“It’s amazing that just a few years ago Anthony and Mica were just trying to create opportunities for artists to perform full time,” Rambeau says. “Then there were ballet dancers, musicians, and technical designers. Now we have 15 to 20 people whose primary income is performing with us in Miami while still creating experiences for more than 90 clients a year with our Kansas City cast.”

“That’s been the goal the whole time,” Magliano says. “Consistent work for people in the arts.”