Nearly 90 people gathered in The Chamber’s Board Room on July 12, 2011. Their purpose? To take the “Big Ideas” list compiled by The Chamber from 180 + suggestions down to 20. Not an easy task, but the all-day session offered lots of great discussion and showed a real passion for “Big KC” as participants talked and debated the region’s future.

Check out the list of now 20 “Big Ideas” – to be considered by The Chamber Board of Directors in late August. (Which would YOU choose?)

John Bluford, former Chamber Chair and President/CEO of Truman Medical Centers, makes a point as Eric Burtin, President of Burtin & Associates, looks on.	UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton, former Kansas City Kansas Mayor Carol Marinovich, and MARC Executive Director David Warm were just three of the participants at the all-day session.
Blue Springs Mayor Carson Ross, Chief Legal Counsel for the KCMO School District Chace Ramey, and Lori Mallory, CEO of Kansas City Internal Medicine, were another three of the 90 or so participants at the Big 5 meeting.	Businesswoman and civic leader Susan Stanton led her group’s discussion on better marketing Kansas City. (Left to right – Rick Martin, Senior Principal, Populous; Kendra Kemp-Trammel, Chamber staff; Ms. Stanton; and Crosby Kemper III, Director of the KC Public Library.
Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn shares her group’s thinking. (At the table, left to right: Jewel Scott, Executive Director of the Civic Council; Carleane Ellsworth, Chamber staff; and Warren Erdman, Executive VP/Corporate Affairs for Kansas City Southern and Chair of the University of Missouri Board of Curators.	Bob Regnier, former Chamber Chair and President of the Bank of Blue Valley, shares his thoughts.