Your Chamber at Work - February 4, 2020

FROM THE KC CHAMBER'S PRESIDENT AND CEO

WOW! A Super – and superb – Bowl win for our Kansas City Chiefs!

And what a game! The first three quarters kept me on the edge of my seat, but the knowledge that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs can come back from behind helped slow my heartbeat. And come back they did.

Fifty years in the making, and victory feels very sweet.

The whole region exploded in celebration – the fireworks even showed up on National Weather Service radar!

And the celebration continues with Wednesday’s victory parade. A side note:  All of Union Station, and therefore our offices, will be closed on Wednesday. We’ll be celebrating along with everyone else.

What a night! All hail to our Kansas City Chiefs!

HEALTHY KC BREAKFAST

The Chiefs’ team clinician is one of the speakers at our annual Healthy KC Breakfast, March 4 at Children’s Mercy Park from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Dr. Shaun Tyrance is one of just two full time team clinicians in the NFL today. He’ll discuss the importance of mental health not just in times of crisis, but year-round. Mental health is the focus of the 2020 breakfast, as we’ve moved our Healthy KC Workplace Wellness Certifications to every other year. In addition to Dr. Tyrance, we’ll reveal and unpack the fascinating results of our new anonymous workplace mental health assessment. There’s still time to take the survey (it takes about 10 minutes) to help get a better picture of how your business or organization supports mental health or where there is room for improvement. Once you take the survey, make sure you register here for the Healthy KC breakfast. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is the presenting sponsor of all things Healthy KC.

SMALL BUSINESS APPLICATION DEADLINE

The application deadline for 2020 Small Business of the Year, also known as the Mr. K Award, is this Friday, February 7. You can link to the application right here. The Award is named for Ewing Kauffman and will be given out at the Small Business Awards Luncheon, presented by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation on May 28, 2020. To be named Small Business of the Year signifies a company has shown excellence in three areas that mattered to Mr. K: growth and sustainability, strong employee relations, and a record of giving back to the community. If you still have questions about the application you can link to the Facebook video of our recent Small Business Application Workshop for tips and advice from past winners and past judges. Remember that Small Business of the Year is the only award that requires nomination. The Legacy of Kansas City Award (for companies in business 15+ years), Diverse Small Business of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year (for companies in business less than 3 years), and Paul Weida Award for International Small Business of the Year are awards that do not require nomination. If you have questions about the application, please contact Tayler Hammersmith, at hammersmith@kcchamber.com.

NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKING

Our next Neighborhood Networking offers more than coffee. Join us at Parlor, Friday, February 7 from 8:30 to 10 a.m., at their 1707 Locust location. Parlor is a collection of chefs coming together to curate a diverse group of culinary concepts. Current restaurants at Parlor include Mudbug 2.0, Providence Pizzeria, Mother Clucker, Karbón and more. Register now to experience Parlor while you make great networking connections among your peers. It’s free for Chamber members and just $15 for non-members. Thanks to our Neighborhood Networking sponsors Spectrum Reach, and our 2020 overall networking sponsors Mazuma, SS&C, and Sprint. If you can’t make it to Parlor, save the date February 21 for our Neighborhood Networking at Children International.

2020 DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SUMMIT: ELEVATING HUMANITY THROUGH AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Project Equality and the KC Chamber are proud to present the 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Summit: Elevating Humanity Through Affordable Housing. This year’s summit is Wednesday, February 26 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at UMKC’s Pierson Auditorium, 5000 Holmes. We’re pleased to welcome keynote speakers Richard Rothstein, Senior Fellow, Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkley and author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, and john a. powell, Director, Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkley and author of Racing to Justice: Transforming Our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society. Rothstein also moderates a discussion with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Tara Raghuveer, Director of KC Tenants and the Kansas City Eviction Project. This program is also approved for 3.0 CLE credit hours in Missouri; Kansas credit pending. Registration is $50 for the day-long event, which includes breakfast, lunch, and networking.