Your Chamber at Work - November 19, 2018

FROM THE KC CHAMBER'S PRESIDENT AND CEO

The KC Chamber’s 131st Annual Dinner meeting is tomorrow night – and we’re very excited. It’ll be quite a contrast to that first long-ago dinner, which lasted five hours and ended with cigars!

The theme this year is EVERYWHERE KC, a tribute to the global reach of Kansas City businesses. (Did you know you can get a Boulevard Beer in China? Visit a soccer stadium in Dublin, thanks to KC architects? Turn on a light in Nigeria, thanks to KC engineers?)

We’ll highlight that, as well as honor our Outgoing Chair Matt Condon, our Incoming Chair Gordon Lansford, and, of course, announce the 2018 Kansas Citian of the Year.

I’m especially excited to hear from Nate Silver, our keynote speaker. Nate is a big data analyst whose website, FiveThirtyEight, is a must read for his analysis of everything from political campaigns to sports. He’ll be talking about the results of the midterm elections and what it means. And expect some sports analysis – he told us his algorithms have our KC Chiefs as #1 this year!

Hope to see you there!

GIVE THE GIFT OF NOMINATIONS

Make 2019 the best year ever for small businesses that you know. A Small Business Awards nomination lets a company know that you value them and think they are doing a great job. It tells their employees that they are working for an excellent company and their leaders that they are top of mind for you. The KC Chamber’s Small Business Celebration is the largest of its kind in the nation, with three months of activities and opportunities. And it all starts with a nomination.

When you nominate businesses by December 1 using our simple online form, the KC Chamber will send the company an email announcing their nomination, and letting them know that you were the nominator, along with next steps for them to proceed in the Awards process. Companies eligible for nomination have 250 or fewer full-time employees, are headquartered in Kansas City, are demonstrating growth, positive employee relations, and service to the community. Nominated companies need not be members of the Chamber but would need to join in order to proceed in the Awards competition. If you’d like to nominate multiple businesses, please fill out this spreadsheet. Send the completed spreadsheet (and any questions you may have) to the KC Chamber’s Small Business and Strategic Partnerships Manager, Tayler Hammersmith, hammersmith@kcchamber.com, or call (816) 374-5480 for assistance.

BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE REGION

Apply a new lens to economic inclusivity in Greater Kansas City on December 10, at the Polsinelli Public Policy Up Close Speakers Series luncheon. Speakers will include Nashville Chamber President Ralph Schulz, Indianapolis Chamber Chief Policy Officer Mark Fisher, and Brookings Fellow Joe Parilla. This event will examine how Kansas City peers Nashville and Indianapolis are locally addressing economic barriers that prevent many of their citizens from taking part in economic growth. This luncheon will take place from 11:30 am to 1:30 p.m. at the InterContinental Hotel, 401 Ward Parkway. Cost to attend is $50 for Chamber members and $65 for non-members. Register online. For questions about this event, contact John Jenks, jjenks@kcchamber.com or (816) 374-5461. Public Policy Council members may receive up to 2 complimentary tickets when registering by phone at (816) 374-5406.

GET THE 411 ON CHAMBERCHOICE

The ChamberCHOICE suite of health insurance options provides ease of access, affordability, and a range of plans that you can offer your employees. (It was designed for companies with 5-99 full time employees.) On November 29, you can learn all about ChamberCHOICE. There will be a brief presentation, followed by Q&A and one on one conversations about your particular needs. There is no cost to attend this session, which will be held from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the World Trade Center Kansas City Conference Room at Union Station, 30 W Pershing Road, Suite 201. To RSVP, register online or contact Tayler Hammersmith, hammersmith@kcchamber.com or call (816) 374-5480.

NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKING - CENTRIC

Centric's projects are about more than just concrete, steel, and wood. More than square footage and floor plans. Their projects are about technical innovation and complex problem solving. They are about pioneering possibilities and building something for the first time – ever. They are about saying yes when others said no. About driving social movement, advancement, and change – and they thrive most when they're at the center of it all. Centric builds projects. Centric builds homes. Centric builds Kansas City. Visit them on Friday, November 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. for Neighborhood Networking. The office is at 520 W. Pennway, Suite 100. This is free monthly networking for Chamber members ($15 for non-members) and space is limited, so please RSVP. 2018 Networking Sponsors are Andrews McMeel Universal, Mazuma, and Sprint. Neighborhood Networking is sponsored by Spectrum Reach.