Your Chamber at Work - May 10, 2021

FROM THE KC CHAMBER'S PRESIDENT AND CEO

Vaccine hesitancy is a problem in the push to vanquish the COVID-19 pandemic, so what can business do to help overcome it?

Business does have a role in public health. There are a number of ways to help: sharing information with our employees, offering paid time off for the time necessary to get vaccinated and for dealing with any of the minor side-effects; getting creative with incentives; directing employees to locations where they can get their shot.

Business can do its part to reach the level of community immunity that will help us all return to a “new normal.”

As a report from McKinsey says: “Employers can consider a set of actions that supports COVID-19 adoption among employees by building conviction and making vaccination as convenient and ‘costless’ as possible. Here’s a link to the McKinsey report for more thoughts on the subject.

CHAMPION OF DIVERSITY APPLICATIONS AND ACE AWARD NOMINATIONS

Honor the people in the business community committed to advancing diversity and inclusion. You have a few more days to submit candidates for the KC Chamber’s Ace Awards and for businesses to apply for the Champion of Diversity. Nominations and the application both close Friday, May 14. The Ace Awards honor up and coming senior level managers who have demonstrated a commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. The Champion of Diversity Award recognizes a regional business or nonprofit that has made an impactful commitment to embracing diversity in their workplace, diversity supplier partnerships, and the community. Applications and criteria for both can be found here. Recipients will be honored at our upcoming POWER of Diversity Breakfast later this July. Thanks to our Presenting Diversity sponsors CommunityAmerica Credit Union, Evergy, and Hallmark.

VIRTUAL NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKING: SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Join us for our next virtual Neighborhood Networking event Friday, May 21, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. as we welcome Michael Barrera, District Director at the Small Business Administration. This free event gives you a chance to hear updates on small business relief, what’s next for small businesses, and of course connect with your fellow Chamber members. Register now and start your Friday in a great way. Thanks to the KC Chamber's 2021 Neighborhood Networking Sponsors are Menlo and Unbound, and the 2021 overall networking sponsors are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, Delta Dental, and Mazuma.

SMALL BUSINESS CELEBRATION: CANDIDATES’ VIRTUAL SHOWCASE

Register now to support KC’s small businesses and cheer on the future Mr. K Award winner. For the second year in a row, our Candidates’ Showcase will be fast-paced virtual event over the course of two-days: Tuesday, May 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesday, May 26, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This Shark Tank-style event means candidates have 5 minutes to present their business and take questions from the anonymous judges in their journey to be named 2021 Small Business of the Year. Registration is free, but make sure you register for each day individually. You’ll also have a chance to vote on the best presentation of the day, as we announce one Honeywell Fan Favorite winner for each day. Special thanks to our sponsors: Overall 2021 Small Business Programming Presented By Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and Evergy. Our CEO Level Sponsor is Honeywell. Candidates’ Showcase Presenting Sponsor is American Century Investments. Media Sponsor is Startland News.

DIVERSE VOICES MATTER: WOMEN ON BOARDS OF DIRECTORS VIRTUAL EVENT

Join the KC Chamber as we welcome some of KC’s most successful and well-known women business and civic leaders for Diverse Voices Matter: Women on Boards of Directors on June 9, 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Participants include Karen Daniel, Member of the Kansas City Royals Ownership Group, 2020 ATHENA Award Recipient and retired Black & Veatch CFO; Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of United WE; Luann Feehan, President & CEO of Nonprofit Connect; and Nicole Jacobs-Silvey, President & Founder of Connection Coach KC. Register now for this free event and bring your questions for this amazing group of leaders. Special thanks to our Women’s Leadership Presenting Sponsors Bank Midwest and KPMG.