Your Chamber at Work - October 11, 2021

FROM THE KC CHAMBER'S PRESIDENT AND CEO

Greetings from Salt Lake City, Utah, where about 140 business, elected officials, and nonprofit leaders are spending three days looking at how this city is handling issues we have in common. It’s our annual Leadership Exchange, and we’re hearing from city leaders here about a variety of subjects.

Salt Lake City is known for an outstanding transit system, a particular challenge for Greater Kansas City, and we’ll be hearing from transit leaders and local officials to better understand how they’ve accomplished their transit goals.

Salt Lake City is also one of the first large cities to be named a “Welcoming City,” and we’ll be learning more about that. The KC Chamber, along with about 40 partner organizations, has spent 18 months developing our own “Welcoming Plan” for immigrants and refugees, and will be able to learn how Salt Lake City developed and implemented its own Welcoming Plan.

We’ll also learn about the economic impact of the new $4 billion Salt Lake City Air Terminal, and expect lessons in advance of the opening of our new KCI. And we’ll hear from Salt Lake City leaders about how visioning made measurable impacts on their community.

It hasn’t been all work, though – last night we all got together to watch the Chiefs-Bills Sunday night football game.

Oh, well.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION WORKSHOP SERIES: ACKNOWLEDGING THE DIVIDING LINES: RACE AND REAL ESTATE

Reserve your spot now for Acknowledging the Dividing Lines: Race and Real Estate, Tuesday, October 26, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register now for this free virtual event. We welcome KC real estate attorney Shomari Benton and Tanner Colby, author of “Some of the My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America,” in a conversation moderated by educator Marlee Bunch. Guests look at race and real estate and the policies that shaped our country and are still being felt today. This event is made possible in part through a grant from Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. Thank you to our 2021 Diversity & Inclusion Workshop Series Presenting Sponsor Commerce Bank, and our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Presenting Sponsors CommunityAmerica Credit Union, Evergy, and Hallmark. This event series is in partnership with the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, Grandview Chamber of Commerce, Independence Chamber of Commerce, Liberty Area Chamber of Commerce, Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and the South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKING: UNBOUND

Register now for our next Neighborhood Networking event with Unbound, Friday, October 29, 8:30 to 10 a.m. You can check out their newly completed Experience Center at 1 Elmwood Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. Unbound is an international nonprofit committed to honoring the dignity of every person and putting the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable first. This event is free for Chamber members and $15 for non-members. Unbound is one of the sponsors of this year’s Neighborhood Networking series, along with Menlo. Thanks to our 2021 overall networking sponsors Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, Delta Dental, and Mazuma.

MID-AMERICA TRADE SUMMIT

Join top exporters, global trade leaders, and trade assistance providers from across the region at the Mid-America Trade Summit, November 2-4, 2021. This virtual event is presented by the University of Missouri International Trade Center. You’ll hear success stories from outstanding exporters, as well as best practices and lessons learned that have contributed to their export success. The three-day registration fee is $100. Student pricing is available. Click here for details and registration information.

134TH ANNUAL DINNER

Join us for the Chamber’s 134th Annual Dinner virtual livestream Tuesday, November 23, 5-8 p.m. The 2021 theme is KC For All -- a celebration of all that Kansas City is and all that it can be. Not only do we name our Kansas Citian of the Year, but we also welcome keynote speakers Davyeon Ross, co-founder and president of ShotTracker, and Kansas City, KS native Kalen Allen, rising content creator, actor, and entertainment personality, best known for his recurring guest spot on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. We also welcome back musical talent Casi Joy! Due to COVID restrictions, our in-person capacity has been reached, but virtual tickets are now available for $30. Get yours now! Thank you to our 2021 Annual Dinner Presenting Sponsor, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, and our Premier Sponsors are Hallmark, JE Dunn Construction, McCownGordon Construction, and UMB Bank.