Your Chamber at Work - October 5, 2020

FROM THE KC CHAMBER'S PRESIDENT AND CEO

I’m starting the week still feeling great after our Small Business Celebration Top 10 CEO Panel this past Thursday. Wow. Hearing from the leaders of these great local small businesses is always inspiring, but this year it meant even more, knowing they’re facing the toughest economy we’ve ever seen.

Our finalists had a wide-ranging conversation covering how they handled the sudden impact of COVID, how they prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion, and they even talked about employee happiness as a business model. You can see the entire Top 10 event right here. When you hear from these CEOs you’ll understand why the Top 10 CEO Panel is one of my favorite events of the year.

It’s also the final piece of the judging process in our Small Business Celebration. We announce the 2020 Small Business of the Year and present the Mr. K Award on Thursday, October 15 at the Virtual Awards Event. You can register here.

Our Biz PAC has also released the list of the candidates they support in the November election. You can find that full list here. And a reminder the voter registration deadlines for both states are coming up: Missouri is October 7 and Kansas is October 13. Register and vote!

ATHENA LEADERSHIP AWARDS

The Chamber is proud to present this year’s ATHENA Leadership Award to Karen Daniel and ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award to Chelsea Laub. Join us Thursday, October 8, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. as we celebrate each of these women. Register here. Named after the Greek goddess of strength, the ATHENA Leadership Award is presented to individuals honored for professional excellence, community service, and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence. The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award is presented to emerging women leaders across professional sectors for exemplary leadership. You can enjoy the awards and amazing virtual networking using the REMO platform. Thanks to our Presenting Sponsors Bank Midwest and KPMG.

AFRICA AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: OPPORTUNITIES, BENEFITS, AND TRENDS

Join the World Trade Center Kansas City to connect with government officials from countries in Africa and other global businesses to learn more about the circular economy and highlight advantages of renewable and sustainable systems at this event Thursday, October 15 from 6:00 a.m. - noon. It will be broadcast live from Accra, Ghana, so you’ll want to wake up early for this engaging and informative event. There will be two sessions, followed by a breakout room for commercial engagements. Register here. There is a fee for admittance to the breakout room.

ECONOMIC FORECAST

How are we measuring the COVID recovery? What does the data say?  Join the KC Chamber for our Economic Forecast Virtual Event, Tuesday October 20, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Mid-America Regional Council’s Frank Lenk will present his annual economic forecast and explain why 2021 may present an opportunity to help economically distressed communities rise. You’ll also hear the stories behind the data as our panelists, including Daniel Serda of LISC, Faisal Khan of Samuel U. Rodgers, and Amy Slattery of Odimo, share what their own road to recovery looks like in a panel moderated by Armada CI’s Chris Kuehl. Register now for this free event. Special thanks to our Economic Forecast Cornerstone Sponsor for 2020, BMO Harris Bank. Our Impact Sponsors for 2020 are Black & Veatch Corporation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and SS&C.

133RD ANNUAL DINNER

Despite this crazy year, Kansas City has proven again and again that we are unstoppable. Join us to celebrate our theme of #UnstoppableKC at our 133rd Annual Dinner. We’re going virtual Tuesday, November 24, from 3 to 5 p.m. Be there for this exciting event as we virtually surprise our Kansas Citian of the Year, celebrate stories of resiliency and hope in Greater KC, and hear inspiring messages from our guest speakers. Get your early bird tickets for $20 now through October 27th then just $35 after that. For the first time in Chamber history, our Annual Dinner is open to everyone: Chamber members and non-members alike! Register now to get the special rate. Thank you to presenting sponsor Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. Additional sponsorships are still available – contact Laura Dryden at annualdinner@kcchamber.com for more information.