Your Chamber at Work - September 21, 2020

FROM THE KC CHAMBER'S PRESIDENT AND CEO

So these two doctors walk into a giant freezer…

Sounds like the start of a joke, right? It’s not (though KU’s Dr. Steven Stites and Dr. Dana Hawkinson seem to be having fun with it.) You know how you can see your breath on a really cold day? Well, in this video, the two are in a giant freezer on the KU Med Center campus to show that wearing a mask is effective. (Feel free to share this with any naysayers in your circle.)

If we want schools and businesses to reopen, if we want our economy to flourish, we need to take individual responsibility for our behavior. That means wearing a mask, social distancing, washing our hands, and avoiding large gatherings.

So simple, and yet too many are ignoring these precautions. SMH

Stay safe, my friends.

STATE OF THE ECONOMIES AND A LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF KANSAS AND MISSOURI

Six months after the start of the COVID crisis, our economy is limping along. How long will this last? Join us for a virtual discussion with Kansas Commerce Secretary David Toland and Missouri Director of the Department Economic Development Rob Dixon on September 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. They will look at the recovery in Kansas and Missouri and discuss how to grow the economies in both states. Register here for this free event.

EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES: THE U.S. TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY’S MAKING GLOBAL LOCAL PROGRAM

Interested in expanding? Infrastructure projects in emerging overseas markets could be a vital resource. Join the World Trade Center Kansas City and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency’s (USTDA) upcoming session on the USTDA’s Making Global Local Program, Thursday September 24, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., to learn about opportunities to support USTDA-funded projects driving infrastructure development in the Indo-Pacific Region. Register here for this free event. Attendance is limited to U.S. individuals, U.S. firms, or U.S. consultants.

SMALL BUSINESS CELEBRATION TOP 10 CEO PANEL VIRTUAL EVENT

Register now and join the CEOs of the 2020 Top 10 Small Businesses to learn about their successes, challenges, and how they’re handling the toughest economy in recent history at the Small Business Virtual Top 10 CEO Panel, Thursday, October 1, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. This event provides valuable insight and best practices advice from some of KC’s most successful small business leaders. Be inspired and surprised during these very candid conversations on what it takes to build and grow a small business. Get to know each company a little better before we name the 2020 Small Business of the Year at the October 15 Virtual Awards event. You may recall, our Top 10 Small Businesses are:  Amply Media, Cherry, Chicken N Pickle, J. Rieger & Co., McLain’s Markets, Messenger Coffee, Prairie Elder Care. ProAthlete, Signal Theory and Traders Insurance.

Thanks to our 2020 Small Business Programming Presenters Sponsors Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and Evergy, and our Presenting Sponsor for the Top 10 CEO Panel Bank Midwest.

ECONOMIC FORECAST

Join the KC Chamber for our Economic Forecast Virtual Event, Tuesday October 20 at 9:30 a.m. Frank Lenk of Mid-America Regional Council will present his annual economic forecast and explain why 2021 may present an opportunity to help economically distressed communities rise. In addition, Chris Kuehl of Armada CI, author of the daily Business Intelligence Brief, will present and then moderate a panel including Daniel Serda of LISC; Faisal Khan of Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center; and Amy Slattery of Odimo, to discuss what the recovery looks like for each of them. 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.