October EventsTuesday, October 6Ribbon Cutting CeremonyPhoenix Home Care11:30 am-1:30 pmTuesday, October 13Lifestyle ExpoIndependence Center9:00 am - 1:00 pmThursday, October 15Ribbon Cutting CeremonyCrossroads Hospice4:00-7:00 pmTuesday, October 20Academies of ISD 2nd Career Exploration FairMetropolitan Community College8:00 am - 1:00 pmWednesday, October 21Monthly Membership LuncheonCenterpoint Medical Center Independence11:30 am - 1:00 pmThursday, October 29Seminar: Thinking Like a General ManagerIndependence Chamber3:30 - 4:30 pm

Join us for one of the largest Halloween Parades in the Midwest! Thousands from the metro will line the streets to celebrate the holiday while almost 100 floats, bands, cars, dancers, animals and more will dress up and travel the route with candy, music, beads and more!

Want to join in the fun? Check out www.ichamber.biz/pages/halloween-parade for application, rules and regulations.

Sponsor the 67th Halloween Parade!Become a "Boo Buddy" by sponsoring the parade for $100! Your logo will be listed on the Halloween Parade Poster, the Chamber's Facebook page and in the Chamber newsletter. You will also receive a free entry into the parade.

The Lifestyle Expo is designed for businesses who want to get their products in front of potential consumers and grow their customer base.

From 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, up to 50 businesses will have an opportunity to showcase their products or services with 6 or 3 foot table top displays and a constant flow of foot traffic.

Independence Chamber Members: Non-Chamber members:$45 for a half table $70 for a half table$80 for a full table $125 for a full table

Want a table? Need more info?Register at www.iChamber.biz Contact Alex Colley at alex@iChamber.biz

October 13, 2015, 9:00 am-1:00 pmIndependence Center, 39th Street Entrance

67th Annual Halloween Parade October 31, 2015, 10:00 am

Historic Independence Square

Contact Steve Patton at Steve@iChamber.biz to sponsor or for more

information!

Free for attendees!

2October 2015 :: THE CHAMBER VIEW

Ribbon Cutting CeremonyTuesday, October 6, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, Phoenix Home Care, 14220 E 42nd St, Independence, MOJoin us for a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate Phoenix Home Care’s brand new location!

Lifestyle Expo Tuesday, October 13, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Independence CenterRegister today for an opportunity to be one of 50 businesses to showcase their products or services with 3- or 6-foot table top displays and a constant flow of foot traffic at the Independence Center.

Cost: Independence Chamber Members Non-Chamber Members $45 for a half table $70 for a half table $80 for a full table $125 for a full table

Visit iChamber.biz or contact alex@iChamber.biz for more info.

Ribbon Cutting CeremonyThursday, October 15, 4:00 - 7:00 pm, Crossroads Hospice,14310 E 42nd St S, Unit 600, Independence, MOJoin us in celebrating Crossroads Hospice’s one-year anniversary in Independence and 20th year in business!

Academies of ISD 2nd Career Exploration FairTuesday, October 20, 8:00 am - 1:00 pm, Metropolitan Community College – Business Technology CampusBusinesses can help students as they choose their course of career preparatory study by manning a booth at the 2nd Career Exploration Fair on October 20th. Join us to share with Freshman of the Independence School District what it takes to be good at what you do. Contact Rhonda Doland at Rhonda@ ichamber.biz if your business can participate.

Monthly Membership LuncheonWednesday, October 21, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Centerpoint Medical Center - Independence19600 East 39th St S, Independence, MOOctober’s Monthly Membership Luncheon will be held at Centerpoint Medical Center - Independence. Speakers will be Dr. Mary Mitchell, Diagnostic Radiologist and Dave Williams, CEO.

Calendar of Events

Dave Williams, CEODave will share the latest in tech-nology and improvements added in 2015 and planned for 2016. Dave will also share important updates regarding healthcare reform which affects patients and access to healthcare.

Seminar: Thinking Like a General Manager: Why Great Teams (and Companies) Focus on Talent, Culture and ProcessThursday, October 29, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, Independence Chamber, 210 W. Truman Rd. High performing enterprises, whether they’re for profit or not for profit, are reliant on three ingredients: abilities and attitudes of the players (talent), the playbook (process) and the resulting chemistry of the team (culture).

Mary Mitchell, M.D.Radiologist at Centerpoint Medical Center, Mary Mitchell, was fellowship trained in breast imaging. As October welcomes Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Mitchell will share updates on the latest advancements in 3D imaging in the pursuit to detect cancer early.

Reservations must be made by Monday, October 19th. Refunds can not be given after October 19th due to the cost of the meal.

Free for attendees!

Thank you to our

luncheon sponsor:

The Independence Chamber of Commerce invites you to the 95th Annual Banquet. Join us as we celebrate the community and our committed, courageous and resilient membership!

Save the Date

Independence Chamber of Commerce’s

95th Annual BanquetSaturday, January 30, 2016

6:00 pm - 10:00 pmStoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center

Member Tickets: $95/seat

For five days in April 2009, the world was glued to their TV screens as Captain Richard Phillips became the center of an extraordinary international drama when he was captured by Somali pirates who hi-jacked his ship, the first hijacking of a U.S. ship in more than 200 years.

To protect his crew, Captain Phillips made a conscious decision to put himself directly in harm’s way, knowing full well that he might pay the ultimate price for his decision. Amid the standoff, he offered himself as a hostage.

On Friday April 10th, after being taken and held hostage as a human shield on one of the ship’s cov-ered lifeboats, Captain Phillips jumped out of the lifeboat and managed to swim a few yards toward a nearby U.S. Navy destroyer, but the pirates went in after him and managed to haul him back in. The

standoff dragged on until April 12th, when Navy SEAL snipers saw one of the pirates aim his AK-47 machine gun at Capt. Richard Phillips’s back and concluded he was in “imminent danger.”

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact Alex Colley at alex@iChamber.biz or 816-252-4745 ext. 4 for further details.

Keynote Speaker:

Captain Richard Phillips • Hero of the High Seas • Captain of the Maersk Alabama, hijacked by Somali pirates • Author, A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea • His dramatic story was transformed into the Academy-Award and Golden-Globe nominated film, “Captain Phillips”

“Stick together and we will be alright.” – Captain Phillips

4October 2015 :: THE CHAMBER VIEW

5October 2015 :: THE CHAMBER VIEW

September 2-5, 2016!

It was sunny, hot and beautiful (almost) all weekend. Thank you to the thousands

of volunteers, attendees, vendors, sponsors and friends of the Chamber

and the festival for making SantaCaliGon 2015 a huge success! We can’t wait

to see you all again next year:

6October 2015 :: THE CHAMBER VIEW

‘‘

The 2016 L.E.A.D. class began their journey on Friday, September 25, with a team building retreat at William Jewell College. They are excited to begin this nine-month program and we are excited to continue to develop this phenomenal group of leaders in our community. Be on the look out for monthly updates in our newsletter and social media channels!

Caressa VanNoort Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center

Carrie Randle Comprehensive Mental Health

Ashley Davis Community America Credit Union

Kelsie Fell Saint Luke’s Medical Center

Jordan Ellena City of Independence

Brenda Class First Federal Bank

Lynette Wheeler Truman Medical Center

Sheila Williams Full Employment Council

Karl “Rick” Schubert Community Services League

Trina Anderson Independence Chamber

Jeremy Nuckols American Medical Response

Kevin Holberg Corporate Copy Print

Kelly Lightfoot Ampersand

Rick Klein Kansas City Space Center

Laurie Wiley Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc.

Julie Moreno The Examiner

Scott Vice ATK

Dr. Deann Clawson Fort Osage

Kristen Sweeney Centerpoint

Luke Davis Stewardship Capital

Chrissy Graheck Paychex

The 20 Members of the 2016 L.E.A.D Class:

7October 2015 :: THE CHAMBER VIEW

‘‘‘‘

MOTIVATION OF THE MONTH

Don’t watch the clock; do what it does.

Keep going.

Sam Levenson

Public Safety Sales Tax Support

The Independence Chamber of Commerce has announced its support of renewal of the Public Safety Sales Tax passed on January 21, 2004. The Independence Chamber Board of Directors voted unanimously to support renewal of the tax on Wednesday, September 9, 2015, at the monthly Board of Directors meeting.

This tax renewal would be a one-eighth cent sales tax for the Police and Fire Departments for a period of 12-years. With renewal of the tax, the Police and Fire Departments will continue to provide their excellent services. Without renewal of the tax, the departments would be unable to continue its current services and would need to reduce staff.

Public Policy Hearing September Luncheon at Truman Library

Reminder: The last two chances to present to the Public Policy Committee to request support for needed legislation in 2016 are October 5th and 19th, beginning at 4:00 pm.

Presentations will be scheduled in 15 minute intervals. Members desiring to address the Public Policy Committee are asked to contact Kelsey at 816-252-4745 (ext. 0) or kelsey@iChamber.biz to secure a time slot on the agenda.

We packed the room, and spilled out of it a bit, to listen to Kurt Graham, new Director of the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum, on September 16th during the Monthly Membership Luncheon. Graham spoke to the membership on the Business of History and left us all feeling even more proud of being a part of the Independence community. Big thank you to all who attended, and to Ophelia’s Restaurant for catering!

8October 2015 :: THE CHAMBER VIEW

Gary Abram is founder and currently “general managing” CPM (administrator for a health plan for five school districts); HCap (consulting, executive coaching and search); and B2G Data (business intelli-gence and data analytics). In the 70’s, Gary pitched in the Pittsburgh Pirate system and

coached at UCM. Author of “Distance to the Green,” “Be A Pipe,” and most recently a baseball parable, “Alvin’s Way,” Abram consults with various industries on human capital, business development and strategic issues. To round out the schedule, Gary serves on the St. Mary’s Hospital Board, UCM Foundation Board and was the varsity baseball coach at Lone Jack the past two springs (now retired).

Recap of Denise Mills Seminar

Seminar: Thinking Like a General Manager: Why Great Teams (and Companies) Focus on Talent, Culture and Process

“Yesterday I was smart enough to attend Denise Mills’ presentation at the Independence Chamber. The fo-cus was on our bias and blind spots that keep us from seeing business opportunities. While I knew juggling 16 businesses was a challenge, I didn’t know I had a truck load of blind spots! Thank you to the Chamber for knowing I needed this seminar when I didn’t know I did, and thank you Denise Mills for a clearer vision that I plan on paying attention to - for business sake!”

–Cindy McClain, CEO of CRM Stores

Last month many of us learned that overcoming our own blind spots is not an easy task, but attainable. Big thank you to Denise Mills on teaching us “blind spot busters” during her seminar on, “Breakthrough Thinking: Beliefs, Bias and Blindspots.” By admitting you have them (as we all do), considering multiple answers when asking questions and taking time to reflect on those answers, we can all “bust through blind spots” and be more effective leaders.

High performing enterprises, whether they’re for profit or not for profit, are reliant on three ingredients: abilities and attitudes of the players (tal-ent), the playbook (process) and the resulting chemistry of the team (cul-ture). This fast paced hour will explore invaluable techniques to improve your “roster,” improve daily execution of the game plan, and make your company first choice of clients and current and future talent. Gary Abram will share proven lessons learned on the diamond, board room and entre-preneurship. Register for the seminar at www.iChamber.biz.

On September 23rd, Alex Colley, Vice President of Marketing & Membership Development, attended the Chambers of Commerce Executives of Missouri (CCEM) Fall Conference and accepted the Award of Excellence for Special Publications. The Independence Chamber of Commerce’s 2013 Annual Report was the publication submitted for this award.

CCEM Award of Excellence for Special Publications: Alex Colley

9October 2015 :: THE CHAMBER VIEW

Membership Tip

Want to stay in the know with the Chamber but need a convenient way to do so? Subscribe to our Tweets on Twitter and you’ll get quick tid-bits of info right to your smartphone!

1. Log into your Twitter Account (don’t have one? Contact alex@iChamber.biz and she’ll help you set one up!)

2. Go to www.twitter.com/IndepChamber

3. On the right side of the page, click on the Settings icon beside “Following” (because we know you’re following us already!)

4. Then scroll down and choose “Turn on mobile notifications”

Now you will receive Tweets from the Chamber to keep you in the loop!

Need any assistance with this? Please contact alex@iChamber.biz and she will help you out!

A group came together for Business After Hours on September 17th, 2015. Thank you so much to Bass Pro Shops/Islamora-da Fish Company for hosting. The food was fantastic, venue tremendous and the company was even better!

September Business After Hours

Groundbreaking for Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Centerpoint Medical Center - Independence

3D mammography can make finding a tumor this easy.

Request an appointment online.centerpointmedical.com/mammogram

• Rhonda Dolan traveled to Coachella Valley, CA, with two of our Academies business partners, Justin Durham of Hollis and Miller Architects and Molly Weaver of Children’s Mercy Hospitals, to learn from their highly successful Industry Council Model. • We are formalizing our Business Partner database and communications process. If you have any interest in engaging as a business partner, please take three minutes to complete the Business Partner Commitment form, click here. We are not asking for money, we are asking for expertise and information. • Our ISD students, teachers and business partners enjoyed a highly successful Guest Speaker day at our three ISD high schools on September 22nd, 2015. • Upcoming Business Engagement dates: November 2, 2015 – Host a teacher at your business (Externship) December 4, 2015 – Host a student for a Job Shadowing experience

• The 2nd Annual Career Exploration Fair is fast approaching. Click here to register now. The event takes place October 2nd, 2015 at Metropolitan Community College, Business Technology Campus.

• Several leaders from Independence are traveling to Rockford, Il to learn about this community’s success with the community Alignment Model. Look for a report on this model and visit in our November newsletter.

ISD Academies Update

Big things are happening in our partnership with the Independence School District Academies. Here are just a few updates:

Congratulations to Centerpoint Medical Center - Independence for its Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center on September 21st. The Center is due to open during the summer of 2016.

President & CEO of the Commu-nity Services League (CSL), Doug Cowan, was voted in as member of of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greater Kansas City. In this role, Doug will have the op-portunity to provide the Board with input and insight as to the needs of area non-profits and the clients CSL serves.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit opened the doors of its brand new Indepen-dence location on September 10th.

Centerpoint Medical Center Inde-pendence held a Groundbreaking Ceremony on September 21st for the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center due to open in the summer of 2016.

In September Summit Bank of Kansas City elected Carl L. Chin-nery as Chairman to the board and named two new board members; Robert “Bud” Herzog and John W. Bluford III.

Leslie Stikeleather, Korte Elemen-tary School physical education teacher, has been named the 2015 Kansas City District Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Missouri Association for Health, Physical Education, Rec-reation and Dance (MOAHPERD). Stikeleather was one of just six elementary physical education teachers honored statewide and is now a candidate for the Missouri Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year award.

Tom Lesnak, president of the Indepen-dence Economic Development Council has been named the Independence recipient of the COMBAT Neighbor-hood Advocate Award. The award recognizes citizens in Jackson County who epitomize the concept of good neighbor by actively working to ensure their neighborhoods are safe, attractive and livable.

Independence Power and Light has been awarded the distinction of be-ing recognized as a participant the TreeLine USA® program. This award is given to utilities that meet and imple-ment the standards of: Quality Tree Care; Annual Worker Training; Tree Planting and Public Education; Tree-Based Energy Conservation Program; and Arbor Day Celebration.

Ophelias has been nominated for Best Seafood and Best Steakhouse in the Readers Choice Contest help by the Examiner.

Member News

This page features member news each month. To have your news listed here, contact Alex at alex@ichamber.biz.

Blue Springs Ford was presented with the winning trophy and recog-nition as this years “Large Business of the Year”. This trophy represents exceptional growth through addi-tional creation of jobs, revenue, in-novation and creativity in business, outstanding customer service, and economic impact on the City of Blue Springs.

The City of Independence has won the 2015 Best of the Web award for outstanding city government website. The competition sponsored by the Center of Digital Government recognizes city, county and state governments throughout the US for outstanding websites.

Christina Leakey, Programs Super-visor in the Community Develop-ment Department, has been named the recipient of the 2015 Susan Paxton Block Award for Distin-guished Public Service.

Starbucks, at the Independence Center, held its grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, September 29, 2015.

1-4 yearsNewmark Grubb ZimmerBioLife Plasma ServicesSalon BellissimoGreen Lantern Car WashLunar BowlLegalShield, Kathy King

5-14 yearsBlueologyMother’s RefugeThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

15-24 yearsDeveloping Potential, Inc.Auto Color & Equipment Inc.McDaniel Furnace & Sheet Metal Inc.Recognition PlusRed Carpet ServiceSanta Fe Glass Company IncSilverstein Eye Centers PCV’s Italiano RistoranteCity of Sugar CreekGenerator Sales & InstallBalanced Body Chiropractic Center PCJunior Service League of Independence

25 + yearsHarry S. Truman Library and MuseumFort Osage R-l School DistrictIndependence DermatologyRainbow Natural FoodsScott King, AttorneyIndependence School DistrictBlue Ridge Bank & Trust Co

210 West Truman RoadIndependence, MO 64050

Phone: 816-252-4745Fax: 816.252.4917iCHAMBER.BIZ

Members are the greatest asset of the

Chamber. Please sup-port the businesses listed on this page

because they support and believe in our

community.

Anniversaries

Newsletter design provided by:Kelly Lightfoot660.441.4888

kelly@ampersandbranding.com

Our Business is Business

Core Purpose

To provide leadership

that builds a business

community of excellence.

Vision Statement

The Independence Chamber

of Commerce will be the

premier business organization

in Eastern Jackson County

where public and private

interests collaborate and

are empowered.