NKC Business Council Jan. - Feb. Newsletter

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GOING NORTH NEWSLETTER

JAN-FEB 2017

Issue 150

NKC First

320 Armour rd, suite 220, NKC, MO 64116

816-472-7700

www.nkcbusinesscouncil.com

Meierotto Jewelers

Breaks Ground on NKC Headquarters North Kansas City will soon be able to claim the headquarters of two excellent jewelry businesses: long-time North Kansas City business Helzberg Diamonds with a nationwide footprint, which in 1995 became a part of the Berkshire Hathaway family of businesses, and, now, Meierotto Jewelers, a long-time regional firm with an excellent reputation.

Meierotto Jewelers held a groundbreaking celebration, Thursday, November 17, 2016 for a new 2-story headquarters building in North Kansas City’s Armour Road Redevelopment Area located at Armour Road and Interstate 35. Construction began immediately and the building is expected to be completed late 2017.

According to a recent press release the new building is necessary due to recent business growth. Ted Meierotto was quoted as saying, “We are tremendously excited about this new project.

The prime location will make it easier for our customers from all over the Kansas City area to reach us. And our

approximately 60 acres owned by North Kansas City at the southeast corner of I-35 and Armour Road. Rick Worner of North Kansas City Destination Developers was selected by North Kansas City in May 2016 to develop the remaining property.

Participating in the groundbreaking were (left to right): Ted Meierotto, Carol Meierotto, Jenny Meierotto Henry, Dennis Meierotto, Tyler Meierotto and Emily Meierotto.

larger store will allow us to better serve our customers and to improve on our already unbeatable selection of engagement rings, diamonds, fine jewelry and watches. We also will expand our state of the art jewelry and watch service department to provide the best jewelry and watch repair in the area.” He also gave credit to the City of North Kansas City which “has made an investment in a first-class mixed-use project that will bring new growth and opportunities to the city for years to come.”

Meierotto Jewelers is the first tenant in the redevelopment site consisting of

Meierotto Jewelers is a locally-owned, family business founded in 1979. Meierotto Jewelers is currently located at 4311 NE Vivion Road in Kansas City.

Meierotto Jewelers is one of the leading independent jewelry stores in the United States. Meierotto Jewelers carries the largest selection of diamonds, engagement rings, jewelry and watches in the entire Kansas City area, including many unique and exclusive designs in Kansas City. Meierotto Jewelers was founded in 1979 by Carol and Dennis Meierotto who started their business selling coins at a small shop. They grew the business by providing top quality jewelry, a unique experience, superior service, and fair prices. More information about Meierotto Jewelers is available at www. meierotto.com

$5.00 Discount For Food Purchases at Chappell’s Restaurant & Sports Museum for the first 50 people who email richard@nkcbusinesscouncil.com.

If you are one of the first 50 people who respond, Rich will send you an email that can be used as a coupon at Chappell’s.

Industrial Insights Group The North Kansas City Business Council held its second Industrial Insights Group gathering on December 13, hosted by Lutjen Engineering, A Division of Olsson Associates. The goal of these gatherings is to provide opportunities for owners and key managers of North Kansas City industrial businesses to get together, to learn about each other and to share experiences and advice with each other. David Matthews, Scott Cargill and Darren Hennen, leaders with Lutjen and Olsson, told about the history of their business and the services they provide. A tour of the remarkably restored former “Whitaker Cable Building” was also offered. Lutjen implemented in their own building many of the LEED concepts they advocate for their clients.

North Kansas City has over 800 businesses, many of which primarily serve other businesses and many of which are not very well known outside their own industry and circle of customers and suppliers. Each of these businesses has an owner (or owners) and/or key managers who may, at times, feel isolated from anything except their own business or, if they are fortunate, any passionate hobbies or their families or personal friends.

Even though they may not be in the same industries they have many of the same issues operating their businesses. (e.g. taxes, city ordinances, meeting payroll, finding and retaining enough good employees, employee benefits, salary administration, dealing with utilities, shipping goods in or out (or both), maintaining facilities, planning for expansion or refurbishment of facilities, marketing and effective use of social media, to name a few).

The next Industrial Insights group gathering will be in February, focusing on international business relationships that many North Kansas City businesses engage in.

Chicken N Pickle: North KC’s Rotisserie Chicken Restaurant A new concept, combining a pickleballcentered entertainment hub with a rotisserie chicken restaurant, is now fully open for business at its first location in North Kansas City. The “pickle” in Chicken N Pickle opened this past summer, featuring four indoor and four outdoor pickleball courts, lawn games and bocce balls, fire pit, video wall for watch parties, and a beer garden with concession stand selling such items as Thou Mayest coffee and Greek yogurt with local honey and granola.

The “chicken” in Chicken N Pickle opened Dec. 12 in a half-acre complex at 1761 Burlington St. At the 6,000-squarefoot, freestanding restaurant, customers order, pay and pick up their food at the counter before taking it to-go or finding

a place at the picnic table-style seating.

Employees check on dine-in customers, bringing refills, side items or desserts.

Menu items include wood-fired rotisserie chicken, wings, three sandwiches (pulled pork, fried chicken or grass-fed flat burger with a choice of sweet, dill or spicy pickle), and three salads (Kale Caesar, NKC Powerbowl with farro and quinoa, and the Skinny Cobb), and sides such as hand-cut fries, beets, spicy slaw and Brussels sprouts.

The Chicken N Pickle restaurant seats 254 people in the dining room and bar, and the space includes a fireplace and garage doors that open during nicer weather. The owners are looking at additional locations in such cities as Dallas, Denver, St. Louis and Wichita.

Midwest Aortic & Vascular Institute

The North Kansas City Business Council assisted with a ribbon-cutting and open house for MAVI, Midwest Aortic and Vascular Institute, P. C., on December 14.

MAVI, the area’s largest independent vascular surgery practice, offers office-based procedures at its Northland location at 2750 Clay Edwards Drive, Suite 304. Patients in need of a variety of diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of vascular conditions will be able to have them performed in the Endovascular Suite located within the office in North Kansas City. Eight surgeons are currently NKC Mayor Don Stielow, and City Council- affiliated with MAVI. They are Doctors Karl man Zach Clevenger join Dr. Karl Stark Stark, Robert Carter, Michael Deiparine, James (holding scissors) and other MAVI doctors Foster III, Scott Kujath, Austin Wagner, Mike at the open house.

Waldschmidt and Jonathan Wilson. They specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of artery and vein disease while providing a wide spectrum of interventional procedures. The shift is part of an emerging trend in the nation to offer basic interventional vascular services in an office setting. MAVI also offers services at other locations including Independence, Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Warrensburg, Lexington, Cameron and Kansas City.

Coming Events

• Northland Coffee Connect – every Wednesday at iWerx Enterprise & Entrepreneurial Development Center, 1520 Clay (use the parking lot accessible from 16th Ave at the back of the building), starting at 7:45 a.m.

• First Friday Coffee at Aunt Mary’s Cookies, 309 Armour – Fri, January 6, 7:30 a.m.

• January Monthly Luncheon at Black on Burlington, 1327 Burlington, January 26, 11:30 a.m. (Reservations required) – program by Cerner Corporation and First Hand Foundation • First Friday Coffee at iWerx, 1520 Clay – Fri, February 3, 7:30 a.m.

• February Monthly Luncheon at Black on Burlington, 1327 Burlington, February 23, 11:30 a.m. (Reservations required)

NORTHLAND CAPS PROJECTS AND INTERNS It would be a very short list of businesses in North Kansas City that would not benefit from the creative services of Northland high school students in the various career strands of the Northland CAPS program. The Business Council is among more than 100 employers that will be engaging with Northland CAPS unpaid interns.

The acronym NCAPS stands for “Northland Center for Advanced Professional Studies.” It is comprised of seven Northland school districts working together to support this program. The districts are: North Kansas City, Park Hill, Liberty, Kearney, Smithville, Platte County R-3 and Excelsior Springs. “Classrooms” for five days a week for 2 ½ hours each day in the fall semester are in professional business partners’ settings, not in a school’s classroom. In the spring semester all 300+ students are dispersed to a variety of intern-

ship opportunities throughout the Northland and into other parts of the Kansas City metro area as well.

The process to connect for either a project team or an intern is simple.

Go to the Northland CAPS website www.northlandcaps.org and select “Business Partners.” By clicking on “Info” you will be led to a screen that allows you to select either “Business partner projects” or “Internships.”

Other options, if you are interested, are: “Mentorship” if you would like to offer your services as a mentor or “Site visits” if you would like to offer your business for a site visit.

Northland CAPS is engaged in six career strands: Global Business and Entrepreneurship, Medicine and Healthcare, Technology Solutions, Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing, Digital Media and Design and Global Logistics.

Members Celebrate at The Big Event

North Kansas City Business Council’s The Big Event Reception and Auction on Thursday, December 1, offered members a festive beginning to the holiday season. Much credit goes to Title Sponsor North Kansas City Hospital and the three other major sponsors: Ingredion, Mid-America Contractors and Country Club Bank for helping make this important fund-raiser a success.

An abundance of food and beverage samples was offered by the following generous North Kansas City businesses: Above and Beyond Catering, Aunt Mary’s Cookies, Chappell’s Restaurant & Sports Museum, Cinder Block Brewery, Donut King, Kelso’s, Le Monde Bakery, Pat’s Pub, Paul & Jack’s Tavern and Smokin’ Guns BBQ.

Business-Sponsored Christmas Trees Adorn Downtown NKC Thirty-two decorated trees adorned downtown North Kansas City during the Christmas holiday season, thanks to generous and creative business sponsors whose names are bannered on the trees. Thanks also to the Public Works staff of the City of North Kansas City for putting the trees in place, keeping them watered and then removing them, and to Jennifer Keller with the North Kansas City Business Council for coordinating this community-focused project. Some of the trees were decorated by members of North Kansas City High School groups as a service to tree sponsors. Groups participating this year were: Student Council, Future Educators, Speech and Debate, Future Business Leaders, FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) and the Special Needs class.

trees in either of two categories: Business or Theme. There was a tie for the “Candy Cane Lane” theme: Tnemec Company, Inc. and Edwards McDowell, Inc. Tnemec manufactures coatings and coating systems for exterior and interior environments. Edwards McDowell, owned and managed by Tim Nydegger, designs, installs and maintains HVAC systems. The “Business” theme winner was Aunt Mary’s Cookies (plus cakes and lunches).

New owners Marie and Wes Iles are continuing the excellent service and products of their predecessor Meribeth Boone and are planning to add new items next year.

Edwards McDowell

This tradition is not only a valued amenity that daily workers and residents of North Kansas City enjoy, but it has become an attraction for many city-wide “Christmas Light” tours as well as the annual North Kansas City “Christmas Light Run.” The beneficiary of proceeds from that charity run this year was the North Kansas City YMCA. Sponsors of the trees participated in a contest to determine the most attractive or creative

Tnemec

Aunt Mary’s Cookies

north kansas city business council presidents Level Sponsors Executive Level Sponsors

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Honors to Business and Director of the Year Each year at the annual The Big Event Reception and Auction the North Kansas City Business Council recognizes an outstanding Business of the Year and an outstanding Director of the Year. The honored Business of the Year for 2016 was Stor-Safe Warehouses under the leadership of John Miller, Sr. and John Miller, Jr. The decision to recognize this business was due to the very innovative ways they have chosen to invest in and convert an old warehouse building and an old manufacturing building. The successful outcomes of their significant investments are: 1) the new 30,000 s.f. iWerx Entrepreneurial Development Center, Co-Working space and event venue at 1520 Clay, and 2) the two businesses in the large building at 1501 Howell – RoKC Climbing Gym and Brave Enough Crossfit.

These two bold investments are helping to re-shape the perception of North Kansas City by both those of us who work here and by those who are becoming more aware of North Kansas City because of the attractions offered by the businesses in these two buildings.

John Miller, Jr. and John Miller, Sr.

The Business Council’s

award for Director of the Year was presented to Paul Harrell.

Paul was promoted this year to be Deputy Superintendent for Operations for the North Kansas City School District after many years as the district’s Chief Financial Officer. Paul was an integral part of the school district’s team that offered voters in the district the opportunity to approve a $114 million no-tax increase bond issue which was approved by an overwhelming majority.

Business Council President Tom Hershewe and Paul Harrell.

The bond issue will enable the school district to invest $60 million to enlarge and upgrade North Kansas City High School.

Because of its age – built in the late 1920s – this building does not have many of the amenities and necessities that modern schools require. The impact of this investment will be felt both as an economic boost to North Kansas City during the construction phase over the next two years and in improved and continuing educational opportunities for students attending North Kansas City High School for years to come.