MPIKC Times

Dear Members and Friends,

It occurred to me when I sat down the write this issue's Letter from the President that this fiscal year is quickly coming to an end. 

In January, much like many others out there, I laid out a list of New Year's resolutions that I wanted to accomplish in 2010. In similar fashion, when I took office as your President in July, I had a similar list of goals that I wanted to see our chapter accomplish.

In previous issues I have listed many of the amazing successes that our chapter has seen over the past 10 months. What I have not done publically is thank our board members, chairs, committees and individual volunteers for all their hard work and dedication that made these successes possible for our chapter.

This organization could not succeed with out the passion and drive of its volunteers. When I sit here and think about the dozens of dedicated members that we have, I am humbled by your continued and unwavering support of our chapter.

I know that I cannot list every volunteer by name, to do so would make this a VERY long Letter from the President. However, I can make everyone aware of the countless man hours that have been put in by members of this organization to help keep things running smoothly each day. Below is just a glimpse of what our volunteers have accomplished:

• Creating and managing the monthly educational programs
• Balancing our chapter budget
• Securing sponsorships
• Managing new and exciting chapter fundraising opportunities
• Recruiting new members and students
• Retaining current members
• Hosting membership receptions
• Updating job bank
• Providing scholarships for our chapter members
• Writing and developing grant projects for the chapter
• Developing leaders
• Mentoring peers
• Visiting local colleges and universities
• Mentoring CMP candidates
• Managing this newsletter
• Developing the membership directory
• Building succession plans and managing committee lists
• Updating and managing our chapter website and social media outlets
• Planning our chapter's social functions (holiday party, golf, awards banquet, happy hours and dine-around)
• Providing new and innovative ways to education our chapter at PEC

This list above doesn't even scratch the surface, but it gives you an idea of the dedication of our volunteers. I want to take this time to say a giant THANK YOU to each and every chapter volunteer. I am truly blessed to have had such stellar group behind me for this past year. I look forward to continuing to work with each of you in the future. KUDOS to each of you for all your accomplishments!

12 Years
Michelle Crowl, Senior Corporate Marketing Coordinator, DST Systems, Join Date: 4/1/1998

10 Years
Tracy Orpin, CMP, Independent Contractor, Join Date: 4/14/2000

9 Years
Wanda DeArmon, MSM, President, Corporate Meeting Solutions, Join date: 4/24/2001

6 Years
Cynthia Patterson, CMP, Senior Sales Manager, Doubletree Hotel Overland Park, Join Date: 4/27/2004

5 Years
Ann Neighbors, Executive Chef/Owner, Renee Kelly's LLC, Join Date: 4/4/2005

4 Years
Michael Garner, Regional Manager, Visual Aids Electronics, Join Date: 4/4/2006
Karen Sutton, Sales Manager, Titanic Branson, Join Date: 4/12/2006

3 Years
Mandy Petzold, Training Administrator, CBIZ MHM, LLC, Join Date: 4/23/2007
Alton Hagen, CMP, DMCP, General Manager, Agenda: Kansas City, Inc., Join Date: 4/30/2007

2 Years
Susie Mogren, Join Date: 4/2/2008
Sarah Morrissey, CMP, Events Manager, Vista Productions, Inc., Join Date: 4/8/2008
Renee Price, Sales Manager, The Lodge of Four Seasons Golf Resort & Spa, Join Date: 4/15/2008
L. Burkhart, Director of Sales & Marketing, Grand Plaza Hotel, Join Date: 4/17/2008
John Kirby, Team Leader,Swank Audio Visuals, Join Date: 4/21/2008

1 Year
Melinda Dabney,Sales Manager, Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, Join Date: 4/10/2009
Staci Maples, Sales Manager, Adams Pointe Conference Center, Join Date: 4/10/2009
Cindy Laluk, Sales Manager, Sheraton Suites Country Club, Join Date: 4/22/2009

New Tea Company to be Featured at Designer Showhouse

Among the artwork and home decor showcased at the Symphony Designer Showhouse this spring, visitors will also discover a new line of teas.

Marlys Arnold and her husband, Alan, recently launched their own brand, Adventures with Tea. "We're not your grandma's tea," she said. "We know there are a lot of people who have preconceived stereotypes about tea, and our goal is to show that it's anything but boring."

The Arnolds encourage customers to experiment with their teas, combining flavors to create something new, or using them in everyday recipes from desserts to main dishes. There are already a number of recipes featured on their website, www.adventureswithtea.com, as well as cooking videos on a YouTube channel. The couple is available for tea tasting events, in-home demonstrations, and fundraisers.

Adventures with Tea will be featured in the Designer Showhouse Mother's Day Tea, and will be included in the boutique throughout the month-long event. The Showhouse is located at 5833 Ward Parkway, and opens on April 24.

• Business Growth and/or Sustainability – We have to have exhibited revenue or employment growth or sustainability as appropriate to industry and current economic conditions.
• Employee Relations – We have to strive to provide competitive employment benefits, recruit and maintain a diverse workforce and establish a culture that values the business and community.
• Community Service – We need to be a company involved in community service at all levels, including the giving of our time and financial resources.

• Dean Machinery
• Faultless Starch/Bon Ami
• Kansas City Structural Steel
• Ripple Glass
• A2MG/Sellers & Marquis Roofing Company
• Mars PetCare
• O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.
• DaVinci Reprographics Inc.
• Auto Refinish Distributors
• Commercial Sales, Incorporated
• Bill Moulder, Special Recognition Award
• Lee Derrough, KCIC Resolution of Thanks
• Jill Quinn, Forrest D. "Frosty" Langdon Award

KCIC's annual event featured a dynamic panel discussion moderated by Michael Mahoney, which examined the factors impacting Kansas City's Industrial Future. Local experts discussed environmental, financial and social factors that will help Kansas City's industrial sector thrive in the next decade. Panelists included:

• Joe Close, Country Club Bank
• Dennis Murphey, KCMO Environmental Officer
• Mike Utz, RippleGlass
• Tom Roberts, cfm Distributors and KCIC President

Spring is here and it's time to get out and mingle with your fellow KCMPI members! We've got a couple of great opportunities coming up to do just that! April 29th is our next Membership Reception, and as usual, we've kicked it up a notch. This time, we're combining it with the KCMPI volunteer recognition program at Club 1000. It's the perfect way to honor both current members and potential members and give everyone the chance to meet everyone else!

For questions or  more information about the Volunteer Recognition & Membership Reception, contact Andrea Bauer at (816) 997-1107 or andrea.bauer@epic-kc.com.

Contact Carolyn Sterbenz at (913) 221-3483 or csterbenz@prestigeresorts.com or Jenny Forsythe at (816) 885-6740 or jforsythe@prestigeresorts.com.

April 29, 2010 – Member Reception and Volunteer Recognition at Club 1000

May 13, 2010 – Golf Tournament – Drumm Farm Golf Club
Coming soon to a green near you! Get your clubs and hit the greens for the annual KCMPI Golf Tournament. New this year: We'll be hosting this event in the spring, so mark your calendar!

June 18, 2010 – KCMPI Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet – Faulkner's Ranch
Save the date for a Round UP of Winners at KCMPI's Annual Awards Banquet. This year we will converge on the serene lakeside setting of Faulkner's Ranch for a unique "couture cowboy" experience. Please plan to join us for this special evening honoring our exceptional volunteers of 2009-2010!

• Tell it quickly
• Use poetic license
• Add some humor
• Be true, specific, simple and experiential
• Practice, practice, practice!

At the end of the program, Sue chatted with attendees and signed her book, as pictured here.

Following the program, the Crowne Plaza gave KCMPI an amazing food and beverage experience. It was top-notch with delicacies to tempt all!

Special thanks to our sponsors the Crowne Plaza Kansas City Downtown and Agenda:Kansas City, who sponsored Sue's airport transfers.
 
For more information on SpeakerSue, visit www.speakersue.com or email sue@speakersue.com.

• Agenda Kansas City
• Lidia's Restaurant
• Terrace on Grand
• 1617 Event Space
• The Berg Event Space
• Delish! Catering
• Bella Bree Photography

If you are lucky, you have a job that you actually like. It doesn't mean you have to like it all the time, but on balance if you wake up each day excited to go to work, you are truly blessed.
 
What makes our jobs exciting? I think that list is different for different people. Some respond to challenge, some respond to recognition, some respond to knowing they make a difference. For me, I tend to respond to the relationships I make and keep through my job. When I work for and with people I respect ... people who I can learn from and teach, it makes my day worthwhile.
 
One relationship I've made over this last year is with my fellow KCMPI member, Maria Davis. Maria has been absolutely brilliant putting together the newsletter. It is a big job and not one that is always appreciated enough. Not all members can attend every meeting, but every member can benefit from the connection made through this newsletter. Maria has done a great job from a remote location and I truly appreciate it.
 
Given the huge scope of this job, Maria recently let the Board know that she would need to hand over the baton to another. Enter Debra Sweeten. Debra immediately stepped up to take on the huge task.
 
The appreciation I feel for Maria and Debra in particular, and for so many of the KCMPI members in general, cannot be stated strongly enough. They make work fun, and who can ask for more than that?

Lori Torec - VP, Communications - LTurec@fivestarspeakers.com

Debra Sweeten - Newsletter Chair - debra.sweeten@yahoo.com

Phil Allemang - Director of PR and Marketing - phila@cam-inc.com