THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE
4TH QTR 2020
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Lee’s Summit’s entrepreneurial spirit attracts forward-thinking business people and makers of all types. Our small-town values and big-time thinking make for a place where the collaboration of hard work and fresh ideas help your business take root and prosper. So whether you’re starting from scratch or taking your business to the next level, the Lee’s Summit Development Center stands ready to guide you through the entire development process, from start to finish.
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Unwavering Community Support Sustains Local Businesses We made it to fall! In a year that can only be compared to a roller coaster, often without a seatbelt, making it to the final quarter feels like an incredible feat. The resilience of our area businesses and Chamber members has truly been made possible by the spirit of the Lee’s Summit community. I’ve seen neighbor helping neighbor and an unwavering support for our local economy. Sentiments that are key to surviving and thriving on the other side of this hurdle. When we get to the other side, I know Lee’s Summit will prove to be a shining example of how to band together and weather an unpredictable storm. As we enter the final stretch of 2020, I am looking forward to the holiday season. This has always been a time to unite, give thanks and give back. I hope to see these characteristics amplified this year. Remember that giving back to your community is as simple as shopping local. I know we are all itching for the ease of online shopping to finish off our Christmas list, but consider how much more impactful your dollars would be to a local business owner. Your purchase might be a catalyst to their continued success. Be thankful for their presence in our community and support them in any way you can. Inside this issue you will find stories of success that will inspire you, they certainly inspire me. I hope you take these stories and carry them with you through the remainder of the year. Know that your community is strong, and your peers have your back. We will get to the other side together.
Yours Truly,
Trisha Goodale Midwest Property Resources, LLC 2020 Chair of the Board
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE
4TH QTR 2020
PUBLISHER Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce CHAMBER PRESIDENT Matt Baird CREATIVE COORDINATOR Jordan Straits _______________________________ EDITORIAL STAFF Jordan Straits _______________________________ CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ronald Kelly, Jason Langston, Dr. Emmanuel Ngomsi, Matt Sanning, Joe Snook and Jordan Straits _______________________________ ADVERTISING For advertising information, contact Jordan Straits at jstraits@lschamber.com or 816.524.2424 _______________________________ PRESS RELEASES Send to tsmith@lschamber.com Publication is paid for by the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce-Matt Baird
CHAMBER STAFF Matt Baird, IOM, President Cathy Young, IOM, Director of Operations Megan Gray, Director of Special Events Taylor Smith, Director of Communications Jordan Straits, Creative Coordinator
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220 SE MAIN STREET LEE’S SUMMIT, MO 64063 816.524.2424 • LSCHAMBER.COM
ARISTOCRAT MOTORS IS PROUD TO BRING AN ICONIC KANSAS CITY BRAND TO LEE’S SUMMIT Lee’s Summit is one of the fastest growing communities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and home to many of our great customers. To serve the pre-owned vehicle buyers in Lee’s Summit we have opened Aristocrat Motors Lee’s Summit. David Hughes, our General Manager, and his professional staff look forward to meeting you and presenting a wide variety of cars, trucks and SUV’s.
704 SE Oldham Court | Lee’s Summit, MO 64081 (913) 677-3300 | aristocratmotorsls.com Member of the Soave Automotive Group
David Hughes General Manager
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By: Emmanuel Ngomsi, Ph.D. All World Languages & Cultures, Inc.
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Pinnacle Bank joins Lee’s Summit Businesses of Character to present this quarter’s Character traits: Oct: Responsibility Nov: Self-Control Dec: Kindness To learn more find us on Facebook @LeesSummit CARES LEE’S SUMMIT prevention - parenting - character
www.LSCARES.org
LSC.Q4.CATALYST AD OCT 2020.indd 1
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By: Jordan Straits
As a Lee’s Summit resident you may not be familiar with the company Polytainers, but more than likely you have come across their products. Maybe even daily. You make your grocery list and head to the nearest supermarket, or perhaps an online shopping cart these days, and you begin clicking through your list of items: Country Crock Spread – check! Silk Yogurt – check! Kraft Parmesan Cheese – check! Philadelphia Cream Cheese – check! Mrs. Fields Cookie Dough – check, check! Recognize a few? Polytainers is the company behind the packaging for these common household products and many more recognizable brands.
paper) and driving up demand for companies like Polytainers. When most companies we’re down scaling, furlowing employees and making conservative moves, Polytainers was hiring! As the demand for more packaging went up so did their need for skilled workers. Watson explained how that is common around manufacturing facilities like Polytainers: “We were encouraged to find more skilled trades people out there and we were able to hire enough people to keep up with demand.”
We sat down with Glenn Watson, Senior Manager of Human Resources at Polytainers to talk about the manufacturing industry, their connection to the food supply chain and Covid-19. Being in the food manufacturing industry, of course, Polytainers was deemed an essential business when Covid hit.
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Business in March was already fairly steady for the company and covid only amplified that. As a result of the stayat-home order people were flooding grocery stores. Out of necessity or maybe because it was the only place people were allowed to go, there they were with grocery lists in hand buying up all the plastic containers (and toilet
Another challenge when Covid hit was increasing safety measures and making sure sanitation regulations were being followed. Both areas are always a focus for the company, but Polytainers took extra measures to ensure new hires and busy production lines always put safety first. In addition to the packaging product they produce, Polytainers is also known in the Lee’s Summit
community for their strong internship program and partnership with MCC. In fact, in our short meeting with Watson he spoke more about the professional development of employees at Polytainers than the containers themselves. It was clear that Watson and the whole Polytainers team takes great pride in training skilled workers. “We are proud to be located in Lee’s Summit! There is great opportunity here to grow skilled workers and develop leadership skills in our employees. The people of Polytainers really drive everything we do!” Remarked Watson. Manufacturing has a reputation for high job turnover, but through their
internship and training programs Polytainers has increased their retention rate considerably. The intern program is a great way to get your foot in the door, learn on the job with a skilled work force and move into a full time position if so desired. In a normal year, Polytainers works with MCC to bring in high school graduates through a number of high school and college recruitments, and also participates in a large Manufacturing Day event every year. However, this year, most of their recruitment efforts have been held virtually. For example, they teamed up with the Missouri Chamber of Commerce this year for a virtual Manufacturing Day on October 2nd.
This month Polytainers celebrates their 30th Anniversary in Lee’s Summit! The company is headquartered out of Toronto, Canada and boasts over 1,000 employees throughout its three locations. When asked about the future of Polytainers, Watson said that there are plans of expanding the company and that they are committed to increasing the expertise of Polytainer employees. To learn more about Polytainers or to view current job opportunities visit their website at polytainersinc.com.
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1. Correct Butter Consistency Butter is the starting point for most baked goods, so make sure to prep it as the recipe suggests. The temperature of the butter will drastically affect the texture of your baked goods. There are three consistencies of butter that baking recipes typically call for: softened, frozen and melted.
2. Make Sure Your Dairy Is room Temperature
3. read the recipe Before Beginning
Most of your baked good recipes will call for room temperature dairy products. If my recipe calls for eggs, milk, butter, sour cream or anything refrigerated, I always take it out of the fridge so it can come to room temperature, because room temperature ingredients emulsify much easier into batter, which creates a uniform texture throughout your baked good, and room temperature eggs (and whites) will add much more volume to the batter.
This seems obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ruined a recipe because I overlooked a step. Reading ahead will help you know the how, why, where, and when of what you are about to do. It will take you 1-5 minutes and could save you from wasting your ingredients (and money!) on a failed recipe.
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4. Weigh Your Ingredients
5. Chill Your Cookie Dough
If you measure two separate cups of flour (using the scoop and level method) and then weigh each cup, you will get two different weight amounts. A small kitchen scale is priceless! It is by far, the most used tool in my kitchen. A gram or an ounce is always a gram or an ounce, but a cup isn’t always a cup. All of my recipes are converted into grams, because precision and consistency is everything.
If you want commercial “bakery style” cookies, always chill your cookie dough. When you chill your cookie dough in the refrigerator, it will decrease the possibility of over-spreading when baking. Chilling your cookie dough will give you thicker cookies while enhancing the flavor as well.
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The 2020 roller coaster of shutdowns and stay-athome orders were a blessing for local insurance agency owner Jason Langston, but not how you might think. During the first days of 2020 Jason and wife, Linda, were about to get tragic news about their youngest son, George. That news was to alter all plans for the next six months. George Langston was six years old in early January and had developed a small bump under his left eye. Originally, the family pediatrician thought it was likely just a result of wrestling and playing with his older brother Jack, age 12, and older sister Reagan, age 8. However, the bump continued to grow. Ultimately, after seeing many doctors and progressing through tests and surgery, the mass under his eye was diagnosed as cancer on January 14. Chemotherapy began for George the following week at Children’s Mercy and would continue each week for the next 6 months. George was also scheduled
for special Proton Radiation therapy in April, which was only available in a few cities in the US. The Langston’s knew one of the biggest difficulties of this treatment path was having to separate the family to undergo the daily treatments for George in another city, while normal life for the other children and Jason’s business remained in Kansas City. Ultimately, George’s treatment was to take him to Rochester, MN at the Mayo Clinic for his proton radiation which would last seven weeks. That is 425 miles away from home, and a hard distance to travel back and forth from home to be with the family. Just as the family was preparing for George’s treatments at Mayo, stay-at-home orders were being issued. As it turns out, by the time George was due in Rochester, stay-at-home orders were in full effect, and the entire family (Jason, Linda, George, Jack, Reagan, two dogs and a cat) were able to go together as a family. The other children had no inperson school to attend. No sports or other activities
to attend. The family was able to be together to rally and support George during his daily grind of treatment. They had a nice home, minutes from the radiation facility, where they were able to be comfortable during their 50 day stay. Jason was able to work remote as many were. The agency staff maintained the daily operation as an essential business and were an awesome support during his absence. His team was incredible during this time with their dedication and support. The agency was blessed to maintain sales and growth, even during the pandemic and Jason’s limited availability due to having such a great team. After months of chemotherapy, several stays in the hospital, daily radiation, and COVID swabs up the nose, George completed his treatment July 24th.
George has proven he is quite the special boy. His bravery and determination were inspirational to many, including Jason and Linda. The support of the community was amazing, and George was encouraged at each step by letters, prayers, and many Facebook messages. #TeamGeorge was amazing to see and supported the Langstons through this difficult time in so many ways. September 8th George returned to school, happy and healthy, for the first time since December, which was incredibly special for the family. While his journey with cancer is still not complete, all signs are positive at this point.
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Four local businesses were recipients of the Lee’s Summit Chamber Truly the Best Business of the Year awards at the monthly membership luncheon on August 21. The four businesses of the year are: Pro Deo Youth Center, BPM Dance Complex, KC Dumpster and Simmons Bank. Congratulations to this year’s award recipients!
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NOT FOR PROFIT 5 OR LESS EMPLOYEES
PRO DEO YOUTH CENTER Pro Deo Youth Center is a teen development center that has existed for over ten years because of their culture of honesty and openness where teens are not afraid to ask for help. A big part of the culture is teaching teens the importance of giving back through service. Twelve service projects were completed in 2019 by the teens and staff members, including street cleanup, work with Hilcrest Thrift Store and KC Pet Project. For the future, Pro Deo plans to increase the capacity of teens served by building their donor base, increasing communication with constituents and being transparent to the stakeholders.
BPM DANCE COMPLEX BPM Dance Complex is an educational performance facility for the dancer that wants to take their dancing to the next level. BPM Dance Complex is all about what is called the 4 Carat Diamond Values. Within a short time, they’ve been asked to participate in the World of Dance TV show for two seasons, won numerous national and international championships and always maintained a goal of helping their kids learn and dance no matter the career path. BPM is like a family and each year they celebrate the staff by having teacher appreciation week, holiday parties and other staff outings thanking them for their dedication.
6-20 EMPLOYEES
KC DUMPSTER COMPANY KC Dumpster Company is the fastest growing sanitation and roll-off service provider in the Kansas City metro area. KC Dumpster is dedicated to giving back to the community they service. They donate containers to a number of charitable organizations including Project Hope, Fellowship Greenwood’s Live to Bless weekend and Little Sisters of the Poor. Employee satisfaction and recognition is a huge part of the culture with KC Dumpster. The employees receive a number of benefits to include “Franklin Friday” where employees are surprised with $100 bills to start their day! Many of their employees come to the company looking for a second chance and find their new “work home.”
20+ EMPLOYEES
SIMMONS BANK Simmons Bank was founded in 1903 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. For more than 100 years, they have worked hard to make customers’ dreams come true. Simmons Bank has a culture and mission that reflects in their commitment to culture cornerstones. All five cornerstones are reflected in everything they do – how we interact with each other, our customers and our vendors and business partners. The bank donates more than a million dollars annually through time, talent and treasure to the communities they serve. Employees at Simmons Bank receives additional PTO hours for volunteering and the bank observes a companywide giving month by encouraging the staff to get out of the office and into the community.
Congratulations to all our 2020 Truly the Best Award winners!
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