Senator Moran lauds Olathe’s growth and vision;
Bonham, Darling, Musgrave, Parker, Poore & TVH Parts Co. honored
OLATHE, Kan., — Perhaps it was only appropriate that recently-opened Embassy Suites Hotel and Olathe Conference Center served as the venue for the 95th Olathe Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting today.
The first full-service hotel to open in the Kansas City metropolitan region since November 2002, it is just one of the many jewels of development that opened or broke ground in Olathe in 2015. According to Chamber CEO Tim McKee, the past year will go down on record as the “best-ever” for the city, and noted optimistically that 2016 could be even better.
“Economic development is a team effort, and to realize the success we did is a result of a dedicated team,” McKee says. “We have a great community, an outstanding education system, excellent services and a desire among leaders to grow opportunities for its citizens. When you have those assets, the conditions are ripe for development. We believe we can build the momentum in 2016.”
The Chamber, Economic Development Council, and the City of Olathe working together on new development, in 2015 there was 1.1 million square feet of new space and 425,000 square feet of infill on existing space, at an investment of more than $157 million, resulting in 1,470 jobs created or retained.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran delivered the keynote address to the nearly 500 attendees, congratulating the business community on its growth and vision in creating opportunities for its citizens. He said Olathe’s true success lies in its people, “who don’t ask what’s in it for me, but what can it do for my neighbor.”
Several service awards were presented to Chamber members:
- Retired businessman Dyce Bonham was named “Citizen-of-the-Year”
- TVH Parts was selected “Corporate Citizen-of-the-Year”
- Harlan Parker was named “Volunteer-of the-Year”
- Kathy Musgrave and Garry Poore were presented with the Bartlett-Olson-Poore Award for recruiting new members.
- Andy Darling was named “Ambassador-of-the-Year”
Award winner biographies and additional information can be found below.
Chairman of the Chamber’s 2015 Board of Directors, Jason Peters of Lathrop & Gage, presented the awards and reviewed the successes and highlights of the last year under his leadership. At the conclusion of the meeting, he introduced Michael Snyder of John Deere as the new chairman of the Board of Directors for 2016.
Olathe Medical Center served as the presenting sponsor of the annual meeting. Other sponsors who made this event possible include: Farmers Insurance Group, Garmin International, Gilmore & Bell, John Deere Company, and Olathe Public Schools.
2015 Citizen of the Year – Dyce Bonham
Dyce Bonham, was born in Horton, Kan. He joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and served on the USS Miller in the Pacific Theatre of War where he was injured and received a medical discharge. Upon completion of his degree in Business and Economics from Ottawa University in 1959, he went to work for the Internal Revenue Service and then transferred to the Small Business Administration. In the 1970’s he started the Kansas Student Loan Program and continued this job until he retired in 1992.
Bonham has been a member and supporter of his church, The Masonic Lodge and Shrine, The Elks, American Legion, VFW and Olathe Medical Center Foundation. Since coming to Olathe in 1960, he has been involved in numerous volunteer activities, including the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Police Advisory Board, Strategic Planning Steering Committee for the City, the Business to Government Advocacy Board for the Chamber and Citizens for Excellence in Olathe Schools.
2015 Corporate Citizen of the Year – TVH Parts
TVH Parts Co. has been a key employer and investor in Olathe. The company encourages team members to be involved in the community and has served in a leadership capacity at the Chamber, the Economic Development Council, Olathe Public Schools Foundation and the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund. TVH joined other leaders to help bring the Boys & Girls Club to Olathe. Olathe serves as the Western Hemisphere Headquarters for TVH, an industrial equipment parts distributor with world-wide headquarters in Belgium. Nearly 500 of the company’s over 800 employees work in Olathe at the company’s modern 600,000 square foot facility on South Lone Elm.
2015 Volunteer of the Year – Harlan Parker
This March, Harlan C. Parker State Farm Insurance will celebrate 37 years of continuous membership in the Olathe Chamber. In that time, Harlan has been an avid supporter of countless Chamber and community sponsored events. A past Chairman of the Chamber Board of Directors, Parker is a graduate of the Leadership Olathe program and was also the recipient of the Chamber’s Volunteer of the Year award in 1994 and Citizen of the Year award in 2013. This past year, Parker served as chair of the Chamber’s new marketing and outreach campaign. He has (and continues to) serve on numerous advisory councils, committees and task forces throughout the community, including the Olathe Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund, the Olathe YMCA and KidsTLC, just to name a few.
2015 Bartlett-Olsen-Poore Membership Achievement Awards
The 2015 Bartlett-Olson-Poore Membership Achievement Award was presented to members who recruited a minimum of $4,000 in new member investments over the course of a year. Bartlett-Olson-Poore Award recipients this year are: Kathy Musgrave and Garry Poore
2015 Ambassador of the Year – Andy Darling
Andy Darling, an agent with Goodman Gravley Insurance Source is a familiar face at Chamber functions. He has been a member since 2002, serving as Ambassador Chair in 2006, the Chairman’s Liaison Committee, a supporter at coffees and ribbon cuttings, and a participant in several membership drives.
About the Olathe Chamber of Commerce
The Olathe Chamber of Commerce is the largest chamber in Johnson County and the second largest chamber in the Kansas City area. It was the first chamber in the state to receive Five-Star Accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – a designation obtained by only 1 percent of the nation’s chambers. Its vision is to be the voice of business that advances the economic well-being and quality of life in Olathe. Its mission is to foster a progressive community through inspired leadership, balanced economic growth, highest educational opportunities and responsive government to ensure a quality family business environment.
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