Registration open for
State of County Luncheon
Don’t forget to put the State of the County Luncheon on your calendar. The annual luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4 at the Overland Park Convention Center. The deadline for reservations is Monday, March 27. Individual tickets are $50 and a corporate table of 10 is $550. Register today.
Chick-fil-A Supply to open distribution center in Olathe
The State of Kansas and the City of Olathe with the Kansas City Area Development Council announced today that Chick-fil-A Supply, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chick-fil-A, Inc., and distribution service provider of the fast-food chain’s restaurants, plans to build a distribution center in the Olathe.
The company plans to invest $31 million in the market distribution center, creating more than 60 jobs. The facility will be located at Lone Elm Commerce Center in Olathe, developed by Frontier Real Estate Investment, formerly Heise-Meyer.
Read more about the announcement here.
Join us for a Chamber Social in
two weeks
The first Olathe Chamber of Commerce Social of the year is coming in two weeks. Please join us for the Chamber Social from 3:30 – 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 30.
March’s Chamber Social will take place at the Crazy Good Barbecue, 16695A 151st St. We can’t think of a better setting for our new networking opportunity on what is sure to be a wonderful spring afternoon.
Our weekly Chamber Coffee sponsors are Country Club Bank, Olathe Health, ServPro and Xfinity.
YOPro is back with event in two weeks
The Young Olathe Professionals are back! Make plans to join us to celebrate the return our popular YOPro from 3:30 – 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28 at Tall Trellis Brewery.
The first YOPro event will be all about networking. We’ll reconnect, toast to our return, tackle some brain-stirring riddles and win a few prizes.
We’re excited to re-engage with the younger members of the Olathe Chamber of Commerce (and the young at heart). This is the first of what will be monthly meetings of the YOPro group. Beginning in March, YOPro will meet the fourth Tuesday of each month. Stay tuned for more great events coming later this year.
A big thanks to Enterprise Bank & Trust, our 2023 YOPro sponsor.
This event is free, but please register today so we know who’s coming. We can’t wait to see you on March 28.
Join Leadership Olathe alums for serve and social event
Please join the current Leadership Olathe class and alumni for our first Serve and Social. This event will take place from 4 – 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 23 at Heart to Heart International, 11550 Renner Blvd.
The first hour will be focused on giving back to the community, followed by a social hour to network with fellow Leadership Olathe alums. From 4 – 5 p.m., we’ll be preparing medical aid kits. At 5 p.m., we’ll have a social hour and hear from Dr. Gary Morsch, founder of Heart to Heart International. Tours of the facility will be available after 6 p.m.
Hope to see all current Leadership Olathe classmates and alumni there. There’s no cost for the event, but we ask the current class and alums to RSVP here.
Grab a booth at the Garmin Olathe Marathon expo
The Garmin Olathe Marathon is coming up on April 22. As the big day quickly approaches, the annual Holmes Murphy Garmin Olathe Marathon Packet Pick-up and Expo on April 20-21 is a perfect opportunity to promote your business.
For more information or to inquire about expo sponsorship opportunities, please contact Susie Carson.
This year’s Garmin Olathe Marathon, organized by the Olathe Convention & Visitors Bureau, will start and finish at Garmin International at 151st and Ridgeview.
The April 22 event will feature the largest full-marathon and half-marathon in the state of Kansas, a 10K, the Munchkin Marathon, and the CenterWell Senior Walk. Register here and join in on the fun.
Advertising opportunities available in Olathe Visitors Guide
Advertising sales for the Olathe Convention & Visitors Bureau visitors guide have begun.
More than 10,000 guides are printed and given to sports teams, corporate travelers, conference attendees and leisure travelers. There’s also a digital version of the guide that we share across the area and region.
Our partner, MetroMedia Publishers, will be reaching out to members to offer advertising opportunities in the guide. This is an excellent chance to promote your business and be visible with an engaged audience. For more information on advertising, contact Kathy Moore at MetroMedia Publishers.
WHAT'S NEW
Olathe Arts Festival headed to downtown Olathe this fall
The news about downtown Olathe just keeps getting better and better. The City of Olathe is proud to present the Olathe Arts Festival in Downtown Olathe this October.
The Olathe Arts Festival provides individuals and families an awesome and enriching experience that inspires and celebrates the arts. In addition to being a juried art competition, the festival will bring patrons downtown to meet the artists and purchase their work, while enjoying local flavors, live music and entertainment and fun art activities for all.
Mark your calendars and check here for more information.
Vote for Garmin Olathe Marathon; time is running out
We know the Garmin Olathe Marathon and the companion Munchkin Marathon are a couple of the best events in the area, but know we need to let everyone else know.
That’s right, it’s time to vote early and vote often. The Garmin Olathe Marathon has been nominated for the USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Contest for the Best Marathon and the Munchkin Marathon has been nominate for the Best Fun Run.
Be sure to vote. Voting is open now and ends on Monday, March 27. You can rock the vote here and of course we encourage you to share the contest URL with your social network. The public can vote once per day, per category.
Explore KC with KC Kid Friendly Trip
The KC Kid Friendly Trip is a free way to explore Kansas City! Download the OtoCast app on your phone and start exploring. Get out and enjoy some stops throughout KC that are for the young (and young at heart). Be sure to stop by Calamity Line Park near K-7 and Santa Fe to check out Olathe’s kid friendly spot on the trip. Earn three badges along the way and be entered to win a $250 prize. Check out more information here.
OUT & ABOUT
Peter Piper Pizzeria Chamber
Ribbon Cutting
15139 W. 119th St.
CHAMBER CONNECTION
Latino students and their parents/guardians are invited to a free, bilingual information session about how to prepare for college. The Latinos to College Kansas event will take place from 9:30 a.m. – noon on Saturday, March 25 at K-State University – Olathe, 22201 W. Innovation Dr. There will be a resource fair, breakout sessions and a panel discussion. Check here for more info on the event.
Save the date for the Johnson County Community College Continuing Education Business Breakfast Series event from 7 – 9 a.m. on April 19. More information about the event, “Reboot Retention: Hiring & Inspiring the next Generation-FTW” can be found here.
There are fantastic teachers and staff at the Olathe Public Schools. They want to share that with the rest of the school district. Nominate a teacher or staff member for an award from the Olathe Public Schools Foundation (OPSF). Each month the OPSF recognizes two educators with the Educator Excellence Award and two classified staff members with the Classified Employee Excellence Recognition Award. Both awards include a cash award of $500. Nomination forms are available on the OPSF website. It’s easy and only takes a few letters of support. Questions? foundation@olatheschools.org or 780-8222.
AdventHealth welcomed leading cardiologist Michelle Dew, MD, FACC to the health system’s growing Heart and Vascular Institute. Check out more here.
DID YOU KNOW
Are you too busy to make it to all of our networking events? Make the most of your Olathe Chamber of Commerce membership by engaging with us online through our social media channels. See more here. It’s your membership. Own it.
A LOOK AHEAD
NOTE: You can reach the Olathe community and beyond through the Chamber’s online calendar of events. Members can complete the online form and then submit their events online for approval by staff. If you have multiple day events, a form must be submitted for each day. Listings must meet the established criteria.
Also, if the Olathe School District is closed due to inclement weather, the event will be cancelled.
March 16 – No Chamber Coffee this week.
RECENT CHAMBER MEMBERS
COUPONS AND DISCOUNTS
Please send us the names and e-mails of members you know who might not be receiving this e-newsletter or other Chamber e-communications. We do not yet have e-mail addresses for every member representative. Also, please forward this e-newsletter to others you know who might like to be included in our every-Tuesday distribution!
Don’t forget to add webmaster@olathe.org to your address book so we’ll be sure to land in your inbox!
©2023 Olathe Chamber of Commerce
Happy π day!