The Olathe Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Luncheon, presented by the University of Kansas Health System and Olathe Health, took place last Friday and, man, what a day. We showed why our vision is becoming a reality, and it was evident as we shared all the great things going on in Olathe.
We welcomed nearly 400 attendees to the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center to network with friends and peers, learn more about why Olathe continues to be the place where individuals and businesses want to be, and hear about some of those who had the biggest influence on our community in 2024.
A huge thank you to Heartland Coca-Cola’s Junior Bridgemen for sharing his entrepreneurial journey with attendees in his visionary conversation with our Board Chair, Gina Riekhof.
Riekhof then shared our successes from 2024 and relayed some great new about the continued redevelopment of our downtown with the announcement of Austin’s anchoring the new Johnson County Commons. Also, new Chair Shane Edwards shared his vision for this year, which included continuing work on the new economic strategic plan, travel and tourism, workforce development through a more defined small business expo, increase membership and work to develop more high-tech talent in the area.
Several service awards were presented to Chamber members:
- David Spittal was named Citizen of the Year
- Atmos Energy was named Corporate Citizen of the Year
- Tom Latendresse was named Dana Ketterling Volunteer of the Year
- Dennis Newton was named Ambassador of the Year
A huge thank you to our presenting sponsor, the University of Kansas Health System/Olathe Health. Also, thanks to Country Club Bank, Garmin International, Gilmore Bell, Heartland Coca-Cola, McCownGordon Construction, Olathe Public Schools, Terracon and Nabholz Construction for their support. Our award sponsors were, Johnson County Community College, Kansas State University – Olathe, KVC Health Systems, and VanTrust Real Estate.
