by Richard Ward
Business topics were the expected and traditional focus of Friday’s Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. However, the presentations weren’t about business as usual.
Innovation in Wyandotte County was in the forefront as community business leaders gathered in the Reardon Center to hear keynote speaker Cathy Clegg, vice president of GM’s manufacturing operations across North America.
Bill Kulhanek, general manager of GM’s Fairfax Assembly Plant, introduced Clegg, but not before a quick visual presentation of Chevrolet models for 2016, highlighted by the silhouette of a “totally new” Malibu, which will be built at the local plant.
Unveiling of the new Malibu will be at the New York Auto Show, set for April 3-12. A simultaneous reveal will be held at the Fairfax plant when the curtains are lifted in New York. “This dual unveiling is a tradition with GM,” Kulhanek enthused, “and if anyone wants tickets, they should contact me!”
Chamber Chair Greg Cotton, Sporting KC’s chief counsel and chief of staff, opened the meeting by citing the many local institutions that are driving innovation by developing an employable workforce. Cotton also announced a “Made in the Dotte” program, designed to showcase the firms who create, build and serve others from their Wyandotte County bases.
“This is a first step in a new effort to highlight local businesses and the economic impact they have on our community,” Cotton noted. Eight firms and their local employees were re-introduced in a powerful video presentation that produced loud and spontaneous applause from the audience.
Featured in the “Made in the Dotte” promotion were General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant, Kellogg, the University of Kansas Hospital, Pentair, A&E Custom Manufacturing, Best Harvest Bakeries, Plastic Packaging Technologies and Original Juan.
“At GM, we are driving innovation primarily to improve the customer experience,” emphasized Clegg, supporting the meeting theme.
“We have invested nearly $11 billion in 35 facilities since emerging from bankruptcy in 2009, retaining 27,000 jobs in the process,” she continued, “and more than $1 billion of that has been in Wyandotte County’s Fairfax facility.”
Clegg emphasized that GM’s ability to build award-wining vehicles was because of the cooperative spirit and dedicated efforts of the members of UAW Local 31, who have actively participated in helping develop many of the company’s innovations, which ultimately get passed along to customers. She also noted that “Cheez-it’s” were a Dotte product, so she was looking forward to return visits as often as possible.
The Fairfax plant was established in 1945 and originally manufactured both automobiles and aircraft on dual assembly lines.
Clegg, a 32-year GM veteran, oversees 55 manufacturing operations in North America, employing 110,600 workers. She has been twice named to the “100 Leading Women in the Auto Industry” by Automobile News.
Greg Kindle, the executive who heads the Chamber and Economic Development Commission, was singled out for praise by Cotton. “Greg has brought a new energy and focus to our continued efforts to promote and grow Wyandotte County,” he observed, “and we are grateful for the work that Greg and his staff have done to help us all achieve our community objectives.”
“Our take-away from this annual meeting,” Cotton concluded, “is to maintain our spirit of optimism while realizing that there is still a lot of hard work that remains to be done!”
