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Board Member
The Michael Blau Agency believes in giving back to the community. Therefore, it has been our pleasure in the past seven years to be actively involved and sponsor Chamber events, such as Businsess Before Hours. Additionally, we have enjoyed serving on many Chamber committees including: Education, Public Relations, and Memberships. For that reason, it is an honor to serve on the 2008 Board of Directors.
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Board Member
Culbertson Properties owns and manages commercial property in downtown Lee’s Summit and has been a member of the Chamber since 1988. Carole Culbertson is a CPA with over 25 years of experience working in both public accounting and private industry. She grew up in Lee’s Summit, attending the public schools K-12, and has witnessed the vast growth in the business sector of Lee’s Summit. Carole firmly believes and practices the Shop, Dine, and Play in Lee’s Summit. She is an active member of Downtown Lee’s Summit Mainstreet, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of downtown Lee’s Summit. She is also a member of the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants.
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Vice Chair of Community Development
An active member of the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce, Becky Freetly- Graber is a board member and sits on the public relations committee. She is also a member of the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation advisory board, a member of the Longview Foundation board and is a graduate of the 2006-2007 Leadership Lee’s Summit program. Becky was awarded the New Member of the Year in 2005 by the Lee’s Summit Chamber, and was named 2007 Woman of the Year by Lee’s Summit Business and Professional Women. Becky is a partner in candid marketing agency, a strategically creative full-service marketing firm. When she’s not focused on being candid, Becky and her husband Mark enjoy spending time with family and playing with their yellow Labrador retriever Sadie and chocolate Labrador retriever, Charlie.
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Bob Glaser is Vice President of Development for Summit Bank of Kansas City where he also serves as the “bank concierge” – a program he started. Before joining Summit Bank of Kansas City, he managed Kirkwood Properties, a 10 acre DST Development and enjoyed a successful career as a senior manager for several large Sears retail stores in the Kansas City area. In 1994, he founded the Truman Heartland Community Foundation where he served as its first president. Bob continues his mission to give back to the community by volunteering his time to a variety not-for-profit organizations while serving as liaison for the bank on many boards and foundations.
An avid golfer, Bob and his wife Alyssa enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren. He also holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.
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Board Member
Steve Gouldsmith is founder and principal of First Star Financial Group, a company that develops unique, innovative working capital solutions for small & medium-sized businesses, which are tailored to the cash flow needs for each business. First Star Financial Group has been a Chamber member since 2003, when it realized it needed to be part of the thread that makes up this great community. Since that time, some of the best relationships have been created and fostered (both personally and professionally), and Steve has been active within the Chamber because relationally and community-wise, it “just makes sense”. Steve’s involvement in the Chamber has been as a Chamber Ambassador, Co-Chair and Chair of the Membership Committee, as well as on the Healthcare Committee. He was part of the initial creation of the Emerging Entrepreneurs Committee, of which he still serves, and is currently on the Educational Committee as well. In 2004, Steve had the honor of receiving the New Member of the Year Award, and was elected to the 2008 Board of Directors for the Chamber.
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Melinda Hadley-de Boer has been a Lee’s Summit resident for over 17 years with her husband, Hermann de Boer and two children, Madeleine and Ian. She is also the co-founder of The Culture Coaches, a boutique training and management consulting firm specializing in corporate culture. Melinda brings over 20 years of experience in the human resources field focusing on training and organizational development, performance management and employee relations and recruiting. Melinda has been a member of The Lee’s Summit Chamber for 5 years and has actively participated in the Emerging Entrepreneur Committee. She thrives on continuous improvement and professional development and can be seen at many Recess for Success and Wake up to Success workshops. When not involved in chamber activities, Melinda also volunteers at her son’s school, Underwood Elementary, shelving library books like Where the Wild Things Are and When You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Melinda looks forward to sharing her creativity, energy and passion in her new Board role.
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Board Member
Geoff Hill has been actively involved with the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce since 2003 as the director of group sales for Paradise Park, Inc.
As Kansas City’s premier family destination, Paradise Park is the only facility in the Midwest to offer both a children’s edutainment center and a family entertainment center on the same site. In 2004, Paradise Park won the Golden Token Award as the best new or renovated family entertainment center, selected from more than 20,000 facilities worldwide. Paradise Park won the Small Business of the Year Award from the Lee’s Summit Chamber and the Fast Track Award from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2006.
Geoff has been a member of the public relations committee since 2003, serving as chair in 2007. The public relations committee reviewed and steered the new branding campaign, Business in Motion. In addition, he helps coordinate the annual Family Fun Days event for the Lee’s Summit Visitor’s Council, and participates in the Chamber’s Recess for Success and X-treme Networking programs. He is a member of the Leadership Lee’s Summit class of 2008.
Geoff graduated from the University of Missouri in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and earned a master’s degree in sports administration and facility management from Ohio University in 1994. Prior to joining the Paradise Park staff, he worked in the public relations office for the Kansas City Royals two years and served as the sports information director and director of marketing and promotions for the UMKC athletics department for nine years. He and his wife, Rexanne, reside in Lee’s Summit along with their daughter, Morgan.
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Carolyn P. McKnight is the director of the University of Central Missouri-Summit Center, located in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Ms. McKnight has been with the University of Central Missouri (UCM) since 1996, and has served as director of the UCM Summit Center from its inception in 2000. Her main focus is to bring degree programs and other educational opportunities to Lee’s Summit, and promote the university’s initiatives within the Kansas City metropolitan area. Ms. McKnight is proud of the UCM Summit Center’s nine year commitment to the Lee’s Summit Chamber, which includes having a representative on the Education Committee, being a Silver Sponsor, and participating in Chamber events. This past May, the UCM Summit Center staff was delighted to receive the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce Top 3 Businesses of the Year Award (Sanctimonia Division). As a committed member to the community and her profession, Ms. McKnight also serves as co-vocational chair for the Lee’s Summit Sunrise Rotary Club, and as a Commissioner for the University of Continuing Education Association. She resides in Lee’s Summit with her husband, Spencer.
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Board Member
Jane Monroe has been a partner at Gomer's Fine Wine & Spirits for three years. She and her staff work hard to create a small town atmosphere in the store and know their clients names and preferences. Gomer's is an education based liquor store which uses weekly tastings to help customers understand their tastes. Jane has a Business Administration Degree and spends her free time with her husband Russ and four kids.
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Emmanuel Ngomsi, Ph.D. is president of All World Languages and Cultures, Inc., a Lee’s Summit based training and consulting company specializing in intercultural communication, international relocation, domestic and global diversity education, teambuilding facilitation, strategic planning, and language services (translations, interpreting and instruction) in more than 50 languages.
Emmanuel’s started his carrier as culture and language specialist with the U.S. Peace Corps in Africa, which allowed him the opportunity to come, work and live in the USA for almost two decades. He is a teacher and school administrator who has taught Cameroonian, French and US-American students from elementary grades to University level.
Emmanuel has been a member of the Lee’s Summit Chamber for 7 years. During his tenure with the Chamber, he served in the Membership Committee and the Educational Committee. Having lived and worked in many countries and in three continents, he finds the Lee’s Summit community very welcoming and praises the community leaders for being proactive in resolving social issues. Dr. Ngomsi serves on the Advisory Board of the Lee’s Summit Community of Character; he is member of the Business Sector of Lee’s Summit Cares, and is currently a member of the Lee’s Summit 360 Strategic Planning Process. He also serves on the Lee’s Summit Martin Luther King Celebration Committee organized by the City of Lee’s Summit Human Relations Commission. Emmanuel frequently volunteers at the Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation, and in the Lee’s Summit R-7 schools where he speaks to students on issues of Cultural Diversity, International Studies, and Character Education.
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Board Member
Robert Pendland is co-founder and Chief Information Officer of Acceleration L.L.C., a Contract Research Organization (CRO). Robert has 27 years of experience in electronic repair, communications, and information technology with a BS in Business and Computer Information Systems. Acceleration provides product development, analytical methods, testing, and marketing for the pharmaceutical industry. It was founded on principles of the late Ewing Kauffman who believed that we should treat others like we would want to be treated, share the rewards with those who make us successful, and give back to the community. Acceleration has been a member of Lee’s Summit Chamber since 2004 and has won awards to include Kansas City Small Business Monthly annual 25 Under 25 Award, chosen number one by Ingram's Magazine in their Corporate 100 report for the fastest growing company from 2004 to 2007, and the Missouri Chamber’s 2008 Fast Track Award.
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Board Member
Dan Rexroth joined John Knox Village in 1990 as executive director of the Village Care Center. He was promoted to vice president of the Village's health services division in 1991 before becoming Village president in March, 2001. Dan has been an integral member of several professional board and committees such as Caring Communities Insurance Company, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, Continuing Care Accreditation Commission, Missouri Association of Homes for the Aging, and the Ethics Commission - American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
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Alicia Ruhl, president of Design Pfile, enjoys wearing a few hats in Lee's Summit. With husband Ryan and baby Anaya, the Ruhls have called Lee's Summit home for 4 years now. In addition to building their design agency, the Ruhls stay involved with PEO International, church and family activities. Alicia was named New Member of the Year in 2007, and enjoyed her position as Young Professional Chair in 2009. She's proud to be a part of Missouri's number one Chamber!
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Board Member
Debbie Starke is executive director of the Eastland Community Foundation, which is a regional affiliate of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, where she is vice president of Donor Relations. Debbie joined the Community Foundation in 2005 and works with donors to help them maximize their charitable assets and accomplish community impact. She has been a Chamber member since 2005, graduating from the Leadership Lee’s Summit program. Debbie was also involved with the Lee’s Summit 360 planning process and works with Eastland’s Healthy Lifestyles Task Force, which mirrors some of the goals of the 360 plan.
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Jeffrey has been in the employee benefit industry for over 10 years. He began his benefits career working for Aetna as a sales representative and later as an account manager. Understanding how insurance companies work has given Jeffrey a great perspective with which to advise and service his clients. He is passionate about helping people and businesses become better educated about their benefits and finding cost-saving solutions.
Jeffrey is also active in the Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce serving on the Business Development Council and Young Professionals Group. He was born and raised in Carroll, Iowa. Got his degree at SMS in Springfield, MO and now resides in Raymore, Missouri with his wife and three young sons.
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