Elizabeth Orosco
Northeast News

Five Egyptian delegates visited the Northeast Chamber of Commerce Friday, April 12, as part of the Global Ties KC and Multi-Cultural Business Coalition Tour Week. An authentic Egyptian breakfast was served as the visitors discussed their roles in Cairo and learned more about Kansas City, its culture, and history.

The Multi-Cultural Business Coalition (MBC) Tour Week was a week of curated programming that provided business education, connections, and strategic resources for Kansas City’s business, professional, and entrepreneurial communities. The program offered policy conversations, procurement events, and networking opportunities.

Global Ties KC, a member of MBC, is a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for face-to-face interactions between international leaders and their American counterparts in Kansas and Western Missouri.

Residents, business owners, and community members were able to get a deeper understanding of Egyptian culture and language while showcasing the diversity and assets of the Northeast community and Kansas City as a whole.
Adrienne Haynes, founder of the Multi-Cultural Business Coalition, said this year they decided to do a full week of events with a diverse group of business professionals.

“We exist to connect the organizations that were designed to serve and support a diverse business community here in Kansas City,” she said. “We were started in 2015 and now we have about 35 members. We meet every other month and share best practices, policies that support our business community, and this year we decided to do a full week of events together. It has been a beautiful week and really shows the collaboration, support, and resources here in the diverse business community.”

The Egyptian delegates in attendance included Ahmed Elbindari, Architectural Heritage Consultant, Ahmed Mohamed, Economics Reporter for the Almassaei Newspaper, Yasmine Nazmy, Managing Editor for Progrss.com, Yahia Mohamed Omar, Senior Editor for the Akher Saa Magazine, and Heidi Shalaby, Director of the Preservation of Historic Areas in Cairo, Egypt.

Omar said his goal at his newspaper is to connect his community, and get residents involved in events happening in downtown Cairo.

Elbindari discussed his role in helping preserve the modern architecture in Cairo, not only just the buildings in affluent downtown Cairo, but also those in neglected, outlying areas that still boast beautiful, historic architecture.
The last portion of the event allowed for questions to flow between delegates and attendees, and vice versa. Kansas City residents asked about the process of preserving historic buildings in Egypt. Shalaby presented a slideshow of the before and after photos of historic buildings, sidewalks, and other various places in downtown Cairo that were rehabbed.

The delegates, who were on the eve of a two-day weekend and free schedule, asked what must-see sites should they visit and experience.

Residents suggested attending a Royals game, riding the KC Streetcar, visiting the Nelson-Atkins Museum, City Market, and other attractions.

The delegates had a full schedule as they visited the Kansas City Department of Planning and Development, the Downtown Council, the UMKC School of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design, and the Urban Neighborhood Initiative.

To learn more about the Multi-Cultural Business Coalition and how it connects Kansas City, visit mbckc.org.