By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
January 6, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri —Another year has passed for the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and its CEO has much to be proud of.

“Last year was very exciting for us because it included a lot of events both within the community and outside the community in order to bring awareness of the Northeast community,” Bobbi Baker-Hughes, Northeast Chamber CEO, said.

There were the traditional Chamber hosted events — the annual Mardi Gras celebration of Beads, Beans, and Beer; Northeast Chamber’s International Taste and Tour; and the TakeCharge Classes — as well as a few newer events that the Chamber plans to make an annual tradition like World Refugee Day with an international marketplace fashion show, community conversations at the NorthEast Library and multiple after-hours events throughout the community. This past June, the Chamber also celebrated its 21st birthday.

“The Chamber is the managing agent for the Independence Avenue CID and both Boards have worked closely with one another for the continuing assurance of the betterment of the Northeast,” Baker-Hughes said. “The Boards and staff and residents and businesses have done everything they could to continue making the HNE a great place to discover, explore and experience.”

Along with ribbon cutting and hosting events throughout the community, the Chamber and CID also launched the Kiva-Zip micro-loan program as a way to help businesses get off the ground. Baker-Hughes said there will be more of a focus on the micro-loan program this year, as well. And for businesses already off the ground but in need of a touch-up, the Storefront Improvement Rebate [SIR] program became available in 2015.

“We want the Northeast to be the place you make for your business,” Baker-Hughes said. “As we work with more businesses, there’ll be more successes to share.”

There’s no slowing down in 2016, either. Baker-Hughes noted there are great things on both Board’s tables for discussion and implementation. More will begin to happen at the Global Peace Plaza at the intersection of Independence and Hardesty Avenues. The Chamber also plans to revamp its website, adding more stories and photos of businesses in the community.

“As we move forward with the international marketplace, our businesses are excited that the Chamber is promoting their businesses through the concept of an international marketplace in the Historic Northeast,” Baker-Hughes said.

In 2015, the Chamber and CID also took steps to make the Northeast safer and they’ll continue to work on that throughout the next year. The CID has developed a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority [KCATA], authorizing the CID to keep people from loitering at the bus stops. And although it hasn’t been approved by the Board yet, Baker-Hughes also would like to add more cameras along the Avenue, from one end to the other.

“We’ll be able to really see what’s going on along the Avenue then,” Baker-Hughes said.