Leadership Exchange

Other cities typically are facing issues similar to what KC is facing.

How can we learn from them? How are communities like Boston, Dallas, Nashville, or Denver working to keep their cities vibrant and growing?

Each year, the KC Chamber takes a delegation of more than a hundred business leaders, elected officials, and nonprofit officials to a city to study the best practices in crime prevention, economic growth, transportation, health care, and other challenges.  It’s an opportunity to learn, to contrast those cities with our own, and to network with leaders from throughout the KC region. 

The Chamber’s first Leadership Exchange was in 2003 when the KC Chamber escorted 55 regional leaders to Pittsburgh, PA for a look at downtown redevelopment, arts investment, philanthropy, and sports stadiums. In 2024, 175 went to Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Past

Leadership

Exchange

Cities

2024

Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

Regional cooperation, public safety and justice, innovation in early education and childcare, retaining Fortune 500 companies, lessons from the Center for Economic Inclusion, sports stadium journey

2023

San Antonio

Port San Antonio, Pre-K for SA, Ready to Work, UTSA Downtown Growth

2022

Detroit

Economic redevelopment, downtown revitalization, workforce development, reconnecting Detroit with interstate highways.

2021

Salt Lake City

Workforce development, regional transit planning, partnering with state leaders, immigration reform, community visioning and leadership.

2019

Nashville

Business to education impact, regional collaboration, downtown vitality, and healthcare.

2018

Denver

Regional collaboration, workforce development and business-education partnerships, transportation and innovating mobility, and scientific and cultural facilities.

2017

Boston

Innovation ecosystems, K-12 and higher education reform measures, and collaboration between higher education and business, crime and

2016

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX

Sports Economy, entrepreneurism, transportation, airport development, riverfront development, philanthropy.

2015

Portland, OR

Millennials, bi-state regionalism, transit-oriented development, airport redevelopment, higher education impact.

2014

Silicon Valley

Entrepreneurism, higher education-community collaboration, impact of tax structures, Millennials.

2013

Baltimore

Race relations, entrepreneurism, economic development, urban redevelopment.

2012

Austin

Leadership, entrepreneurism, transit planning, wellness, energy sustainability, higher education.

2011

Charlotte

Regionalism, economic development, growth/impact of an urban university

2010

Indianapolis

Regionalism, biosciences, community branding, community leadership, higher education, water infrastructurew

2009

Nashville

K-12 community investment, healthcare, higher education, race relations, downtown performing arts center

2008

Denver

Regionalism, transit, leadership, community branding, community consensus-building

2007

Minneapolis

Regionalism, transit, downtown redevelopment, performing arts facilities, K-12 innovations

2006

Seattle

Regionalism, climate protection strategies, community concensus-building, downtown development

2005

Cincinnati

Bi-state relations, economic development, race relations, healthcare innovations, creating a united arts fund

2004

San Diego

Downtown redevelopment, downtown stadiums, bio sciences, K-12 innovations

2003

Pittsburgh, PA

Downtown redevelopment, regional Asset tax, downtown stadiums, arts district, philanthropy