The Downtowners gathered at the Hollywood Room on Wednesday for a festive holiday luncheon meeting.
Above, Bill Zahner, CEO of Kansas City-based A. Zahner Co., was the featured speaker who, among other things, talked about his metal creations that adorn everything from museums in Canada to New York City high-rise condos (he said Martha Stewart lives in one his company worked on and her car is transported up several flights to her door).
Babette Macy, Board President of the Downtowners, welcomed Zahner before he began a presentation that showed clips of many projects the company has completed and is recently finishing up around the world.
For more than 100 years, the Zahner Company has been at the forefront of the architectural metal industry, combining engineering design, art and function. Zahner talked about how his company uses metals such as titanium, steel and copper (one of his favorite) to create one-of-a-kind projects — they did the first Apple store in Soho and the new crown at Royals Stadium.
He said the trademark of his company is its attention to detail.
“If you can make the detail come out, time and time again, that’s what counts,” he said. “Our reputation is our high level of quality, and we never sacrifice that.”
He got several laughs from the group, including one where he told a story about a man who was visiting a building Zahner helped create. The man said, “Can you believe this beautiful façade was made in some podunk place in Missouri?”
Although the company works on projects across the globe, including several recently in Canada and the Middle East, Zahner said the giant metal pieces are created and assembled in the Kansas City plant with the help of designers and engineers.
He said 2009 was a good year, despite the economy.
“We love the work we do and we have a lot of fun,” he said. “We’re adding on … and hopefully growing.”
Above, Gib Kerr (from left), Kathy Schikevitz and Jayne Siemens enjoyed the presentation.
KC CREW and CCIM Holiday Party
Drinks flowed and guests networked as KC CREW and CCIM teamed up for a holiday party after hours Tuesday at JE Dunn’s new downtown headquarters.
Around 150 members and guests enjoyed food from PB&J catering as well as tours of the new building at 11th and Locust.
Most who attended simply enjoyed mingling in the spirit of the holiday season.
“This is always a fun event,” said Linda Laurence, representing sponsor Missouri Bank. “And it’s good for an organization like KC CREW that promotes women in commercial real estate to network, especially with the men in our field.”
Linda Laurence with Missouri Bank, Chris Blair with KC CREW, and Vickie Stewart with Rosemann & Associates
Many attending hadn’t seen the new and impressive JE Dunn building, designed to complement the existing architecture of nearby City Hall, the Federal Courthouse and the Department of Transportation Building.
Mike Specht with CBRE and Teresa Campbell with Trammell Crow enter the new JE Dunn building
As guests entered for the party, they proceeded down a long hallway toward meeting rooms. One boardroom (which not many people saw because it was behind the bar) featured giant round balls of lighting across the ceiling and sleek contemporary furnishings that were the standard throughout the building.
One of the more interesting parts of the evening was learning that JE Dunn designed the first LEED™ Gold certified Corporate Headquarters project in Kansas City. JE Dunn had to recycle or divert at least 75% of all construction waste from the landfill; they had to use energy alternatives to help curb gas usage; and among other things, 10-20% of all materials used in the building will be extracted, processed, and manufactured within a 500-mile radius of Kansas City.
Bess Kessinger with Q10 Triad Capital Advisors (left), Rosana Privitera Biondo, president of Mark One Electric Company, Inc., and John Parker with Q10 were among the sponsors.
Exterior Decorators Sponsor Highlight
Exterior Decorators, a Kansas City- based company, has been maintaining the grounds on both residential and commercial properties for 40 years. Started in 1969 by Tom Schumm (and now run by Kevin Schumm, Tom’s son), the company has increased its reach across the metro by word of mouth alone, regularly being referred out by clients who know and appreciate the extensive care and thorough workmanship of the Exterior Decorators fleet.
A ‘Can Do’ attitude, dedication to continued education and training in grounds maintenance, and an eye on innovations in the industry are some of the services that Kevin Schumm says keeps his company at the forefront of the market locally. Combine that with the focus that Exterior Decorators has on providing the most complete care and cost effective solutions for its clients, and the result is a very satisfied client base, zero at-fault slip and falls, and a return on services that is unmatched by competitors.
