Years of working as a substitute teacher, various positions at Hallmark’s corporate location and volunteer roles on many different boards in the Platte City area, including the Pirates cheerleading board have given Stephanie McKinley work and community experience in varied professions.
She was recently named as the assistant executive director for the Platte City Area Chamber of Commerce and with her extensive knowledge and contacts in the community she is excited about her new role.
Stephanie McKinley
“I know people on the chamber and I saw a job posting come available recently,” McKinley said. “It really aligned with what I’ve done in the past as far as fundraising and I thought it would be a good fit. I’m looking forward the most to meeting more people in our community.”
She went to school in Platte City and although she knows many people in town from school and volunteer fundraising, she admits the community has grown so much, so quickly that even though she had a pretty good idea of what’s going on her new job will give her the opportunity to expand her knowledge of community events and business news.
“I thought it would be nice to know specifically what’s going on in our community,” McKinley said. “I felt like I had a pulse on that already, but I feel like this is going to be a great opportunity to meet even more people that are engaged in the community.”
The Celebration of Business that the Chamber is hosting at the end of February will honor and pay tribute to the local companies that have been in business and served the community for many years.
“It’s giving back to them and letting them know they’re appreciated and that we’re happy they’re here in our community and that they’re thriving,” McKinley said.
The Chamber board members and ambassadors also host luncheons with speakers who keep people updated on what’s going on in the area throughout the year, McKinley said it’s a good way for groups to be able to get their messages out about a wide range of activities such as the high school having a fundraiser or businesses hosting special events.
One of the biggest events for the Chamber is the holiday lighting festival. Chamber members also help businesses organize their ribbon cuttings.
The Chamber’s mission is to ensure that residents are aware of the existing businesses in town and the new businesses and one of McKinley most important responsibilities will be to get the word out on what is available in the Platte City community.
“I’m most excited about interacting with our community,” McKinley said. “Even though I’ve lived here for so long it’s hard to know everyone. The growth of our community in the last five years has been so great. We’re going to be outgrowing some of our schools. There are a lot of new subdivisions and businesses going in. We just did a ribbon-cutting for Opus Group, Muddy River Tactical and Iron Horse BBQ.”
McKinley believes her new position will be a win-win since she will be working with Platte City Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Angie Mutti and it will mean they can attend more community events and engage more with the public.
McKinley said her involvement with school activities and fundraising will continue. She has a daughter in high school and another daughter who is an eighth-grader.
“It’ll be so nice to be more engaged with the community,” McKinley said. “It’ll be nice to meet others in the community that I haven’t had a chance to interact with yet who can help us keep engaged and in contact with what’s going on here and what they’re up to and what other businesses are doing. It’s nice to be able to serve and give back to my community.”