Kansas City Event Calendar

Fall is here! Time for school, football, and our Annual Student Mentor Day! The Greater Kansas City IIE chapter hosts this event each year for the students from Kansas State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia.

This year the Student Mentor Day will be held on Thursday, October 15th. For those of you familiar with this event, we are changing the format this year. We will not be doing a joint tour, so that the students and mentors can have more time together for the students to learn more about their mentor and his/her company and career. However, we will end the day together with a networking reception. The reception will be at Barley’s Brewhaus in Shawnee at I-435 and Midland. Join us for an appetizer buffet, networking, and recognition of the recent recipients of the KCIIE scholarship funds donated to both schools.

Our chapter’s Mentor Day is always a very popular event, and a unique event to IIE. The success of this event depends on YOU, therefore we encourage you to participate this year. If you will be able to host one to two students for this year’s Mentor Day, please let us know.

Location: Barley's Brewhaus, 16649 Midland Dr, Shawnee
Date: Thursday, October 15th
Time: Mentoring starting around 9am; Networking reception at 3 pm
Cost: None
Please RSVP by 9/18 at the following links: Mentors Students

Mark your calendars for Tuesday September 15th and plan to join the Kansas City IIE Chapter in a roundtable discussion of Lean ideas. Whether you want some fresh ideas or have recent successes to share, come prepared to join the discussion. It will be a great networking opportunity to talk with other individuals from around Kansas City. Hope to see you there!

Location: Barley's Brewhaus, 16649 Midland Dr, Shawnee
Date: Tuesday, September 15th
Time: Dinner/Networking 6pm; Roundtable will start around 6:30pm
Cost: $10 for pizza buffet with drinks
Please RSVP by 9/11 to Beth Kelley or Brian McCarthy.

Please join us for some fun and laughs at an IIE Baseball Game. The Kansas City T-Bones take on The Winnipeg Goldeyes. Current members and their families, along with prospective members, are invited to attend!

Location: Community America Ballpark, Legends at Village West, KCKS
Date: Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Time: 7:05 pm
Cost: $10/ticket (bleacher select); Children 2 & under free
Please RSVP by purchasing tickets below by June 26th. (KCIIE will purchase a block of tickets.) If you need child tickets, or have other questions, contact Liz Fine (lfine2@hallmark.com)

Help IIE Make a Difference! IIE will have a workday at Union Cemetery on Saturday, May 16th. We will work from 9:30-11:30 am, followed by lunch. Feel free to bring along any family members or friends. This is a great way to meet fellow IIE members, get some exercise, and help a worthwhile cause—all for just a few hours of your time!

The Union Hill Historical Society is still prioritizing their wish list, but whether it be cleaning tombstones, helping with digital photography needs, database support, or re-organization of one of their storage vaults, they are looking forward to our help.

IIE began work with the Union Cemetery Historical Society in 1999, when we received a $5,000 grant from the KC150 Project. The cemetery was started in 1857 and got its name because it was established to be a "union" between the cities of Westport and Kansas City. It is the burial site for approximately 55,000 former Kansas City residents.

Location: Union Hill Cemetery, 28th & Grand, KCMO
Date: Saturday, May 16th, 2009
Time: 9:30 am
Cost: None
Please RSVP by Wednesday, May 13th to Beth Kelley at (913) 599-2384 or bethkelley@hotmail.com. Directions will be e-mailed after all RSVP’s are received.

Join the KCIIE board and your fellow members for a social/networking event. This will also be a celebration for Jay Christensen, our newly elected Regional Vice President!

Location: Fox & Hound, 10428 Metcalf, Overland Park
Date: Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
Time: 6:00 pm
Cost: Free for members, $5 for non-members

On Tuesday, April 21, the Greater Kansas City Chapter of IIE will host its first Lunch and Learn event guided to promote further interaction with all of our members and sharing different IE or continuous improvement practices, project, and ideas that we have used throughout our careers.

Our first event’s topic is "Advancement in Technology & Cost Savings Projects."  We ask that you come and enjoy lunch with other IIE members and share your experience about cutting edge bursts in technology and cost savings efforts.

We ask for each attendee to please share one or two ideas or projects that have worked/been seen in the past or current efforts associated with technology and cost savings projects.

Location: Pierpont's at Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Rd, KCMO
Date: Tuesday, April 21th, 2009
Time: 12:00 pm
Cost: Attendees will order lunch off the menu at own cost
Please RSVP online by 4/16 at Survey Monkey.

Frito Lay started in 1961 when Frito Co. merged with H.W. Lay & Co. Both companies were created in 1932 and specialized in different chip products. Frito Co. specialized in corn chips, where H.W. Lay & Co. focused on potato chips. Together Frito Lay became and is still the leader in the snack-food industry.

Frito Lay has its largest production center in the Midwest here in Topeka where it was built in 1956 and employed 60 workers. Today the plant employs 630 workers and 170 for the distribution center. At the Topeka plant, they produce a wide variety of the products from Frito Lay. Some produced are the best selling brand Lay’s potato chips, Doritos, Tostitos, and Cheetos.

Because of the type of product produced, there are certain guidelines set for the tour.
-All tour guests must wear shirts/blouses with sleeves (no midriffs).
-No shorts or capris; everyone must wear long pants.
-Proper footwear is required; no open-toed or open heeled shoes, no crocs allowed. (Rubber soled shoes are the best).
-No jewelry is allowed (except plain wedding bands with no stones).
-No gum or candy during the tour.
-Please leave personal belongings in your vehicle
-All tour guests will be required to wear a hairnet and when necessary, a beard net may be required. Safety glasses must be worn.
-No cameras or cell phones allowed in the plant.

Twenty people is the maximum allowed for the tour so RSVP early and come and enjoy a snack fulfilling fun day at Frito Lay.

Location: 4236 S.W. Kirklawn Ave Topeka, KS 66609
Date: Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
Time: 3:30 pm
Cost: Free for members, $5 for non-members
Please RSVP to Teneice Hardy (thardy5@hallmark.com) by 3/13.

Operating from headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, KCP&L has evolved into a full-service energy provider and resource. The company was founded in 1882 and has become one of the Midwest's most affordable energy suppliers because of our leadership in fuel procurement, plant technology and efficient power production and distribution.

KCP&L services more than 800,000 customers in 47 northwestern Missouri and eastern Kansas counties - a service territory of approximately 18,000 square miles. Delivering that power requires 3,300 miles of transmission lines, close to 25,000 miles of distribution lines and 322 substations.

Location: 8700 E Front Street, KCMO (off I-435 and Front St)
Date: Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
Time: 11:00 am
Cost: Free for members, $5 for non-members
Please RSVP to Jairo de Jesus (jadejesus@farmland.com) by 2/20.

ASQ 1301 and IIE Greater Kansas City will be presenting a workshop on January 17 on key business excellence strategies and methods for start-up and early stage companies. These methods can help put small firms on the path from concept to growth and success.

You will learn about the use of business excellence methodologies throughout the product life cycle, from new product development and introduction through production scale up. You will also hear case studies from local firms who have successfully managed the process from startup to successful operation. There will also be a panel discussion on lessons learned.

Location: Regnier Center at JCCC, 12345 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS
Date: Saturday, January 17th, 2009
Time: 8:00am - 12:00pm in RC159
Cost: $20 with reservation, $25 w/o reservation
Book your reservation on the ASQ website at www.asq1301.org or contact Brian McCarthy at bmccarthy@mamtc.com by 1/14

Have a tour suggestion or meeting topic idea?  Want to be a chapter officer?  Join us as we plan our event schedule and elect officers for 2009.

Location: Anita Ranhotra's house
Date: December 4th, 2008
Time: 6:00 pm
Please RSVP to Jairo de Jesus at jadejesus@farmland.com to get directions to Anita's house.

We have a full day seminar on "Asking the Right Questions - Management's Key to Lean Transformations".  You can learn more on our conference webpage.

Location: Cabela's at the Legends at Village West
Date: November 13th, 2008
Time: 8:30am to 5:00pm
Cost: $125 for members, $150 for non-members, $45 for students
Register online or see the brochure for more info.

This year the Student Mentor Day will be held on October 30th. It will begin at 9:00 A.M. with a tour of the RR Donnelly facility located in Liberty, Missouri.

RR Donnelley is the world's premier full-service provider of print and related services, including business process outsourcing.  The RR Donnelley Liberty, MO facility is located approximately 18 miles northeast of Kansas City, MO. The 231,000 square feet facility produces over 600 monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, and annual magazine titles averaging pressruns of about 55,000. The plant employs over 450 individuals.

After the tour, we will gather for lunch at a location TBD.  We will then proceed with the students accompanying their assigned mentors to their workplace to learn more about their mentor, company and careers.

Our chapter’s Mentor Day is always a very popular event, and a unique event to IIE. The success of this event depends on YOU, and we encourage you to participate this year. If you will be able to host one to two students for this year’s Mentor Day, please let us know.

Location: 3401 Heartland Dr, Liberty, MO 64068-3376
Date: October 30th, 2008
Time: 9:00 am
Please RSVP to Teniece Hardy at thardy5@hallmark.com with your name, company and number of students you would like to mentor.

Cook's is the nation's leading brand of traditional and spiral sliced smoked bone-in ham, corned beef and other smoked meat items. Since its' introduction by Cook Family Foods in 1983, Cook's branded products have been packaged and sold to leading supermarket chains and independent grocers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cook's Ham, Inc. joined Smithfield Foods in April 2006. Manufacturing facilities are currently located in Lincoln, NE, and Martin City/Kansas City, MO

Please join us to tour the 125,000 sq ft state-of-the-art Spiral Ham (whole, half, quartered, and boneless) facility.  Each tour attendee will receive a special prize at the end of the tour (courtesy of Cook’s Hams)!!!

Location: 13825 Wyandotte, Kansas City, MO 64145
Date: September 18th, 2008
Time: 5:30 pm
Please RSVP to Jairo de Jesus at jadejesus@farmland.com by 9/16

Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) is the nation's oldest and second largest retailer owned grocery wholesaler in the United States serving over 2,300 stores in a 23 state area.

The Kansas City distribution center is an 852,948 sq ft facility with a total volume capacity of 25,805,126 cu ft.  Such dimensions allow an excess of 18,159 SKUs to be stored in 75,650 reserve slots and 20,759 pick slots. This state-of-the-art facility utilizes a material handling equipment fleet of over 109 forklifts and 232 power pallet jacks and the Transportation department operates a fleet of over 79 tractors and 201 trailers, delivering an average of 703 loads per week to their customer stores.

Location: 5000 Kansas Ave, Kansas City, KS 66106
Date: August 21st, 2008
Time: 5:30 pm
Please RSVP to Jairo de Jesus at jadejesus@farmland.com by 8/19

Please join us for some fun and laughs at IIE Happy Hour
Location: Margarita Mama's, Legends at Village West
Date: January 3rd, 2008
Time: 5:00 pm
Please RSVP to Liz Meyer at lmeyer3@hallmark.com

If you are interested in becoming an officer, would like to provide input in planning the 2008 IIE calendar of events, or would like to become more involved in IIE, feel free to attend!

Location: Pierpont's at Union Station
Date: Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
Time: 6:00 pm
Please RSVP to Liz Meyer at lmeyer3@hallmark.com

Many quality organizations struggle for relevance.  In the driving equation profits equal revenue minus costs, quality is generally grouped with the latter.  As quality professionals, we design our quality systems to balance the risks of failure to meet specifications versus the costs of prevention.  Our quality program is effectively an insurance policy.  To convince senior leadership to spend more money on additional insurance can be a challenge.

But after we leave work and turn into consumers, our definition of quality changes.  When quality enters our purchasing decision process, it’s in the form of brand name value, appearance, and personal experience – not specifications.  We’ll pay more for brands and products we trust; we can even put a dollar value to it.

Enter Revenue Based Quality.  By aligning our quality system to create that value difference, we can create a stronger connection to the bottom line.  The purpose of this workshop is to cover methods and tools that help us realign towards this goal.  We’re probably already eliminating factors that put our reputation at risk.  Now we need to add processes and measures that differentiate our reputation from our competitors.  You should leave with the foundation of a specific plan to help your organization.

Location: Metropolitan Community College Business Technology Center, 1775 Universal Avenue, KC MO
Date: Saturday, January 19th, 2008
Time: 8:00am - 12:00pm in Room 2003
Cost: $16 with reservation, $20 w/o reservation
Book your reservation on the ASQ website at www.asq1301.org

This facility was formerly a warehouse for Sears as a catalog distribution center. In 1996, $99 million was approved for the renovation project which resulted in the building being completely gutted and rebuilt. The USPS moved in to the building in 1999. One floor alone of the building is 300,000 square feet, equivalent to over five football fields. The facility contains over $25 million worth of material handling systems and processes 7-8 million pieces of mail a day (approximately 1% of the nation’s total daily mail volume). About 1900 employees work in this facility, across three shifts, and mail is processed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Location: 1700 Cleveland, Kansas City MO
Date: Tuesday, February 20th, 2008
Time: 5:30pm
Cost: Free for members, $5 for non-members
Please RSVP to Anita Ranhotra (aranho2@hallmark.com) by 2/15 with company name.  Competitors (UPS, FedEx, DHL) will not be permitted on the tour.

Join us for a tour of the new Nelson Atkins museum expansion.  Join us for a social hour (with dinner available) afterwards at the Museum Cafe.  More details to come!

Location: 4525 Oak Street, Kansas City MO
Date: Thursday, March 27th, 2008
Time: 6:00pm
Cost: $1 for members, $5 for members (social/dinner afterwards not included)
Please RSVP to Rachel Olson at rolson2@hallmark.com

Please join us for some fun and laughs at IIE Happy Hour
Location: Yard House, Legends at Village West
Date: Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
Time: 5:00 pm
Please RSVP to Liz Meyer at lmeyer3@hallmark.com

We will be touring Fairfax #2, which replaced the original plant in 1986. It is 2.5 million square feet, located next to the original Fairfax Assembly Plant. The new plant began production in 1987 with the 1987 model of the Pontiac Grand Prix. The assembly plant built its 10 millionth car on August 23, 2005. Currently, about 2,400 employees produce the Chevrolet Malibu and the Saturn Aura.

We will have a quick and simple dinner available at 5:00, with the tour starting at 5:30.

Location: 3120 Fairfax Trafficway, Kansas City KS
Date: Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Time: Dinner at 5:00 pm, Tour at 5:30 pm
Cost: Tour: Members - Free, Non-members - $5; Dinner $5 for all attendees
Please RSVP to Jay Christensen at kjchrist@jcpenney.com

Help KCIIE Make a Difference! IIE will have a workday at Union Cemetery on Saturday, May 12th at 10:00 a.m. We will work from 10:00 to noon, followed by lunch. Feel free to bring along any family members or friends. This is a great way to meet fellow IIE members, get some exercise, and help a worthwhile cause—all for just a few hours of your time!

The Union Hill Historical Society is still prioritizing their wish list, but whether it be cleaning tombstones, helping with digital photography needs, database support, or re-organization of one of their storage vaults, they are looking forward to our help.

KCIIE began work with the Union Cemetery Historical Society in 1999, when we received a $5,000 grant from the KC150 Project. The cemetery was started in 1857 and got its name because it was established to be a “union” between the cities of Westport and Kansas City. It is the burial site for approximately 55,000 former Kansas City residents.

Location: Union Cemetery, near 28th & Grand
Date: Mid-May, TBD
Time: 10:00am to 1:00pm (lunch provided at noon)
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Beth Kelley at bethkelley@hotmail.com

Please join us for some fun and laughs at the T-Bones
Location: Community America Ballpark at Village West
Date: Thursday, July 21st, 2008
Time: 7:05 pm gametime
Cost: Tickets are $6 - $8.50; Family Night packages available for $39
Please RSVP to Liz Meyer at lmeyer3@hallmark.com

BBQ and beer - what more could you want?  Come join us for our new tradition of a summer networking social as we tour the recently expanded Boulevard Brewery.  The chapter will be providing a BBQ dinner to enjoy during the tasting portion after the tour.

Join us for a tour and dinner/socializing/networking at Boulevard Brewery:
Location: 2501 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108
Date: August 30th, 2007
Time: 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Cost: $8 to cover the tour cost
Please RSVP to Sara Hausbeck at sara.hausbeck@garmin.com.

JCPenney is one of America's leading retailers, operating over 1000 stores, a $1 billion website, and the nation's largest general merchandise catalog business. The 2 million square foot JCPenney facility in Lenexa houses both a Direct Logistics Center and Store Support Center. The DLC, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, fulfills catalog and internet orders for customers in 18 states and ships them either directly to the customer or to a Catalog Desk at a store of their choice. The Store Support Center, also celebrating with its 5th anniversary, is primarily a cross dock facility designed to be the back storeroom for nearly 100 Midwest stores.

Join us for a tour of this versatile (and oft requested) facility:
Location: 10500 Lackman Road, Lenexa KS 66219
Date: September 11th, 2007
Time: 8:30am to 10:00am
Please RSVP to Jay Christensen at kjchrist@jcpenney.com.

The FedEx Ground facility is 270,000 square feet and is completely automated. It consists of 120 loading doors and 35 unloading doors in which handles approximately 200,000 – 300,000 packages a day.

Students will spend the morning with their mentors and then we will get together for a group lunch (location TBD) and tour FedEx from 2-4pm. Start time for the day will be worked out between the student and mentor (plan around 9am).

Date: November 5th, 2007
Time: 8:30am to 4:00pm
Cost: $5 for lunch
Mentors and students should RSVP to Teniece Hardy (thardy5@hallmark.com) or Anita Ranhotra (aranho2@hallmark.com).

We have a full day seminar on Performance Management Systems.  You can learn more on our conference webpage.

Location: Cabela's at the Legends at Village West
Date: November 15th, 2007
Time: 8:30am to 10:00am
Cost: $125 for members, $150 for non-members, $45 for students
Register online or see the brochure for more info.

American Airlines is the largest airline in the world, flying nearly 700 aircraft to over 150 destinations around the world. The American Airlines Maintenance & Engineering Base near the KCI airport employs over 900 people and is one of three major repair facilities for American Airlines. Together, these facilities provide heavy maintenance for American Airlines and perform contract maintenance for several other carriers. American Airlines has over 80 years of experience in aircraft maintenance and continues to perform the bulk of its maintenance in-house against an industry trend toward outsourcing. Working together with its labor groups, American Airlines utilizes team concepts, lean and six-sigma tools and benchmarking to continue to reduce maintenance costs and improve quality.

Join us for a tour and presentation of American Airlines and their Continuous Improvement Program:
Location: 9200 NW 112th Street, Kansas City, MO 64153
Date: January 24th, 2007
Time: Tentative 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Please RSVP to Brian McCarthy at bmccarthy@mamtc.com.

Hallmark's Liberty Distribution Center was built in 1972 and has over 1.75 million square feet of warehouse, shipping and order processing space. The center is filled with many different kinds of distribution technologies.

In addition, Hallmark uses a state of the art high speed automation system to pick and sort over 1.5 million greeting cards per week. Please join us for a lunch and tour of this outstanding facility.

Location: 2101 N. Lightburne St., Liberty MO 64068
Date: Thursday, February 22nd, 2007
Time: 11:30am to 1:00pm
Cost: $5 for IIE Members and $7 for non-IIE Members
Please RSVP to Jennifer Hedburg at jhedbe2@hallmark.com by 2/14. ATTENDANCE IS LIMITED!

The Mo-Kan Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers is sponsoring its third annual Vendor's Night and Educational Forum.  The Vendor's night will include an appetizer buffet and draft beer.  Door prizes will be given away throughout the evening.  Admission is free.  See the website below for details.

There will be one seminar this year entitled "NFPA 13 Versus NFPA 13R - A Comparison of Fire Sprinkler Systems for Large Residential Occupancies".  The seminar will be from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.  The cost of the seminar will be $30.00 ($20.00 for paid SFPE members).  Attendees will receive two hours of CEUs.

All the information about the Vendor's Night and educational Forum is on the SFPE National website at: www.sfpe.org/Chapters/Mo-Kan%20Chapter.aspx

Location: Finnegan's Hall, 505 E 18th Avenue, North Kansas City, MO
Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Time: Educational Forum - 3:00 - 5:00pm; Vendor's Night - 5:00 - 8:00pm
Cost: Educational Forum - $30; Vendor's Night - FREE

Curious about what other Industrial Engineers are doing with their careers and how they got there?  Join the Kansas City IIE Chapter for an informal roundtable discussion and dinner with a panel of local IE’s at different points and paths in their careers.  Our panel represents a range of industries and experiences such as continuous improvement with a major airline, an IE with her Professional Engineering license, and IE consulting. If you are just starting your career as an IE, thinking about a career change, or wondering what other IE’s have done, you’ll want to attend this meeting!

Location: Godfather's Pizza, 103rd & 69 Hwy
Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Time: 6:30pm
Cost: $10 for dinner
Please RSVP to Rachel Dubbert (rdubbe2@hallmark.com) or Robert Stillwell (sooner_robert@yahoo.com) by 3/23.

Join us for a tour and overview of process improvements at Lawrence Memorial Hospital! Take a peak out how the hospital has taken initiatives to streamline processes in the health field. The tour will include a brief synopsis of processes at the hospital followed by a demonstration of the process improvements undertaken at the Nursing Stations. One of the highlights is a state-of-the-art barcode system implemented last summer for ensuring that precise dosages of the correct medications are provided to the correct patients at the exact time prescribed.

Location: Lawrence Memorial Hospital
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2007
Time: 5:00pm

Help KCIIE Make a Difference! IIE will have a workday at Union Cemetery on Saturday, May 12th at 10:00 a.m. We will work from 10:00 to noon, followed by lunch. Feel free to bring along any family members or friends. This is a great way to meet fellow IIE members, get some exercise, and help a worthwhile cause—all for just a few hours of your time!

The Union Hill Historical Society is still prioritizing their wish list, but whether it be cleaning tombstones, helping with digital photography needs, database support, or re-organization of one of their storage vaults, they are looking forward to our help.

KCIIE began work with the Union Cemetery Historical Society in 1999, when we received a $5,000 grant from the KC150 Project. The cemetery was started in 1857 and got its name because it was established to be a “union” between the cities of Westport and Kansas City. It is the burial site for approximately 55,000 former Kansas City residents.

Location: Union Cemetery, near 28th & Grand
Date: Saturday, May 12, 2007
Time: 10:00am to 1:00pm (lunch provided at noon)
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Beth Kelley at bethkelley@hotmail.com by 5/16.  We will register as a group if there is enough interest.