MONTHLY LUNCHEONS

Join us for our monthly networking luncheons!

Each month, our members are invited to a $5 networking luncheon on the third Wednesday of each month. The luncheons are from 12 to 1:00 p.m. and are held at the Montgomery Event Venue, except in December when we meet at the Elms Hotel and Spa for our holiday luncheon or when otherwise noted. The luncheons are sponsored by various businesses and organizations in our community. An average of 100-125 people attend, so it’s a great opportunity to meet other business people in our community!

Chamber Chairperson Courtney Cole welcomed everyone to the May luncheon. She thanked Platte-Clay Electric Co-op for hosting the event, which featured box lunches from Willow Spring Mercantile. She introduced elected officials who were present and invited first time guests to stand and introduce themselves and their business. Courtney gave a shout out to retiring board of directors Mark Spohn, Jeremy Stone and Melinda Mehaffy.

Courtney introduced Jennifer Grossl, Communications Manager for Platte Clay Electric. She delayed her slide presentation to update on damage caused by the recent EF-1 tornado that impacted their service area. She introduced Dustin Daniels, Journeyman Lineman, who worked to restore service to customers.

“How many hours have you worked since the tornado Monday?” Jennifer asked Dustin. “46,” Dustin replied.

The tornado was on the ground for 17 miles, destroyed eight poles and it happened at night. Within 18 hours Dustin and other linemen had restored service. “Our guys are the best in the business,” Jennifer said. “If you were impacted, thank you for your patience.”

Jennifer also introducedd Kendall Davis and Ed Barger, both Southern District Board of Directors before beginning a slide show presentation. “Serving Members First: How PCEC Approaches Data Center Growth” was the focus of the presentation. Why this topic matters includes:

Data Centers are expanding rapidly
AI growth is increasing electricity demand
National and local attention is growing
Members have important questions

Data centers require massive amounts of electricity 24 hours a day. If unmanaged, they can strain systems and require major infrastructure upgrades. Currently, there are no large data centers connected to the PCEC today. The company is monitoring regional developments and focusing on protecting member interests.

A new facility under construction since 2022 in Turney, MO is a new generation facility to improve winter reliability, meet future member growth and enhance overall grid strength. A partnership with Associated Electric would handle large load developments that would include data centers. Jennifer said there are advantages to data centers, such as spreading fixed costs across more users and the potential to stabilize future rates, however she stressed PCEC serves members first. PCEC is locally owned, locally operated and directors are elected by the membership.

Being member focused has led PCEC to receive the highest member satisfaction score in the co-op’s history on the American Customer Satisfaction index based on the fall 2025 membership survey. PCEC had the best score among Missouri electric cooperatives.

“PCEC is in the top five scores in the nation,” Jennifer said. For more about Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, contact 816-628-3121 or mail@pcec.coop.

Chamber President Brian Rice introduced introduced Mayor Sonya Morgan. Sonya said that the City had recently participated in the Clay County Economic Development Commission’s State of the Cities and had a video presentation to share. She thank Brian Rice and Jason Cole of Excelsior Citizen with their help is preparing the video.

Sonya talked about projects for 2026, including infrastructure.

“RAISE has started back up. We have been waiting on approvals for the funding agreement. After a 27-month wait on the Federal government, we have received funding approvals that have allowed us to continue moving forward,” she said. “The Garland Bridge continues moving forward and we hope to bid that work later this summer.”

She also gave a brief update on housing projects, the Dry Fork Greenway project to help reduce flooding, new Boundless Backyard all-inclusive park that should open this time next year, and the police department’s new status as a Missouri Blue Shield community which provides additional grant opportunities.

“It’s EMS Week and we thank our EMS and Paramedics for the work they do in our community. We have great employees throughout our city and a number of them have spent nearly their entire career with us,” Sonya finished.

Brian and community leaders shared a number of updates about upcoming opportunities and events before closing with door prize drawings.

Member luncheons will pause through the summer months and begin again on September 16, sponsored by the Excelsior Springs Hospital.