Month: August 2012

September Event – Boulevard Brewing Tour

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Many of us have heard of Boulevard Brewing Company and may have been fortunate enough to tour their facility.  However have you heard what Boulevard has been up to lately?

Founded by John McDonald in 1989, Boulevard has rapidly become one of the “largest specialty brewers” in the Midwest.  To keep up with the growing demand of their product, Boulevard expanded their brewing capacity to 600,000 barrels in 2006—a huge increase over the 6,000 barrel capacity in John McDonald’s original business plan!  With their latest 70,000 square foot building, Boulevard has also served as a model of sustainable and urban architecture and engineering while also taking great efforts to promote sustainable business practices.  As they have looked for ways to reduce their environmental impact—programs such as Ripple Glass have been born.

Join us for a tour evaluating this rising manufacturing facility of Kansas City.
Where: Boulevard Brewing Co, 2501 Southwest Boulevard  Kansas City, MO 64108
When: Tuesday, September 11 at 3:00pm, with product tasting to follow
RSVP: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BB8BQWN – space is limited!
Cost: free for members, $15 for non-members – non-members are asked to pay in advance on the Payments page

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August Event – Hallmark Leavenworth Facility Tour

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The Hallmark Production Center has been operating in Leavenworth community for over  60 years.  Known as the “specialty plant” the Leavenworth facility manufactures various products including  Giftwrap, Gift Tissue, and Party Items such as plates, cups and napkins.  The tour will highlight several areas that have significantly changed their work processes due to the integration of Lean principles.

Where: Hallmark  Leavenworth Production Center, 450 Eisenhower Rd, Leavenworth KS 66048
When:  Wednesday August 29th, 4-5:30pm
RSVP: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JPNJNRV by August 27th – non-members are asked to pay in advance via the Payments page
Cost: free for members, $15 for non-members

Sneak peek at September event – an unofficial tradition for the chapter, another expansion means another tour of a local favorite on Southwest Boulevard

Event Recap – LIVESTRONG Sporting Complex Tour & Networking

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$200 Million! That’s how much it cost to build Livestrong Sporting Park and the KCIIE chapter had a unique opportunity to tour this amazing facility on July 12th and get a behind the scenes look at the operations. The complex was truly built with the customer experience in mind – from the “fast taps” that can drain a full keg in 15 minutes to the 25’ x 84’, 16mm video screen, which is the largest 16mm screen in the world. Videos are also taken and reviewed before, during, and after the game to monitor the flows at the concession stands, clubs, and parking, so that adjustments can be made. The stadium can accommodate soccer, football, and rugby games, as well as concerts – recently they laid 110,000 square feet of raised decking on the field for a concert, complete with a sub air system.

The seating on each side of the stadium has its own pitch and three sides are level with the field. It’s also designed for future expansion – the roof on the sides can be lifted so that 8000 seats can be added. The technology is also quite impressive – an HD lighting system, 120 HD security cameras, and 250 wifi hotspots. Even in case of an emergency, each TV will display evacuation procedures and directions from the point of that TV.

The technology also extends to the locker room. Those 120 cameras….well, they also capture the action on the field and that can later be accessed on a smart board in the locker room, so that plays can be reviewed. Even the players each wear heart rate monitors at all times, so that their nutrients can be checked. They then each have their own “recipe” and schedule for the shakes they drink to maintain their nutrition!

Thank you to Chris Wyche, Executive Vice President of Operations and our tour guide!