Kansas City IISE

Join the Kansas City IISE chapter on February 22, 2022, for a volunteer event at HappyBottoms. HappyBottoms is a local non-profit organization that provides diapers for families in need. Their mission is to collaborate with community partners to empower, connect and impact low income families by alleviating diaper need in the Kansas City community. Volunteer efforts enable HappyBottoms to provide diapers to children from low-income families in the KC Metro area, distributed through their distribution agencies and hospitals.

Volunteering will take place from 4-6 pm at the Happy Bottoms Warehouse, 303 W 79th Street, Kansas City, MO 64114.

Sign up Here. Proof of vaccination is required for volunteering.

After, we will have a networking event at KC Bier Company, located across the street at 310 W 79th St, Kansas City, MO 64114.

How to Register

1. Follow the link above.
2. Click on the “Register” button at the bottom of the page.
3. Follow the on screen instructions to access the CERVIS registration system. If this is your first time using the CERVIS online registration system, you will be prompted to create a Volunteer Profile.
4. Once you have successfully signed into the system (or created a profile, if needed) you will automatically be registered for this event and receive a confirmation E-mail.
5. If you would like to register additional individuals for this event, please select their name from the list and enter the code below into the “Private Registration Code” field. Next, click the “Register for selected event” button to complete the additional registration.

On January 12th, our chapter went on a tour of Indigo Wild, a Kansas City based company, to see their two production facilities for their Zum Soap products. Starting as a small-scale bar soap producer, Indigo Wild has now grown produce a wide range of products retailed across the country, from Laundry Detergent to Face Exfoliator. Their products are unique due to the use of goats milk as well as essential oils that create distinctive scents. Their best marketing is the smell!

The first facility we toured produced their liquid products, including soaps and laundry detergents. The second production facility housed the production of bar soaps and related side products. As a low waste facility, they look for creative ways repurpose any soap scraps. A real highlight of the tour was seeing the mixing and artistry to make the slabs of soap that would be cut into bars. They run their facilities with a balance of automation and manual work, managing their to keep up with the supply demands while also keeping a handcrafted and natural feel to the product. Our chapter members greatly enjoyed seeing the full scope of Indigo Wild’s production and talking with the team on their plans for refining their processes. Thanks to our friends at Indigo Wild for the great tour!

Products can be purchased through Amazon, Walmart, HyVee, Thrive Market, Whole Foods, or through their website, which retails 50+scents.

Indigo Wild is a small KC based company that was founded by Emily Voth in 1996.  Emily started making the ZUM product in her kitchen.  She would then set up shop at the local markets and the business expanded from there.  Nothing gets your attention like walking by the very aromatic products!  Approximately three years ago the business was purchased by a private equity group and the goal is to take the business to the next level. 

We will tour their production, fulfillment and distribution operations at two different locations.  They are currently focused on expanding points of distribution and increasing sales while continuing to make functional great smelling products.  The manufacturing team is focused on increasing capacity and streamlining processes.  In the last couple of years they have started to bring in some automation while at the same time maintaining the handmade, all-natural artisan feel.  And they still hand pour and hand label a lot of their products today!

Tour size is limited, so please RSVP by January 10^th.  Parking is also limited, so instructions on where to park will be provided closer to the date, but carpooling is encouraged.  Closed toe shoes and long pants will need to be worn and masks will be required for anyone not vaccinated.

Check out www.indigowild.com to see the many products they carry! 

Join us for us a IISE Networking Event- get to know your fellow IEs, grow connections, and learn about officer roles for the IISE Society. As a bonus- enjoy games such as Pool, Darts, and Shuffleboard, and happy hour from 3-6.

This is a great opportunity to meet professionals, all from the same background of Industrial Engineering, in a variety roles and companies. Having these connections can be priceless throughout your personal and professional path.

We will also be exploring the officer positions available in 2022 for the IISE Society. This is a time to learn about what each position entails and ask questions about the roles in a fun environment!

This event will take place on Friday, December 3rd, at 4 pm.

Brass Rail is located at 4940 NE 81st, Kansas City, MO 64119