Every third week of October Business Women’s Week is observed and celebrated nationally. Excelsior Springs has had a Business Women of Missouri (BWM) chapter (formerly Business Professional Women or BPW) since 1939, when the local charter installation was held at the Elms Hotel on February 6, 1939. At that time there were over 100 local women present and it would become the 59th BPW club in the state.
Now celebrating its 85th anniversary, the Excelsior Springs Business Women’s President Courtney Cole and former club President Sonya Morgan accepted a proclamation during the City Council meeting on Monday, October 21, 2024 that was given by Excelsior Springs Mayor Mark Spohn.
Happy Hours
The Club held a Happy Hour on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, inviting all working women of Excelsior Springs to attend. The group met at Wine and Shine Tasting Room, owned and operated by mother-daughter team Cheryl Boos and Misty Wright. The group plans to continue monthly happy hours, moving them around the community. The hope is to provide an opportunity for business women to connect with one another in order to better support each other’s journeys through working. Those interested are welcome to join the Facebook Group: Excelsior Springs Business Women for future details.
Community Activist Award
Every year the Excelsior Springs BWM nominate and award a local woman with the Community Activist Award. This recognition is a way to bring attention to the work that is being done in the community by our women leaders. With a surprise award presentation at the October Happy Hour, the City’s Economic Development Director Melinda Mehaffy was there to accept. Please read her nomination:
As Economic Development Director for the City of Excelsior Springs, Melinda has been instrumental in establishing the Westside CID. The earnings from this one-cent CID sales tax will be directed towards improving infrastructure and design in this area. Plans include enhancing event promotion, marketing efforts, and striving for a modern, accessible, and appealing shopping experience. Creation of the CID took many months of hard work and the earnings were also used to help secure the $21.5 million RAISE grant that will improve streets and sidewalks to our elementary schools on the west side.
Melinda attended the Global Entrepreneurship Week in Kansas City in Fall of 2022 and has continued attending learning forums the past two years to bring back ideas that advance entrepreneurship in Excelsior Springs, including championing entrepreneurship for youth. She worked most recently with DEP and the Chamber of Commerce to bring the University of Missouri Extension Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference to Excelsior Springs in 2025. This is a huge opportunity for our community and we should learn whether our town was chosen next week. Having a Community Development Director (yes, she wears two hats) who supports entrepreneurial establishments locally is a boost to women looking to start their own businesses.
Melinda also fills in as the Planning & Zoning Director, due to that city position having been vacated this past year and not having been filled yet (so well, three hats). Melinda is a member of the Chamber Board of Directors, maintains a real estate license, and is active in Rotary. Please consider Melinda for the 2024 Community Activist of the Year.
More Information
Excelsior Springs BWM is inviting and encouraging area women to join, or rejoin, its local club. The local chapter was organized in December 1937, with 20 members and chartered in 1939 as the 59th club in Missouri.
Local projects include Woman Activist of the Year, membership in the Excelsior Springs Chamber of Commerce, an annual Scholarship to a graduating senior girl, and more.
Missouri BWM is a statewide not-for-profit, non partisan, nonsectarian, self governing and member supported organization.Visit their website at esbwm.com for further information.
