As woman-owned businesses grow in Lee’s Summit, event offers ‘encouragement’

In just a few years, the Lee’s Summit Women in Business Conference has become one of the local Chamber of Commerce’s most anticipated annual events.

And it’s not the only space in Lee’s Summit where woman professionals can find encouragement, locals say.

Scheduled for Nov. 5, the all-day event features keynote speaker and Lee’s Summit native Jennifer Whitmer, breakout sessions, and time for networking and community building. The conference has room for 150 women this year. It’s sold out each year since 2022, when chamber officials launched the event with hopes of attracting at least 50 attendees, said Lisa Frogge, chamber director of membership.

“The conference really resonates because it offers a great mix of networking, inspiring speakers and relevant topics that help women grow personally and professionally,” Frogge said.

Women professionals find a welcoming environment in Lee’s Summit, according to Frogge and Matt Baird, chamber president.

More than 50% of the businesses opening in 2025 are owned by women, Baird said, compared to 29% in 2020.

“That just shows you the influence women now have in our economy, and I only see that growing,” he said.

Megan Mercer, commercial sales team manager for Inszone Insurance Services, has been the conference emcee since it began in 2022 and serves on the event’s planning committee.

“I see a lot of women-owned businesses that are thriving,” Mercer said, pointing to encouragement coming from both the chamber and local government. “We’re not led by the good old boys club of the olden days. The environment is supportive, it is giving, and the community wants you to be here and succeed.”

Frogge said she is inspired by women’s impact in Lee’s Summit. “I see so many strong, capable women leading businesses, organizations and teams — and their influence continues to grow,” she added.

Lee’s Summit has the heart of a small town, Mercer said. “We’re a small town that got big but you forgot to tell us how big we’re getting.”

The Women in Business Conference contributes to this environment, said Kelley Manning, financial advisor at Beyond Wealth Advisors, with attendees learning how they are alike during the sessions.

In addition to its informative aspects, the event offers numerous opportunities for networking, Manning added, allowing the attendees to become acquainted and refer business to each other.

“I come at it as an educational piece,” she said. “What can I do to help my fellow business owners? What is it that we can collectively do to raise each other up but also raise our community up.”

Making those connections helps women juggle their many roles on and off the job.

“As women, we spend most of our day doing our job, trying to be the best that we can be but then we go home and we wear 1,000 other hats,” Manning said. “We’re trying to make the best for our families, the best for our kids and our business. Just leaning on one another and having that community helps.”

A celebratory atmosphere is another reason for the event’s success.

“I find a lot of fulfillment and encouragement,” said Mercer who brings her theater background and her experience in an all-female improv group to her role as emcee. “It’s like planning a big party for your closest friends who happen to also be in business. Everyone comes in energized and excited for the day and you spend the day together filling up our cups and getting all the warm feelings. There’s also great information that pushes us forward in planning our businesses.”

The theme for the 2025 conference is “Reckless Pursuit: What Do Dreams Know of Boundaries? Charting Bold Courses in Business and Beyond.” It is based on this quote from Amelia Earhart: “Everyone has oceans to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?”

The day will include discussions about determining what is holding attendees back and identifying their dreams while emphasizing that the sky is the limit, Mercer said.

“We talk about business, but there’s also a personal aspect. We allow women to wholly be themselves and be transparent in what they want out of life and be vulnerable.”

As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Manning added, “There are times when I want to be around businesswomen because I think we collaborate differently. The businesswomen that I know in Lee’s Summit are so willing to collaborate and to help. It’s refreshing.”

This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.