The Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce will kick off the 20th anniversary celebration of the KCK/Wyandotte County consolidation at its 2017 annual meeting “Wyco Wins.”

The program will feature fireside chats with several area leaders, including Kevin Honomichl, the Wyandotte Economic Development Council board chair and BHC Rhodes president; and Bridgette Jobe, the president and CEO of the Kansas City, Kansas, Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.

Dr. Cindy Lane, superintendent of Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, also will participate, as will Carol Marinovich, former mayor of Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County and a leading consolidation advocate.

The meeting takes place on April 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Reardon Convention Center, located at 530 Minnesota Ave., in Kansas City, Kan.

The Unified Government was created in 1997 when by Wyandotte County voters agreed to consolidate Wyandotte County government and the City of Kansas City, Kansas government. The community was beset by economic hardships and decline at the time.

After 20 years under the new system, the population has stabilized, new single family housing permits have increased, retail sales have gone up and assessed valuation for the county has exceeded $1.1 billion.

“We are excited to showcase ‘WyCo Wins’ and celebrate the success of our partners,” said Daniel Silva, KCK Chamber president and CEO. “The Chamber played a vital role 20 years ago in the consolidation effort, and our organization is proud to highlight this momentous piece of KCK/WyCo history.”