With Raytown in my heart since childhood, I’m honored to serve as your 2026 Chair of the Raytown Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. The Raytown Chamber has been the heartbeat of this community since 1929, and as we approach nearly a century of service, I couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead for our town.

Raytown wasn’t just where I lived, it’s where I truly grew up. While my dad coached basketball at O’Hara and I attended St. Regis for elementary and middle school before heading to O’Hara for high school, somehow our little farmhouse in Raytown became the gathering place where all my friends wanted to be. My mom grew up here and went to Raytown South schools, so this town runs deep in our family. We spent summers at Super Splash, celebrated at Roundup Days, explored every corner of our parks, and made countless memories walking to Doc’s Ice Cream. Raytown has always had this magnetic pull, a sense of home that’s hard to put into words but impossible to forget.

After college and a few years working in athletics, a small Raytown business brought my husband Kyle and me back home. Since then, I’ve built my own businesses here as the Owner of Mack Curio Creations, bringing unique balloon artistry to events throughout Kansas City, and as a Real Estate Agent with ReeceNichols on the Sold by Colby team, where we’re deeply active in the Raytown market. Working for myself in this community has shown me firsthand what makes Raytown business owners special. We are scrappy, creative, authentic, and fiercely proud of what we’ve built.

This year, I’m thrilled to champion our “Keep It Raytown Real” initiative—a campaign that captures everything I love about this town. We’re not up-and coming, we’ve been here since 1848. We’re a place with deep traditions and strong roots, real people and real places, and zero pretension. But here’s what gets me excited: honoring those traditions doesn’t mean we can’t also modernize and grow. The next generation of Raytown deserves a community that celebrates both where we’ve been and where we’re going.

And speaking of where we’re going, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to our backyard! With matches at Arrowhead Stadium just 2.5 miles away, the entire world will literally be driving through Raytown. This is our moment. I cannot wait to see what our business owners, city officials, and community organizations have planned for this global event. The economic impact, the visibility, the opportunity to show the world what real Kansas City hospitality looks like, it’s all within our reach.

But “Keep It Raytown Real” isn’t just about the World Cup. It’s about bringing our community together year-round to celebrate our authenticity, strengthen our roots, and build momentum that carries us into the next generation. Whether you’ve been in Raytown for decades or you’re just discovering what makes us special, there’s a place for you in this vision.

Chamber membership opens doors you might not even know exist. Every year, we refer hundreds of callers to our members, and only to our members. You’ll find networking opportunities at monthly luncheons, morning coffees, ribbon cuttings, after-hours events, our golf tournament, and community celebrations. Each gathering is a chance to meet fellow business owners, create opportunities, solve challenges, or simply enjoy the company of people who get it.

I invite you to step into the Raytown Chamber community. Attend an event you’ve never been to. Introduce yourself to a business owner you’ve admired from afar. Learn something new about our neighborhoods. Visit that restaurant you’ve been meaning to try. The relationships you build here will strengthen not just your business, but our entire community.

You’ll find me at Raytown Live, supporting our local bars and restaurants, continuing to champion our incredible trails and parks, and celebrating the amazing small businesses that make this town thrive. I’m here to bridge the traditional Raytown we love with the innovative, vibrant Raytown that’s emerging, because we don’t have to choose between the two.

Let’s Keep It Raytown Real, together.

Sincerely,
MacKenzie Peters, Chair of the Board
Owner, Mack Curio Creations