This is Mary's second year on the board and holds the Treasurer position. She is the Business Manager/Co-Owner of Basehor business, United Title Company, LLC since March 2007 (business founded in Nov 2004). Prior to that she had many positive job experiences including office management, mortgage lending, and title insurance.

She is married to Jon, who works for CAL, Ft. Leavenworth (Center for Army Leadership) and lives in Lansing, since 1985. Mary has 2 grown children, 1 grandson and, they all live in California (If she is out of the office, she is probably there!) She has lived and raised her family in Lansing but now loves working in Basehor.

Past offices held:  Leavenworth Assistance Center, treasurer; Member of Lansing United Methodist Church and Westside Family Church; Member of Real People in Real Estate (formerly Women’s Council of Realtors). Hobbies include: quilting, costuming for local theater, baking and gardening, spending time with my family, and traveling (traveling to California).

Valarie Grant, owner of Creative Promotions is currently serving her 2nd year as a board member for the Basehor Chamber of Commerce. Valarie has an extensive background in the marketing field as well as a commitment to the community.

Valarie graduated from the University of Kansas in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science with a focus on Exercise Physiology.  After her graduation, Valarie moved to Harlingen, Texas, worked in marketing and opened her own business in the advertising/specialty field.

In 2003, Valarie opened the doors to her current business, Creative Promotions and their home office is based in Basehor, Kansas.  Since its inception, the company has grown to service clients on an international level and has local representation in both Kansas and Alabama.

Valarie’s passion for the business community has helped her business thrive and she is committed to being involved. Currently, Valarie is an Ambassador for the KCK Chamber of Commerce; she is a member of the Tonganoxie Chamber of Commerce; the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce and the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  Valarie is also a member of the Leavenworth-Lansing Women’s Division and a 2006 graduate of the Southern Leavenworth County Leadership Program and currently serves on the Leadership board.

Valarie is the proud mother of her two children Amanda and Trent.  Amanda currently holds a position as a Civil Engineer in Kansas City and Trent is employed with Union Pacific in Texas. 

Valarie is an exercise enthusiast and loves to travel with her husband Bill whenever they get a chance.   

Jeff joined the Chamber as a representative for Gibbens, Sutton & Sonntag, LLC, a law firm here in Basehor.  Jeff joined the Chamber board in 2009 to fill a vacated position.  Jeff is an attorney with substantial litigation experience and provides a broad range of legal services to individuals and business entities.  He is a member of the Leavenworth County, Wyandotte County, Johnson County, and the Kansas and Missouri Bar Associations.  Jeff is licensed to practice in Kansas & Missouri and routinely handles matters in Courts for all of the metropolitan area.  

In addition to the Chamber, Jeff is on the Board of Directors for the Leavenworth County Bar Association, the Leavenworth County Law Library and the Kansas City Autism Training Center, a not for profit organization that operates a private school to provide professional, research based intervention and training for children and families with autism.  Mr. Sutton presently lives in Mission, Kansas, with his wife Erin and their sons, Ethan and Austin.   The family are members of Westside Family Church in Lenexa, Kansas.

 Jeff is a lifelong resident of Kansas and received his undergraduate bachelor degree in business administration from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas in 1986.  He then attended Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas, until graduating in 1989, during which time he participated in an externship program working in civil litigation.  As a public servant, Mr. Sutton has served as an elected county attorney/ county counselor, Wabaunsee County Kansas, or an assistant county attorney, Labette County, Kansas, for over ten years. 

Jeff is committed and excited to be a member of the Basehor community as it expands to meet the needs of its citizens. 

Roger Brandt started his employment as a farmer and at one point had 1,200 acres he was working.  When they had a couple of bad years he started driving a truck to supplement the family income.  He purchased one truck in 1993 and over time expanded the business to eight trucks, mostly hauling rock and dirt in the local area.

Most of the farming has been turned over to his son Lee, but Roger still has some beef cattle along with the trucking operation.  His wife Linda takes care of the accounting part of the business.

Roger and Linda have been married 26 years and have five children between them.  Roger feels he has been truly blessed with a great family.

In addition to his farming and trucking Roger has volunteered with the Fairmont Township Fire Department for 47 years.  In 2002 he was selected as fireman of the year.  He also served on the planning commission for the City of Basehor.  In 2005 Roger was selected as Basehor citizen of the year.

I was born in Topeka Ks. However I grew up in Lawrence and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1996 when there was still only one high school.  I went to JCCC and KCKCC where I later graduated with a associates degree in Business Management and Marketing. I have two children, Hunter who is 4 and Hillary-Claire who is 18 mo. My main priority is being the best mom I can be.  I joined the Chamber as a representative for Heartland Dental where I have currently worked as a office manager for over five years.  I like to travel, ski, and scrapbook. I also belong to the Women’s Division through the Chamber of Commerce in Lansing/Leavenworth.  I really enjoy working in Basehor and watching it grow.

Blake Waters