The meeting opened with Mayor Spohn presenting a proclamation recognizing Business Women of Missouri Week, observed October 19–25, 2025. Members of the Excelsior Springs Business Women of Missouri, including local chair Courtney Cole, Sheila Miller, Shannon Morgan, and Sonya Morgan, were present to accept the honor.
Spohn read the proclamation, which traced the growth of women-owned businesses from roughly 400,000 in 1972 to more than 14 million today, generating $2.7 trillion annually. He also noted the 1988 Women’s Business Ownership Act, which eliminated the requirement for women to have a male co-signer on business loans.
The local organization, founded in 1939, remains active in community life through its annual scholarship for high school senior girls, participation in the Chamber of Commerce, and recognition of women who provide exceptional local service. The mayor acknowledged the chapter’s four past state presidents, Norma Bailey, Eleanor Griffith, Jane Miller and Sheila Miller, and officially proclaimed the week in their honor.