The 2022 Look North Award recipient Dave Horn was recognized at the Keystone Awards luncheon held recently. He was presented the honor by Clay County Economic Development Council (EDC) Chair Julie Sola.

Nearly 250 members of the Clay County Economic De-velopment Council and other Northland leaders honored 12 developments from Excelsior Springs to Smithville and North Kansas City to Kearney during the 2022 Keystone Awards at Harrah’s North Kansas City.

The EDC presents the awards each year to recognize businesses that help grow economic development in Clay County and Northland.

This year’s honors were especially dramatic because they represent approximately $625 million in investment and over 6,000 new jobs.

“We really have a lot to celebrate in Clay County this year,” noted Sola.

Downtown Excelsior Springs has been transforming itself for some time. In the last 12 months, they have had more than 393,141 visitors to the area, an increase of more than 12 percent from fiscal year 2021.

None of this is an accident. The Downtown Excelsior Partnership works diligently to make sure there are momentous events throughout the year to bring shoppers downtown, helping bring an increase of over 68 percent in reported retail taxable sales last year compared to when the district was formed, according to Sola.

A key component to this success is the investment from the downtown property and business owners. In the past year, owners and developers have invested more than $1.5 million in the renovation of existing buildings. Several more projects are in the planning process.

The Elms Resort and Spa Renovation’s parent company, Midway Enterprises, has invested $7 million in renovating every area of The Elms Resort and Spa. Rooms and public spaces have been refreshed with new paint, carpeting, new tile and fixtures.

The 88 Restaurant underwent a transformation and was relaunched as Three Owls, which is a historical reference to the early days of The Elms. Both ballrooms underwent a renovation, and the hotel added The Market, a graband- go shop; and Cafe Soterian, a new coffee and wine bar.

In addition to all these changes, The Elms made significant improvements to the spa, out- door areas and pools. The Elms have recently experienced some of their best years, and the recent renovations make returning to The Elms a choice for rest and relaxation – something that even Kansas City favorites like pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes II have enjoyed.

The general contractor on this project was Midway Enterprises Inc. and the architect was OoMo Studio LLC.