Mr. Chappell co-authored Conversations at Chappell’s, a collection of stories shared by several local Kansas City sports icons, detailing their friendship with him.
KANSAS CITY, MO, January 05, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ — James B. Chappell has been included in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Chappell is one of Kansas City’s most celebrated sports icons; along with the astounding collection of sports memorabilia he procured, he is the founder of one of the city’s most treasured restaurant, Chappell’s Restaurant & Sports Museum, which he established nearly 40 years ago and sold in 2018. Prior to opening the restaurant in 1986, he attended Drury University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1965; served on active reserve in the United States Army, with honorable discharge, from 1965 to 1971; and gained experience in the restaurant business, working at Arrowhead Lodge Restaurant and Lounge for several years.
Moving forward in his career, Mr. Chappell worked for Mobil Oil Corporation, in a management role, and became a member of Platte County Business & Professional Association before becoming a partner of C.R. Tantillo & Associates Insurance Company, a position he held for nearly 20 years. While acting as partner, Mr. Chappell opened his restaurant and pursued a leadership role as president for Mitina Inc., which he held from 1981 to 2018.
Along with his various professional pursuits, Mr. Chappell continued on with his education and completed a course and received a certificate from the FBI Citizens Academy in 2011. His interest in the government processes led him to hold numerous roles in local government, starting in 1978 when he was a candidate for state senator. For nearly 50 years and counting, Mr. Chappell has served as a commissioner, vice chairman, governor’s advisor, and board member across various sectors of local government and law enforcement organizations and boards.
As an active member of his local community and government, Mr. Chappell has volunteered for and participated in numerous civic engagements over the last several decades, starting in 1976 with his involvement with the Republican National Convention Host Committee and ultimately being selected as an at-large delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention. Since then, he has sat on several boards and licensing bureaus and played a part in coordinating and fundraising efforts, including serving on the advisory council of the Clay County Sherriff’s Office.
From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Chappell devoted his time as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics honorary coach and hosted the Jim Chappell Boy Scouts Golf Classic throughout the 1990s into the early 2000s. Furthermore, he served as chairman of the Clay County Board of Election Commissioners, appointed by Governor Matt Blunt, from 2005 to 2009. For his noteworthy contributions to the community, both as a public servant and restauranteur, Mr. Chappell has received several awards and recognitions, including the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award in 2000 and being named one of 25 individuals who made Kansas City a better sports town by the Kansas City Star in 2002.
In 2003, Mr. Chappell received the honor of being Grand Marshal of the Snake Sunday Parade and was enshrined in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in the class of 2013, among other recognitions. Along with his personal awards are those of his restaurant, which has received coverage by Yahoo and USA Today along with Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, where it was voted by both as one of the best sports restaurants in the nation. Since its debut on the restaurant scene, it has spent its time in the spotlight as a repeat subject of coverage in countless newspaper and magazine articles as well as radio and television shows.
Being known as an icon himself, and thus being afforded the opportunity to interact with and befriend other sports icons over the years, Mr. Chappell co-authored Conversations at Chappell’s, a collection of stories shared by several local Kansas City sports icons, detailing their friendship with him. He was also featured in a short film produced by the Chiefs Network, called Chief’s Kingdom, about his relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs. Mr. Chappell is also a past member of the Kansas City Chapter of the National Football League Alumni Association.
As a restauranteur, he held membership with the National Restaurant Association, the Missouri Restaurant Association, and the Kansas City Restaurant Association. His professional involvement also led him to serve as President of the North Kansas City Business Council. Mr. Chappell was also featured in the Hometown Heroes segment on local news station KMBZ, Channel 9. Outside of his professional affiliations, he is a patron of the arts and has maintained his membership with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art since 1980 and with the Art Institute of Chicago since 1999.
Additionally, Mr. Chappell is a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church, the North Kansas City Hospital Auxiliary, the Kansas City Club, the American Legion Post 58, the Native Sons & Daughters of Greater Kansas City, and the Sons of the American Revolution, among various other organizations. After retiring from the restaurant business, his focus has been on his civic engagements and how he can continue to contribute to his local community. Mr. Chappell served on the Board of Directors for the First Bank of Missouri from 1985 to 2017, and was the Chairman of the Board from 1989 to 2017. He also served on the Board of Directors of Valley View Holding Company from 1994 to 2017. Upon the merger of First Bank of Missouri and Valley View Holding Company in 2017, becoming Security Bank, Mr. Chappell has continued to sit on the board of directors of Security Bank. Mr. Chappell is also actively involved in efforts to relocate the city’s ballpark to North Kansas City.
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