American Royal Announces Lesa France Kennedy, of NASCAR Fame, to Speak at Business & Scholarship Luncheon
The American Royal Association has announced that Lesa France Kennedy will be the featured speaker at this year’s Business & Scholarship Luncheon to be held September 12 in Kemper Arena. She was named “The Most Powerful Woman in Sports” by Forbes and serves as CEO and Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors for International Speedway Corporation (“ISC”). ISC owns the Kansas Speedway along with 12 other tracks. Ms France Kennedy also serves as a Vice Chairperson of NASCAR which was founded by her grandfather, Bill France, in 1948.
“This is an exciting announcement for the American Royal. We are very pleased to have such a powerful person from the sports world be our featured speaker. The Kansas Speedway has been a great boost to our local economy and NASCAR is a great success story to learn from,” said Cynthia Pistilli Savage, 2013 American Royal Chairman.
The American Royal Business & Scholarship Luncheon began in 2003 and has become a must-attend event for members of the local business community. The purpose of the event is to highlight the American Royal Scholars and the Vet Scholars and also serves as the official kick-off event for the 2013 American Royal season.
Kansas Speedway provides approximately $300 million per year in economic benefit to the Kansas City area. Kansas Speedway also hosts three race weekends a year, and each race provides Kansas City exposure to a national audience on FOX, ESPN and SPEED Channel (FOX SPORTS 1).
The American Royal Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that has been a Kansas City tradition since 1899. Each year more than 270,000 people attend events at the American Royal Complex. In 2012, the Royal was able to give $1.4 million in scholarship and educational awards. In addition to its educational mission, the American Royal generates some $60 million of economic impact, $4.4 million in local tax revenues, and supports 450 jobs. For further information, see www.americanroyal.com
