The man who built the Kansas City Royals into World Series champions brought a message of faith and motivation to Salina. Royals General Manager Dayton Moore was the featured speaker at the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet and Membership Meeting Tuesday night.

Prior to the banquet event, Moore met with the media. He touched on a variety of topics, including his “C” You in the Major Leagues Foundation.

“It’s a full time job,” said Moore. “We started this because we really wanted to give back to the Kansas City community.”

Moore’s foundation helps families in need overcome hardships. It also supports many Kansas City faith based organizations. While in Salina, Moore also discussed the icy Major League Baseball off-season, the current status of star first baseman Eric Hosmer, the fan experience at Kauffman Stadium, and recent Kansas City trades.

Along with Moore’s presentation, the evening consisted of remarks from outgoing Chairman Guy Walker and incoming Chairman Mark Ritter and a brief review of the Chamber’s accomplishments in 2017.

The chamber has a history of bringing big name speakers for their annual banquet and membership meeting. Last year former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, best-selling author, and challenger for the 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination Carly Fiorina was the speaker. Other speakers have included Emmy-Award winning journalist John Stossel, cancer surviving hall of fame figure skater Scott Hamilton, presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, former Alaska Governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Former President George Bush, Former British Prime Minister John Major, sports journalist Bob Costas, and Major League Baseball hall of famer Cal Ripken Jr., among others.