Of Power and Progress

We are convinced. This is our best Power Book yet. And there are two reasons why. One is the continued blossoming of the 40 Under Forty program.

A decade ago, Ingram’s established this program in Kansas City, and it has continued to grow each year in momentum and stature.

The first year of the 40 Under Forty was 1998 when we named a stellar debut class of accomplished young leaders. We skipped the program the following year, thinking it would be difficult to field a class as accomplished as the first.

We were wrong. The supply of young talent continues to astonish us, and the applications continue to increase in both quantity and quality as the reputation of the program grows.

To be sure, there are other awards that will come the way of these young leaders. What differentiates Ingram’s 40 Under Forty program from other business honors is our insistence that honorees balance their workplace accomplishments with genuine community service. This combination is a hallmark of power in Kansas City and one reason why we may arguably be America’s most philanthropic city.

We launched the 40 Under Forty program when we were young enough to qualify. As the years pass, we are continually reenergized to see the caliber of the nominees. They not only seem younger, but they also seem more accomplished.

Today, there are 360 alums of Ingram’s 40 Under Forty program. They possess top leadership roles in the corporate, civic and philanthropic fabric of our region as well as in Congress and in other federal, state, county, city and judicial governing bodies.

Of the dozens of programs Ingram’s administers each year, the 40 Under Forty program is my personal favorite. It builds a community of leaders that each year claims a higher collective level of responsible power. We’re confident that of all the media programs that surface in this city, the 40 Under Forty program is the one that will endure as a tradition.

I’d like to congratulate those alums that have remained interested and engaged in the program. And that, happily, is most of them. Next month we’ll honor this year’s class in a formal reception that will include many of their colleagues, mentors, family and friends as well as fellow alums and business and community leaders.

In June, we’ll celebrate an alumni reunion including a concert by the Doobie Brothers to commemorate this past decade of the 40 Under Forty program and to look forward to another decade of the same. 

The Punch Behind the Power Elite

This edition also includes the always provocative Power Elite list of dominant “power players” in the region. As we see it, two essential elements define the “physics of power.” Power (P) = Weight (W) x Throw (T). Weight being more critical, we might envision the calculation as P = 2W x T.

What is different this year is our bold—crazy?—decision  to step out on the proverbial plank to rank this year’s power elite from top to bottom. As we note in the feature itself, “We understand better than anyone the difficulty of arranging the apples of corporate power and the oranges of civic power in one hierarchy.” 

But we went ahead and did it nonetheless, as fairly as we knew how.

We’re certain that Ingram’s Power Elite list of 2007 will be the most provocative yet. And while there remains a degree of subjectivity on our part—and a whole lot of haggling among our editorial team—it should get people talking about the nature and potential of power.

And yes, we’ve more than likely overlooked someone, and, I’m quite convinced that we’ll hear about it loud and clear.

If you have an opinion of someone we may have missed from this year’s Power Elite ranking or a recommendation of how this ranking should be organized, I encourage you to contact us at editorial@ IngramsOnLine.com.

Your input may just shape the Power Elite ranking for the next Power Book in April, 2008.

Our Best!

Joe Sweeney

Editor-In-Chief & Publisher

JSweeney@IngramsOnLine.com