Ingram’s 20 in their Twenties Assembly

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024

According to many demographers, the first members of Generation Z entered this world in 1997, which makes those on the leading edge 27 as of this year. By happenstance, that’s the same age for a plurality of this year’s 20 in Their Twenties honorees (just beating out the 28-year-olds on a 7-6 split).

Typically, one qualifies for this recognition when they’re closer to exhausting their eligibility, which is understandable: It means you’ve compiled more time in your chosen field, so you’ve had more opportunities to achieve.

This feature debuted in 2008, just as Millennials were exerting their influence on the nation’s work force. With the torch passing to Gen Z—13 of this year’s Twenties honorees fall in the latter group—some changes are coming to the workplace. Those changes will be incremental, as those on either side of the generational dividing line share many of the same challenges, goals and career aspirations.

That much was clear when this year’s class gathered on Oct. 22 in a beautiful Lathrop GPM conference room overlooking a Downtown being reshaped by members of this age group and their appetite for living nearer the city’s center. 

A Changing Workplace

Kristen Koerber, an associate for the host law firm, immediately identified one way her employer was accommodating younger workers. The onset of the 2020 pandemic triggered a national explosion in remote work; nearly five years later, some companies have come to embrace its benefits (and continue to address potential downsides). Koerber says the firm is completely hybrid. “They want us in the office one day a week,” she says.

Lawyers there, she says, “are choosing to come in. They want to be around each other.”

Brittany Butler, who works for a New York-based firm that provides digital marketing services and tools, doesn’t even have an office: She and two colleagues for Optimizely work from their homes. “I think it’s wonderful because I get to work with people all over the globe,” she says, “and I get to have different opportunities to see the different types of cultures in other regions. That’s really cool.”

Morgan Adcock, whose family owned company is in property development and management, has seen the workplace whiplash from the landlord’s perspective. After COVID-19 hit, “nobody came to work between early 2020 and 2022,” she says. That’s flipped. “Today, we have gone from being 40 percent occupied to 95 percent occupied because that many people are coming back to work.” For her tenants, it’s a matter of creating a more friendly work environment. 

The issue for Mazuma Credit Union, says Jordan Chaplick, is on office on the verge of maximizing its capacity, not long after opening a new headquarters. “The issue that we’re running into, which is also a blessing in disguise, is we’re kind of overfilling.” In response, the company has created more flexible work arrangements for those who aren’t member-facing. For the younger generation, though, “they like the work-from-home aspect. I think it feels like they have more flexibility.”

The impact of younger workers on their employer’s benefit design is apparent at Commerce Bank, says Adam Gentry. “My experience is that our feedback is encouraged and taken fairly seriously,” by the leadership, he says. “We’ve seen what feel like substantial benefit changes recently and additional offerings,” as with the bank’s collaboration with fintech company Paytient, to help address out-of-pocket expenses for health care.

With benefits more broadly, says Ticket Takedown co-founder Samama Mahmud-Meyer, “I don’t see that our generation is typically too concerned or involved with the intricacies of what kind of health benefit plan they’re getting. What I see more of is a feeling that they are valued and their voice is being heard in the room.”

That, she said, is where younger workers are driving the greatest change. “It’s shifting the traditional corporate hierarchical structure,” she says. “Instead of having a supervisor who is just in that position because that is what the structure is telling you—now, it’s more like who is the best fit to be in that role? Putting the right person in the right seat.”

Elijah Sharpe, the chief executive and founder of an agricultural lab-testing service called Alden, says he tries to lead through understanding what other young people like. “So when it comes to benefits or work hours, things like that, we’re super flexible,” he said. “I don’t care if my team works 9-to-5: If you’re selling, you need to be hitting the phone during that period but it’s a performance environment, so you either achieve or you don’t.”

Most young workers, he says, are focused on getting their work done and hitting milestones, so “there’s an expectation that they’re allowed to be independent, which we cater to.”

As a group, these workers are less concerned with the details of their health coverage, but quite focused on the costs of it. One exception was Brittany Butler of Optimizely, who said, “I feel like I’d rather pay more for good insurance than pay less for bad insurance.”

Nick Ambrosio, after making a recent job switch in commercial real estate, expressed the price sensitivity many of his peers feel: “I’m full commission, so my company gives me no sort of benefits. I’m learning the hard way, but I paid the absolute cheapest I can for insurance and I mean, so my personal preference is as much take home pay, but I’m also somebody who has to pay for it myself.”

As an owner with ChopAir, Bobby Caffrey notes the incremental burden of higher health-insurance costs. “When you start looking at your profit and loss, you’re like, ‘OK, insurance is about 1 percent of your revenue and then health insurance is another 1 percent and then all of a sudden insurance is 2-1/2 percent of your revenue and now health insurance is 2 percent.” Covering those costs, he said, may mean pulling back on marketing, advertising or other strategic initiatives.

On top of that, Caffrey said, “there’s something called inflation and it’s very real and it’s going to keep hitting us. I’m more stressed about my car insurance than my health insurance right now, honestly, especially living in Kansas City.”

Home Ownership

A show of hands turned up a surprisingly high percentage of this group as homeowners. This, despite a constant media drumbeat that the American Dream is was out of reach for today’s younger generations. 

Still, home ownership is not a psychic blanket.

“I don’t want to move. I love where I live,” said Brittany Butler, “but if I had to move, I would be terrified, just because of how expensive it is. I ended up putting something like 11 offers on houses back in 2021 and we were getting beat out by all-cash offers and just people not wanting to do inspections and things like that.” But leaving that? “I’m very happy that I don’t want to leave, but if I wanted to or had to, I would be really scared,” she said.

From a renter’s perspective, said CrossFirst Bank’s Kevin Hogg, “I’ve been looking in the past couple of years and I think people were clearly waiting for one of two things to drop: Either the prices of the home or interest rates.” Now that the latter are showing tentative signs of receding, he says, “I think we’ll see a flood of buyers, possibly.” As with other investments, though, he believes there’s a risk in trying to time the market to find a better deal.

For Raegen Root, the pain of renting showed up with a 12 percent hike this summer. “The crazy thing is, I have a pretty large apartment and most houses are still just as much money, if not more, for a similar size or smaller,” she said. “And then on top of that you have extra warranty and maintenance cost. I don’t have to deal with that.”

But home ownership here shouldn’t limit anyone’s ability to live anywhere else, said Nick Ambrosio—if you’re moving to another city, it should be for a better-paying job.” If people are going to leave a good situation for hopefully a better one, you’re going to be expected to be compensated more, and hopefully that would cover that new rent or that new mortgage.”

Bobby Caffrey noted a change in home-ownership dynamics. “The way it used to work was, you buy a house like close the city, two- or three-bedroom, and then you start having more kids and you need a bigger house, so you sell and go spend a similar amount on a bigger house further away from the city. Well now, the houses are further away, but they’re crazy expensive.”

What about social life? What’s Kansas City lacking? For Brittany Butler, one huge positive is “the great food in Kansas City.”

Bobby Caffrey saw positives in the variety and diversity of entertainment zones. “With a ton of different pockets, you have Westport, there’s the West bottoms, there’s Downtown, the Crossroads and the Plaza. You just drive a little further, you’re in Brookside, then you’re in Waldo or Prairie Village. There’s just all these unique pockets and you can go find one that you really like.”

Adam Gentry says the new single-terminal Kansas City International Airport has allowed more outsiders to discover what’s really distinguishing this region. “And you have big events or the World Cup coming up; there’s going to be loads of people coming” with that blockbuster event in 2026. “It also gives us the ability to take our Midwestern dollar and stretch it farther elsewhere,” he said.

“I wish we had better shopping,” said Raegen Root. “We’re kind of behind on what is new and trendy for shopping. She’s hopeful that the Dallas-based firm that just bought the Plaza will deliver on its promised upgrades.

What makes Kansas City amazing, is seeing what it isn’t. “I went to Denver three years ago, had a great time,” said Nick Ambrosio. “The mountains are an hour away. I went back a year later and I freaking hated it. It took me an hour to go six miles. The crime was unbelievable. The homelessness is ridiculous. And it’s like you want to know what, like, we don’t have a lot of skyscrapers, and maybe don’t have the best shopping, but I personally feel relatively safe. And KC is very affordable compared to other places. I personally do not want Kansas City to end up like Denver.”

Elijah Sharpe sees a more comfortable pace of life here as a strength. “I’m from Houston, which is fast paced, and always going. I love to be in Kansas City with its slower pace. I live in Lenexa, but I lived in One Light when I first moved here and it was still slow pace and they started throwing up more buildings. I love Kansas City just how it is. I think when you start trying to go compete with an Austin, if you spend a lot of time in Austin, you can see what is special about Kansas City.”

On the business side, Morgan Adcock, who originally hailed from Dallas, says the third-generation company was “drawn to Kansas City because of the opportunity. We’re primarily in Dallas and LA. And if you know anything about business in Dallas and LA, it’s really old school. You got to be in with people who have been in since the beginning of those cities. Kansas City’s not really like that.” As more things are coming to Kansas City and bigger spotlights shine on the city, she said, “I think we will attract younger people.” She concurs, however, with Root on the need for better shopping.

Samama Mahmud-Meyer, who grew up in Chicago, suggested that people here don’t fully appreciate the mobility that comes from less density. Not long after moving here, she heard an Uber driver’s harangue after being stuck behind the Downtown streetcar. “I could not relate to it at all because I was like, that’s how the city is, you know? That’s how we function. So just hearing him say that, it was like culture shock.”

She’s pleased, though to see significant changes such as the airport, the streetcar extension and new Downtown apartment towers. 

One concern this group shares with business and leadership: Crime. 

“When people think of Kansas City,  it’s like  ‘Oh, it’s the crime, the crime, the crime,’” said Jordan Chaplick. “You know, we do see things closing down, businesses closing down, shopping malls closing down. Personally, I don’t feel completely unsafe in Kansas City. I’ve had to walk around the city by myself at night.” But it’s not at levels people see in St. Louis, for example.

“I think that you guys have a great city,” said Morgan Adcock. “I mean, I hope to make this my home. I have a son now. My husband and I live here. I think it’s important for our generation to realize how important our city leadership is, because safety—that comes from our city leader-ship, that’s like local, they’re the ones that are making that decision. It doesn’t matter who the president is. It matters who’s in charge of your city.”

That rolls over onto the business-development side, as well, she says. Too often, it’s far easier to advance business planning and expansion in the suburbs—especially on the Kansas side—than in the city proper. Without the family’s financial resources when the business expanded here, she says, “if we didn’t have anybody backing us, we would have gone bankrupt within the first 18 months of being here, and Kansas City still wouldn’t have even processed our first permit request.”

The most important thing, she believes, is “to continue to make Kansas. City a great place to be, a great place to work and a great place to raise your family. So that’s just my opinion from being an outsider.”