Blog

It’s Not the 1 Percent; It’s the 0.01 Percent . . .

Jun 18, 2021
Hey, gang! Dot-connecting time! Let’s play . . . If the reporting is to be believed—big “if” these days—your pal and mine in eCommerce, Jeff Bezos, has commissioned construction of a $500 million super-yacht. The good shipbuilders in the Netherlands,… more

Swimming Through the Mud

Jun 18, 2021
I have to hand it to the companies that earned their place on this issue’s 36th annual Corporate Report 100 ranking. If we were to ever find ourselves in a street fight, I’d want these folks on our side. They’re… more

Can the Circle Be Unbroken

May 6, 2021
In recent years, we’ve bought several homes and developed building lots at the Lake of the Ozarks and have established a pretty popular destination for a number of repeat guests as well as a host of new ones. The pandemic… more

Taking the Lead

Apr 7, 2021
Traditions are a terrific thing, and you’re holding perhaps Ingram’s most valued annual recognition program. It’s hard to believe this is the 23rd year of 40 Under Forty and The Leadership Edition. I vividly remember in 1998 when we selected… more

Cold Calls in 2021 . . . Really?

Apr 2, 2021
I make my living with words, so full disclosure: I’m not a salesman. And neither, it seems, are the legions of people, purportedly in sales roles, who interrupt my day with phone calls asking if I’m the IT guy at… more

Putting the Edge on Small-Town Living

Apr 2, 2021
Everyone who has ever met the aptly named Loy Edge—and that is just about everyone in Kansas City—will agree on one word to describe him: Edge is a character. For all its virtues, our beloved town is rather short on… more

A tribute to Kansans and our great state

Mar 17, 2021
Last year on Friday, March 13 Ingram’s team sat down to what clearly was one of the oddest meetings of my career. I felt at that time like a military leader addressing troops going into battle and sensing the probability… more

Fighting the Elements

Feb 18, 2021
I don’t have to elaborate much to convey the extraordinary challenges associated with navigating the past year. If one steps out of the picture and looks back in, they would see a year of challenge on nearly every front. Particularly… more

Here’s Hoping Time Wounds All Heels…

Jan 20, 2021
OK, new year. Great. I had plenty of the one we just finished. The holidays create an opportunity to gather the family for some reflections on what has transpired during a given year, what counts as a personal, academic or… more

Execs Should Heed Jason Whitlock’s War with the NBA

Jan 20, 2021
A one-time offensive lineman at Ball State University, Jason Whitlock today looks pretty much like what you’d think an offensive lineman would look like roughly 30 hard-living years after hanging up his cleats. My wife swears she used to see… more