Ingram's Magazine
You can read Ingram’s April 2025 Digital Edition here.
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2025 A point-by-point snapshot of major health care delivery systems and providers in Kansas City set against a background of national trend lines: If one trend line jumps out among all the other metrics in the Kansas City…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2025 Earlier this month, President Trump unveiled potential reciprocal tariffs in a Rose Garden ceremony, and they were bigger than just about anyone expected. The base was a 10 percent tariff on all imported goods. Additional tariffs were…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2025 As I moved through my 30s and now into my early 40s, my perspective on wealth management has changed —both as a financial professional and, more personally, as a wife and mother. When I first began my…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2025 In the past five years, in succession, we have encountered a worldwide public health crisis, soaring inflation, rapidly rising interest rates, fickle consumer demand, the renewal of geopolitical rivalries, the apparent end of globalization as an organizing paradigm,…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2025 Q: More than halfway through the Baby Boomer retirement transition, do you see any changes in the way the newest generation of leaders is approaching their work and your approach to their development in general? A: I’ve…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2025 The recent release of this year’s AmLaw 100 placed two Kansas City firms—Polsinelli PC and Husch Blackwell—among the nation’s elite. And for each, 2024 produced record billings. So their body counts must be going up, right? Not…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2025 Ramin Cherafat’s brand of leadership was forged in a crucible of family and fate, of loss and resolve. He wields it today as chief executive of McCownGordon Construction, the second-largest hometown general contractor, which he has well…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2025 Lessons in Leadership, Vol. 27 Spotlighting the high achievers from every corner of regional business Executives and entrepreneurs, innovators and engineers, dreamers and doers. In many locales, 40 diverse achievers like this might pursue their separate destinies…
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You can read Ingram’s March 2025 Digital Edition here.
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2025 It’s an unusual moment in American business, one perhaps fraught with more anguish than ever about the basic concept of fairness. This, in a nation that prides itself on being a beacon of opportunity to the world.…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2025 Earlier this month, a career fair for technical-skill students drew 87 talent-starved employers to Kansas City Kansas Community College. If they were looking to hire, they came to the right place: Filling the main conference meeting space…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2025 Two things can be said with certainty about the American banking system in the Covid-19 and post-pandemic era: • One: The onset in 2020 was an absolute stunner of a year for banks, which saw their aggregate…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2025 Already, 2025 has been a year of growth and evolution, with even more changes on the horizon. From shifting macro-economics to a new administration, companies—and their employees—have many considerations to balance. Business owners should consider the following…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2025 Supporting women in their financial journeys is both a responsibility and an opportunity for financial professionals. Women face distinct hurdles—from pay gaps to longer life expectancies—that demand tailored financial strategies. By addressing these obstacles and empowering female…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2025 Q: We’ve heard for a decade that many of the jobs of the future don’t even exist yet; how is that impacting trades instruction? A: Five years ago we were looking at the potential impact of several…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2025 On Jan. 20 and 21, President Trump signed two executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion or diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives and policies in the federal government and in the private sector. These executive orders…
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You can read Ingram’s February 2025 Digital Edition here.
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 ADMINISTRATION: Gretchen Britt, Liberty Hospital Information technology and IT administration, Gretchen Britt drolly confesses, “was not on my bingo card when I went to nursing school.” And that makes all the more interesting the story of her…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 The building blocks of a regional work force start coming together in early childhood education, take shape in K-12 schools and become hardened and sized for success on college campuses. All along the way are education professionals…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 It’s been a top-of-mind question for educators, workforce development executives, and hiring managers for years: When will the erosion in college enrollment trends stop? Well, a one-year slice of that trendline is too thin to draw long-term…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 Five years after the word “COVID” panicked the planet, the immediate threat has largely subsided, some painful public-health lessons have been learned, a considerable amount of public trust must be reclaimed, and in some cases, key business…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 Onset of the global pandemic in 2020 prompted dire warnings from America’s health-care systems, which rang alarm bells about revenues plummeting as people avoided hospitals for elective procedures. In some ways, they were right. On the whole?…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 In the ever-evolving landscape of wealth management, one area that continues to demand attention is planning for the cost of a college education. For affluent families, the challenge is more than how to pay for the cost…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 Recent executive orders by President Trump introduced drastic changes within employer-sponsored health benefits, from prescription-drug costs to complying with the Affordable Care Act. Many of these changes may puzzle employers and benefits administrators; however, they must stay…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 Within his first two days of taking office, President Trump signed several executive orders rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the federal government. These orders generally: • Eliminated DEI programs in federal agencies. •…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 The pandemic that struck in early 2020 reshaped lives in ways that will be felt for generations. It also profoundly changed the office market. Professional firms, corporate headquarters, call centers, IT operations, and countless other industries had…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 It started off with The Village People singing and dancing their hit “YMCA” in a pre-inaugural rally with President Trump doing his iconic dance along with them. On January 20, Day One, Trump implemented a slew of…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025 Well … that certainly was an unexpected outcome. With visions of threepeating dancing in their heads, the Kansas City Chiefs were brusquely jolted back to reality in Super Bowl LIX, a 40-22 beatdown at the hands of…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 His father was an investment banker who, in his spare time, did some home remodeling along Ward Parkway, so young Tom Whittaker had early exposure to construction. During his college years, his interest in math led him…
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You can read Ingram’s January 2025 Digital Edition here.
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 Tom O’Grady was born in New Jersey and was raised in Connecticut, not far from major population centers where the infrastructure of—well…everything—is substantially denser, more complex, more expansive and more vertical than natives of the Kansas City…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 Growing up in Raytown, Natalie Daney saw the insurance industry from an outsider’s perspective. The view wasn’t entirely pleasant. “My dad was a barber and my mom did not work outside of the home,” she says. “I…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 Anyone who knows the rigors of construction accounting will fully appreciate what Jeff Placek had to achieve to become chief financial officer for McCownGordon Construction, the second-largest hometown contractor in this region. Anyone who knows the rigors…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 Across the Kansas City region, across the nation and even around the world, there are people whose first step to career achievement came on a trail blazed by Dana Streck. As a vital cog in the hiring…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 Once upon a time, on a high school basketball court in the northwest suburbs of Oklahoma City, a lanky 6-foot-8 teenager would finagle his way into the high school gym after hours, set up his boom box,…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 No review of a region’s biggest business deals in a given year is complete if one limits the definition of a “deal” to dollars paid for goods/services rendered. With that in mind, some of the biggest deals…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 The year just past brought significant developments across global markets, capping off a banner year with quarterly gains despite economic shifts, policy changes, and geopolitical events. The S&P 500 recently posted one of its strongest monthly…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 Against All Odds In any given year, nearly 600,000 U.S. businesses fail; on average, 17,000 of them won’t just close their doors, they’re forced into formal bankruptcy. But averages can obscure real-time conditions. If you take a…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 Looking back on a generation’s worth of annual economic forecasts, we’ve learned one thing about looking ahead to the state of the regional and national economy: Discerning the future is, at best, a 50-50 proposition. Some projections…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 As business owners and leadership teams prepare for the new administration to take office this month, you should maintain a long-term perspective. Many of the themes that you have been grappling with since the pandemic are likely…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 The Corporate Transparency Act, enacted to shed light on the often-opaque world of corporate ownership and control, has become embroiled in a legal battle that has now reached the highest court in the land. This ongoing saga…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 The minimum wage in Missouri increased to $13.75 per hour on Jan. 1 and will increase by $1.25 per hour more in 2026, when it will be $15 per hour. The minimum wage will be adjusted based…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025 Q: Let’s start with the news: can you put the initial threat of a longshoreman’s strike into context for people, and help them understand the importance of that tentative deal becoming finalized? A: Ports like Los Angeles,…
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You can read Ingram’s December 2024 Digital Edition here.
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Optimism and Challenge in Regional Philanthropy Against a national backdrop of political, economic and social change—and with the spirit of Christmas washing over Union Station—a score of non-profit leaders and funders from around the region met Dec. 20 to assess…
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024 Since its inception, Ingram’s has been a fierce advocate for business growth, a megaphone to tell the world about what makes the Kansas City region thrive. But there’s an important difference between corporate entities that make commerce…
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024 The Kansas City region has long had a reputation for being one of the most philanthropic cities in America. But the giving goes far beyond what can be raised when individuals pass the hat. On a corporate…
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024 As the end of 2024 approaches, people in the Kansas City region can look back on a year of business growth, a year of exceptional achievement in sports, and a year of historic changes in health care,…
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024 Steven Leeder saw it coming. Three years before Children’s Mercy Kansas City opened its new research tower to explore new frontiers in pediatric pharmacology, the future director of that site assessed where genomic and precision medicine were…
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024 Two things that can be said without question about the late Vic Regnier Sr.: One, he was one of Johnson County’s most storied names in home-building and land ownership over the second half of the 20th century.…
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024 For the first time since 2021, the Fed is no longer likely to be the biggest influencer on economic growth, employment, inflation, or interest rates. Starting next month, the new president’s policies, some enacted by executive order…
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024 When seeking to streamline operations and safeguard against fraud, choosing credit cards over other payment methods for most business expenses can have clear but sometimes overlooked benefits. This includes greater protections, extension of working capital and monetary…
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024 Forty-six years ago, a small group of local philanthropists in Kansas City passed a hat to collect $210.25. It was the first act of forming the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. Oh, to be in that room…
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PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024 Now that the smoke from the 2024 election has dissipated, the path forward to 2025 is becoming somewhat clearer for investors, especially regarding White House policies that could affect markets over the next four years. Less clear…
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You can read Ingram’s November 2024 Digital Edition here.
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024 Bankers, teachers, entrepreneurs and visionaries: Meet 50 extraordinary Kansans who are driving growth and success at their organizations, and building better communities through that work. This is Ingram’s 14th year of 50 Kansans You Should Know, bringing…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024 Over the past half-century these captains of industry created, led or shaped companies that changed the face of a state, a nation, and a world. Lionel Alford, The Boeing Co., Wichita A suicide mission. That’s what Lionel…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024 Kansas entrepreneurs have changed the world. An idle boast? Just check the record. Other elements of this special issue focus on the biggest names in business leadership over the past 50 years. But those leaders achieved spectacular…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024 To understand the sports scene in Kansas, it helps to start with a quick geography lesson. So here it is: U.S. Highway 81 almost exactly bisects the state’s 105 counties: 50 of them are either west of…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024 The final chapter in the history of business in Kansas over the past few years would have an almost ironic sense of how things can come full circle. Earlier this year, The Boeing Co. agreed to buy…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024 DISTRICT 1: NORTHEAST Contrast may be the name of the game for Northeast Kansas. Anchored by the state capital and regional center of Topeka, this region offers an extremely wide range of business and lifestyle opportunities. The…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024 Entrepreneurship reigns supreme in a state that has produced companies with extraordinary global reach. Here are several of the most successful—and consequential—organizations throughout the Great State of Kansas over the past half century. AdventHealth Year Founded: 1973…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024 Five decades ago, a Kansas City investment broker by the name of Ludwell Gaines decided the business community here was missing a few things: a sense of curiosity, a modicum of integrity, and enough fire in the…
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You an read Ingram's October 2024 Digital Edition here.
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 Hard to believe, but it’s been more than 25 years since the very first class of Ingram’s Top Doctors debuted, and this year, we induct 16 new faces into that elite fold. That brings the grand total…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 The annual autumn ritual of open enrollments and employee benefit selections is upon us, with a five-word cautionary assessment for employers from the global consulting firm Mercer: “The picture is not encouraging.” That was the takeaway from…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 Q: In the health coverage space, how are businesses/owners reacting to the premium trend lines seen over the past several cycles? A: We always try to do everything we can to be proactive with employers to help…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 If the demographers are right, anyone turning 27 this year is on the leading edge of Generation Z, which continues its unstoppable advance through the global workforce. By odd coincidence, the modal number of this year’s 20…
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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…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 There is no question that today’s youngest employees—driven by a desire for flexibility, mental health support, and inclusivity—are reshaping workplace benefits, igniting the latest wave in an ongoing workplace evolution. By 2025, Gen Z is expected to…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 Knowing when and how to buy a home in the current market can feel like an insurmountable challenge, especially for those in the Millennial and Gen Z age ranges who are still looking for the opportunity to…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 Nine years. That’s the current success metric at State Technical College of Missouri, where the fall semester produced a ninth straight record year of enrollment, hitting 2,415 students. Since the start of that streak, enrollment at the…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 This year, Oct. 5 marked the kick-off to Christmas in October, an event where business volunteers gather to give back to the communities that share the Kansas City area with as their home. On average, more than…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 As the third decade of the century dawned, the American economy was firing on all cylinders: GDP was up a comfortable 2.3 percent—sustainable growth that, by itself, wouldn’t trigger inflation. Quite the opposite; the final year of…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024 We entered a new federal fiscal year this month. By one accounting, our deficit for fiscal year 2024 reached $2.3 trillion! Back when Ronald Reagan was president and budget deficits were rising, he rolled out the “New…
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Read the September 2024 digital version of Ingram’s here.
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2024 In 50 years of covering the greater Kansas City business community and its executive leadership, through thousands of stories and hundreds of economic assemblies, Ingram’s knows that Kansas City area companies are blessed with incredible C-suite talent. …
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2024 So, yes, we all know that it’s more cost-effective to retain a key employee than to replace one and that the price of failure can be a third to half of the replacement’s compensation. Again, we know…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2024 A factoid worth noting from the global executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas: Through July of this year, 1,250 CEOs in the U.S. had announced their departures—the highest year-to-date total on record. That broke a record…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2024 Raise your hand if, on last March 28, you thought the Kansas City Royals would be in the playoffs come October. If your hand is in the air now, shame on you—we all know better. Unless you’re…
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Q: We’ve seen the stats suggesting two-thirds of small business owners plan to sell within the next two years. Is that in line with past rates of succession? If not, how is it differing? A: That time frame seems too…
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In the aftermath of the August Democratic National Convention and the ascension of Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee, not much changed with respect to where Joe Biden had stood on taxes. We anticipated that Harris would make it…
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There will always be people who fear advances in technology and are hesitant to adopt them. However, historically, the benefits of technological advancements have outweighed the downsides. Technology drives growth, reduces costs, improves efficiencies and customizes experiences. Technology also drives…
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To see it on a map, there’s little to suggest relevance or historical significance of the building at latitude: 39° 05’ 18.60” N, longitude: -94° 36’ 12.59” W. But in some ways, the building that Kansas City once knew as…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2024 What makes business in Missouri tick? Start with high-powered executives, blend in a healthy dose of high-achieving non-profit leaders, and top it off with some high-level thinkers in education, the arts, entertainment, sports and more. The fabric…
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You can read the digital edition of the August issue here.
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Looking back across half a century of business growth in Missouri, one gets a true sense of the state’s ability to sustain an amazing diversity of business models. Beyond the banks, retailers and insurance companies that are boilerplate elements of…
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District 1: Northwest Missouri Counties: Andrew, Atchison, Caldwell, Carroll, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Worth District Population: 148,901 Biggest City (population): Maryville (10,461) Other Population Centers: Chillicothe, Cameron, Bethany, Savannah Major Employers: Kawasaki Motors,…
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A.G. Edwards Year Founded: 1887 Headquarters: St. Louis Sector: Financial Services Number of Employees: 15,338 For the better part of its 120 years, the name A.G. Edwards was synonymous with U.S. brokerage houses. Founded by Albert Gallatin Edwards and…
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No history of American entrepreneurship would be complete without a chapter—a thick one—on the achievements recorded by Show-Me State business visionaries. Starting with an inspiration, they produced generational wealth in consumer products, manufacturing, financial services, health-care, transportation and more. Even…
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In the final analysis, it only took one guy—Stan Kroenke—and 790 million of his dollars to bring the entirety of Missouri into the Kansas City Chiefs Kingdom. When the owner of the St. Louis Rams abruptly and classlessly pulled that…
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Imagine you’re a national distributor of consumer products. You want to build a new distribution center that will get your product to as many people as possible, nationwide, with the least amount of time in a truck on the road.…
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In the big picture, a statewide economy doesn’t come with much more stability than you’ll find in Missouri. Its diverse blend of agribusiness, manufacturing, financial and professional services, health-care and construction concerns created both vibrancy and consistency in the aggregate.…
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Fifty years after its first edition rolled off the presses, Ingram’s today is a number of things, but if we had to boil it all down to a single phrase, we’re about recognizing excellence in business and building connections. We…
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Read the July 2024 digital version of Ingram’s here.
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Only the Best for Kansas City Do you think that when Andy Reid was hired as the Chief’s head coach 11 years ago that, anyone in Kansas City ever dreamed of three Super Bowl wins and a booming national status?…
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PUBLISHED JULY, 2024 1. eHawk Solutions, 1st Year Growth: 2,327.18% Average Annual Growth Rate: 775.73% Gross Revenue 2023: $5,062,656 Gross Revenue 2020: $208,582 Full-time employees: 48 OK, we get it: The smartphone changed almost everything. But criminal…
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How much can things change in a decade? In Kansas City and across the nation, the period from 2010 to the end of 2019 was one of spectacular growth. On a local level, one notable metric can be found in…
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Savvy investors, especially those at the high-net-worth and ultra-high levels, are far too sophisticated to keep all their investment eggs in one basket, of course. But if they did throughout 2023: Those locked into the Dow Jones Industrials enjoyed a…
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It didn’t really start with a pandemic. Not with schools that were closed for indeterminate periods, not with schedules upended by remote work, not with once-in-a-generation inflation, not with the highest interest rates in a decade. All of those factors,…
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PUBLISHED JULY, 2024 11. Sara Software Systems, 4th Year Growth: 401.43% Average Annual Growth Rate: 133.81% Gross Revenue 2023: $20,377,775.00 Gross Revenue 2020: $4,063,931.00 Full-time employees: 65 This Olathe-based technology services provider is a woman-owned company under CEO Maninder Kaur, back…
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Posted July 25, 2024 Q: For a year that began with some apprehension about a looming recession, 2023 proved quite kind to investors. What, in your opinion, were the drivers of better-than-average returns for those with diversified portfolios? A: We…
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Read the June 2024 digital version of Ingram's here.
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Kristen Walters has a big job ahead of her. As the chief human-resources executive for Panasonic Energy’s manufacturing plant taking shape in De Soto, she’s already running point on an effort that will ultimately employ 4,000 people operating eight production…
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Kelly Anders, Deputy Director, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum For a newly minted law school graduate, this constitutes a true epiphany: “I quickly realized something important: I don’t like to argue, which most successful lawyers do all the time,”…
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The long, slow progression of women in business leadership continues its march toward equity. To hear some of this region’s leading executives from high-performing companies discuss the challenges they’re addresssing in the workplace, one can only wonder: What’s taken so…
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While many of the unique decisions facing high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals are the same regardless of gender, female investors in either group often face additional challenges when compared to their male counterparts. Reasons include societal expectations, gender norms and longer…
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Employers know artificial intelligence is here to stay, but many are grappling with concerns over responsible usage and ethical considerations, including job displacement—particularly in jobs traditionally held by women, including office, administrative support and sales, among others. The…
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As the 21st century arrived at center stage, the Kansas City area was poised for major developments on the business front. The decade of 2000-2009 would be marked by some high-profile multibillion-dollar busts, but also by some multi-billion-dollar breakout successes…
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How does an employer or hiring manager know the winds of the American labor market are about to blow in a new direction? Perhaps when a Larry Fink—CEO of the investment behemoth BlackRock—declares, as he did recently, that the company…
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Q: Four years after the pandemic, has the office market in this region fully digested the impact of those sudden changes? A: I don’t think the market has fully processed the impact of COVID yet, because there are still hundreds…
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The current multifamily market has created one of the most unique environments we’ve seen over the past 15 years, and we’re bullish on the opportunities it’s likely to produce. Interest rates are at a 17-year high, transaction volume is…
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There are three primary catalysts responsible for the market trading at its current levels as well as why it has the potential for further gains, stretching right into the second-quarter reporting season in mid-summer. First, core inflation finally showed some…
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Read all about the history of Kansas City business over the past half-century here.
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Fifty years ago, Ludwell Gaines put his vision into ink on paper, and it became the mission for what Kansas City knows today as Ingram’s: “I believe that Kansas City is entering an exciting and promising new era, an era…
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The 2024 version of Kansas City emerged from half a century of highs and lows in the corporate world. Ingram’s has been part of the trip the whole way in this, our 50th year, with a mission grounded in meaning.…
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AMC Entertainment Year Founded: 1920 Headquarters: Leawood, Kan. Sector: Entertainment Number of Employees: 33,812 The Dubinsky brothers—Maurice, Edward and Barney—were traveling tent-show performers who tired of the road and bought a fixed-up theater in Kansas City in 1920. By…
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Some business lunches are soon forgotten, sometimes within hours of paying the bill. Some will stick in the memory, always. Falling into the latter category was a gathering that took place a generation ago—on the first business day of 2004,…
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The dictionary definition of “melee” reads thusly: “A struggle. Especially: a hand-to-hand fight among several people.” That’s about as close as we’ll come to describing the process that produced this half-century take on the most influential business figures in Kansas…
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“Perfection,” it’s been written, “consists not of doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.” With that in mind, Ingram’s Living Legends series debuted in 1999 to showcase truly legendary figures of Kansas City business in the latter half…
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When people from Kansas City say they hail from a place with entrepreneurship in its DNA, they’re not blowing smoke: The very first non-native entrepreneur here was a fellow by the name of Francois Chouteau, a fur trader and explorer…
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Imagine an NFL franchise that wins two games and loses 14 in a season. Then repeats that sorry performance four seasons later. Who would we be talking about? The Cleveland Browns? Detroit Lions? Tampa Bay? Nope. That would be none…
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Fifty years ago, the Kansas City region was one of the nation’s Top 10 markets for logistics facilities, ranked ninth nationally with 95.65 million square feet of system capacity. A lot has changed in the decades since to reshuffle the…
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You can read the April 2024 Digital edition here.
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2024 Author and leadership-development guru Matt Tenney, writing for Business Leadership Today.com, notes that organizations around the world spend a combined $60 billion a year on leadership development. The ROI on that spend? A 28 percent increase in…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2024 Lessons in Leadership, Vol. 26 Since 1998, Ingram’s has showcased rising young executives whose leadership in business, civic life, and philanthropy have marked them as the region's most promising leaders. Last year, we celebrated a milestone with…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2024 Jeff Simon is your textbook example of how the power of love works—on both professional and personal levels. An early 40 Under Forty honoree (Class of 2003), this law-firm litigator and executive is a Saint Louis native…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2024 We’ve seen this play before: In 2009, workforce development executives and leadership training gurus found fertile ground with corporate clients and HR managers trying to make sense of a new generation entering the workforce: The Millennials. Their…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2024 In the mid 19th century, an obscure French writer penned this gem: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr never made it to Kansas City, but had he been here a…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2024 Q: The modern workplace is confronted with challenges on recruiting, retention, employee expectations, hybrid and remote workplaces, heavier workloads and a lot more. Is that a dramatically different cocktail than leaders have always faced? A: I think…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2024 How can an organization transfer the wisdom of its most seasoned work-force members to succeeding generations? We’re in a moment when even the youngest Baby-Boomers (those in the late-stage, born between 1959 and 1965) are in the…
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PUBLISHED APRIL 2024 In fact, the International Monetary Fund warned just this month that banks are highly exposed to cyber incidents, and a severe attack could cause loss of confidence and disruption of services, with the potential for significant impact…
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Read the digital edition of Ingram's March 2024 issue here.
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 Banks, construction companies and suppliers, medical centers, bioanalytic companies, IT specialists and animal pharmaceuticals, or firms specializing in law, energy or bioanalytics—if you tried, you’d have a hard time populating a full roster of companies that reflect…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 In a time of economic uncertainty, it’s tough to know whose numbers you can trust—especially in the supercharged political environment of a presidential election year. From one side, the message is “all is well,” and there are…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 It’s been said for years that many of the jobs that will exist five years from now don’t exist today. Five years ago, that might have been said for the types of data-scientist roles companies are seeking…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 Q: The health system has been one of the region’s fastest-growing in terms of hiring for several years—and one of those hires was you. What drew you there? A: I’ve spent 10-12 years of my career in…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 Imagine this: A new tech tool promises to help your business improve the customer experience, bolster security, increase staff efficiency, lower your costs, and reduce compliance burdens. What’s not to like? If those don’t sound like things…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 Nearly one month following the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade that resulted in 22 injuries and one death, leaders and organizations met to discuss the root cause of rising gun violence in…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 As the end of the year’s first quarter bears down on us, this is a good time for business owners to reflect on the state of their business and the factors that matter most to their success.…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 Construction executives don’t like to speak about it—publicly, anyway—but they know they have a serious problem. It goes beyond materials costs, a tight labor market, and supply chain disruptions. It’s substance abuse. And they are right to…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 Most business owners eventually face the need to plan for succession of ownership of the business. Planning for that deserves time and effort, and often the chosen path takes time to implement. The basic alternatives are: sell…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 On March 1, a federal judge issued a final judgment ruling in favor of the National Small Business United’s motion for summary judgment, and against the U.S. Treasury Dept. over the Corporate Transparency Act. U.S. District Judge…
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PUBLISHED MARCH 2024 The investment landscape is evolving rapidly, influenced by a new generation of investors whose outlook on retirement, homeownership, and financial security differs distinctly from previous ones. This shift demands a re-evaluation of traditional wealth management practices. Recent…
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Click here to read Ingram’s February 2024 Digital Edition.
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 The January jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics caught economists nationwide off-guard: Nonfarm payrolls soared 353,000 for the month, nearly double the Dow Jones estimate of 185,000. The unemployment rate, projected to tick up a…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 What does it take to be recognized as an Icon of Education? It starts with an intense passion to teach. It requires a steadfast commitment to improving the lives of students. And it implies exceptional achievement regardless…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 The reality is, any hospital or medical center already has a game plan for dealing with a mass-casualty event, whether it’s natural or man-made—tornadoes, for example, or plane crashes. There are times, however, when dealing with those…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 Even before the ink was dry on Deloitte’s assessment of health-care trends to watch in 2024—wherein it heralded the return of mergers and acquisitions, consolidation and convergence—the Kansas City marketplace was proving the consultancy prophetic: • Last…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 You do something long enough, and you begin to form new perspectives. Take our Heroes in Healthcare, for instance. Ingram’s introduced this feature 21 years ago this month as part of its commitment to covering health care…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 It wasn’t just the Super Bowl LVIII score—it was a statement. And that statement was, in effect: “You can kick us when we’re down. But we’re gonna get back up.” Led by the iron will of quarterback…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 By late 1974, as the first edition of Outlook magazine was coming together, one could forgive the construction, development and civic players in the region if they paused to take their collective breath. After all, over a…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 Q: We’ve heard for years that a large percentage of the jobs that will exist in five years don’t exist today. How does that pressure the process of creating or adjusting academic programming? A: It does require…
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As we navigate the ever-evolving changes within our society, health is a topic that remains constant amongst organizations when it comes to their employees. Even so, organizations that review their past achievements and strategize for future success tend to succeed…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 After a long stretch of relative stability, the U.S. economy hit a rough patch in 2022-2023. Inflation and interest rates reached levels not seen in decades, and even though both have started to subside, many Americans feel…
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PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2024 Non-compete agreements have always been a staple in employers’ efforts to protect their competitive information and relationships, but in recent years, non-competes have come under attack from all angles at the state and federal levels. Employers should…
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You can read the digital version of Ingram's January 2024 edition here.
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 “Your values become your destiny.” —Mahatma Gandhi In the 20 years since he bought Creative Planning, Peter Mallouk has spearheaded a series of strategic, calculated enhancements to the wealth management firm’s service line, all designed to drive the…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Brent Blake fell in love with the travel industry early in his career, so much so that he partnered up to found an agency and build it into the biggest of its kind in the Kansas City…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 When you grow up in small-town Kansas, cushy retail jobs are few when compared to farm-related tasks and manual labor. And the latter, Doug Gaston wryly notes, offer a unique learning opportunity: “It teaches you that you…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 He came from a large Kansas City family and grew up around a lot of other big families, so Joe Massman’s introduction to complex organizations came early in life. “A focal point for me,” he says, “was…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Finding talent. Recruiting it. Scheduling interviews, travel, hotels. Offer letters. Terms of employment. Benefits selections. Employment-law compliance. Data analytics. Evaluations and training. Think about all that goes into onboarding a single employee. Now think about orchestrating all…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Brad Rein can tell you all about a special challenge that tech executives confront daily, especially in large organizations: How to effectively translate the arcana of TechSpeak into something the non-tech exec can absorb. “I’ve known many…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Ask Nancy Lewis about what makes her tick—what really went into her leadership tool kit from an early age—and her thoughts drift back to Palmyra, Mo., a few miles west of the Mississippi River, to a wall…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Deals north of a billion dollars don’t come along very often, but the Kansas City region saw a few of them in 2023—including one merger marking a transformative merger in health care and one done through outright…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Vision, Determination Make All the Difference The onset of the 2020 pandemic signaled the death knell for more than 200,000 U.S. businesses in the first year alone, and many tens of thousands more since. This isn’t about them.…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 After a big run-up in salaries during the inflation spike of 2022-23, the curve is flattening on payroll costs in many industries. The same can’t be said for benefits costs, irrespective of sector. What should be top…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Last January, as is the annual custom at Ingram’s, we polled a small group of economists about what the U.S. economy might have in store in 2023. If their collective insight could be considered in terms of…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 It’s January 1974. Ingram’s magazine doesn’t yet exist. The seeds of intellectual capital for it, however, are about to be sown. Over the coming decades, and into this, the 50th year of this enterprise, the story of…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Kansas City is gaining development traction with more construction projects entering the pipeline—even as construction firms continue to address a longstanding labor shortage striking the industry. One of the main factors contributing to the labor shortage is…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Imagine driving on a straight highway with your eyes closed. No matter how precisely you grip the steering wheel, you need to open your eyes every so often as the car naturally drifts, making occasional adjustments to…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 As a banker and career commercial lender, I can tell you bankers want to figure out a way to lend. The bottom line is that is how we make money! However, we have to weigh the risks…
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PUBLISHED JANUARY 2024 Q: Heading into the new year, can you give us your thoughts on where construction, broadly, is positioned for 2024? A: I would say confidence is pretty high in construction right now. People are generally busy. The…
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Very little about Paul DeBruce’s background suggests that he was destined from birth to become one of Kansas City’s most active entrepreneurs. At his boyhood home in the southwest Kansas hamlet of Ulysses, he recalls, “There weren’t those kinds of…
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The statistic jumps off the screen with enough force to startle anyone with the capacity to care: In 2022, the nation’s Supplemental Poverty Measure—a combination of household cash and government benefits like food stamps and housing subsidies—recorded the largest year-over…
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The Great Recession of 2008. The global pandemic’s arrival in 2020. Soaring interest rates and inflation in the current climate. We’ve seen a lot of economic harm inflicted since the first Corporate Champions awards debuted in 2008. And once again,…
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Aligned in the Fight for a Better Kansas City Region It was fitting on what Ingram’s likes to call the Warmest Day in December that the skies over Kansas City on the morning of Dec. 12 brimmed with sunshine ahead…
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Flying High, and Not Just With a New Airport All in all, it was a pretty good year to call Kansas City home. Especially if you have to leave it for a while and return to the new single-terminal airport…
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Q: Beyond the increases (about 5.5 percent each) on the Estate Tax Basic Exclusion and Annual Exclusion for Gifts, are there other significant changes in tax matters of note for estate-planning purposes? A: Nothing that I would call incredibly significant;…
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It’s been relatively quiet on the tax front. While there appears to be bipartisan support for several tax-related provisions, both for individuals and for businesses, no major changes have been enacted. The IRS is directing its attention on refining audits…
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With the exception of the pandemic dip in 2020, many business owners have enjoyed a “bull” economy for nearly 15 years since the onset of the financial crisis of 2008-2009, but are challenged by a combining number of headwinds as…
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November employment was stronger than expected, with employment growth exceeding expectations and the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropping two-tenths to 3.7 percent. Add an increase in hours worked and a bigger-than-expected increase in average hourly earnings, and we have upside surprises…
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You can read the digital edition of Ingram's November issue here.
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023 Here’s an exercise to test your KC Executive Class IQ: Close your eyes for a moment and take about 30 seconds to create a mental image of a senior business executive in any of these fields: construction,…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023 Kansas City is home to some massive logistics facilities, highlighted by Logistics Park Kansas City, with more than 17 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space in the southwest quarter of Johnson County on the Kansas…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023 The history of seismic shifts in Kansas City’s business infrastructure is dotted with one-offs that could have gone bust but developed global reach: Hallmark is one, dating to 1910. H&R Block is another, dating to 1955. Cerner…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023 Q: We’ve seen some indicators of things tapering off with activity in the industrial space; what’s your take on where the sector is headed? A: It has (tapered) and for three, maybe four reasons. Interest rates being…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023 Last December, President Biden signed into law a measure that has significant effects on companies with at least 15 employees. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to applicants’ and employees’ known…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023 The pressures on the middle-class American lifestyle—a long-term trend that has been building over the past few decades—accelerated dramatically since 2020 and escalated further in 2022 as inflation skyrocketed. Steep increases in residential real-estate prices, coupled with…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023 Despite growing attacks and attempts on digital payments —ACH debits and credits, wires, virtual cards, mobile wallets, and cryptocurrency—the payments most vulnerable to fraud continue to be a more traditional method of payment: checks. The Association for…
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2023 The capital markets head into a post-FOMC meeting period with increasing confidence that the Fed has reached its terminal policy rate. Market developments painted a picture of a much cooler economy, slightly less-alarming Treasury borrowing needs, and…
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Click here to read Ingram's October 2023 Digital Edition.
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2023 “The world,” said the late Swedish academic Hans Roling, “cannot be understood without numbers. But the world cannot be understood with numbers alone.” But when it comes to health-care delivery in the Kansas City region—at the acute-care…
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The question comes at a moment that, for many, is framed by shock, surprise and fear. It arrives with the diagnosis of a serious health issue or physical impairment, one that could affect not just you, but your family and…
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What’s Top of Mind for the Emerging Work Force? If extending our annual 20 in Their Twenties awards to a 16th year has taught us anything, it’s that Kansas City has no shortage of young, talented and promising executives and…
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Here’s a measure of the pace by which time’s relentless march is redefining generations: When Ingram’s launched its 20 in Their Twenties awards in 2008, the oldest eligible members of that age cohort hailed from the trailing edge of Generation…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2023 Q: Update us on the pace of hiring over the past few years: Has it leveled off, or are you all still on after-burners? A: We’ve planned for 13 percent growth in 2023, so we’re still working…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2023 The Federal Trade Commission’s Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information—better known as the Safeguards Rule—was promulgated under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to require that financial institutions develop, implement, and maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for the security,…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2023 Much like prior conversations about Millennials, organizations are looking to know more about Gen Z. Born between roughly 1995 and 2010, the demographic currently represents one-fifth of the U.S. population and will make up 24 percent of…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2023 “The four most expensive words in the English language are, ‘This time it’s different.’” — John Templeton Famous last words, or as most in investment management and economic forecasting realize, words that shouldn’t be used during serious…
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PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 2023 After the deadly attacks over the Yom Kippur holiday, Israel’s goal regarding Hamas has shifted from containment to eradication. Gaza is now sealed off. Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces are exchanging rocket fire. But Israel is…
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PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER, 2023 A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R |…
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You can read all about the Ingram's 250 in the September Digital Edition here.
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PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER, 2023 Kansas City has been here before. Half a century ago, this community was awash with change: A new international airport was taking shape on the outskirts of the city. The sports world stood in awe of a…
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PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER, 2023 Q: Now that your retirement has been announced, can you take us back through the process that led to it, and the drafting of the original succession plan? A: Succession planning is a continuous process, so we…
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You can read the digital version of Ingram’s August 2023 edition, here.
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 That’s not just an empty question: It’s the gateway to a host of answers that reveal attributes most states could only wish for. From a business and employee cost perspective to outdoor activities to world-class health care…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 Proving once again that Missouri is a nearly bottomless well of high-powered business executives, high-achieving non-profit leaders and high-level thinkers, the 2023 installment of 50 Missourians You Should Know brings to 650 the number of individuals recognized by…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 Not far across the state line from the vacation playground of Myrtle Beach, S.C., a fellow by the name of Ted Abernathy is part of a group of policy experts who crunch data and offer their insights…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 From coast to coast, 10 markets account for nearly half of the estimated 2,500 data centers in the U.S., generally clustered in along the Pacific Coast—from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley, Portland and Seattle—to an East Coast…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 Like a steely-eyed riverboat gambler, Gov. Mike Parson pushed $859 million in chips to the center of the table in early 2023. He was betting that the Missouri General Assembly would go along with his call to…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 To the untrained eye, little has changed over the past year with the transportation infrastructure that supports Missouri’s economy. We still have major cross-country interstates in each direction. We still have the same number of international airports.…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 Flash poll: Which of these native Missourians should be the poster child for the Show-Me State’s tourism office? Check one: • Mark Twain • George Washington Carver • Kathleen Turner • Harry Truman • Sheryl Crow Trick…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 One would have to be a certified, pocket-protector-wearing nerd to know offhand the name of Frank Hachman. But we can’t think of a better friend to site-selection consultants than this former University of Utah economist. Nearly 30 years…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 Quick! What are the key elements of Missouri’s economy? If your first thought was manufacturing, congratulations: You’re spot-on in picking a sector that accounted for 12.3 percent of the state’s roughly $300 billion GDP at last count.…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 You don’t have to read between too many lines of data from the Bureau of Labor Resources to discern what Missouri employers have long known: Outside of the two metro areas that bracket the Show-Me State, the…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 Do the math: The average for household expenditures in America in 2021, according to Bankrate.com, was $66,928, with housing itself accounting for a third of that—$22,624. With inflation running at levels most of us have never witnessed—that…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 At the midpoint of 2023, home ownership in the United States had taken on Dickensian dimensions: The best of times and the worst of times at the same time. For anyone selling, opportunities remained to secure near…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 Missouri has long been able to tout world-class health-care delivery. Over the past year, that world has been rocked by two major developments: One from inside the state’s borders and one adjacent. Most recently was the announcement…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 Symphonies? Art galleries? Fine dining? Museums? Concerts, theater and dance? Sure, you can find those across Missouri, and at the highest levels in the bigger cities of St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield. And those attractions do…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 For more than 318,000 college-age students and older, Missouri was exactly the right choice for education as the 2020-21 school year arrived. That’s how many students flocked to more than 50 post-secondary campuses for their collegiate and…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 On the east side of Missouri, in St. Louis, you can find the Grand Center Arts District, where all manner of performing arts—Broadway plays, classical music, ballet, and more—help that city stake its claim to artistic excellence.…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST 2023 The online edition of Britannica defines “quality of life” thusly: “The degree to which an individual is healthy, comfortable, and able to participate in or enjoy life events.” Wouldn’t it have been easier to just put a…
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PUBLISHED AUGUST, 2023 You could fill the better part of a day trying to build a comprehensive list of the qualities that make Missouri an ideal location to own or operate a business, to raise a family, to build a…
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You can read the digital version of Ingram's July 2023 edition here.
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PUBLISHED JULY, 2023 The history of the Corporate Report 100 tells us a lot about the gap between the visionary and the person able to execute that vision. They are not always the same person. Nowhere does that show up…
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PUBLISHED JULY, 2023 1. CargoQuotes, 1st Year Growth: 5,289.28% Average Annual Growth Rate: 1,763.09% Gross Revenue 2022: $19,166,505 Gross Revenue 2019: $355,641 Full-time employees: 20 For Kevin Brandes, the road to success is best navigated…
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PUBLISHED JULY, 2023 11. Seismic Digital, 2nd Year Growth: 435.08% Average Annual Growth Rate: 145.03% Gross Revenue 2022: $7,135,096.00 Gross Revenue 2019: $1,333,466.00 Full-time employees: 22 Seismic Digital is a consumer insight, digital strategy, and activation firm catering to a diverse…
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Company culture is vital in shaping an organization’s success and overall well-being. At its core, there’s nothing complicated about company culture—but there is something transformational and impactful. At Tallgrass Freight Co., we’ve seen how strong culture attracts strong talent, enhances…
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Q: So as a quick scene-setter, we’d followed the sharp decline in mergers and acquisitions last year and seen reports of a bit of a rebound. What’s the overall landscape in that space halfway through 2023? A: I think it’s…
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PUBLISHED JULY, 2023 Not so very long ago, the captains of the wealth-management industry were calling for all aboard to batten down the hatches for rough seas ahead. A year later? Well, they’re not suggesting it’s time to gather for…
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PUBLISHED JULY, 2023 As scare headlines go, this one was quite fetching: “U.S. Bank Deposits Down $1 Trillion Since April 2022.” Give them full marks for accuracy; that declaration was entirely true. But headlines have never been big on context.…
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The strength of any nation, in many respects, lies in the vibrancy of its economy, which in turn, is largely driven by the energy of its small businesses. As we navigate the complexities of a post-pandemic world, it is essential…
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One of my all-time favorite scenes from the sitcom “The Office” is when Michael Scott, facing financial ruin, walks out of his office and shouts at the top of his lungs to all his employees, “I. DECLARE. BANKRUPTCY!” Oscar then…
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Professional Liability, or Errors and Omissions (E&O), is a key exposure for businesses. E&O coverage is designed to protect insureds against liability stemming from committing a “professional” error during their process or business services. You’re probably familiar with the term…
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Read the June 2023 digital edition here.
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 In a world where one need not look far to see the unpleasant realties of life in general and business in particular—such as, say, inflation, higher interest rates, gloom-and-doom talk of a recession—where does one turn…
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 BEST BAKERY Is it the dazzling array of cheesecake interpretations? The suite of sweets in the pastry case? The entrees and sandwiches? Well, they all come together to make McCLAIN’S BAKERY a reader favorite and, on…
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 BEST ART GALLERY The absolute center of the cultural universe in Kansas City, as it has been almost since the doors first opened in 1933, is the NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART. With its vast collection of…
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 BEST AUTO DEALER (DOMESTIC) Ford dealerships sweep the honors with the regularity one can expect from precision service and machining. BOB SIGHT FORD in Lee’s Summit takes Gold, a fitting achievement in its 100th anniversary year.…
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 BEST ACCOUNTING FIRM With accounting firms, it’s all about the numbers, so no surprise that the firm with the region’s biggest numbers—as in CPAs on staff—is also the favorite for Gold: Springfield-based FORVIS. This year’s merger…
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 Q. What are you seeing or hearing with health-insurance trends that should be of greatest concern to companies that want to provide these benefits? AMUNDSEN: I think there is a lot of creativity in the marketplace…
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 Recent advances have brought artificial intelligence to center stage. Given the progress, the promise, and the hype, it is little wonder investors are excited to see who is focusing on the space and what they are…
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 For more than a decade, hospital executives have been ringing alarm bells about a looming shortage in the physician ranks as the first wave of Baby Boom-age doctors wrapped up their careers. For the past 3-1/2…
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 In recognition of the more than 33 million small businesses in the U.S., we are sharing helpful best practices to fine tune your business plan to weather economic shifts. Responsibly manage your business debt Interest rates…
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PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023 A new federal law requires businesses and their owners to disclose personal information and their photographs to a federal law enforcement agency, and there are only a few exceptions. Why this matters for you. From Wall…
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You can read the digital edition of the May 2023 issue here.
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When Ingram’s launched the “Best Companies to Work For” competition in 2008, we weren’t exactly sure just what kinds of submissions we’d see. But after 16 years of handing out this prestigious recognition, we now are exactly sure of this:…
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Rank 2023 2022 Company Address Phone, Fax, Website 2022 Revenues 2021 Revenues Percent Change Type of Business Employees Local/ Total Top Area Executive Year Founded 1. 1. Dairy Farmers of America 1405 N. 98th St., Kansas City, KS 66111 816.801.6455,…
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Kansas City has its new front door to the world with the recent opening of a $1.5 billion single-terminal airport, the biggest public-works project in the city’s history. But the regional construction sector’s health extended well beyond the final phases…
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Before there was COVID-19, before the toilet paper sold out, before lumber prices went to the moon, before assembly lines were shut down for lack of computer chips, the health of the collective supply chain in the U.S. and globally…
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Remember the grave-robbing scene from Young Frankenstein? The good doctor remarks on the filthy task, and Igor puts an optimistic spin on it: “Could be worse.” “How?” “Could be raining.” (Lightning flashes, downpour begins.) If you’re in commercial real estate…
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Q: In the current commercial real estate (CRE) landscape, Kansas City’s success with industrial and multifamily has been well-documented; what is near- and mid-term expectations for other markets, such as office and retail? A: They’re all related, but CRE covers four different…
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The New Market Tax Credits program was enacted by Congress under the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000, and is currently approved through 2025 with a $5 billion annual appropriation. Several legislative attempts have been made to make the…
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You can read Ingram's November 2022 digital edition here.
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Click here to read Ingram's April 2023 Digital Edition.
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Q: Your new book, Taking Stock, views your leadership in financial services through the prism of personal and professional challenge and growth. What inspired you to become an author? A: I wrote this book for current and aspiring leaders who…
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Cynthia Andrews “My career provides me with the opportunity to affect positive change in people’s lives every day.” So says Cynthia Andrews, the 36-year-old human resources manager for Midway Ford Truck Center in Kansas City. There, she says, “intentional and…
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Before he was a banker, before he was a lawyer, Mike Maddox was at his core a competitor. That drive compelled him to leave his native Oklahoma, where he had a standout high school basketball career, to challenge himself against…
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Half a century ago, Kansas Citians stepped back from a flurry of big-ticket developments and awarded themselves a round of applause. They had good reason to: • Kansas City International Airport had just broken the mold in airport design with…
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Transformational. If there’s a word invoked by business leaders, travelers, and city aviation officials, that’s the word that describes the new Kansas City International Airport, which opened a few weeks ahead of schedule in February, slightly less than three years…
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On May 11, just weeks from now, the Biden Administration will end a public-health emergency declaration issued more than three years ago as the pandemic swept the world. That same day, the Mid-America Regional Council’s daily online COVID-tracking hub will…
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This is how far we’ve come: The National Football League, then just 16 years removed from its founding, conducted its first player draft on Feb. 8, 1936, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia. It was instituted to give each team…
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Pharmacogenomics: Your DNA and medication effectiveness Pharmacogenomics, also known as PGx, is a rapidly growing field of study that combines the disciplines of pharmacology and genomics to understand how a person’s genes affect their response to medications. PGx looks at…
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Crude is back in the news following a shock oil output cut by major producers in the OPEC+ group. Crude futures surged past $81 a barrel at the open on the first trading day of April, reaching their highest price…
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The digital version of Ingram's March 2023 issue and Destination Kansas 2023 is available here.
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The Sunflower State, right now, is experiencing something of a metamorphosis. Think of it no more as merely an agricultural powerhouse—though it remains just that—but as an emerging center of excellence in advanced manufacturing. True enough, the aerospace industry has…
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The federal interstate highway system in Kansas is both the heart and soul—and while invoking anatomical terms—the backbone of a system that moves freight and people across a span of 82,000 square miles. While there are ample rail and air…
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During America’s westward expansion in the 1860s, fueled by the Homestead Act of 1862, the population of Kansas more than tripled, from 107,000 a year before statehood to more than 364,000 in 1870, the first census that included it as…
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Clean air, low crime, and a pace of life that runs the gamut from small-town slow to big-city hectic—and rarely oversteps those boundaries into urban psychosis. Kansas, it seems, has it all. In the population centers of Kansas City, Wichita…
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Economists for years have labored—without much success—to construct a methodology that helps people understand the comparative strengths of one state’s workforce with those of another. So here's a suggestion: How about you look at the people who are actually showing…
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There is no single lifestyle that is ‘typically Kansan.’ The state boasts an array of living options, from big-city bustle to small-town charm, from the campuses of research universities to family farms; Kansas has it all. That diversity makes it…
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Yes, Kansas has a diverse economy, but when it comes to the leading industries in the state, some sectors are considerably more equal than others. And that starts with manufacturing. If you look at the state’s GDP overall—$162.2 billion in…
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We routinely hear about life sciences, manufacturing, aviation, and agriculture as key components of the Kansas economy. Hidden in plain sight right there in the Top 10 business sectors are hospitality and tourism. Yep, the state that serves as the…
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From Kansas City in the northeast to Topeka and southwest to Wichita, Kansas is served by an axis of top-tier health-care delivery systems that put the vast majority of the state’s 2.9 million residents less than an hour from a…
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To the eternal question of “I don’t know—what do you want to do this weekend?”—consider an all-encompassing one-word response: Kansas. Pro soccer, college football and basketball, NASCAR, symphonies, museums, art galleries, botanical gardens, zoos. If you live here or are…
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With apologies to third-grade grammar school teachers everywhere, education in Kansas ain’t what it used to be. The changes affecting K-20 education are broad and deep, and they are taking place in every corner of the Sunflower State. For the…
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Call it the Kansas Advantage—the ability to live a comfortable lifestyle, even on a wage well below coastal compensation rates. How? Because of a low cost of living that makes the Sunflower State one of the nation’s most affordable places…
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A wealth of entertainment options calls to residents, visitors. Sporting events, shopping, science—whatever your interests, you’ll find new depths of experience in Kansas. Whether you’re new to the state, just visiting, or a long-time resident, the range of exciting, intriguing,…
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But consider this when you ponder business conditions here: Kansans work. According to various federal statistical measures, 66.1 percent of the Kansas population is employed—an impressive 3.76 percentage points more than the national average of 62.4 percent. It’s part and…
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Flat, farms, flyover country. Producer of wheat, cattle, and corn. And wind. Lots of wind. Common perceptions for Kansas, yet they fail to tell the whole story. So, how do you begin to change minds? “How do we do it?…
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The names are legendary, iconic, historical, and contemporary, and they are all part of a proud legacy Kansas boasts in commercial aviation and aerospace research and development: Boeing, Cessna, Beechcraft, and Learjet, and later, Bombardier and Raytheon. Missing from that…
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From agriculture and aviation to zoonotic-disease research, Kansas is awash with companies, universities and non-profit organizations that are pushing the state’s economy forward. In doing so, they elevate the quality of life for nearly 3 million residents. Kansas, it’s been…
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In banking, there is sexy, and there is stable. Rarely do the two travel together down the road of commerce. March 2023 provided yet another example of the stark differences between the former style of high flyers like Silicon Valley…
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See Ingram's April 2022 digital edition, including the 24th class of 40 Under Forty, here.
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Ingram's February 2023 digital edition is available here.
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It wasn’t just coming back from 10 points down at halftime. It wasn’t just coming back behind a quarterback playing with one good leg. It wasn’t just racking up 38 points against one of the best defenses in the NFL…
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At the Forefront of Regional Health The standard definition of a hero is someone admired for demonstrating courage. But there’s more to the definition: It also applies to someone admired for noble qualities. So it’s no misuse of the term…
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For years before the onset of the global pandemic in 2020, health-care administrators had been confronting—and clamoring about—a looming shortage of physicians and nurses. In some ways, their concerns were no different that those of peers in construction, manufacturing and…
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More than a decade ago, college executives studying the demographic tea leaves saw a storm coming. The numbers of births in the U.S. had been declining for years; by the time 2020 arrived, the shifts would be seismic. Their worst…
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It’s possible that the nation has seen a greater disconnect between employee hiring patterns and college enrollment—but hiring managers and university enrollment executives alike might be hard-pressed to tell you when that might have been. Even with interest rates rising,…
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The Secure 2.0 Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Biden in the final days of 2022 as part of the 2023 Federal Omnibus Bill. Dozens of changes in the Secure 2.0 Act could affect retirement savings going…
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When you are looking for a competitive edge to improve recruiting and retention, it’s easy to be tempted by the latest shiny new benefits. Here are some tips for making sure your investment will have the impact you expect. 1.…
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On Jan. 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a new rule that would prohibit employers nationwide from entering new non-compete agreements or maintaining existing agreements with employees and independent contractors. Substantively, the proposed rule is quite expansive, covering both…
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The global economic forecast for 2023 talks about slowed growth at best and a recession at worst. Even with 2.6 percent growth in the U.S. GDP for Q3 2022, economists still believe slower growth is on the way, as the…
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President Biden’s State of the Union earlier this month includ-ed the usual mix of calls for bipartisan cooperation and partisan finger-pointing. Specific policy recommendations getting the most attention called for quadrupling the 1 percent tax on corporate share buybacks and…
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Cutting grass. That’s what comes to mind when Ray Kowalik reflects on making the move from project-level engineering work to taking on the mantle of executive leadership. That’s something he experienced in 2007. After 20 years of successful project management…
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You can’t talk to Tammy Peterman about her brand of executive leadership without regular references to caring and compassion. Or teamwork and collaboration. Or communication and empathy. Each has been a key asset in her rise to president of the…
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Steve Levy returned to his native Jamaica in 1984 when he received an offer from his uncle to serve as the construction manager for a large 2 million square feet warehouse complex in Kingston. That was the opportunity that really…
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Jeff Poe learned about the value of business networking at a venue that has almost completely vanished from the American landscape: The drug-store soda fountain. This one was set in his hometown of Kirksville, Mo., and the pharmacy—his father’s—was also…
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Dan Duffy and Scott DeNeve High-interest rates, low inventory, buyers priced out of the market by soaring home values. America’s housing market was in shambles throughout 2022. Except for . . . Platinum Realty and United Real Estate Group, which…
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If you’re disappointed by the state of America’s political climate today—well, Stephanie Price is way ahead of you. Once upon a career, she envisioned working in the political realm after securing a degree in public communications. It took exactly one…
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When Blake Rooney was a kid, he enjoyed regular visits to his godparents’ home in Burbank, Calif. His godfather was the city manager there, and Rooney recalls that “he was into computers before anyone else.” That’s a bit of an…
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At the region’s largest advertising agency, Beth Wade pushes VMLY&R toward its future by drawing on figures from her past. A product of the Kansas City area, Wade says she was influenced early in life by extended family, including a…
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If you think of the nation’s economy as a road and various performance indicators as a traffic signal, we enter 2023 staring at a yellow caution light. It’s not red—yet. But it could get there. So say economists and wealth…
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Since we launched the Milestones feature in January 2015, it’s been an exercise in celebration: Each year, we see new company names thrust into the ranks of sesquicentennial survivors, centenarians and those lighting the candles on a diamond or golden…
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Kansas City is about to open a new front door to the world, with the single-terminal configuration of its new international airport officially just weeks away. Unofficially, the construction at KCI is done, project executives said this month; now it’s…
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(front row, left to right): Todd Winnerman, MW Builders; Darcy Stewart, JE Dunn Construction; Steve Swanson, Centric; Pete Browne, Kissick Construction; Jeff Blaesing, JE Dunn Construction (Event Chair); Rosie Privitera Biondo, Mark One Electric; Chris Vaeth, McCownGordon Construction. (back row, left to right): Gabe Perez, United Contractors of Kansas…
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Q: It’s been a wild ride in the energy markets since February last year and Mr. Putin’s excursion; what’s your assessment of the U.S. energy sector overall, and how well-positioned is it for stability in 2023? A: Before Ukraine, it…
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There are many retirement tax strategies you should be aware of. You may even be looking for how to avoid taxes on withdrawals from your 401k or other investment accounts. It’s tempting to look for an IRS loophole to reduce…
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As expected, the Fed recently raised interest rates by 50 basis points (1/2 a percent), but there were also plenty of mostly hawkish surprises in its new forecast. A scattering of 2023 forecasts came in as expected, but there was…
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Our annual Philanthropy issue is here at Ingram’s November 2022 Digital Edition
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A Whirlwind of Change for Non-Profits and Donors Roughly 90 minutes after two dozen non-profit executives, volunteers and donors gathered Dec. 6 at Mission Hills Country Club for the 2022 Philanthropy Industry Outlook assembly, the emerging reality was clear to…
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Debby Ballard We all know the maxim about “to whom much is given,” but Debby Ballard knows that those implied gifts are not defined by the size of one’s investment portfolio. The daughter of a Baptist minister and a kindergarten…
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For close to 100 years, the name Dunn has been synonymous with the concept of corporate philanthropy in the Kansas City region. For nearly half that time, Terry and Peggy Dunn have been moving that same ball down the field,…
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Ingram’s Corporate Champions turns 15 this year, and we can’t think of a better time to reflect on the commitments made by companies to improve the overall quality of life in the Kansas City region. This year’s honorees—Bank of America,…
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In its most recent annual report, The University of Kansas Health System—home to the region’s largest medical center—noted $96.2 million in uncompensated care costs. If you averaged that across the 970 staffed beds at The University of Kansas Hospital, you’d…
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Q: If there’s a deeper economic downturn in 2023, should we expect changes in levels of giving? A: I haven’t seen numbers from the past, but logic would dictate that when people are watching their budgets more closely and cutting…
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In late 2021, President Biden announced a series of sweeping vaccine mandates as part of his administration’s plan to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the most-far reaching mandates were the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Emergency Temporary Standard, the Centers…
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Of course, the long-term care industry—that is, the caregiving industry, not the insurance industry—suffered with patients and staff incurring high COVID-19 incidence rates. Usage of nursing homes for LTC purposes had been decreasing even before the pandemic, as the assisted-living…
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Stocks had happy trading sessions pre- and post-Thanksgiving. The positive sentiment may even hold up after the turkey leftovers. However, and this is a big however, things in China are beginning to concern global leaders. Renewed COVID-related disruptions in the…
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Following the Nov. 7 presentation for advertising and marketing professionals at PlexPod, a number of attendees gathered along with presenters and Ingram’s editors for the Marketing Industry Outlook assembly to reflect on how trends apply for their companies or clients…
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Over the course of nearly 25 years—a time marked by rapid expansion in the number of women attaining leadership roles in corporate America—the question has been posed to Ingram’s: Isn’t the concept of a feature recognizing women in key business…
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The Census Department bean counters say America is home to 5.5 million family-owned businesses. Near as anyone has been able to ascertain, about one-fourth of those are a unique subset of family concerns: Those owned and operated by married partners.…
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As the smiles spread and the smack of high fives greeted ground-breaking for the Panasonic Energy battery plant in DeSoto, Kansas, officials from the company and state and local governments joined economic development czars in a unified message about a…
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Economic development czars and public officials from DeSoto City Hall to the governor’s mansion in Topeka exchanged wide smiles and high-fives earlier this month with the ground-breaking for the Panasonic Energy battery manufacturing plant that will bring 4,000 jobs and $4…
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The 2022 races for Congress commanded the vast majority of media coverage throughout the summer and fall, and the outcomes might have justified that interest in another highly competitive congressional cycle. With counting still taking place in California 10 days…
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The complex challenges facing today’s advertisers and ad buyers were front and center at a recent forum for Kansas City and bi-state regional ad buyers and advertisers, where nationally known media experts offered key insights into an ever-more-fractured world of…
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Q: Lots of talk about a recession coming or, as a technical matter, already here. Can you give us something of an overall view of current economic conditions and how your clients are responding to them? A: There is a…
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The story of 2022 has been one of higher interest rates and lower stock prices. Indeed, most stock prices are down, but not every company has suffered. Some share prices have increased in 2022. By the end of the third…
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In the greater Kansas City Region, we are systematically putting in place foundational building blocks to sustain and expand our economic footprint in local, regional, and international markets. These system-focused efforts include building the new Kansas City International Airport terminal…
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Inflation is breaking records at more than 8 percent, and a global recession is likely on the horizon for 2023. While the news can be daunting, there are several steps you can take to stabilize your finances during a rocky…
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The Omnipotence Paradox holds that there can be no winner when the fabled irresistible force meets the unmovable object. But that’s not always the case, now, is it? Just look at health care. Going on three years ago, a fairly…
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Ingram's October 2022 Digital Edition
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For years, health-care executives nationwide have been crushing the “repeat” button on the alarm sounding about a provider shortage at both the physician and nursing levels. Dive into the data for most of the medical centers within the Kansas City region,…
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Q: Hit us with your best elevator pitch about BCBSKS, its current strengths and its market position. A: I’ve been with the organization for 16 years—I was an insurance regulator for a few years, so I’ve been aware of and…
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Successfully transitioning any business to new ownership is fraught with challenges. But family businesses that are poised to transition to the next generation face a distinct set of succession issues. Addressing those challenges is especially important because succession planning also…
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U.S. businesses are facing a challenging environment. Baby Boomers are looking to transition their businesses, and many business owners are finding it difficult to hire and retain the best talent. Workers are demanding better opportunities, causing companies to rethink their…
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If you are evaluating ways to grow your business, acquiring another business may be an option. With the economy in a unique position and tens of thousands of small businesses in the United States up for sale, knowing what to…
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Last week, in clear tones, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said, “Inflation is running too hot. You don’t need to know much more than that.” He added, “This committee is committed to getting to a meaningful, restrictive stance of policy and…
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In 2008, Ingram’s looked at emerging in Kansas City business and determined that young entrepreneurs and business executives weren’t getting the credit for superior achievement. Thus was born 20 in Their Twenties. It was fair to ask after that first…
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All that talk about how Millennials and Gen Z are responsible for killing off newspapers because they don’t like paper? That might turn out to be just another cultural myth as misguided as “Helen Reddy sure could sing.” The world’s…
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Read the September 2022 Digital Edition here.
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The calendar flips, the inevitable occurs: With each passing day, month and year, the collective business leadership of the Kansas City region continues its change. Blame some of that, but not all, on the Baby Boom generation’s unstoppable move into…
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A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T |…
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Q: You all soared past $1 billion in revenues last year; was that ever really one of your leadership goals? A: It really hasn’t been, and it’s funny you ask because we talk a lot internally about that, primarily because…
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High inflation. Rising interest rates. Supply-chain issues. Recession. These subjects have dominated headlines lately, sending markets into a tailspin they haven’t been able to pull out of in recent months. Increased market volatility has forced investors to seek cover, only…
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Russia plans to keep the Nord Stream pipeline closed, saying opening it would be unsafe with just one turbine and blaming Western sanctions for blocking access to replacement units. Leaders of the European Union reacted over the weekend, with Germany…
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Ingram's August 2022/Destination Missouri Digital Edition
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Across nearly 70,000 square miles, more than 6 million people call Missouri home. Deeply diverse in culture, even harkening back to the Old South in some parts, they comprise a fascinating study in what makes a state tick. Bankers, educators,…
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Any good marketing executive will tell you that a logo isn’t a brand. Brand stands for so much more—the quality of a company’s product or service, the way customers are treated, the overall shopping experience. For starters. So not long…
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The law of averages breaks down on the west bank of the Mississippi River, where the industrial Midwest transitions into the agricultural Midwest and 69,715 square miles of the thriving state we call Missouri: • With 6.124 million residents, the…
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Executives across the nation who are tasked with directing their companies’ next strategic choices for distribution would be well-advised to study Missouri and think twice before looking elsewhere on the map. What should have the Show-Me State top of mind…
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There is a good argument to be made that the Show-Me State is indeed demonstrating a power flex with the growing appeal and influence in the sport that—by a wide margin—draws more fans than any other. On four continents—Europe, South…
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Innovation, broadly understood, might be a little too broad to describe as an attribute that helps define a state. But if you don’t try to eat the elephant at once, and instead look at individual bites, it soon becomes clear…
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We’d all still be eating fish and chips and drinking warm beer if the lanterns that touched off Paul Revere’s ride had to be hoisted in 21st-century Missouri rather than 18th-century Boston. That midnight ride would have to start with…
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In almost any other year, the challenge of addressing cost-of-living factors in Missouri is to maintain a sense of humility and not appear boastful. Consider the Show-Me State humbled. Long a redoubt against the soaring costs that have been standard-issue…
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Powerful forces have been at work to propel American property values, home-building, and home-buying to levels unmatched since 2006, before the onset of the Great Recession. The question in 2022 is: Will a hard crash come again? Soaring interest rates,…
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When more than 313,400 young Missourians and imports from out of state had to make a selection for their college education, the choices weren’t always easy: Public four-year college? The state has 13 of them anchored by the four-campus University…
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As 2022 passes the halfway mark, angry clouds gather over America’s econ-omy. Most everywhere one looks are metrics that say the storm is coming. The Dow Jones Industrial Average? Down 10 percent since Jan. 1. Interest rates? Jacked three-quarters of…
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Missouri has long been known for boasting a workforce with a nearly unmatched work ethic. When employers today say they wish they could see more of that attribute, it’s not because employees aren’t bringing it with them each day. It’s…
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Two Missouri companies—more specifically, a pair of investor-owned Kansas City companies—made national financial headlines last year by acquiring new owners: Cerner Corp., the largest employer in that market, and Kansas City Southern Railroad, the nation’s smallest Class I rail system,…
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It’s rolling pastureland and big-city chic. It’s full-throttle on the water and the finest in performing and visual arts. It’s the Great Outdoors and stepping into architectural wonders. All of it wrapped up in four distinct seasons that will appeal…
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For a state with 6.12 million residents—less than 2 percent of the nation’s population—Missouri has top-tier systems that provide patient care, research that drives innovation in the treatment of disease, and highly regarded medical professionals across the spectrum of care.…
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When you think about the kinds of cultural attractions that serve a diverse population of more than 6 million people, it’s easy to think first of what the big cities have to offer. But set aside, for a moment, the…
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Can you calculate a state’s quality of life? Probably not. Not in precise mathematical terms, anyway. But what about alphabetical? That’s where Missouri has the whole package, from A to Z. Take a look: Affordability. Covered in various places throughout…
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Under the right conditions, the earth will form precious stones like diamonds, rubies in sapphires in processes that run millions, even billions of years. It took the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help produce the gem that we know…
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Ingram's July 2022 Digital Edition is available here.
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Growth Like This Is Almost . . . Poetic Some companies are on the revenue rebound after 2020; some made it through the virus asymptomatically. Here are 100 who finished 2021 in the pink of health. That saying about how…
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1. Hawaiian Bros 1st Year Growth: 2,612.583% Average Annual Growth Rate: 870.86% Gross Revenue 2021: $55,342,152 2018: $2,040,201 Full-time employees: 1,675 Hailing from a family business that included jobs inspired by Hawaiian culture, Cameron and Tyler McNie developed a…
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11. Vincue/Dealercue 1st Year Growth: 349.69% Average Annual Growth Rate: 116.56% Gross Revenue 2021: $4,564,628 2018: $1,015,052 Full-time employees: 55 Founded in 2015, VINCUE provides auto dealers access to real-time market pricing, sales data and operational tools in one single,…
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Q: Things have cooled a bit for you all in percentage terms since your No. 1 finish in the Corporate Report 100 in 2019, but “cooled” is a relative term, considering that you were up nearly 180 percent from 2018-2021.…
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If you could put a face on the challenges the Kansas City region confronts in attracting start-up capital—especially in the life-sciences realm—it would look a lot like … the muzzle of a cow. That’s an image Shekhar Gupta has been…
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With a swelling number of baby boomers in ownership roles contemplating retirement, succession planning has become an ongoing priority. Although pandemic uncertainties led to many owners hitting pause on some planning activities, the ideas have been brought back to the…
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This month marks the 20th anniversary of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Anniversaries provide for remembrance and reflection and future perspective. The financial and corporate scandals surrounding Enron and Arthur Andersen in 2002 resulted in a nadir of investor confidence. Such failures…
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Investors are proceeding into the second half of 2022 with caution after the capital markets realized their worst first six months in decades, The S&P 500 has plunged 21 percent since January, losing more than $9 trillion in market capitalization…
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An economic tea-leaf reading in mid-2022 is starting to take on the precision of a late-night dart game at an Irish pub. On the one hand, you have experts predicting that the Fed will have to jack interest rates well…
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Click here for Ingram's June 2022 digital edition.
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David Hoffman has a dream, one that fits nicely in a wine glass. The native of Washington, Mo., who owns more than 100 business enterprises ranging from commercial realty to executive search firms to private equity, made the bulk of…
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Nearly halfway into 2022, investors have fidgeted as equities have taken a pounding, and the Fed’s overdue move to stem inflation have produced more indigestion with their bond portfolios. Real estate values continue to rise, but in the world of…
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The 1986 movie, Three Amigos! is about three movie stars desperately struggling to remain in the limelight. In today’s economy, the variables in the limelight are the three “I”migos: inflation, interest rates and illiquidity. Inflation: In early 2021, the Consumer…
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Like many investors, you probably learned early on that diversification can help your portfolio with the risks of a volatile market. But could it be that all these years you were looking at risk and diversification the wrong way? Many…
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The Federal Reserve painted a somewhat concerning picture of the global financial system in its latest semi-annual Financial Stability Report, citing particular examples that warrant more attention. Surging inflation, as well as Russia’s evil war against Ukraine, now are more…
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Q: We saw some pretty robust M&A activity in 2018-19, and a lot of that even carried into the pandemic, then it boomed again in 2021. But conditions have deteriorated a bit economically throughout the first half of the year;…
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The restaurants and bars are filling up again; the stores are open, in most cases, without restrictions. Thanks to the economic drag of a global pandemic, Kansas City, alas, started saying goodbye in 2020 to some long-standing enterprises that had…
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BEST BAKERY You can follow this list every year to know who registers highest with readers in the bakery category—or you can just follow the traffic, especially on Saturday mornings, to north Waldo and McLain’s Bakery. Indoor or sidewalk dining,…
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BEST ART GALLERY We’re in the middle of America, but thanks to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, our Gold winner, Kansas City has access to artworks from every continent and culture—well, they aren’t helping the cause from Antarctica, but everyone…
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BEST ACCOUNTING FIRM They won the Gold as BKD, but balloting took place before the rebrand that followed the merger of that long-time Kansas City/Springfield firm and Dixon Hughes Goodman of Charlotte, N.C. So this year’s trophy will be engraved…
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BEST AUTO DEALER (DOMESTIC) In any given year, you can almost bank on a Ford dealership earning the Gold for domestic vehicle sales. And so it is in 2022, this time with Bob Sight Ford of Overland Park taking the…
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Lauren Bascue The case for Lauren Bascue’s spot in this year’s class isn’t made with an argument: It’s made with numbers. Since the beginning of 2020, when she became director of business development at ECCO Select, she led the largest…
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First, congratulations to the Ingram's 40 Under Forty Class of 2022! What a stellar group of executives, professionals, and community leaders! I know our city and beyond are in your very capable hands now and into the future. Reading…
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Conversations around saving and investing can ultimately better prepare your kids for financial success and be better equipped to handle their own money challenges. As business owners and industry leaders, you have a unique opportunity to share your own financial…
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When you’re the head coach of a dynastic college basketball program, just about every move you make is going to be under a microscope. Peering through the eyepiece are innumerable alumni, millions of television viewers, campus administrators, and the know-it-alls…
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More than a month after Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, with markets rocked around the world; it’s natural for investors already deciphering the impacts of inflation and higher interest rates to ask: What happens to the investment landscape under the…
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During periods of rising inflation, business owners likely face growing operating expenses as they pay more for labor, raw materials, and other supplies. Because inflation reflects a decrease in overall purchasing power, they might experience a decline in sales because…
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The digital version of Ingram’s February 2022 Edition
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Their influence runs the gamut from pre-kindergarten through community colleges, from four-year baccalaureate campuses to medical school. Their collective works influence the direction of more than 1.5 million young minds in Missouri and Kansas. These are Ingram’s Icons of Education.…
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The standard definition of a hero is someone admired for demonstrating courage. But there’s more to the definition: It also applies to someone admired for noble qualities. So it’s no misuse of the term to bestow that title on the…
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It’s a simple question with no simple answers: When it comes to the American workforce, what is equity? Is it similar levels of income across all demographic groups? Is it demographically proportional numbers of people represented in all front-line positions,…
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Q: Health-care facilities, in general, are losing staff. Why? A: Some of the latest studies show staff says they are leaving because they didn’t feel valued by the organization, didn’t feel valued by their managers, or didn’t feel a sense…
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At the dawn of 2020, Damon Anderson and his team at Tallgrass Freight were in a pretty good place. They finished 2019 with revenues nearly half again higher than 2018, and almost seven times the 2017 performance. Anderson, like many executives,…
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The arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020 compelled area hospitals to pivot—quickly—to meet an unprecedented public health threat. The solution for many was the creation of new teams across hospital disciplines to focus on providing urgent, intensive care, as well…
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Since Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback in the 2018 season, the Kansas City Chiefs have been to four consecutive AFC championship games and back-to-back Super Bowls, and they extended their reign as kings of the AFC West division to…
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This latter part of January was a disaster, recently the norm for both the president and vice president. As markets struggled, anything else that could have gone wrong did go wrong. The 10-year Treasury rate rose to 1.87 percent, inflation…
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While many organizations are putting their best foot forward in “getting back to normal,’ most workers have been returning to a very different environment, bringing along a whole new set of expectations regarding work schedules. Some industries never left the…
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Thinking back to the empty shelves in grocery stores around this time two years ago might bring back some unsettling feelings. Toilet paper, facial tissues, and other paper products became a rarity. People were scrambling from store to store just…
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Executive of the Year | Economic Forecast | Milestones | Biggest Business Deals | Energy and Utilities Industry Outlook Click here or on the cover below to view the January 2022 digital edition.
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Always on Track By engineering the nation’s biggest transportation M&A deal in 2021, Pat Ottensmeyer positions the new Canadian Pacific Kansas City for the next era in rail. Patrick Ottensmeyer tells the story of an early fling with entrepreneurship when he…
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Small-business owners navigating their own personal asteroid fields could always relate to Han Solo’s pithy retort to R2D2 in “The Empire Strikes Back”: “Never tell me the odds.” For many business owners, the odds were never good to begin with. …
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Regional Utilities Regroup, Focus Forward After the Big Freeze of 2021 America’s energy vulnerability has been on display at various times over the years, but perhaps never to the extent we saw during the February 2021 cold wave that swept…
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Construction executives say their project backlogs are healthy for 2022 and well into 2023. The construction-sector outlook for 2022—and perhaps well into 2023—is presenting itself as a case of Good News/Bad News. The good? Executives say their pipeline of…
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In a year of major moves, these pillars of business in the Kansas City area orchestrated some of the most profound change. David Feinberg and Cerner Well, that didn’t take long: A scant 80 days passed between David Feinberg’s…
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The chief investment officer for the region’s biggest hometown bank offers his economic forecast for a new year. Q: Not many folks predicted that we’d be looking at such a sharply higher inflationary cycle this year; did 2021 pan…
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Owners can expect more access to capital and increased financing options in the new year. As we enter the third calendar year of the Covid-19 pandemic, expect 2022 to be the year where businesses regain their footing, shift out…
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For Wall Street, the most-anticipated Federal Open Mar-ket Committee meeting in years occurred in December. Chairman Jerome Powell did not let Wall Street down in his testimony concerning the state of the economy and what plans the Fed has regarding…
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Ingram's December 2021 Philanthropy Edition - Digital Edition
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Back again after safety protocols prevented large group gatherings a year ago, Ingram’s Philanthropist of the Year Awards Luncheon saluted Marlys and Mick Haverty on Dec. 13 in the Greg Graves Auditorium at Burns & McDonnell. Also on hand for…
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A Time of Change for Non-Profits, Foundations and Donors How is the health of philanthropy in Kansas City, today, nearly two years into the greatest challenge to non-profits in nearly a century? That was the theme of an informative discussion…
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Neither Mick nor Marlys Haverty were acquainted with affluence when they grew up. Understanding what true need looks like has made them giants of philanthropy in the Kansas City region and beyond. Some philanthropists prefer a rifle approach to their…
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Mark 12:41-44, the tale of the widow making a charitable offering of all she had—two copper coins—instructs us in the relative value of giving from one’s poverty, as opposed to gifts made from one’s wealth. It’s certainly a message to…
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Danny Davies has volunteered for Alphapointe for years, and there’s a deep satisfaction in that. Nothing, though, reinforces the meaning he finds in that contribution of time quite like his encounter with a young girl who once approached him during…
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Arm Pains, Supply Chains and Canadian Trains If ever there was proof that we're affected here in Kansas City by events far from our state borders, 2021 saw plenty of it. Three story lines, in particular, stood out for the…
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A decade of broad change in the regional philanthropic sector produces a re-alignment of key players as Kansas City’s non-profit and foundation world continues to exert its influence. In 2020, a year that began with a Kansas City Super…
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The spirit of our philanthropy is alive and well. According to Giving USA, charitable giving in the U.S. reached a record $471.44 billion in 2020, up 5.1 percent from the previous year. The ongoing challenges brought on by COVID-19…
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If you want to position yourself for success in 2022, it's time to assess your portfolio now. As we near the conclusion of another prosperous year in the equity markets, it’s important to take some time to tend to your…
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Ingram's Magazine: November 2021 Digital Edition
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Twenty years into the WeKC awards, more high-achieving women have attained leadership roles in business. But not all barriers have been broken. A well-worn parody among journalists and pundits for decades involves the editorial slant of a large daily…
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Blurred Lines Just before COVID-19 hit in early 2020, a research report from Colliers International identified Kansas City as having the the lowest office vacancy rate among its top 20 peer cities nationwide, at 6.8 percent. Stop right there and…
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Mayra Aguirre \ Hall Family Foundation As a child of immigrants, Mayra Aguirre grew up understanding the time, work and persistence required for even natural-born leaders to make their way in America. Seeking the best life for their children, her…
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Women tend to live longer than men and yet receive only 80% of the retirement income that retiring men receive, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security. Add to that the possibility that women may leave the workforce to…
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The holidays are often referred to as the season of giving and they provide for the opportunity to express gratitude by giving back. An effective charitable giving strategy can maximize the impact of the donor’s intentions by increasing the capacity…
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The last two years have forced businesses to adopt new work flows, policies, and procedures to remain competitive. With this transformation comes an increase in cybersecurity risks. Laptops, desktops, mobile devices, and even employees are vulnerabilities that traditional solutions like…
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The head of office brokerage for Kessinger/Hunter & Co. assesses life in a post-COVID world—if we ever get to one. Q: So you all don’t just broker office space for clients; you have to manage your own in this environment.…
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The Port of Los Angeles, one of the busiest ports in the country, is starting to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to eventually ease major cargo bottlenecks that have led to shortages and higher consumer costs.…
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Click here to read the Ingram's February 2021 Digital Edition
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In the fight against a killer virus, regional healthcare providers pivoted their teams to become more than the sum of their parts. If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that unparalleled commitment to patient outcomes, at a…
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The second-generation leader of a 40-year-old company reflects on an insurance/benefits, industry awash in change, succession planning for clients, and his own move to leadership. Q: Let’s talk a bit about the state of things in the employer insurance…
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A great many people lost loved ones during the pandemic of 2020-21, and their tears are beyond count. Far more recovered after suffering the scourge of COVID-19, yet their pain is beyond measure. Caring for all during a health crisis…
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As COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the scope of the damage is becoming clear, and the road back for some sectors looks more challenging than ever. When the U.S. economy got up off the canvas after a pandemic punch in the…
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Bringing the troops back to the office after the COVID-19 crisis requires forethought. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a transformation of the workplace and an explosion of remote work, including for employees previously not covered under employers’ telecommuting…
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Despite change in administrations, both sides appear committed to small-business relief. In any political regime change in Washington, the biggest issue is always uncertainty. We obviously hear a lot of speculation about the possible changes that could be coming…
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From individual rates to estates and capital gains, Washington is rethinking tax policy. The change in administrations in Washington brings with it the prospect for significant revisions to U.S. tax policy. While nothing is carved into stone this early…
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Click here to read the Ingram's March 2021 Digital Edition
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After 10 years and 500 profiles of business executives, college presidents, non-profit leaders, athletes, authors, film makers, entrepreneurs and entertainers, one might think the most interesting people had already earned a place in Ingram’s annual 50 Kansans You Should Know…
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From luxury corporate aircraft to bioplastics, custom-made furnishings to top-end boxing gear, from high-end motorcycles and smoking equipment to—yes—carnival rides, Ingram’s has scoured the Sunflower State in recent years to spotlight some unusual, even unique products made in the state…
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The past year has been kind to darn few of us, and companies are no exception. Tens of thousands of small businesses in the United States failed amid the global pandemic of 2020; even more continue to stave off bankruptcy…
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The Kansas City region has long had a reputation for a competitive banking market, and statistics support arguments that as a metro area, we are, in fact, overbanked. There are multiple reasons for that, but the historical record has, in…
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Q: Kansas City has long had a reputation for a competitive banking market (some would say it was overbanked). Overall, though, the number of banks in this market declined by 24 percent since 2014, with 27 of the previous 112…
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Ingram's April 2021 Digital Edition
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Not that we’re prepared to buy into certain social scientists’ parsing of generational differences, but if you go by some measures—including the ones bent on compressing designations of a “generation” to as few as 15 years—then this year would mark…
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Insurance executives say the expected higher costs of a pandemic, and the feared run-up in demand for treatments, has been muted . . . so far. A year ago, America’s health-care system shuddered with expectations of crushing demand from…
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Employers should take note of fraudulent jobless claims, work-force training needs. Since last fall, the number of people filing initial claims for unemployment benefits in Kansas and other states has skyrocketed, even as the regional jobless statistics have been…
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JOSH ALLISON Team Driveaway had a problem: A Fortune 100 client with 5,000 locations in its network—representing one-fourth of the logistics company’s annual revenues at the time—was threatening to walk. So the leadership turned to Josh Allison to make things…
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Alumnus of the Year: Kevin Barth, Commerce Bank A former boss once called Kevin Barth “the role model for aspiring executives.” So the funny thing about Barth’s path to the top of Commerce Bank Kansas City is that he…
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Despite change, agribusiness retains its unique position in Kansas City’s economy. On the surface, it might appear that agribusiness has been easing its grip on the broader economy of the Kansas City region in recent years. There are good…
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There's more to ownership of farmland than the potential for financial gain; it's an asset with a history and a legacy. Having grown up on a farm in western Kansas, I was privileged to experience what most farm kids…
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In business, it helps to get others to match your sense of what’s most important. Picture a rabbit on fire running at you. What would you do? My Kansas wheat-farming parents did a controlled burn on their farmland…
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Ingram’s May 2021 Digital Edition
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Two generations ago, the top employers in America could be counted on to offer lifetime employment tracks, paid health insurance and a pension at the end of the line. At the big companies, and if you’d reached the right organizational…
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THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HEALTH SYSTEM The physical well-being of patients has been Priority One for The University of Kansas Health System since its inception as a stand-alone public health authority a generation ago. In 2020, that focus expanded across…
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Rank 2021 2020 Company Address Phone, Fax, Website 2020 Revenues 2019 Revenues Percent Change Type of Business Employees Local/ Total Top Area Executive Year Founded 1. 1. Dairy Farmers of America 1405 N. 98th St., Kansas City, KS 66111 816.801.6455, Fax:…
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It was a tough year for business, but many of Kansas City’s largest private companies refused to participate in a national economic downturn in 2020. When a major calamity visits the U.S. economy, the numbers tell the story. For…
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Dickens was half-right: ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …’ Surely the latter describes calendar year 2020 and beyond as the pandemic devastated our personal lives and the marketplace. While the impact of…
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Ending work-from-home can be risky. As health metrics begin to sound the all-clear that humans can once again gather in groups safely, it remains uncertain what the “new reality” for workers will look like. The 2020 COVID-19 scare imposed…
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Who will get stuck with the bill for the federal government’s spending spree? Certainly, the rich are expected to pay heavily. The volume of tax-increase news quickly and significantly hurt sentiment on Wall Street as President Biden began to…
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Ingram’s June 2021 Digital Edition
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In a year of unprecedented challenges, these businesses blazed new trails for growth. Look for bigger numbers in 2022. Throughout its first 35 years, Ingram’s Corporate Report 100 has largely been a story of entrepreneurship. Yes, large companies still crack this…
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No. 1: Sethmar Transportation Growth: 1,645.34% | Average Annual Growth Rate: 548.45% Gross Revenue: 2020: $29,670,807 | 2017: $1,700,000 Full-time employees: 31 Pictured (l-r): Sean Tully, Ben Galati, Ben Bolan, Matt Bolan, Brady Hissong Celebrating 20 years in business,…
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Thriving new business sectors emerge from a vibrant startup ecosystem in the Kansas City region. Inflection points that can change the economic profile of an entire metropolitan area—real inflection points—are rare, but potentially transformational. And there’s a chance, emerging…
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Few words are more hyped than “technology.” What’s your tech strategy? What’s your innovation strategy? Are you digital first? Executives across Kansas City are bombarded with these questions every day. Frankly, much of it is nonsensical consultant speak. Let’s unpack…
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The U.S. employment picture continues to brighten with more than 1.25 million jobs added to the economy in March and April. March accounted for the bulk of that, 900,000 jobs, and that was the fastest pace of hiring since last…
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A decade after moving Netsmart to the Kansas City area, its chief executive reflects on the challenges of revising the business model, scaling up, and the advantages of being in K.C. Q: This issue explores fast-growth companies, not all…
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Growth at the highest possible level will never come from someone else’s game plan. There are literally thousands of books that have been written about starting, managing, improving, preserving and growing businesses, in all types of organizations. Truly insightful…
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Truly understanding your company’s value proposition, and pivoting quickly when it falters, is the key to sustained growth. Growing your business is challenging, and it’s not for the faint of heart. It means wearing different hats, from accounting and corporate…
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Ingram’s July 2021 Digital Edition
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In June, the S&P 500 hit a new high, crossing 4,300 for the first time. Milestones like this come with the inevitable questions about valuation: Are stocks too expensive? To guard against overpaying, investors can turn to historical averages or…
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A year ago, mired in an unprecedented global public-health crisis, most of the Kansas City area’s dining establishments were hanging on for their lives, trying to scrape by on drive-up and take-out orders, delivery and catering. Many of them made…
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Wining and Dining BEST BARBECUE 1. Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue 2. Joe’s Kansas City 3. Q39 BEST BAKERY 1. McLain’s Bakery 2. Best Regards Bakery & Cafe 3. Dolce Bakery BEST BREWERY 1. Boulevard Brewing Co. 2. Martin City Brewing…
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When Ingram's Readers Speak... Remember the vintage television commercials about the business executives discussing investments during an airline flight, or at a restaurant, and one of them says, "Well, my broker is E.F. Hutton, and E.F. Hutton says ..." and…
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BEST BARBECUE Bagging yet another Gold in the category that perhaps best defines these awards, FIORELLA’S JACK STACK BARBECUE sets standards for slow-smoked fare: beef, pork, chicken, fish, and side dishes that are just as savory as the entrees. All…
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BEST ART GALLERY In Kansas City, it’s a one-of-a-kind entity and it stands in a field above all others: THE NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART is home to more than 35,000 works of art, representing almost every continent and culture on…
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BEST Accounting /Consulting Firm This year’s Gold goes to CBIZ MHM, a long standing staple in KC’s accounting profession. KPMG is the second largest in terms of licensed CPAs in the KC region and claims a proud Silver in this…
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As COVID-19 began its deadly march across America in the late winter of 2020, a palpable sense of dread drifted throughout the region’s health-care system. For providers, it was driven by the sense of the unknown: How lethal could it…
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BEST AUTO DEALER (Domestic) OLATHE FORD LINCOLN snaps up the Gold for its lineup of pinnacle Lincolns and new Fords—the venerable F-150 and larger models in that line, Ranger light pickups, SUVs from Escape to Expedition, and even the new…
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We’re past halftime of the Baby Boomer Retirement Game. It’s been 10 years since the first cohort of that generation, born between 1946 and 1964, hit retirement age. On that first day of January in 2011, and every day since,…
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Ingram’s 250 September 2021 Digital Edition
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Ingram’s editors are pleased to present the 2021 Class of the Ingram’s 250. The most influential and powerful business executives and leaders throughout the Greater Kansas City Region. Congratulations! Did we miss anyone? Let us know at Editorial@Ingrams.com Rob Adams PRACTICE…
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In these most unusual of times, it was the most unusual assemblage of Kansas City-area business leaders in more than 20 years of Ingram’s Industry Outlook assemblies. Rather than with a large, live gathering in one location, this year’s executive…
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We’re seeing it more and more each year: The impact of Baby Boomer retirements within the C-suite. It’s quite literally changing the face of Kansas City business leadership. In this, our sixth year of producing a roster of the 250…
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Retirements come and retirements go, and if we know someone well eno-ugh, we might send a card wishing them bon voyage for the post-career trip ahead of them. But until you sit down and study the leadership landscape of the…
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Greg Maday has made his mark as a serial entrepreneur and an investor. The head of SpecChem LLC, a part owner of Sporting Kansas City and co-founder of Rock Island Capital reflects on the private-equity and venture-capital climate. Q:…
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The Medical Edition: Ingram's 25th Anniversary Edition
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Obadah AlChekakie AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Obadah AlChekakie still remembers the page of that physiology textbook he was reading when the call came with the news of his 54-year-old uncle’s death in Virginia. “This was devastating to me,” AlChekakie remembers of…
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Angela Cloud | McCownGordon Construction Angela Cloud doesn’t take her tasks as Senior Safety Engineer lightly, helping keep McCownGordon’s employees, trade partners, clients, and the communities they build in safe. Cloud’s background in health and safety has allowed her boots-on-the-ground…
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Regional universities welcome a return to normal college life—or something closer to it in the age of a pandemic. If you’ve seen the Saturday-afternoon games televised from Ann Arbor, South Bend, Austin or Columbus, you know the path to recovery…
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The headlines have been all-COVID, all the time, but larger forces continue to shape care delivery in the Kansas City region. In 2014, Ingram’s devoted a calendar year to exploring the history of this region’s leading business sectors. And the…
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Soon after Michelle and Joe Sweeney and the senior team acquired Ingram’s in 1997 we developed programs with the intent to create exceptional content and recognition programs, and in the process, to establish annual traditions among select industry sectors in…
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If there’s one thing you can say about health care in the Kansas City region, it’s that change is constant—and growth is always the driver. That’s been the case over the past 25 years, especially, since the first Special Medical…
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Hospital care isn’t a zero-sum game, but the Kansas City region has definitely seen some winners and losers since 1997. Imagine you stepped into a time machine here in 1997 and jumped back out again today. If you knew the…
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The implications of runaway health-care costs, and a starting guide for how to beat them. It is time to shine some light on the medical benefits renewal process. More specifically, the runaway train of health-care cost trends. While renewal trend…
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At the Intersection of Power and Business Ingram’s honorees from the past two years of 40 Under Forty, along with a few from the 20 in Their Twenties class, were guests of Porsche Kansas City for a one-of-a-kind opportunity to…
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Michelle and I bought Ingram’s in mid-February of 1997 and we quickly assessed the content and developed an overall mission and strategy for the publication. We then began to build programs we believed appropriate and necessary for an effective, impactful…
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Today, most everyone could name a legendary president or actor or baseball player or artist or even a race horse. Most could name a famous lawyer or architect or nurse, but a legendary physician? Does Marcus Welby count? Or Doogie…
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While doing some research on employment trends for an article in Ingram’s, I chanced upon a set of statistics that would have elicited an “I tried to tell you!” from Ernest Hemingway. In The Sun Also Rises, he penned the…
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Each year, Ingram's publishes a special edition specifically on Missouri - it's people, companies and key brands, and its place in the nation's economy. Welcome to The Missouri Edition. …
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What is Missouri all about? You won’t glean an understanding of the Show-Me State by looking at a map alone. Yes, it’s smack in the middle of the lower 48 states, but there’s so much more to Missouri than…
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Their reasons are as varied as the diverse economy of the state, but in the end, choosing Missouri as a home base has one factor in common among business executives: It makes for a stronger enterprise. Here are some thoughts…
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Across nearly 70,000 square miles, more than 6 million people call Missouri home. Deeply diverse in culture, even harkening back to the Old South in some parts, they comprise a fascinating study in what makes a state tick. Bankers, educators,…
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The best estimates from the federal Small Business Administration and the Missouri Secretary of State place the number of companies operating in Missouri somewhere in the neighborhood of 500,000. That, folks, is a densely populated neighborhood. While many of those…
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Q: What has been the impact of COVID-19 over the past 12-18 months with regard to overall investment strategies? Was it a game-changer with respect to where yield can—or should—be best pursued? A. That’s the million-dollar question, and the answer…
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Businesses face some complex issues. The CDC made a surprising announcement in May: individuals who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks or maintain social distance in most indoor spaces. Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after…
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Inflation exploded higher during April. Base effects added to the year-over-year figures had only a little to do with the unexpected inflation jump from March to April of this year. Instead, blame a combination of government stimulus, reflation, bottlenecks and…
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Inflation is making headlines all over the country, but the mainstream media is not being honest about the true severity of the crisis. We are being told that the official rate of inflation is still in single digits, but what we aren’t…
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Click here or the image below to view the digital version of the May 2020 issue.
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Most February economic data, released in March, was weaker than expected, probably because economists were more focused on stimulus checks than the weather. But considering how much of the country was affected by extreme cold and storms in February there’s…
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Ed Yardeni (a Wall Street economist) pointed out last week that the USA’s money supply has exploded and “M2 Is Off the Charts”! M1 (money in circulation) is up $2,943 billion (+74%) and M2 (M1 plus savings deposits in banks)…
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At the Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting held recently, committee members announced that they would leave key interest rates and quantitative easing unchanged. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell later said that the economic outlook remained “highly uncertain” and would depend…
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Click here to read Ingram's January 2021 Digital Edition
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I’m sure many of us are glad to see the calendar pages turn. While 2020 experienced an unprecedented economic event, in many other ways, it was just average. In the year past, the economy witnessed one of the swiftest cycles…
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It’s 1996, and Bob Page’s first day on the job as chief financial officer at the University of Kansas Hospital. Right off the bat comes a brief moment of temporal displacement: Sitting in the executive offices of the hospital in…
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Ingram's 2021 Historical Perspectives Series: Commercial Real Estate Everything you thought you knew about the history of commercial real estate in Kansas City? Put it on a shelf: That history is being rewritten right now. Various megatrends for years had…
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The past year has brought considerable tumult to the nation’s economy, but somewhat surprisingly, the construction and design sector in this region seems to fare somewhat better than in other parts of the country. A survey by the Association of…
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Competition has always been the fire under the crucible of American business—innovate, improve and grow . . . or die. Sometimes, though, things outside a leader’s control can pose an existential threat. As we saw in 2020. Government mandates to…
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What’s a Big Deal? It could be a business transaction with billions of dollars on the line. It could be a 10-figure development project that will change the face of an entire city. It could be a new-to-market asset that…
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What does a new year—and a new presidential administration—portend for business? One of the most prominent regional economists in the Midwest looks into his crystal ball. Q: What’s your expectation of overall regional economic performance in 2021? A: Less than…
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Ingram's December 2020 Digital Edition.
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Swinging for the Fences Long before he led the effort to keep the Royals an amenity to benefit all of Kansas City, John Sherman was focused on using philanthropy to help the truly disadvantaged level their own playing fields. Many…
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DENNIS CURTIN It’s a safe bet that nobody running a small diner in Kansas City’s Northland has ever hit it big financially. So you can be sure that when Dennis Curtin saw his mother pick up the check for customers…
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The World Giving Index ranks Americans as by far the most generous givers in the world. But it’s not all from the individual; American business is uniquely charitable, as well. And you’ll see that attribute o display each year with…
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A world in turmoil. A major recovery. But an uneven application of that reprieve. That may be the most positive spin one could put on the events of 2020, which have assaulted the entire planet, the nation and the KC…
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In the Hare and the Tortoise world of business ownership, there are darn few spring chickens. The average age of an entrepreneur at start-up is generally pegged at 42, so even if the venture generates strong growth within five or…
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Three topics kept the nation transfixed in 2020: A long, bitter general election campaign leading up to the emergence of President-elect Joe Biden by the barest of margins in a handful of swing states. Large-scale riots, looting and violence that received…
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When the dust settles from the public-health storm of 2020, the one aspect of health care that could produce the most significant, lasting change for providers, insurers, employers and patients might well be advances in telemedicine. Across the nation—the developed…
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The global pandemic and its associated economic downturn, combined with the most visible civil rights and equality discussions since the days of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., knocked health care from the throne as voters’ most important issue. However, health…
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Health Flexible Spending Accounts are popular with employers and employees alike. But being popular also means that Congress and the IRS like to tinker with the rules. When it passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, Congress said that Health…
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In 2019, there were 1.4 billion cases of fraud in the U.S., with $1.5 billion stolen. As of 2017, one in every 85 purchases is a fraud attempt. When you think about the amount of transactions you carry out during…
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This year has seen unprecedented transitions. Many small businesses had to shutter, and corporations sent their employees home to work. Lives and jobs were lost, creating voids. It's been a crazy year and sobering in many ways, but one principle…
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Ingram's November 2020 Digital Edition.
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Think for a moment about where women can rise to the top of their professions. If the first roles at the top of your mind were nursing and teaching, you might want to bone up on what’s happening in the world the…
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Among its multiple challenges, 2020 has been a year for hard conversations about work-force aspects of diversity and inclusion in America. But for all the attention paid to matters of equality and equity, how often have you heard mention of…
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Business brokers, wealth managers and other advisers say owners who sell their companies would be well-served to find new ways to make a difference, such as volunteering at a community garden or non-profit, or even consulting young entrepreneurs. You’ve…
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Q. What were the foundations of your own sense of corporate responsibility—the influences that informed your own values of what it means to be appropriately engaged as a company? A: Banks especially enjoy a unique platform in our community…
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We're just weeks away from a new year, and the ability—mercifully—to reference 2020 in the past tense. Eventually, the daily counts of new COVID-19 infections will fall, the numbers of deaths from the pandemic will inevitably tail off. But the…
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Ingram's October 2020 Digital Edition
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Let’s face it: As a region, with the medical resources available to us, we are truly blessed. How so? Just this spring, the Kaiser Family Foundation ranked states by the number of hospital beds available per 1,000 residents. Kansas tied…
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By some demographers’ reckoning, the cohort of Americans between 20 and 29 years old is now almost evenly divided between Millennials and Generation Z. As the latter group continues to lay the cornerstones for careers, the late-stage Millennials are kicking…
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Q: What are the biggest challenges your clients have seen in the run-up to this enrollment period?
A: With so many employees working remotely, it’s been figuring out to how to deliver open enrollment with the same level of experience;…
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People who deal with business sales for a living can rattle off a number of indicators that tell you the time is right to sell your enterprise—and almost none of them good. Let’s start with one positive indicator: A lucrative…
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Education is the pillar of any university’s mission statement, but as campus executives will tell you, it’s just one of three legs on a stool that defines their purpose. The two others are service and research. Almost from its founding…
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As we enter the home stretch of the 2020 election cycle, employers likely need to review the ways political discourse and behavior can bleed into the workplace and create liability and challenges concerning labor and employment law. The COVID-19 pandemic,…
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Time for some Ingram’s 250 math: What’s i250 x 5? If you came up with 1,250, hats off to your grade-school math teachers—their lessons clearly took hold. But with this being the fifth year of our recognition of the 250…
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Read all about this year's most influential business executives with the Ingram's 250 September Special Edition.
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Executives in leadership roles, almost by definition, have considerable experience in their fields. They’ve been around; they’ve seen a lot. None of them, though, has ever seen a year like this one, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. State-mandated restrictions on…
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Retirement may beckon, or you may simply be looking for a second act in a business. Whatever your motivation, you’ve made the call: It’s time to prepare your business for a sale. If your primary consideration going into that process…
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Q: Before they even consider a potential sale, do business owners need to think about how to be properly positioned for the process? A: From a deal-structure standpoint, it’s a question of what do they need, based on their personal…
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Ingram's 2020 Best of the Best Digital Edition
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For 32 years, readers of Ingram’s have sounded off on their favorite restaurants, and for many of those years, on their favorite business service providers, favorite products, and favorite cultural and entertainment venues. It’s been a happy alliance with consumers…
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Q: MMC Corp’s ESOP has been in place for quite a while. Can you tell us a bit about how well the value proposition of that model has held up for your organization?
A: Our ESOP started in 1999, when the…
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Think about this number for a moment: $323 billion. That’s what the American Hospital Association projects will be the financial toll imposed by COVID-19 on medical centers and health systems in the U.S. by the end of this year. Nearly…
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That would be open enrollment season, which brings the most questions for employers and employees alike. Sure, options and choices are good, but they can cause consternation for even the most informed employee. Aside from worrying about their own health and…
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Business people have been trading goods and services for centuries. Frontier fur trappers traded furs for salt, gun powder, flour and other necessities. They seldom exchanged cash—there was just no reason for it. Trading was just the best way to…
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Meet Bill. For four decades, he’s owned manufacturing company, one he took from half a dozen employees at start-up to more than 200 today. Over those years, he built something sustainable, something that is now in demand from other companies…
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Golfing, hiking, lounging, sailing, volunteering: whatever your retirement dream, ensuring that it stays blissful requires planning. This is especially true for folks considering retirement abroad. The laws that may apply to finances, health care, and other daily living must be…
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Once upon a time, not so long ago, the crowds would pack into BB’s Lawnside BBQ for the array of smoked meats, zesty side dishes, cold beer, bread pudding and, of course, great blues. The place has long been a…
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Remember TINA? She was that alluring goddess of double-digit investment returns for much of the past decade. Near-zero interest rates for much of that time had investors scrambling for other ways to find yield, and with stocks, TINA—There Is No…
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For business owners planning to sell their companies in the near term, a storm may be brewing. In broad terms, say professional-services executives, buyers will be looking for historical and current documenta-tion in categories that can be broken down into…
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Hitting 35, or so we’ve been told, portends the onset of a mid-life crisis. But as the Corporate Report 100 hits that milestone, there’s plenty of youth reflected in a roster of the region’s fastest-growing companies. More than 40 percent…
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Q: A lot of the news about your company lately has been about acquisitions, but there’s more going on here, isn’t there? A: A lot of people think our growth has been largely acquisition-oriented. But that just complemented…
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The second quarter of 2020 is in the books, and it will go down as a historic three months for American business, American banking—and eventually, the American taxpayer. The latter will be on the hook for trillions in money borrowed…
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Chief Rick Smith was on the front lines during the unrest on the Plaza and consulted with a police commissioner as protests morphed in rioting and assaults on his officers. The nation is at a crossroads with its approach to…
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Anyone who thinks the rich always get richer hasn’t been paying attention to business. And that goes back well before “pandemic” entered the national lexicon. For years, seismic forces have been at work in and on American business. If you…
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The 50 individuals you’ll meet in the following pages bring to an even 500 the number of Sunflower State residents from all walks of life who have been singled out for their over-sized contributions to business success, civic engagement, philanthropic…
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From surfboards to toys to 3D printing materials, the bioplastics from Green Dot are aimed at making the world a more sustainable place. 1. LaCrosse Furniture LOCATION: La Crosse For a manufacturing company, even one in Kansas, LaCrosse Furniture…
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Ingram's June 2020 Digital Edition
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Q: Where is KU in terms of preparation for the fall semester? A: We’ve started to reopen right now focusing on our research enterprise and getting our researchers and our graduate students back. We already made a commitment…
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You’ve worked for years, decades perhaps, to build a business. It’s time to sell. At this point, it’s just a matter of finding the right buyer, isn’t it? Frankly, no. Because the fiscal land mine in that question is “right.”…
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Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses face many challenges in the weeks and months ahead. In addition to myriad economic problems, unfortunately, some businesses will also face legal problems, more specifically coronavirus-related litigation. Lawsuits surrounding COVID-19 have already been filed,…
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The arrival and spread of COVID-19 has had significant and far-reaching social and economic impacts on individuals and businesses throughout the United States. To curtail the spread of the virus, local and state authorities across the country issued orders effectively…
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The CARES Act, among the first major legislative efforts undertaken by Congress to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, contains much more than Paycheck Protection Program that has commanded so much media attention. Here are some other pieces of…
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The roll out of the Paycheck Protection Program loans triggered a rush for funding at the end of March. The $349 billion in funding for the program provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act ran out…
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What’s my business worth? That question can dog a business owner for decades, but it’s never more vital to have an answer than it is as you prepare to transition out of your life’s work. But even before there was…
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Since launching Best Companies to Work For in 2008, Ingram's has labored to create a level playing field for any company wishing to be considered: Do your best as an employer, tell us about what sees you apart, and make…
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Everything you know about airline travel, either for business or leisure? Well, you can forget it. By the time the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire world of travel and hospitality will have been transformed—in some cases, that’s…
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One need only pay attention to the past two months of headlines and TV chyrons to grasp the importance of health care to the U.S. economy. We see evidence of it every day in the heroic efforts of front-line health-care…
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The good news, to people starving for some amid the carnage of the COVID-19 pandemic, is that in this region, the caseloads appear to be tapering off. A number of metrics reinforce that: The Web site rt.live, created by a pair…
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Over the comparatively short working careers of this year’s 40 Under Forty, the nation has seen its share of threats: mass terrorism, financial calamity, wholesale destruction of personal wealth and entire business sectors. In each case, we’ve risen from the…
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Take any business publication, read the profiles on almost every high-achieving entrepreneur, and note the constant elements of success: Vision and values. Drive and determination. Insight and innovation. There’s one more, says Peter Mallouk, the son of immigrants, president of…
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Ingram's 2020 Leadership Edition, including 40 Under Forty, also features the 2020 Healthcare and Insurance Industry Outlook Report, guest commentary on managing around the COVID-19 pandemic, health-trends updates, our continuing Transitions series on business succession and…
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In late March, a sign appeared in front of our AdventHealth Shawnee Mission’s medical Center in Merriam. It read, simply, “Heroes work here.” It was not, says the health system’s CEO, Sam Huenergardt, an exaggeration. “We’re fighting a war against…
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Years of mission trips around the world have exposed Dr. Gary Morsch to health-care delivery that would be considered abysmal by American standards. The standards, though, have been rewritten by the COVID-19 crisis. By the halfway point of a two-week…
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As the nation completed a fourth week of its self-imposed recession, the battle to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic produced some positive reports from the front lines. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has…
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Business owners looking to sell, often after a lifetime’s work, may think they’ve paved the way for a buyer’s due diligence by tidying up their books, preparing all the regulation compliance and tax documentation, tightening up receivables and getting the…
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Even if you’ve used his web site to find discounted electronics in the resale market, you might want to know a few things that Swappa.com’s Ben Edwards knows about employees working remotely. Especially if you’re a business owner or manager…
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Across nearly 70,000 square miles, more than 6 million people call Missouri home. Deeply diverse in culture, even harkening back to the Old South in some parts, they comprise a fascinating study in what makes a state tick. Bankers, educators,…
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There is no lack of diversity when it comes to products made in Missouri. We all know the state makes a major beer, with Budweiser, and there are several auto and aviation manufacturers across the state. But did you know…
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GRAND BRANDS Which corporate brands are pillars of Missouri’s business infrastructure? Here are 25 that put the “Show” in Show-Me. What makes for a standout brand? Far beyond a visual cue or icon, a company’s entire identity is built into…
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Q: Can you tell us a bit about current or emerging trends in business banking that are on your radar screen for new growth opportunities? A: There is a lot going on in the banking industry. The low rates are…
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Trusts primarily originated out of a need for management of Crusaders’ lands while they were off at war and unavailable. Trusts are now commonly thought of as a tool for just the wealthy, but you don’t need to be a…
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Every business eventually sells, whether the owner is dead or alive.” Accepting that guidance, from business-valuation expert Steven York of Stern Brothers Advisory Services, should be the step from which any business owner starts down the path toward selling her…
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In this issue we discuss the challenges posed to the economy by COVID-19, and we also honor the Top 50 Missourians You Should know. Click here to read our digital edition.
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The real-world consequences of hubris. Don’t you just love irony? Especially when the Irony Fairy takes her wand and whacks a truly deserving doubter over the head? Consider me whacked. This installment originally was meant to explore the current state…
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In Ingram's February 2020 Edition, we discuss our Heroes in Healthcare, Icons of Education and, of course, the Chiefs taking Super Bowl LIV. Click here to read the full issue.
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Managing family relationships in the run-up to a business sale, through it and after it, can be a key determinant in the true value a business yields for those who have made it their life’s work. Amy Billings is part…
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Nominate an Icon of Education for next year! Shaping Young Minds Has Been a Life's Calling Long ago, every one of them had a choice to make: Pursue a career with significant financial rewards, or pay forward what they learned…
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Nominate a Hero in Healthcare for next year! What You See Is Just The Beginning Inside the vast web of medical centers, community hospitals, physicians’ offices and health-focused private companies, it’s easy to overlook the individual contributions of the people…
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For the Kansas City Chiefs as an organization and for its players, a Super Bowl victory has some definable financial benefits. But can the broader region capitalize on the recent publicity to advance its civic goals? For the select few…
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Big Data and Big Science are establishing solid foundations in this region. The effects on both business and health-care delivery will be transformative. Stephen Hardy’s company specializes in helping cities gather, analyze and act on large data sets. It’s not…
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The January issue of Ingram's features articles on the biggest business deals and economic-impact projects, companies hitting a five-or-10-year anniversary in 2020, how to plan for ownership transitions and much more. Click here to read the digital edition.
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So you’re running a business or organization that has operated for many years? Congratulations: You’re not just a high-stakes gambler, your organization is a high roller. You and your team have looked the odds squarely in the eye and, without…
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In an era of low margins but ample work, contractors in the Kansas City region are hustling more today than any time since the onset of the Great Recession nearly 15 years ago. But they do so amid sweeping change…
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A year ago, and even through mid-2019, fears of an impending recession loomed large. Now? The longest expansion in U.S. history could have several years yet to run, economists say. Let’s walk 12 months down Memory Lane in Investorville, shall…
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Is a new KCI terminal a true game-changer, or just table stakes to compete with other cities? Construction executives weigh in. It’s not often you find two dozen executives from the construction world and related disciplines gathered in one venue.…
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[caption id="attachment_24162" align="alignleft" width="480"] Looking Good in Blue: John Sherman will be swapping out of his Cleveland Indians ownership stake as controlling owner of the Royals.[/caption] The energy sector provided financial muscle for the most noteworthy business deals of the…
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Fifty years after their only Super Bowl win, the Chiefs are back. An ecstatic fan base can only wonder if this is the dawn of a dynasty. Officially, it goes in the record books as a 27-yard touchdown run. The…
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Companies both large and small are now in the “Big Data” business. Once a concern left to the Googles and the Facebooks of the world, Big Data is now ubiquitous in industries as diverse as retail, hi-tech, health care, finance,…
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Nominate a 2020 Corporate Champion! Kansas City has long enjoyed the warm glow of praise for being one of America’s most philanthropic communities. That continues to be the case with the most recent metro market study by Charity Navigator, which…
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The December 2019 edition of Ingram's focuses on philanthropy, recognizing the Philanthropist of the Year, Corporate Champions and Local Heroes. Click here to read the full digital edition.
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Shirley and Barnett Helzberg represent a personal love story 52 years in the making. But from this one couple’s love, countless blessings have rained down on Kansas City and its philanthropic community. Sometimes, a marriage is the perfect union of…
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A place for inner-city kids to play golf. Building a state-of-the-art animal shelter. Helping people learn to read. Providing clothing for victims of domestic violence. Giving homeless veterans a place of their own. Meeting the needs of abused children. Helping…
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We’re all in this together. That message came across loud and clear Dec. 13 at Ingram’s 2019 Philanthropy Industry Outlook assembly held at the Hilton President Kansas City Hotel. The forum drew a diverse array of nearly two dozen non-profit…
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Featured in the digital edition of Ingram’s November 2019 Women’s Leadership Edition is Women Executives-Kansas City; Rainmakers, the top female attorneys in the area; the first-ever construction industry outlook as seen by female professionals in the field; and more.
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To get a sense of how far women have come within the executive ranks of America’s construction and design companies, one would need to look no further than the fifth-floor conference room at Lockton on Nov. 15. There, two dozen…
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Some of the most prolific producers at law firms in the region are women excelling in roles long dominated by men. Here are half a dozen Rainmakers who break down barriers, bring in the big dollars and exceed client expectations…
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Trailblazers? For the 2019 Women Executives-Kansas City, one does not throw that word around indiscriminately. The path to career advancement has been there for most of the careers of the 12 women recognized as this year’s class of WeKC. In…
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[caption id="attachment_23402" align="alignleft" width="2492"] (front row, left to right) Kirk Gastinger, Gastinger Walker; Harden + Bee Triplett; Jim Megerson, Design Mechanical; David Rezac, 360 Architecture; Greg Fendler, Lankford & Associates; Dave Oxborough, Drexel Technologies; Scott Rosemann, Rosemann & Associates; Michelle…
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CHRISTINE BOUTWELL Saint Luke’s Health System Even though her father was a biology professor at Missouri Western and her mother was a medical technician, there was never any pressure at home to steer young Christine Boutwell into health care. “I…
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Advances in medical technology are unfolding at a phenomenal rate—just as America’s aging population presents the health-care community with unprecedented challenges. Two immutable truths define the current state of health-care delivery in America today: There has never been, coming at…
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The standard description of a successful bank has long been one characterized as “boring”—no drama, no surprises, just fundamentally sound lending decisions that generate an ample return on investments and a healthy bottom line. Those were the days, eh? In…
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The New School Is Older Than You Think For the better part of a decade, we’ve heard the complaints from hiring managers and seen the headlines screaming that “The Millennials Are Coming!” and lumping together one massive generation into a…
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This year's October edition of Ingram's magazine features, Top Docs, 20 in Their Twenties and the Banking Outlook.
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THE MILLENNIAL DIFFERENCE Most people in the 20s, work-force developers say, will most likely change not just jobs, but job sectors multiple times over the course of their working lives. But if early success is an indicator, members of this…
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Rob Adams CO-CHAIR, SHOOK, HARDY & BACON Veteran attorney Rob Adams co-chairs the general liability litigation practice group at the area’s largest law firm, serving clients in the automotive, construction, insurance and pharmaceutical sectors. Some bigger recent cases include Myers…
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Business leadership in the Kansas City region is getting older—and, paradoxically, younger. As retirement beckons for many business leaders, often with iconic names in civic and philanthropic roles, new names are being etched in the leadership roles of area companies.…
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By Dennis Boone The longtime leader of JE Dunn Construction talks about calls for corporate social responsibility, Kansas City’s challenge, and opportunities to transform the way business is done and lives are valued. The Kansas City business community is experiencing…
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By Dennis Boone With markets gyrating and time horizons shortening, business owners have complex calculations to make about selling their lifetimes’ labors of love. So what’s the current sales landscape in the Kansas City market? A looming presidential election cycle.…
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High Achievers Set Record Straight on Millennials in Kansas City In 2008, when Ingram’s identified its first class of 20 in Their Twenties, the oldest Millennials were in their mid-20s, just getting started on their careers. The youngest were still…
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Read the September Edition of Ingram's, featuring our 2019 Ingram's 250, here.
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Read the digital version of Ingram's August 2019 edition here.
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(Seated, left to right) Stephanie Klingzell Carlin, Prairie Capital Advisors; Dan McBroom, Capstone Headwaters; Nikki Newton, UMB Private Wealth Management (co-chairman and co-sponsor); James Lipari, UBS Financial Services (co-chairman, co-sponsor and host); Terry Staley, MarksNelson; Ken Eaton, Stepp & Rothwell.…
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Record stock prices, a punishing downturn, a full recovery and another plunge. Welcome to investing, circa 2019—and buckle up. Just eight short months ago, the Federal Reserve looked ahead to a 3 percent rise in GDP for 2019 and indicated…
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Prominent firms provide strong evidence that diversity focus is achieving long-desired goals. In 2015, Mandy Ketchum was named managing partner at Dysart Taylor Cotter McMonigle & Montemore in Kansas City, one of the region’s 50 largest law firms. The significance…
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BEST ART GALLERY The Gold medalist in the Best Art Gallery is the city’s largest, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, with 35,000 works in its collection. The Plaza-area museum, which opened in 1933 and added the Bloch Building wing in…
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BEST ACCOUNTING/CONSULTING FIRM It seems that Kansas Citians like to go large when choosing an accounting firm. Gold honors this year went to Deloitte (one of the Big Four), which has its area office Downtown, as well as dozens of…
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BEST AUTO DEALERS (DOMESTIC) Fords seem to be the vehicles of choice for Kansas Citians, as both the gold and silver medalists in the Best Auto Dealers (Domestic) represent the automaker. OLATHE FORD LINCOLN, which was founded in 1973 and…
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[caption id="attachment_22568" align="alignleft" width="480"] McClain's Bakery[/caption] BEST BAKERY McClain’s Bakery, our Gold medalist in this revived category, started in Waldo in 1945. Since then, it has gone through two ownership changes, moved its primary location to Gregory Boulevard in Brookside,…
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Ingram's readers spoke! Below is the complete list of the Best Of Business Kansas City 2019 Winners voted for in four categories. WINING AND DINING BEST BAKERY 1. McClain’s Bakery 2. Dolce Bakery 3. Ibis Bakery BEST BARBECUE 1. Q39…
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Read the digital version of Ingram's June 2019 edition here.
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Fix the business climate, and a lot of other problems will be addressed. OK, so the usual handful of voters in Kansas City has designated a new mayor. Quinton Lucas will take office on Aug. 1, and the figurehead of…
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Regional universities are locked in a battle on multiple fronts: Demographic, financial, even cultural. How are they grading out? One of the great repositories of data on higher education in the United States is the National Center for Education Statistics…
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Below are the top companies 11 to 100 in the Ingram’s 2019 Corporate Report 100. Click here to read an overview of this year's winners. To view the top 10, click here. 11. Gianni Custom Homes (1st Year) Growth: 506.49% Average…
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The 2019 Corporate Report 100 welcomes new faces to the fast-growth club . . . and recognizes some familiar players in the path from start-up to scale. Click here to view winners one through 10. Click here to view winners…
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Below are the top 10 companies in the Ingram's 2019 Corporate Report 100. For an overall perspective of the top 100, click here. To view winners 11-100, click here. [caption id="attachment_22316" align="alignleft" width="326"] (l-r) Aimee Clardy, Vice President-Finance; Jason Yeager,…
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Fast growth is a two-edged sword. Some can’t cut it, but those able to wield it properly have become become pillars of regional business. More than a third of a century later, it’s almost impossible to look at the first…
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Believe it or not, plenty of things are made in Kansas that weren’t grown on a farm. We take a look at some of the products made across the state, from airplanes to wheelchairs, many of them surprising. 1. Cessna,…
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On a national level, Kansas doesn’t usually get first mention in many conversations describing innovations in business. That talk is saved for the nation’s usual-suspect “tech hubs,” like Silicon Valley, New York, Boston, Seattle and a few others. But there…
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They’re moving a lot of dirt in Kansas, and not just on the farm. Thanks in large part to the influence of STAR bonds, major projects across the state are helping communities redefine significant elements of their business communities. Not…
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One need not go far back into history to find a time when the word “fantastic” was missing in action in the vocabulary of construction-industry executives. Well, it’s back in vogue. “Overall, the work pipeline really is fantastic,” says Paul…
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Nominate a Kansan making an impact in the business community! In a vast expanse of 82,249 square miles, the state of Kansas has room to be many things—a diverse region showcasing strengths in agribusiness, manufacturing, financial services, health care, research…
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Read the digital version of Ingram's June 2019 edition here.
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Taking Innovation to a new level Vacation time used to be a thing. It was something workers would use sparingly, save up for, and count the days on their calendars awaiting that blessed arrival. That time was a necessary commodity,…
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Agribusiness-heavy at the top, the Ingram’s 100 list is remade after some of Kansas City’s largest private companies are acquired by national and global enterprises. As if anyone needed evidence of Kansas City’s role in the worldwide…
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Earlier this year, a commentary in Forbes took note of how major national banks had a stranglehold on growth in that sector, wielding consumer-friendly tech tools to secure nearly half of all new deposit-account openings last year—despite having less than…
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Read the digital version of Ingram's May 2019 edition here.
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The leaders of tomorrow are not products of wishful thinking; they will come from the ranks of students being taught by dedicated and caring educators. And the very best among those who have committed their lives to that cause are…
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Read the digital version of Ingram's March 2019 edition here.
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Nominate a business leader you know under 40 who is making an impact! This year’s class of winners means business. The future of Kansas City’s business community is in good hands with this year’s crop of Ingram’s 40 Under Forty …
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If you’re in business, and especially if you’re in a business lead-ership role, you’re likely at some point to run into opportunities to serve on non-profit, civic or other boards. Before you jump, take time to consider a few elements…
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Today’s executives face an increasingly competitive and exacting job environment, and they can’t afford to be cavalier with their livelihoods on the line. In the fourth quarter of 2018, CEO turnover hit its highest point since Challenger, Gray & Christmas…
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So now we know: Kansas City’s next mayor will be either Jolie Justus or Quinton Lucas. Over the course of the next seven weeks, the two current members of the City Council will spar for the right to a title,…
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For a generation, business leaders have called for solutions to the rising costs of health-care insurance they offer as a benefit to employees. For a decade, in the wake of federal insurance reforms under the Affordable Care Act, they have…
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Technology usually wasn’t top of mind when many of the entrepreneurs I know started their businesses. They’re makers and creators, marketing pros and business gurus, designers and architects. Their passion is for their craft, not who would manage their cloud…
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Much like a chiropractor at a cocktail party getting asked about a lower back ailment, people ask me all the time what I think the market is going to do, what hot stock they should buy, and given market trends…
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Since the 2016 election, and with the name on the door of the Oval Office changing, the status and future of the Affordable Care Act has remained uncertain. Between “repeal-and-replace,” “skinny repeal,” “repeal and replace later on,” something that could…
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Read the digital version of Ingram's March 2019 edition here.
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Nominate a Missourian who impacts the state's business community! Across nearly 70,000 square miles, more than 6 million people call Missouri home. Deeply diverse in culture, even harkening back to the Old South in some parts, they comprise a fascinating…
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Like most other states, there are a handful of people and things that define Missouri in the American consciousness. They include Anheuser-Busch, The Gateway Arch, the Ozarks, Harry S. Truman, barbecue, professional sports teams, Mark Twain, and the notion of…
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Various small-business associations conduct annual surveys to assess the biggest shared concerns of their members, and almost universally in recent years, the list has been topped by “access to capital.” And that may be, for the smallest among them. For…
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Q: With a year under our belts to really digest the implications of the December 2017 tax reforms, have there been any significant revelations in there that have come to be more fully understood throughout 2018? A. The IRS spent 2018 clarifying…
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Artificial intelligence is helping transform the fast-evolving financial sector. Through use of advanced data analytics and algorithms, investment analysis and portfolio construction is becoming increasingly efficient for the creation of optimal portfolios, allowing investment managers to scale their business and…
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Tax reform reduced the highest corporate federal income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent and provided a new 20 percent deduction on partnership and S corporation income, leading many pass-through entities to reevaluate their structure to achieve greater…
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Here’s something to ponder when you’re assessing your business needs for legal services: In 1975, the U.S. population was 216 million people. Today, that figure stands at 325.7 million. That means an additional populace of nearly 110 million people generating…
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Talk to almost anyone in the trucking/transportation space, and you’ll almost always get The Challenge. It goes like this: Look around the room, and point to something that got there without ever being on a truck.For those inside the industry,…
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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations set safety and operation standards for companies and individuals operat-ing trucks, vans, buses, and other commercial motor vehicles involved in interstate commerce. It is critical to remember that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) are minimum standards,…
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When I was 20, I knew everything. By the time I reached 21, I realized how stupid I actually was. Somewhere between the ages of 20 and 21 (personal enlightenment), I rededicated myself to education, personal development, and professional development.…
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Here is your on-line version of Ingram's print issue for February 2019, featuring our Icons of Education, Heroes in Healthcare, and our coverage of higher education, commercial real estate and the efforts to reduce crime in Kansas City.
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If you want to know the scope of the challenges facing higher education in the United States, consider these two items: Undergraduate enrollment peaked at more than 10 million in 2009, but began declining and has yet to fully recover.…
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At the inception of Ingram’s Magazine in 1974, Downtown Kansas City was the epicenter of business in the bi-state area. Over the decades, the narrative has shifted. The entire metropolitan area has grown in just about every sense, but the…
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The good news, for anyone spooked by the 4,000-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average between Dec. 1 and Christmas Eve, is that the market is a leading indicator—it is not a leading guarantor. For all the chin-stroking predictions…
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“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” -- John Quincy Adams, President of the United States, 1817-1825 Leadership alone maketh not a legend—but it’s an awfully good starting…
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For nearly a generation, Ingram’s has conducted assemblies that bring together both collaborative interests and competing organizations within and across diverse business sectors. The goal has always been to identify opportunities to move the region forward. Jan. 15 produced another…
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Here’s something of a thought experiment: Imagine that you’re face to face with a client, a vendor, a customer. You may know him well, or be meeting him for the first time. You are seeing that person at perhaps the…
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The police chief in a city troubled by violent crime addresses realistic responses and reasons to be hopeful, an outlines an agenda for engaging the business community to alter the balance on a quality-of-life issue. Q: We hear from a…
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Kansas City has a crime problem. And police chief Rick Smith is correct when he says that it’s not merely a law enforcement problem, it’s a problem that requires solutions from the entire community. That includes the civilian leadership. Every…
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National politics and local concerns of women in business leadership positions intertwined on Feb. 4 in an assembly called to mark the official launch of Steve Miller’s campaign for mayor of Kansas City. It’s often been said that the Kansas…
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In his 2012 book titled “The Laws of Opportunity,” Suoyo Aganaba wrote that “opportunity most often presents itself as a problem that demands a solution.” It’s just possible, then, that the economic-development incentives built into the tax reforms of 2017…
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How would you characterize a commercial real-estate market where rents today, in many cases, are unchanged from 10 years, 15 years, even 20 years ago? One might think it a market in distress. But anecdotal instances of that, while telling…
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No argument there. Vision, planning and execution indeed are the building blocks. They are the foundational elements of decades-long business achievement. They can carry a company into a second, even third century. On rare occasions, more than that. But more…
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Within a year of Ingram’s founding, one of Greater Kansas City’s most important developments sprung up from the cornfields of Johnson County. Along a gravel lane then called 110th Street, College Boulevard and Corporate Woods took shape in 1975. The…
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Even as new projects come on-line and city leaders discuss more potential changes to the Downtown skyline, there is an architectural personality already built into Downtown Kansas City and the region. We too often take those design treasures for granted,…
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It’s very rare in our society that everyone comes out a winner. As Ingram’s celebrates their 45th year, all of their wins (and yours) are in alignment. As a regularly featured columnist since 2008, I’ve: Had the honor of branding myself…
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Photo Courtesy Kansas City Chiefs/Steve Sanders Perhaps this is no big thing if you live in New England, where fans of the local professional football team will relish a third straight appearance in the Super Bowl next month, and…
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Ingram's jumps into the new year--its 45th--in a big way, with our once-every-five-years class of Kansas City Legends, our 2019 Milestone companies, the 2019 General Assembly Industry Outlook report, and a treasure trove of historical content covering development of this…
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To change a community, and to engage in philanthropy at its highest levels, a good many factors must come into play: Chance. Coincidence. Vision. Focus. Collaboration. Commitment. All were present, in some fashion, with the Sunderland Foundation in 2018. Bursting…
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In the final issue of the year, Ingram's is proud to present its philanthropy edition, which includes the 2018 Philanthropist of the Year, Local Heroes and Corporate Champions. Check it out online here: Ingram's Magazine December 2018 Digital Edition
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Called to Action The cynics among us hold that No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. But the true good-deed-doers of the world recognize that nothing good happens until somebody gets off the couch and takes action. More than 1.5 million non-profit…
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When it comes to giving, these companies have demonstrated that their hearts are in the right place. Because of them, the quality of life in Kansas City is vastly improved—for everyone. …
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Collaboration, Relationships Drive KC Philanthropy Kent Sunderland, serving as honorary chairman, opened the session with a quick look at how the Sunderland Foundation had quickly become one of the biggest foundations and funders in the Kansas City region, tipping his…
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Q: What is it about the donors in Kansas City that you appreciate, or that you don’t necessarily see everywhere? A: I have an opportunity to visit with colleagues all across the country at other community foundations, and we all…
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The room was filled with generous and humble individuals on Friday, Dec. 7, when local philanthropic leaders gathered together at the Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown to be honored for their contributions to the community. Along with…
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For businesses big or small, it is important to focus on community impact—not just your bottom line. One of the best ways to create a culture of caring about others is through charitable giving. Businesses and their employees who give…
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With the increased estate and gift-tax exemption amounts, an expanded standard deduction available to individuals for federal income tax purposes and the reduced corporate income tax rate, many charities are rightly concerned that these tax law changes may result in…
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For more than a quarter-century, the Women Executives-Kansas City recognition program has turned a spotlight on high-level executive performance in this region. This year’s 10 honorees added to the roster of success, and they were recognized Dec. 6 with an…
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Economy Firing on All Cylinders - for Most of Year Oddly enough, a year that featured huge gains on Wall Street and record high levels of confidence among small business executives early on ended on somewhat of a down note.…
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Not only did the Kansas City Medical Society’s annual meeting on Nov. 28 at the Overland Park Marriott serve as a who’s who of the Kansas City medical community, the gathering also provided an idyllic setting for Ingram’s to recognize…
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Not only is this the Ingram's Magazine Logistics and Warehousing edition, but it also includes our 2018 WeKC feature, spotlighting ten incredible female leaders who are values-driven and success-oriented. Check it out here: http://www.omagdigital.com/publication/?i=543282#{%22issue_id%22:543282,%22page%22:0}.
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A great many analyses of business success focus on vision, and how this executive or that one draws on it to chart a course for both personal and organizational success. Perhaps it’s worth spending more time considering not just the…
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The business infrastructure of Kansas City has changed in important ways over the past decade, but few sectors rival the kind of growth we’ve experienced as a national center for logistics, warehousing and distribution. Redefined as a marketplace for bulk…
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When the last lines of Kansas City’s logistics history are written, it’s likely that a pivotal chapter will focus on the year 2013. In March of that year, an upstart commercial realty firm founded just months earlier, NorthPoint Development, secured…
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Q: So let’s just start with the basics, what exactly does Spring Venture Group do? A: Spring Venture Group is a holding company. Spring owns three different insurance agencies, and the insurance agencies are focused on senior health. We have…
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As power-player gatherings go, you won’t find many that will be packed with more influence than the crowd that gathered Nov. 1 at Creative Planning’s sparkling new headquarters complex in Overland Park. There, members of the 2018 Ingram’s 250 convened…
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So you think this is a tough climate for finding the right talent at your business, do you? Well, you’re not alone: The National Federation of Small Business tell us that in September, a record 38 percent of business owners…
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I will never forget the day my father died. It was Dec. 30, 2002 at 8:30 a.m. An undetected condition resulting in aortic dissection claimed his life at age 66. He was less than two years into retirement. It was…
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in October, for instance, that a record number of Americans were employed: 165 million of us. That agency’s data tracking shows that nearly 2.8 million jobs had been added to the work force in…
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Most companies at some point in their development will face a legal challenge that will likely shape the future of their business. High-stakes, “bet-the-company” cases threaten the existence of a business; these conflicts can jeopardize core products, core relationships or…
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Late last month, the Federal Reserve increased the Fed Funds rate for the third time this year, another reminder that the era of near-zero percent interest rates is history. While higher interest rates can lead to bigger bills for those…
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To the extent the wave showed up in the two-state area, it made landfallin the 3rd congressional district, wherevoters ousted four-term incumbentRepublican Kevin Yoder in favor ofnewcomer Sharice Davids. And on a statewide basis, it swept Democrat Laura Kelly into…
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Maybe it’s technology, demographics or a market saturdated with charitable organizations; maybe it’s as easily explained as donor fatigue. Or, perhaps, a more complex blend of those factors and more. But there are growing indications for some non-profits that fund-raising…
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This issue presents you with a wide range of content spotlighting two remarkable subsets of Kansas Citians, from the new kids on the block to seasoned veterans. Grab our October 2018 publication to read about our 20 in Their Twenties…
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Two decades ago, neurologist Marilyn Rymer was included in the first class of Ingram’s Top Doctors program, and she’s been a part of the program most every year since, with influential nominations of strong players in the provider space. She…
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SEIZING THE DAY, EVERY DAY Construction waste management, commercial real-estate development, financial tech, nutritional and personal products, financial services—this year’s 20 in Their Twenties honorees hail from an eclectic mix of business disciplines. But all bring to their jobs every…
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Career, Collaboration and Life in the City for Twentysomethings In past years, 20 in Their Twenties classes have been concerned with busting stereotypes and redefining the Millennial generation as one of tireless work rather than one of entitlement. But for…
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As we celebrate the achievements and outlooks of this issue’s young professionals, it’s easy to get excited about the future. There’s a tremendous amount of talent represented within these pages that gives credence to the phrase “the best is yet…
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For the record, the four-year college degree isn’t going away. Neither is the masters, nor the doctoral degree. Change may indeed occur within the ivory towers, but 1,000 years of Western educational culture isn’t going to vanish any time soon.…
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Johannes Guttenberg’s contribution to Western culture withstood a great many challenges over the course of half a millennium, but the explosive onset of digital a quarter-century ago was billed as the obituary for print communications. But to borrow from one…
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Hands-down, the best venue for networking with the leaders of Kansas City’s most successful companies each year is October’s Best of Business Kansas City/Corporate Report 100 awards celebration. This year’s festivities in the Crossroads, as usual, summoned hundreds of people…
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I can’t tell you the number of times a new client has told me “I’ve heard that non-competes aren’t really enforceable.” This is simply not true. Non-competition agreements are still very much alive and enforceable in Missouri and Kansas, as…
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Kansas City: Opportunities Abound for Real Change Rarely will you find as much executive firepower in one room as the gathering at the law offices of Husch Blackwell early Sept. 7. Nearly three dozen members of the 2018 class of…
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A little more than a decade after founding his wealth-management firm, Marty Bicknell has attained national status in that financial-services field. He reflects on changes in investors, investing strategies, and even the industry itself. Q. A report out just this…
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Before you can compile a roster of the most influential business executives in a market of nearly 3 million people, you first must define what it means to have influence as an executive, what it means to wield that power,…
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Our September issue includes one of our most anticipated features of the year: the Ingram's 250, which compiles short biographies of the most powerful executives in Kansas City. Follow this link to read about this year's class, along with an exclusive Q+A…
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It’s happening right in front of our eyes, with announcements dribbling in every day about a key retirement, a new succession plan, a change in duties in C-suites all across the Kansas City region. But to fully appreciate the magnitude…
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The August 2018 edition features the 30 year anniversary of the Best of Business Kansas City awards. Readers sounded in, and the winners are here. Click this link to read about all the best restaurants, services, entertainment and products our…
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Why Excellence Matters The readers have spoken—again. For a 30th year, Ingram’s readers have sounded off on the Best of Business Kansas City awards, applying their highly refined tastes to designate their favorite restaurants, theaters, charitable fund-raisers, nightspots, museums, family-outing venues…
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Wining and Dining BEST BARBECUE Kansas City has been synonymous with high-quality barbecue for quite some time now. It may be difficult to pick a favorite, but FIORELLA’S JACK STACK BARBECUE, stacks up the flavors and takes home the Gold.…
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Circle this date on your calendar: Dec. 31, 2031. What’s special about that particular New Year’s Eve? It’s the date on which the very last members of the Baby Boom generation, born just before the clock ran out on 1964,…
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You’ve probably heard that wealth-management dictum about the need to save early in life. To wit, that someone who starts saving in the 10 years before turning 30—and then stops those contributions altogether, but earns 6 percent on that investment…
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Weight-loss programs. Smoking cessation support. Health-club memberships and discounts. Biometrics-based insurance-premium incentives. Healthy snack offerings. The strategies and tactics of improved employee health and fitness are innumerable, and U.S. companies have invested billions in the battle to reduce the costs…
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Like the Midwestern weather, if you are looking for a change in the estate planning landscape, just wait for a little while—it will change. Going back to the 1990s, the estate tax exemption was $600,000, so estate-planning attorneys focused on…
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But, in the day-to-day grind of running the business, they don’t plan for the future. Studies report that 80 percent of family own- ed businesses do not pass successfully to the second generation. Of the 20 percent that do, 80…
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The July 2018 digital edition is packed with information, including the fastest-growing companies in the Kansas City region, plus a look at the change in the 2019 mayoral campaign when a supposed favorite threw his name in the hat. This…
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More than a third of a century has passed since Kansas City’s leading business publication rolled out its assessment of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the region. A lot has changed since then, including the magazine itself, then known as…
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The pieces of this puzzle seem unlikely to produce a cohesive picture, but take a look anyway: Water treatment systems for individual buildings. Idle-reduction systems for over-the-road trucks. Agricultural data aggregation. Fractional warehouse services. Companion pet pharmaceuticals and pet wearables…
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Throughout Missouri and Kansas, universities saw a sharp increase in international enrollment figures from 2007 to 2015. From a sample of 11 top universities in both states, total international enrollment rose from roughly 9,800 in the fall of 2007 to…
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Absolutely every company is a tech company. The products and the services you provide are helping people solve problems or find conveniences in business and life. In a fast-moving, global economy, every businesses, from independent contractors to Fortune 100 enterprises…
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It happened again in the second week of July. Fully two weeks after Jason Kander—former Missouri legislator and Secretary of State, and nearly U.S. Senator—announced that he was launching a campaign to become Kansas City’s next mayor, yet another political-gab…
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Q. You started UnitedLex at a time that was pretty volatile for anybody wanting to get into anything financial and you’ve made it grow. What did you see as a big problem you wanted to face or change? A. Generally,…
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Every community in America can grow jobs—with entrepreneurs pointing the way. However, we must remove barriers that obstruct a person taking an idea to an economic reality. A recent national survey of entrepreneurs, conducted for the Kauffman Foundation, shines a bright…
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For startups, obtaining and protecting intellectual-property rights is rightly understood to be a critical step in building a successful business. But often forgotten in this discussion is what to do when your startup’s key technology is targeted with a patent…
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Like every other industry, financial services have not escaped the disruptive forces of technology. Whether in commercial or investment banking, technology-driven changes have challenged old business models—even upending some of them completely. Companies that resist embracing financial technology risk losing…
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May is the season for graduations, state championships and summer vacations and we want to make sure you have all your trusted content from Ingram's Magazine at your fingertips. The Digital Edition brings that content to life by giving our…
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The differences could not be more stark: Hailing from the ranks of bankers, concert promoters, farmers, scientists, real-estate developers, wealth managers, ranchers, state troopers, entrepreneurs, dog breeders, insurance executives, policy wonks, weightlifters, accountants and race car drivers—we’re just getting started…
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The evidence of both good news and bad news of public-sector employment trends over the past decade: • Exhibit A: If you’re a limited-government libertarian, you might take some solace in knowing that the nation’s armies of federal, state, county…
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If you’re trying to pinpoint the biggest changes going on in new home construction in the Kansas City market, you have to start by getting the perspective right. Is it from the builder’s point of view, where costs for materials…
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With interest rates and construction costs on the rise, the question of whether to construct, remodel or expand your business workspace is a difficult decision for many CEOs as they calculate the ROI of this investment in a market with…
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Something profound is unfolding at workplaces across the country and around the world. And for good reason: Older Millennials have been voting with their resumes for the past decade, elevating workplace design considerations on their own hierarchy of career needs,…
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As of March 2018, more than 126 million Americans were in the labor force—and more than 75 million of them had no college degree. But whether they are in construction, manufacturing, logistics, transportation or even service industries and retail work,…
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Disruptive technology is the hot topic these days; established businesses are vying against start-ups in a race to develop the next iPhone, 3-D printer or Uber service. Employees are increasingly concerned about being replaced by a next-gen robot or IBM’s…
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As we work with clients facing retirement, a frequent concern for many is how they will maintain their standard of living. Many successful business owners and high-earning executives are fortunate enough that they need not watch their current spending too…
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Ingram's is excited to announce a brand new option for both our loyal readers and our valued advertisers. We now have a true digital edition of the magazine available online and you can get a sneak peek right now! It…
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For much of its 44-year history, Ingram’s has opened its pages up to the most influential thought leaders in the regional business community, allowing them to directly address our readership with highly relevant, useful and actionable intelligence on vital business issues of the day. In…
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Being named one of 40 under Forty back in 1998 meant a lot to me for several reasons. The most flattering at the time was that Anita Gorman had nominated me. I hadn’t known her long, but I had, and…
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I’m often asked what characteristics make a great leader. While all successful leaders have their own unique qualities, I believe there are few characteristics that all leaders share. Leaders recognize that they’re often not the smartest people in the room,…
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It can be tricky to predict exactly what the next must-have piece of technology will be. And if you oversee buying decisions for your company, it’s only going to become more challenging. According to Gartner, the global market for enterprise…
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As Ingram’s celebrates its 20th year of recognizing 40 Under Forty honorees, I too want to congratulate this year’s class, including the much-deserved recognition for Brian Baggott from Dentons. I was fortunate to be the recipient of this recognition back…
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Congratulations to Ingram’s 40 Under Forty honorees. This is an extraordinary recognition for the area’s top young executives, professionals and community leaders. I was honored to have been recognized by Ingram’s in the Class of 2004, and I am grateful…
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Allow me to share a growth story. New Pig, a company that provides industrial cleaning supplies, was interested in refining its brand message. The leadership understood that in order to compete in the marketplace, they had to be truly different,…
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Greg Maday He was 37 years old when he earned a spot in the 40 Under Forty Class of 2002, and by that time, Greg Maday had already grown one company tenfold, sold it, and launched GEM Holdings, an asset-holding…
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Q. What are the top mistakes execs make when trying to fabricate a digital presence for their companies? A. The biggest mistakes I see people make is they’re too insular, they’re too worried about their story or what they want…
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“Sounds good, send me a proposal.” How many times have you heard that? Too many. So you run back to your office, put together a proposal, send it to the prospect, and start the follow-up process (and the prayer vigil).…
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Cost, Quality Concerns Driving Powerful Innovations Seated: Greg Sweat, Blue KC (Chairman, host and sponsor); Corrine Everson, Research Medical Center, HCA Midwest Health. (Standing, left to right), Jason Spacek, BlueKC; John Staton, Olathe Health; Matt Tritz, Lockton Companies; Jill Watson, Centrus Health; Chad Moore, Blue KC; Jonathan Krass, CBIZ; Michelle…
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Well, have you blown all your New Year’s reolutions already? Did you actually achieve any of them yet? New Year’s resolutions are a pain. Lose 20 pounds. Eat better. Get in shape. Join the gym. Run three miles a day.…
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In the wake of the #MeToo movement, companies are grappling with how best to respond to and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. From TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year to the Golden Globes to Oprah, there is intense public…
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Leaders across the globe have traditionally supported the idea that business success is correlated to increased levels of engagement among stakeholders. Business leaders try a variety of tactics to increase engagement, from creating incentive programs to encourage high performers to…
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If you were to take an historical look at commercial lending, you would notice one constant, and that is change. The banking industry has ebbed and flowed along with the country’s economy, providing times when capital is abundant and times…
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The 19th-century French economist Frederic Bastiat is perhaps best-known for his treatise encouraging policy makers to understand the differences between “that which is seen, and that which is not seen.” Two centuries later, his is guidance that proves quite useful…
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Somewhere along the way, through the advent of mass-marketed newspapers and magazines to weekly news-reel highlights to the digital age, the word “hero,” began to shed some of its meaning, broadly understood. Yes, as the folks at Merriam-Webster point out,…
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The U.S. Department of Labor released its proposed rules for association health plans in January. The rules could reshape how we think about association-based health insurance and open the door to association-based coverage that crosses trade or industry lines. If…
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For many, new health plan benefits began in January, so now is a great time to review your coverage in order to get the most out of your plan, stay healthier and even help save money in 2018. People can…
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If you’re looking for signs that tell you just how good things are right now in the U.S. economy, you don’t have to look very hard—or very far. Among those data points to surface in recent weeks: The Dow Jones…
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Some storied names in Kansas City business changed hands in 2017, or agreed to change hands. Others sealed deals that elevated their local, regional and even global market shares, or set the course for long-term growth. Among them were multigenerational…
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On Dec. 22, 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law. Another article in this issue lists many of the provisions, but one of the most complex provisions enacted in this law is a 20 percent…
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Higher standard deductions. Lower tax brackets. Bigger child tax credits. All are elements that earned most of the attention in December, when Congress signed off on the most significant reform of the nation’s tax code in more than…
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(seated, l-r) Steve Miller, Miller Schirger, (host, co-chair and co-sponsor), Rosie Privitera-Biondo, Mark One Electric (co-chair and co-sponsor); Mark Teahan, George J. Shaw Construction (co-chair and co-sponsor); Dan Beutler, George J. Shaw Construction; (first row standing, l-r) Phillip Yelder, City of Kansas City; Ramin Cherafat, McCownGordon…
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For decades, the knock on the construction sector was that it failed to embrace technological advance. Well, look who’s knocking back now: From drone use to wearable tech, Big Data to even more sophisticated modeling information systems, construction companies are…
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Kansas City’s place in the world of engineering was solidified more than a century ago, with firms like Burns & McDonnell, Black & Veatch and HNTB setting down roots, and more recently others like Henderson Engineers and Kiewit setting up…
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The U.S. has explicitly prohibited sexual harassment for more than 40 years. In recent years, trainers on how to comply with Title VII’s prohibition against sexual harassment have struggled to make training “meaningful,” and as such, have focused on more…
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Show Me, You Say? Here You Go. What makes Missouri stand out? Start with its people. We’ve heard it time and time again from executives who are re-assigned to locations in Missouri from parts east and west: “I never knew…
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It wasn’t history in the making, exactly, but it was impossible to miss the historical overtones as Ingram’s recognized two legends of business in Kansas City with its inaugural Philanthropist of the Year awards. The presentation of those awards, in…
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Bill Dunn is living testament that giving isn’t just an act of fiscal charity— it’s a way of life, one that encompasses business leadership, civic engagement, and philanthropy on both a corporate and personal level. And in the end, it’s…
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Philanthropist of the Year Henry Bloch Henry Bloch (left) and his daughters Liz Uhlmann and Mary Jo Brown enjoy the Philanthropy Awards Luncheon. When you try to add up the billions in revenues that H&R Block has generated over…
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There Are Givers ... and There Are Heroes There is no shortage of inquiry—by sociologists, medical researchers, or non-profit developmental advisers—into the reasons why people give away their money, donate their time or contribute their talents to innumerable causes and…
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Corporate Giants of the Kansas City Area If you want to know what really makes business in the greater Kansas City area something special, take a look at Ingram’s 2017 Corporate Champions and those organizations that precede them. Tell us…
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There has been a wide range of predictions as to the effect the tax bill currently winding its way through the legislative process will have on charitable giving. Some predict dramatic and dire impacts on charities, mainly as a result…
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Republicans in both the House of Representatives and the Senate have released their versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The two proposals have key differences and are still works in progress. The final form of the bill is…
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A dive into current revenue models of the U.S. health-care system and its performance is an exercise in head-scratching. Think about this: The nation’s number of licensed beds, key generators of hospital revenue, fell 38.6 percent between 1975 and 2015,…
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Like abuse of alcohol or illicit drugs, the nation’s growing opioid epidemic is presenting workplace challenges. The current opioid epidemic has been called the worst drug crisis in American history, reaching every corner of society, including workplaces both large and…
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The most valuable asset of any business is its work force … and productivity is the key. In a nutshell, the healthier employees are, the more and better work they can do, and the better their quality of life will…
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Despite political and ideological differences of opinion about the results of the 2016 elections, with the beginning of 2017 and new, Republican president and GOP-controlled Congress, many employers felt an air of optimism about the future of employer-sponsored health care,…
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More than 67,000 people in Missouri and Kansas make their living as licensed insurance agents, state officials say, but more than twice that number who are doing business in this region don’t live in either state. Given that there were…
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The Mesopotamians are credited with what may have been the first use of money as a means of exchange, close to 5,000 years ago. And once money was part of the societal equation, accountancy was sure to follow. A great…
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Nearly a quarter-century has passed since Ingram’s convened an assembly organized by and for women in executive roles, and programmed specifically around concerns of female executives in this particular market. That first gathering in 1993 was called Women Executives-Kansas City—WeKC,…
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With the fairways of Mission Hills Country Club serving as a backdrop on a colorful fall afternoon, executives from some of the leading accounting firms in the Kansas City region gathered on Nov. 9 for Ingram’s 2017 Accounting Industry Outlook.…
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As 2017 draws to a close, an uncertain tax and legislative environment means that year-end tax planning is more important than usual. The possibility of major tax reform opens up powerful planning opportunities that can save on taxes if completed…
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There is no question that the cost of health care in America is continuing to steadily rise. According to the Kaiser 2017 Employer Health Benefits Survey, the premiums for family coverage have increased by 55 percent in the past 10…
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As we approach the 10-year mark since the 2008 recession, it’s clear that the construction and building industries have rebounded in style—and they are flourishing. Last year, U.S. construction-related spending passed $650 billion for the first time since the recession. In…
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The Kansas City industrial property market has long been recognized as a key Midwestern logistics hub for its central location in the United States, significant highway and rail infrastructure, and affordable cost of labor. Throughout the last several decades, the…
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Sometimes, it’s worth looking back to see how far you’ve come. So it is with this, the 19th annual installment of Ingram’s Top Doctors. We introduced these awards in 1999 to recognize the exceptional levels of…
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A decade ago, Ingram’s introduced 20 in Their Twenties, spotlighting young entrepreneurs and executives who were setting standards of excellence for their organizations. With this, the 10th year of the program, we are prepared to draw one significant conclusion: As…
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No matter what one thinks about the current state of race relations in the United States as a social construct, when it comes to business, the numbers show that America is, indeed, the land of opportunity. According to the Minority…
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For Eric Mettemeyer, it was the same head-spinning question that small-business executives had faced for years when they would sit down to assess the premiums they pay to provide health insurance for workers. “You’re staring it the face of large…
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Last spring, when the nation’s high schools awarded diplomas, they saved a chunk on printing costs: 81,000 fewer students came out of their ranks than in 2016—the fifth straight year of decline. Academic business officers warn that we’re only halfway…
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What is engagement? Better stated, how can you engage other people to become interested in you and your product or service? Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People) says it’s by becoming genuinely interested in them. And he’s…
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Asset values are surging into record territories at an interesting time in American demographics: The heart of the Millennial generation, the youngest group working today, has seen a stock-market boom that’s going into its 10th year. At the older end…
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When a work-force development professional talks about game-changing trends in that field, this should give you an idea of what’s really going on: Ten years ago, Sprint was the largest private employer in the Kansas City area, with 13,500 jobs…
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Perhaps more than any dynamic of American life, access to affordable postsecondary education has embodied the promise of the American dream. But, with total college debt surpassing credit-card debt at the level of $1.3 trillion, and the annual cost to attend a four-year…
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Over the next 30 years, the greatest transfer of wealth from one generation to the next, in history, will occur. With that in mind, here is a sobering statistic: 70 percent of all inter-generational wealth transfers fail, meaning that the…
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When you read the individual profiles of Ingram’s 250 honorees, you’re not just witness to a roster of influential executives: You are being invited, by virtue of their openness and candor, to get to know more about them than just their title…
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Members of this year’s Ingram’s 250, including host Danny O’Neill, turned out for the solar display. From left: Julian Zugazagoitia of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Matt Condon of Bardavon Health Innovations, Terry Bassham of Kansas City Power & Light,…
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(Seated, left to right) Debbie Wilkerson, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation; Ronnie Burt, VisitKC; Rosie Privitera Biondo, Mark One Electric; Kelly Carnago, Google Fiber; Gordon Lansford, JE Dunn Construction.(Standing, left to right) Bob Regnier, Bank of Blue Valley; Matt Condon,…
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Uncertainty, that killer of business growth, is feeding on a number of current economic trends. But that doesn’t imply a reduction in commercial lending or investment opportunities. With the final quarter of 2017 almost upon us, economic news is brimming…
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When you stop to think about it, an awful lot of companies and organizations have been recognized as the best at what they do since Ingram’s first began asking readers for their thoughts—and votes—to determine this city’s best of everything, way back…
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Somewhere out there is a recent retiree who was born on Jan. 1, 1946—the dawn of the Baby Boom generation. In the history of American investing—mass investing, anyway—very few have been in as fortunate a demographic, in as rewarding an…
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The pressure to contain costs of employer-paid health insurance isn’t letting up. But a great deal of work is taking place among providers, insurers and brokers to help business owners develop strategies for reining those costs in. Recognizing that no…
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They’re here: The Golden Years of the Peter Pan Generation, the ones that vowed to never grow old—better known as the first-wave Baby Boomers. They’re now entering its eighth decade of life, as the leading edge turns 71 this year.…
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In June 2014, as the U.S. military was in full drawdown mode following the phased withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, a palpable sense of concern over the future of displaced veterans was settling in over Kansas and Missouri. At that…
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In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected and interdependent in the natural world. When you look at portfolio management, passive (indexing) and active strategies are the yin and yang of…
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After a prolonged period of stagnant growth, wages are beginning to rise again in the labor market. Add in the never-ending rise in employer provided healthcare insurance premiums and ongoing uncertainty regarding the future of the Affordable Care Act, and…
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The hot topic in investing today is robo-advisers. Like anything new, everyone in the industry is quickly trying to add a robo-product to the offering list. But the question remains, what really is a robo-adviser? And more important, what should…
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As a soon-to-be senior at the University of Notre Dame, my future is looming. What do I want to do after my football-filled Saturdays with the Fighting Irish? Where do I want to go? Do I want to come home…
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There’s no mystery about what’s moving fast-growth companies in this market: It’s real estate. Residential real estate, to be more precise, as sales of homes in a market starving for more single-family residential propelled nearly a dozen companies onto this…
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You are discussing the terms of a possible deal—maybe it’s a sale agreement or a lease. But now you want to take the next step. Should you negotiate and sign a letter of intent? If so, what should it say?…
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As business owners, we hear it every day: “Leverage technology” for growth, quality, scale or some other purpose. It makes logical sense; as contemporaries we have all seen the impact of technology on most aspects of our life. But what…
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Important Distinctions The nuances of mediation and arbitration, by now, are part of the DNA of those around the table, but there are, for the layman, important distinctions between these two tools for resolving disputes without the cost of litigation…
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When you ponder the current state of work-force development, consider this: Unemployment nationwide hit 4.3 percent in June, the lowest level in 16 years. That, following the departure of an estimated 800,000 Americans—65 or older—from the work force in the…
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When you look at American law schools today—the types of students, their numbers and the kinds of subject matter being taught, two trends immediately jump out: There are significantly fewer students enrolled today, nation-ally and regionally, than there were in…
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Herewith, a list of sales success characteristics. They represent the elements that make a salesperson successful. But here’s the secret: Before you make judgments about others and how they compare to the list, first judge yourself. Measure yourself against the…
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Old-fashioned? Only in the sense that meeting new prospects and increasing your sales are old-fashioned concepts. In today’s B2B marketing climate, there are dozens of methods to reach clients, and hundreds of channels. Almost no other medium, however, can compare…
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#1 Vazquez Commercial Contracting Growth: 909.49% Average Annual Growth: 303.16% Gross Revenue: 2016: $19,426,804 2013: $1,924,413 Full-time employees: 29 Let your mind drift back to 2008. “What a crazy year,” Joe Vazquez recalls, “to begin a…
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Lists have a rhythm. Did you know that? Here at Ingram’s, we produce a lot of lists for the business reader: Lists of key companies in more than 60 sectors, lists of key contacts who help prime the pump of…
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Front row (l-r): Scott Anderson, Riley Drive Entertainment (Ignite and Saints); Terry O’Leary, EPC Real Estate Group; Chip Corcoran, Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting; Dennis Eskie, Eskie + Associates; Blake Schreck, Lenexa EDC; Mayor Mike Boehm, City of Lenexa; Ken Block, Block Real Estate Services and…
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In the annals of workplace excellence, this is something of a milestone: 2017 marks the 10th year for Ingram’s Best Companies to Work For awards. Much has changed in American business since the first honors were bestowed in the spring…
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The Great Recession officially bottomed out in the second quarter of 2009, but for many businesses, the weakness of the recovery that followed inspired feelings that the journey to prosperity didn’t get started until 2011—or later. For anyone paying attention…
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In most organizations, the sales process requires multiple, well-timed and targe ated prospect touchpoints to achieve success. The idea that those touchpoints can be managed, executed and improved upon by marketing technology is finding its way into more and more…
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This is a time of regulatory uncertainty for both banks and businesses as we face the possibility of sweeping changes to Dodd-Frank and the tax code, increased regulation of credit unions and financial-tech firms, and changes to the structure and…
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There are many ways that people can lose their assets, including frivolous lawsuits and other litigation, accidents, divorce, and bad business deals. For those willing to take time for asset-protection planning, it is well worth the peace of mind and…
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Seems too simple: Just ask. In most cases, to get the sale—at some point you must ask for it. “Yes, Jeffrey,” you say, “but when do you ask? What’s the perfect time to ask?” How do I know? No one…
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In assessing the value of a college degree in 2017, two fundamental truths must be taken into account: One, the costs of attending a four-year college for one year have indeed risen sharply. In constant dollars, they are roughly twice…
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When two dozen top executives from public and private universities in the bi-state region gathered recently for the 2017 Higher Education Industry Outlook assembly, each was asked to respond to a single opening question: What keeps you awake at night?…
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What is the biggest struggle for a business owner when it comes to training employees? According to Janine Akers, founder and CEO of DataFile Technologies, it is “finding enough variety to appeal to different preferences for learning style while still…
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Technology has changed the landscape for the way college and university students are educated. The days of professors’ handing out paper copies of a class syllabus, students taking tests in blue books and handwriting notes are essentially extinct. Receiving and…
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When we talk about the inappropriate mental imagery conjured by gross generalizations, can any descriptor be less accurate than lumping every resident of a single state into a label like “Kansans”? , Think about it: 3 million individuals live in the…
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Five years ago, JE Dunn Construction—one of the nation’s largest general contractors, and the biggest to call Kansas City home-— was riding high with its reputation for job-site safety. It had invested heavily over the years to drive the safety…
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Writing in the December 2014 issue of the Harvard Business Review, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms penned what we might might think of as the obituary for The Organization Man. Remember? “He” was the focus of William Whyte’s 1956 book…
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Stability Proves Elusive in Healthcare Arena Ten days after the U.S. House of Representatives scrapped its first Trump-era attempt to replace the Affordable Care Act, a score of health-care and insurance professionals gathered at the Kansas City offices of CBIZ for…
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It’s a generally accepted principle of health-care bean-counting that the best way to control the costs of care is to prevent disease or illness, or failing that, catch them at their earliest stages. And that the most efficient tool for…
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According to Kaiser Family Foundation, 20 percent of mem-bers drive 82 percent of medical and prescription healthcare costs. Lowering healthcare costs is a priority for employers and our nation. Putting focus on the small percentage of the population that drives…
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Politics continued to drive much of the news in March. On March 16, the Trump administration released an overview of their "skinny budget", which forecast large reductions for specific departments while planning increases for defense spending. Furthermore, Republican leaders introduced…
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For all the personal, economic and social value created by a successful family business, anyone who has ever owned one has lived with the fear of seeing it all go away. Last year, when she published “Beer Money: A Memoir…
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It can be tough to build a brand from the ground up. Tougher, perhaps to do it twice. In 1981, the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging was founded as a non-profit with a mission of serving precisely the groups…
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FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY STARTUPS ARE DIGGING INTO PROFITS, CONSUMERS ARE ASKING FOR MORE AND NEWER WAYS TO ACCESS THEIR FINANCES. EVEN THE BIGGEST BANKS ARE HARD-PRESSED TO KEEP UP. THE SMALLER ONES NERVOUSLY EYE WHERE IT’S ALL GOING. Last fall, the…
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Since the advent of the nation’s financial crisis in 2008, bankers have tended to gather under dark clouds at Ingram’s Banking Industry Outlook assemblies, overshadowed by concerns about excessive regulation, lack of qualified borrowers, public misperceptions that commercial banking, rather…
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The Trump administration is committed to reducing the regulatory burden on American businesses to stimulate economic growth and job creation. Many in Washington feel the place to start with regulatory reform is the Dodd-Frank Act. Dodd-Frank was passed in 2010…
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The price of whatever you sell carries with it a discomfort for most salespeople. They’re hesitant to bring up the price because it’s the final element in completing any transaction—or so they think. Actually, price or fee or rate is…
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Centuries of Experience A lot can happen in 400 years. We’ve gone from Jamestown to a nation of 323 million people, we’ve seen 32 men cycle through Rome as pope, we’ve moved from man’s first balloon flight to unmanned inter-…
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Where the Extraordinary Is an Everyday Occurrence It helps to attach evidence of life-saving deeds to the use of the word “hero,” and without dispute, those engaged in the practice of health-care delivery are, in fact, saving lives every day.…
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The December unemployment rate in Johnson County, one of the twin economic engines that power regional commerce, was 3.1 percent. The other half, which tends to not to fire quite as efficiently, is Jackson County on the Missouri side, at…
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You’ve launched your business and are now ready to start building your staff, or perhaps your business has taken off and it’s time to start hiring in chunks. In either case, before you start interviewing, you may want to think…
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The talent squeeze is officially on: December’s unemployment rate in the Kansas City area fell below 4 percent for the first time in more than a decade, and the two-state area recorded jobless rates of 4.2 percent (Kansas) and 4.4…
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It’s a phrase fraught with possibilities for exaggeration, but Wayne Carter believes that it reflects what’s happening across the landscape of life-sciences growth in the Kansas City region: exponential growth. Carter is the CEO of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences…
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A growing life-sciences community relies on patents to protect its valuable intellectual property. The Kansas City life sciences community, with its emphasis on pharmaceuticals, animal health, and biotechnology research and testing, faces many challenges to moving inventions through the U.S.…
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The Benjamin Franklin Close (also known as “The Balance Sheet Close”) is one of the classic old-time sales tactics used to “close a sale.” Never heard of it? Shame on you—not enough sales training. The scenario is this: You’ve made…
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Although the word “diversity” is overused in higher education to mean the ethnic and gender variety, its most relevant and long-standing meaning has to do with the diverse nature of the institutions themselves. What distinguishes American higher education from…
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On the Threshold of a Milestone 40 Under Forty Proves Its Durability With a 19th Class Next year at this time, 40 Under Forty will turn 20, and by that time, Ingram’s will have identified 800 of the Kansas City…
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It’s almost enough to make one question whether the prospects for business growth are truly grounded in economic fundamentals, rather than something much harder to gauge—like the concept of optimism itself. After a recession of historic proportions that ended in…
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(Front row seated, left to right) Gordon Lansford | JE Dunn Construction (host, sponsor and co-chair); Bill Fagan | Design Mechanical, Inc. (sponsor and co-chair); Tom Buchanan | McDowell, Rice, Smith & Buchanan (sponsor and co-chair); Paul Rodriguez | Rodriguez…
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More Than Shop Talk It Started With a Simple Goal: If We All Sit Down and Chat for a Spell, It Might Be Good for Business As things turned out, a seat at the table for the annual Construction Industry…
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One day at a time. Isn’t that what the Little League coach used to preach? One play at a time, one game at a time—just focus on the very next step. But what if that’s a recipe for incremental disaster?…
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The Heart of a Nation, Beating Proudly Meet 50 Missourians whose achievements set them apart. What makes the Show-Me State the centerpiece of America? We can give you 350 reasons why Missouri is both a state of mind and a…
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“If you’re going to be thinking, you may as well think big.”— Donald Trump Fitting, perhaps, that we cite the nation’s designated deal-maker-in-chief—who closed on the biggest deal of his own career last Nov. 8—as we survey the top-dollar transactions around …
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With the economic recovery now into latter stages, how are the fundamentals poised? We live in a world of change. In fact, we see significant signs of acceleration of change no matter where we look. There is an acceleration of…
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With a new president, many are expecting major tax changes. Looking through the Trump tax plan, it appears to mirror the Reagan tax cuts (the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 and the Tax Reform Act of 1986), with some…
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As we look ahead to the dawn of 2017 and what the turning of that calendar page might mean for business, there’s something different in the air. It smells like . . . optimism. Whether that’s grounded in…
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Capitalism, as disciples of Adam Smith might attest, works best when an unfettered self-interest is at work: Two parties seeking an exchange of goods or services that provides a benefit to each. But there’s a flip side to that coin,…
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It’s likely you will be with family over the holidays. Great times. Reunions. Happiness. Tears of sadness and joy. Great food. Gifts. People you love. People you kind of love. And did I mention great food? Most people—not…
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For six years, Republicans in Washington have been racing headlong after Obamacare, like the neighborhood stray chasing the ice cream truck. Come Jan. 3, they’ll have something they can sink their teeth into. That’s the opening…
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Ask anyone in the not-for-profit world and they’ll tell you that teamwork is essential to fulfilling the mission of his or her organization. We’ve found that the same thing holds true for their benefactors, as well.…
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When Ingram’s presented its first 20 in Their Twenties awards back in 2008, the leading edge of the Millennial generation was swimming right in the middle of that candidate pool, at roughly 25 years old. Looking back, we…
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A delicate challenge many of us face is broaching the subject of Mom’s/Dad’s potential future need for long-term care (“LTC”). These tips may help you raise the topic effectively. When someone needs LTC, each relative experiences…
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Part of the process for effective management of wealth is how to apply the assets (or the value they represent) to accomplish the purposes that best suit your situation. One important aspect of that planning is to determine how best…
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In a metropolitan area of 2.77 million people strewn from Topeka to St. Joseph to Sedalia, is it possible to pick out 250 people that are absolute pillars of commerce? Yes … yes it is. But for every…
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As those in the punditocracy scratch their collective heads trying to find deeper meaning in the 2016 elections, they might do well to stop looking for the magic bullet that explains what happened in America, in Missouri and…
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For such an unseasonably spectacular fall day, a sense of uneasy anticipation filled the conference room at Shook Hardy & Bacon on Nov. 7, as key executives from the region’s leading law firms gathered for the 2016 Legal…
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[caption id="attachment_9050" align="alignnone" width="193"] MADELEINE MCDONOUGH[/caption] TITLE | Chair-elect, Shook, Hardy & Bacon EDUCATION | J.D., University of Kansas School of Law; LLM, Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center. Jan. 1 will mark the start of a…
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The rain stopped, the clouds parted, and as a brilliant fall day melted into a spectacular evening, a tribute to business success sounded out across Kansas City’s Crossroads district on Oct. 20. Once again, it was time for Ingram’s Magazine’s…
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Salespeople already know everything—the problem is, they just don’t do it. And sales is not about knowing. Sales is all about doing. I was speaking with a friend of mine recently. He said he…
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After decades of starts, stops, square-offs and squabbling regarding its future, the Art Deco masterpiece that is the Kansas City Power & Light Building —renovated to the tune of $75 million—has finally opened its doors to residents as…
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On a glorious fall day, with the Kansas City Downtown skyline as a backdrop, a score of the region’s top commercial real estate producers, brokers and developers gathered in the luxury condominiums of One Park Place on Oct. 10 for…
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Maybe the time is right, and you want to hire at your business. Maybe it’s past time, and now you need to hire at your business. Before you post anything on those Internet job boards, ask yourself this: How much…
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Rainmakers are the people who bring in business and close deals in a way that makes revenue pour and the tide of profits rise, floating any number of boats—such as the 3.2 million American jobs that were supported by the…
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Most of us will agree that stereotypes can be dangerous. But there are some instances where stereotypes can prove quite useful, and the one that says women generally are more intuitive, introspective and sensitive than men is a good…
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Ingram’s Announces Its 2016 Class of Kansas City’s Top Doctors For 18 years now, Ingram’s has scoured the halls of major medical centers and the corners of community hospitals, private practice groups and medical conglomerates, all in a quest…
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Some points of personal and professional development to consider: • The average age of a business owner is just shy of 51, while the average age of a Fortune 500 CEO is about a year older. …
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At first blush, one might think we’re hip deep in a banking crisis. Over the past 10 years, within the Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area, these are just a few of the changes to the banking infrastructure: Out…
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Credit-card use has now penetrated almost every industry and almost every country. More than 30 million businesses accept credit cards worldwide, and that number is likely to increase as consumers continue to reach for plastic rather than cash…
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Since its passage in 2010, the Affordable Care Act has presented a tantalizing mix of potential improvements in healthcare delivery and a goal of lowering insurance costs, along with regulatory and consumer-behavior pitfalls. Six years on, the good, the…
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Health insurance has long been a complicated issue and a significant cost for consumers, and the proposed consolidation of 4 of the 5 largest insurers into just 2 companies may simplify some issues— but at what cost? According…
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Investment professionals have always sold the idea of diversification: Invest your assets in multiple segments of the markets to reduce risk. The most used segments of the markets include stocks, bonds, real estate and commodities. Within stocks, investors…
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Every successful sales executive is grounded in common traits. If you don’t know what those are, it’s time to find out. Why are salespeople great? What makes salespeople successful? What characteristics make up a sales superstar? Wouldn’t you…
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THE HEART OF A GENERATION The youngest members of Generation X are now roughly 33, and midlife will soon be calling. A new generation of entrepreneur and employee is emerging, one that’s both chronologically younger and more…
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Ingram's 2016 Higher Education Industry Outlook AssemblyIf there was any one message that emerged from Ingram’s 2016 Higher Education Industry Outlook Assembly on June 28, it was that, together, the area’s various educational institutions would assure that student needs would…
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From Compensation to Paid Time Off, Training to Advancement Opportunities and more. These Companies Lead the WayWhat’s baked into the cake of a great place to work? The recipe starts with leadership and vision. And it includes ingredients that not only energize…
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Ostensibly, this feature is about big businesses—the biggest that the Kansas City region has to offer. But in a way, it’s about planting trees.You start with seeds or saplings, nurture them for years, even decades, and end up with a…
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A decade of turbulence in the banking sector hasn’t deterred these locally owned banks in the Kansas City region.It’s been a wild ride in U.S. bank lending over the past decade, one that in some ways is like a roller…
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So Why All The Hysteria About Kansas Schools?If you set aside the emotional issues that underpin the debate, the numbers and facts completely reframe the discussion.OK, let’s start this essay with a quiz: Who makes more, the departing superintendent of…
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As contractors adopt new prefabrication techniques, the nature of the business is changing. Coming Attraction in Construction: If you happen to drive past the 3400 block of Main Street in August, you’ll get a chance to see the face of…
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A beautiful spring morning in North Kansas City starkly contrasted with images of 19th-century London, but a nearly Dickensian theme—the best of times, fraught with some uncertainty—presented itself May 12 at the 17th annual Construction Industry Outlook Assembly, which drew…
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The Sprint Festival Plaza at Union Station came alive May 10 as Ingram’s raised a glass to the 2016 Class of 40 Under Forty. Accompanied by spouses, friends, relatives, peers and their bosses, this year’s honorees celebrated one another’s achievements…
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What is a product or service with a brand that says “Kansas”? Lots of factors define such brands—yes, including the very name of the state that gave us both the Kansas Jayhawk and a K-State Wildcat—but there’s more…
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An annual review can reduce cost, conflicts. A written contract is an important tool for all parties in construction. While many fear that a contractual agreement can interfere in a business traditionally done on a handshake, a thoughtful contract that…
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As the U.S. economy plods along, commercial borrowers have time to plan spending and borrowing. The U.S. economy continues to be lukewarm. The most recent GDP report showed weakness across nearly all sectors. This marks the third year in a…
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The mud about to fly between the Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump camps will only add to confusion caused by interest rate funk. The quadrennial presidential popularity contest is nearly upon us. With November fast-approaching, our constituency deemed it appropriate…
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Remember that everything you do in business becomes part of your image. Wow, you now own a business! You’re rich and you’re happy… aren’t you? Many business owners go into business excited and full of energy. They learn quickly that…
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Forget the marketing; what about the levels of service that underpin it? When you walk into someone’s place of business to shop or buy something, what are you expecting? Most people (you included and me included) expect to find someone…
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Despite a full-court press from City Hall, the public remains stubbornly opposed to billion-dollar solutions. Especially for problems it doesn’t perceive as real. It seemed so easy back in 2013. The good folks on the KCMO City Council looked into…
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The business community must step up with a compelling argument—now. Ingram’s was honored to collaborate with the Kauffman Foundation, JE Dunn Construction and Husch Blackwell on the 2016 Greater Kansas City Economic Development Assembly earlier this month, where some of…
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Company-Paid Health Insurance: New Opportunities Amid Challenges Over the course of three meetings starting in December, Mosaic Life Care and Ingram’s teamed up with health-insurance interests from Holmes Murphy & Associates, CBIZ and Lockton Companies to invite insurers, providers, and…
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Gordon Lansford The chief executive from JE Dunn Construction reflects on his rise through the ranks, lessons learned and the role of executive leadership. Gordon Lansford had potential written all over him when he started at JE Dunn Construction 20…
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Waves of research and technical innovation pose challenges to health-care organizations trying to line up the right tools before the next ones roll in. Since 2001, the number of medical device patents has soared from fewer than 6,000 in the…
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We’re proud to introduce Ingram’s Leadership Academy, with an eye to the region’s most pressing business needs. We have been exploring a number of ways to enhance our programming at Ingram’s and to improve upon initiatives that help better educate…
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Leadership? Check. We can’t get into this without some ground rules, so right off the bat: If the Baby Boom covered the period from 1946 to 1964, what defines Generation X and the Millennials? Only a gaggle of eggheads like…
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A new generation of Americans is redefining the concept of senior living The silver tsunami washing over the nation will swell the ranks of “seniors” in America to an estimated 71 million by the time the last Baby Boomers retire…
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Wealth of Challenges in Wealth Management On a crisp Friday morning in early April, a dozen savvy wealth managers met in Leawood at the Towne Center Plaza offices of Northwestern Mutual Financial Network to chew over the state of their…
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Union membership in the two-state region turned up—a bit—in 2015 As labor trends go, this one is well-documented: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the nation’s union membership rate since 1983 has fallen by nearly half. The rate—the percent…
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The nation’s fascination with celebrity yields plenty of cabinet possibilities. OK, so there may be no stopping the funhouse-mirror clown show that is the Donald Trump for President movement. The pundits say he has the proverbial snowball’s chance in the…
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Maybe, just maybe, the issue is you. Why do sales people quit their job? More money? Better job opportunity? Don’t like what they are doing? Don’t like their boss? Don’t like their corporate politics? Don’t like how you’re being treated…
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Of all the things that contribute to a belief that life isn’t fair, the very notion of a senior discount ranks right up there. In a nation consumed with the notion of income inequality—at least through this election cycle—I find…
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Maybe not, but they surely have an incentive. Recently, a financial expert surmised that one in three Americans currently does not have any type of retirement plan. With this potential crisis at hand, leaders must not only have strong financial…
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Make it formal, or get left behind. The workplace of today is in a state of dynamic change that requires employees who are flexible and can adapt to the future. Recent statistics on career change show that we are now…
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The region has transformed itself as a biomedical and tech center over the past decade. But executives say we’re just getting started. Here’s something to ponder. In 2015 alone: • Entrepreneur magazine included Kansas City area in a feature titled…
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FIVE YEARS AFTER THE MASSIVE REGULATORY BOMB DROPPED on nation’s banking system, the true impacts are tarting to emerge—and not necessarily in ways that the reformers had promised. July 21, 2010, represents a watershed day in U.S. banking history: On…
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The menu may have featured bacon and eggs, but the 2016 Heroes in Healthcare awards breakfast was really more of a smorgasbord. It served up laughter, solemnity, an occasional teary eye and a whole lot of grateful appreciation for the…
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At the intersection of law-firm practice and corporate in-house legal services, powerful forces are changing the nature of longstanding relationships—and creating opportunities for new ones. About this time a year ago, Craig Evans made the leap. He left his law-firm…
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The successful family-owned company has a special place in the world of business. The premise is simple enough: “My family is the most important thing to me, so why not spend every day with the people I love most, working…
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Now’s the time for this region to get ahead of issues looming in the technology work force. Consider this: Just four years from now, in 2020, there will be 1.4 million open tech jobs for only 400,000 graduates, according to…
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You don’t have to have a big-business IT budget, or the staff to match, to bolster your company’s security profile. If you work in or own a small business, do you have security? Security is no longer limited to the…
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Gyrating equity markets? Puny interest rates? Don’t waver from discipline, diversification. For investors who are in or near retirement, the current market conditions present a unique set of challenges in portfolio management. After several years of robust equity returns coming…
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Memorable, yes, but not exactly an accurate reflection on modern legal services.Shakespeare’s famous line, uttered by Dick the Butcher in “Henry VI”, has long been debated. Was it a lawyer-bashing proclamation of the ultimate obtainable utopia (imagine a world without…
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No love, no relationship—and no sale. Do you love sales? Do you love what you do? Do you love your product? Do you love your company? Do you love your customers? These are not questions I pulled out of the…
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Even before the first passenger has taken a seat, the Downtown streetcar shows us why buried rails were best left untouched. At $102 million, it’s an expensive lesson. A video posted on The Kansas City Star Web site reminds us…
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Inside this month’s edition, you’ll find an intriguing—and uplifting—report on the changing nature of Kansas City’s ecosystem for entrepreneurship and innovation, especially within the technology sector. It’s a measure of how, and how much, the regional economy is changing around…
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From demographic changes to distance learning, regional universities are feeling the effects of sweeping change on a declining pool of eligible students. They are not, however, taking those changes lying down. It’s a projection that must inspire night sweats for…
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Park University turns to a leader with a background in both business and distributed learning Park University’s new president comes to Kansas City after a five-year stint at Webster University in St. Louis, and before that, nine years at the…
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From countless sources of inspiration, a call to serve is common cause for those who have made health care their vocation and avocation. For some, the call to a health-care career started with the impressions left by a mother coming…
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A graying work force implies an executive population with its own bone and joint health issues—and the task of managing similar conditions with their employees. Throughout its days of youth and into what’s now popularly referred to as the Silver…
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Ferguson and MU changed the conversation about race in Missouri, creating opportunities for business to re-examine diversity efforts. Two incidents rooted in the challenging subject of race relations—the Ferguson riots in 2014 and the student protests on the MU campus…
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Company-Paid Health Insurance: A New Kind of Corporate Challenge Are double-digit increases in employer-paid health-insurance premiums simply a fact of business life? If you answered “yes” to that question, you might want to consider what corporate benefits administrators, insurance brokers and…
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Transportation in the Kansas City region is going places. The question is, where, how far, and what will it cost us? In many ways, Kansas City indeed is a metropolitan area on the move. In various parts that’s because: • We…
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The history of personal debt in the U.S. suggests we’ve not strayed far from our roots: Americans always look for more. From what I read, and from what I have experienced personally, people who owe money today act as though…
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... and other misadventures in regulation Workplace wellness programs remain on the rise. More employers than ever are using the programs to identify, evaluate and treat health risks posed by employees, and in some cases to incentivize lifestyle changes to…
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From across the expanse of the Show-Me State, Ingram’s is pleased to introduce you to 50 accomplished business people with unique interests beyond their careers. Five years ago, Ingram’s set out to identify some of the key leadership figures in…
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Do, or do not—there is no ‘try.’ My mother never went to Europe. She talked about it, dreamed about it—even opened a travel agency at age 55. Never got there. She died 15 years later, having never achieved the goal.…
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Market jitters that accompanied the new year are to be expected, experts say, but the prospects for moderate growth are still with us for 2016. The pieces are laid out on the economic chessboard for 2016—rising interest rates, slow growth…
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A new year promises plenty of activity in regional construction and development, with some even bigger plans envisioned in the years to come. The Kansas City area suffers no shortage of developmental visionaries, and if their plans were to become…
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As a third-generation family business owner, Hans Peter knows the numbers well: Startup businesses fail in the first year at a rate of better than one in five, he tells employees at 120-year-old Phenix Label, in Olathe. Three out of…
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Some are national names that most everyone in America will recognize, but might not be known—even to the locals—as companies based in Missouri. Some are names well-known to residents of this two-state region, but perhaps not as fully appreciated across…
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Thanks, Stan. Don’t let the door hit you. It’s hard to write about the Rams’ upcoming move to Los Angeles without feeling deep sorrow for what fans are experiencing—or a surge of anger at the costs inflicted on them over…
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Top execs need a sales reality check. In a survey conducted by a big benefits management company, 365 CEOs and sales management executives were asked: “What are the three key factors that separate high performing sales professionals from moderate to…
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Hollywood? Telling only a part of the story? What are the odds of that? To give credit where it is due, Hollywood has managed to make a film about the collapse of the international financial system that is halfway enlightening…
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With rates lagging and markets gyrating, it’s wise to reflect on what works with investing. There is no question that most of us spend our lives dealing with, and trying to control or eliminate, risk. Risk as a noun is…
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Savings possible for individuals, businesses. When President Obama signed a $1.1 trillion funding bill in December, it ensured that operations of the federal government would run until Sept. 30 of this year. While the budget hawks decried certain aspects of…
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We’re proud to introduce Ingram’s Leadership Academy, with an eye to the region’s most pressing business needs. I studied business, journalism and education while at Mizzou and at the time I may have enjoyed education coursework the most. I considered…
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On multiple levels, it was a milestone year. For the Kansas City region, 2015 goes into the history books as a year of change. A lot of it good, as when the Royals snagged the 2015 World Series title, and…
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The roster of causes to serve is without limit: You can serve God. Country. Community. School. Neighbor. You can use charity and compassion to fight—against poverty, hunger, illiteracy, addiction, domestic violence or animal abuse. You can use those same tools…
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ROYALS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS The Kansas City Royals, in typical Royals fashion during the 2015 post-season, come back in the ninth inning and defeat the New York Mets with a 5-run 12th inning, capturing the 2015 World Series championship on…
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Winds of Change Swirl Around Health-Care Interests The current challenges facing the U.S. health care system seem to be as varied as the 318 million Americans that system serves: individual customers with unique health and wellness issues, insurance companies adjusting…
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Rapid advances in health-related wearable tech present intriguing challenges—and huge opportunities—for understanding and treating illnesses. “I think,” says Gregg Laiben, “that we are on the cusp of something big.” Big Data is part of that. But Laiben is talking about…
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As need proliferates, we should recognize that business can help address it. The good news, in terms of U.S. philanthropy, is that Americans gave an estimated $358.38 billion to charities last year, surpassing the peak last seen before the Great…
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If you’re trying to connect with customers in the deepest, most meaningful way, focusing on what sets you apart is a good start. How deep is your brand? You can say anything you want about Amazon.com, but you cannot doubt…
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By identifying an unmet need, founders of Nativity House KC embrace best of both. In recent years, “entrepreneurship” has become something of a buzzword in philanthropic circles. Almost inevitably, the people who employ it are the paid administrators of established…
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Wellness plans that work are comprehensive. More than five years after passage of the Affordable Care Act, employers are under just as much pressure to address health-care insurance costs as they were when ACA became law of the land. Many…
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By assembling exactly the type of talent needed, the Kansas City Royals reached baseball’s pinnacle— and provided lessons in management that any business can embrace. There is a memorable line early in the movie Miracle, the 2004 film that chronicles…
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Megatrends in commerce and demographics are putting a greater focus on infusing new life into Kansas City’s core. For more than half a century following World War II, real estate development was largely organized around the belief that expanding suburbs…
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The marketing challenges facing graduate program administrators at regional universities are multiplying as change sweeps through higher education. Penn State. Florida. North Carolina. Indiana. It reads like the line-up of schools you’d see while perusing Saturday’s college football scores. It’s…
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The Kansas City area has a lot to offer for both start-ups and small businesses, but that ecosystem could be better, leaders say. In early November, Ingram’s editors gathered several leading business minds in the region for an intimate think-tank…
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Millions of people are out of work, even as millions of jobs are opening up. What’s wrong with this picture? The way Clyde McQueen sees things, we’ve already figured out how to properly educate students who can take a high…
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The difference between companies that succeed and those that don’t is a simple matter of putting the focus right where it belongs—on the customer. Those who say service isn’t what it used to be are exactly right. It is much…
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The Unintended Consequences of Making a Difference in KC When companies do good things, the results speak for themselves. And it’s a remarkable thing to witness: Ask any number of executives from highly philanthropic companies why they do what they…
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Making the correct decision could be a key factor in setting a course for success. Low interest rates and changes in accounting standards are motivating business owners to rethink their leases. One of the more important decisions a business owner…
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Things not going well? It’s time to get real. When I was 19, my dad made me production manager of his 75-employee kitchen cabinet manufacturing factory. Before I took that role, I worked in the shop at each job, and…
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Residential, retail or office, the momentum is clearly behind rehabilitative efforts. Over the past 10-15 years, commercial real estate has seen a lot of changes. Rehabilitation, or repurposing, has been a buzzword for many multi-family, retail and office projects. With…
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Time to act on 2015 taxes is drawing short. As the year comes to a close, small business owners should keep a close eye on several tax planning issues. With only a month remaining before year-end to make necessary changes,…
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Nearly a generation ago, Ingram’s launched the Top Doctors recognition program to spotlight the best of the hands-on physicians who made up what was then—and still is today—regarded as a highly sophisticated medical community for a metropolis of this size.…
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“The day we are not talking about gender as a role in success,” says Wendy Hills, “will be the day we’ve achieved true gender equality in the workplace.” Hills, the senior vice president and general counsel for Waddell & Reed…
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As the Royals press to repeat the glory of 1985, their winning ways are shining a bright light on the Kansas City region itself. It’s not exactly parallel to the description that “It’s a Wonderful Life” provided about the provenance…
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When it comes to executive health, few challenges are as pervasive as hypertension. It needn’t be that way. Willie Lawrence lays it all out there for the small business owner and the corporate executive alike: “Executives and leaders with highly…
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I vividly remember the Royals’ 1985 American League Championship Series with the Toronto Blue Jays and the World Series against the Cardinals. The playoffs were electrifying and the finale was epic. The come-from-behind win against the Cardinals in Game 6…
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Higher interest rates would lift the spirits of area bankers, but they haven’t exactly given up on lending in a near-zero-rate environment. In the 6½ years since the Federal Funds Rate hit its historic low of zero to 0.25 percent…
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Rock stars of business flocked to the Crossroads neighborhood of Downtown on Oct. 8 for Ingram’s annual Best of Business Kansas City and Corporate Report 100 celebration. To the tunes of the Patrick Lentz Band, they connected with business associates,…
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A great meeting starts with a detailed plan. Let’s do lunch! Well, OK, but let’s do lunch the right way. Too often, salespeople think that getting a lunch appointment is the victory, and don’t concentrate on building rapport and the…
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With all due respect to the pope, no other economic system has ever produced the blessings that flow from capitalism. In Congress, during his historic visit, Pope Francis spoke eloquently about fighting “poverty and hunger” and creating and distributing wealth.…
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It’s time to pay serious attention to health-care insurance reporting requirements. The Affordable Care Act continues to impose costs and complexity on employers. All but the smallest businesses are bracing for the first round of complex tax reporting required by…
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KPIs aren't just for big businesses; using them can improve profitability anywhere. Key Performance Indicators are measurements that can help you monitor the financial health of your business. When tracked consistently, KPIs help you make important decisions that affect your…
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What’s happening on college campuses today reflects the failure of leaders to lead. On Nov. 1, Missouri had a moment in the sun as the Kansas City Royals won the 2015 World Series. Eight days later, the world saw the…
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The seeds of entrepreneurship in the Kansas City region have been planted early, as this years class of 20 in Their Twenties demonstrates. These young business owners and executives, hailing from sectors as varied as commercial realty, banking, non-profits, advertising,…
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From full-service heavyweights who rank among the nation's largest law firms to bantamweights slugging it out in various legal specialties, the Kansas City region boasts an impressive array of transactional and litigation talent to support the needs of businesses and…
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Is indeed a good offense, especially when it comes to data security. It’s a lesson that some larger law firm executives have already mastered. But a lot more are at risk of getting schooled. Back when most current managing partners…
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With the EPA’s regulatory bomb on U.S. utilities that rely on coal to generate electricity, the cost of doing business here is headed up. Congressional bills that run past 1,000 pages, and the legislative processes that produce them—as with the…
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Ultimately, it came down to this: What kind of state does Missouri want to be? Attendees at the Missouri Economic Development Assembly held at St. Louis Union Station on Sept. 3 addressed that from the perspectives of employers, educators, policy…
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Perfect? No, but Capitalism’s Broader Successes Should Abruptly End Debate Over the Relative Merits of Economic Systems. I had just read an article about the “CEO-worker pay gap” when I noticed a post on Facebook with the simple message, “Call…
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We were pleased to host the Missouri Economic Development Assembly in St. Louis on Sept. 3 for a long-overdue discussion of the state’s opportunities for business growth and challenges to the same. And we were pleased by the turnout of…
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And ‘value’ is a many-faceted concept. How do you make a sales presentation? No, I don’t mean warm up, probe, present, overcome objections or close. I mean what’s the big picture of your sales presentation? What’s the content of your…
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Don’t let the short-term disruptons take your focus off of a long-term strategy. Anyone who follows financial news outlets knows we’ve seen a jump in volatility over the past few weeks. We’ve had an unusually high number of days where…
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The nature of the work force is changing, and if your leadership development tools aren’t, as well, your company will struggle. The media spin and “expert” opinion pieces on this topic are a bit ridiculous. If you regularly read articles…
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When face-to-face contact is a must, air charter presents certain advantages. Communications technology has come a long way. While e-mail and video conferencing provide additional ways to connect with prospects, clients and colleagues, I argue nothing beats a face-to-face interaction.…
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From Golden Spoon to Silver Ladle to Best of Business Kansas City, the name of the game may have changed over the years, but the underlying concept never has: The most discriminating audience in the Kansas City region weighs in…
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...can indeed be Gold. But what does it take to be a repeat winner, year after year, in Ingram’s Best of Business Kansas City awards? For starters, excellence. Approximately 1,000 companies have been recognized with a Best of Business Kansas…
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BEST BARBECUE1. Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que2. Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue3. Q39 BEST BURGER1. BRGR Kitchen + Bar2. Five Guys Burgers and Fries3. Blanc Burgers + Bottles BEST BUSINESS BREAKFAST1. First Watch2. The Classic Cup (tie) 2. Eggtc. (tie)3. Harvey’s at Union Station…
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Explosive growth in the region’s transportation, distribution and warehousing is just a start, executives say. Let’s start with a history lesson: For someone living in Kansas City today, what’s the historical significance of the week of July 3-10, 1890? Take…
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Health and wealth can be at odds in retirement planning, but advisers say investors have options to align those factors. For years, wealth managers have been advising younger clients to build a retirement plan that didn’t make Social Security a…
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An aging nation is about to witness huge growth to meet the residential needs of never-before-seen numbers of seniors. The implications of immigration and the browning of America command the attention of polit-ical candidates and policymakers, but the biggest change…
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Health-care costs and compliance are putting the squeeze on employers’ flexibility with benefits programs. For those pursuing innovation as they toil in the fields of employer benefits programming, the ground remains as fertile as ever. Studies by various interest groups…
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Problems at KCPD Start at the Top Budget constraints or not, I have serious concerns regarding the leadership at the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, and sadly, it begins at the top, with Chief Daryl Forte. By way of history,…
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It may seen counter-intuitive, but some entrepreneurs are the folks most in need of better asset-management. Fortunately, new tools and processes can help with that. Do you remember when you were a kid? Life was simple… all your worldly possessions…
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More and more, conversations taking place in public forums are marked by a decidedly one-sided appeal. Walt would not approve. Where have you gone, dear old Walt Bodine Our region turns its lonely eyes to you ...What’s that you say…
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There is no magic bullet in sales; rather, you need to excel in a lot of little things to find, present and close the deal. “Jeffrey, what’s the BEST way to make a sale?” When I’m asked this question—and I’m…
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While health-care compliance is getting a lot of attention, other benefit-plan risks lurk. The Affordable Care Act is well on its way to full implementation: The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken, and key aspects of the ACA survived a significant…
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Not every business can take advantage of these strategies, but for those that can, the savings may help rein in coverage costs. For many companies, cost-control measures of the past—such as increasing cost sharing or employee contributions—have been short-term fixes…
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The threat has never been more real. After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security issued a color scheme to illustrate the potential of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. It seemed like a good idea, but we never quite managed…
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A strategy for putting your business into the proper context as an investment. Returns from a business or investments cannot be realized without taking some risks. Therefore, sound investment advice is rooted in the idea that it is wiser to…
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Is Faster Growth Ahead? The good news? After five years of decline, new business development in the U.S. is rising, according to the Kauffman Foundation’s most recent startup-activity index. And, since news, like shoes, usually comes in pairs, the other…
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As Corporate Report 100 turns 30, only a few companies that have made it to those heights have been able to master the challenges of rapid growth for the long term. Getting onto the Corporate Report 100 in any one…
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[caption id="attachment_14097" align="alignright" width="600"] (seated, left to right): Nancy Russell, Metropolitan Community College; Steve Dunn, J.E. Dunn Construction (co-sponsor and host); Ralph Reid, Sprint Corp. (co-sponsor); Maurice Watson, Husch Blackwell; John Murphy, Shook, Hardy & Bacon (co-chair and co-sponsor);Bill Ebel,…
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1. Foodlinks, Inc. 2nd YearGrowth: 949.83% Average Annual Growth Rate: 316.61%Gross Revenue: 2014: $21,238,011 2011: $2,022,994Full-time employees: 7 There’s a good reason why Norman Haas is passionate about being in the chocolate business—and…
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Military cuts are the stuff of challenge—and opportunity. Earlier this month, the U.S. Army dropped the unemployment bomb, announcing that by the end of 2017, it would accelerate plans to reduce the ranks of soldiers and officers by 40,000 and…
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As Baby Boomers move into old age—and no, 70 is not the new 40—their economic impact continues to reshape American business, commerce and lifestyles. Invariably, the statistic accompanying reviews of how the Baby Boom-generation affected America’s economy, politics and culture…
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The MBA is now the undisputed king of master’s programs nationwide, for some good reasons. But it’s also an educational specialty undergoing profound changes. This, according to the Census bureau, is what the value of education looks like. Over the…
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Dad, this one’s for you. If you’ve been keeping up on the recent online fury over city and county tax favors bestowed on The Kansas City Star, you’re probably as mad as I am, speaking as a taxpayer. But this…
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These days, the things that really do make Kansas City stand apart from the municipal crowd are fewer, and further between. I am not sure when it happened. The seeds may have been planted as early as 1939, when Tom…
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In sales, nothing is worse than realizing you’re talking to the wrong guy. The prospect tells you, “I only need one more approval and the order is yours.” For joy, for joy—the order is mine! Ummmm . . . don’t…
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A visual success guide will go a long way toward keeping employees focused. The adage, “you have to see it to believe it,” is never truer than in the office, where communication can be cloudy and bureaucracy can run rampant.…
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So you think you’ve got finances all lined out for your golden years? If you haven’t factored in the high costs of long-term care, you still have some work to do. Baby Boomers are aging. The sooner you accept this…
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A lot of factors will play into how long you should keep working, and how much. The bottom line: You still have a lot to offer. There are many experts advising others on the subject of retirement. You hear things…
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In a world teeming with investment options, there are many ways to build wealth. But which will generate the right yield for you? On one hand, today’s investor must feel like a kid in a candy store, eyes wide open…
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Bankers and Businessmen, Farmers and Financiers. You’ll find them all in Ingram’s 50 Kansans You Should Know To find these 50 Kansans, we cast an 82,227-square-mile blanket across the Sunflower State. Time for a little global geography test. Here are…
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Giving and taking—there’s a difference. Having attended several networking events lately, I have heard the terms “lead” and “referral” bantered around. Which would you rather have? Referrals, of course. It’s the personal power of a sales lead. A recommendation, not…
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We don’t like to think of it as the rich getting richer: Rather, the successful are strutting their stuff. Five years into formal efforts to compile the KC region’s Top 100 Private Companies, we’ve learned quite a bit about our…
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Failure to set priorities—and ensure ways to review and update them—can do far more harm than you see on the bottom line. When Ingram’s invited me to write this article, I had to smile. Not only is this topic—the hidden…
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Missouri isn’t a tale of two cities with St. Louis and Kansas City, it’s a tale of two paths to prosperity. As we near the rollout for the Destination Missouri digital and publication project, I’ve been on the road lately.…
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It’s not just about your investments; it’s about the way every piece, from taxes to estate planning, comes together in the end. Effective wealth management is holistic. Holistic wealth management is comprehensive in scope, and all components are interdependent. Similar…
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Sure, we can spend more on early childhood programs. But to what end? If things go as planned, Kansas City voters will soon be asked to increase the Kansas City school district’s current levy of 21 percent, from $4.95 to…
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Whoever said “it’s lonely at the top” evidently never ran a large private company. Not only is it NOT lonely there, you’ll find plenty of competition for a seat when the music stops on annual revenue calculations for the largest…
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Two more major projects coming on board to help fill the construction pipeline. The construction sector simply doesn’t get many months like this: Within a 10-day span in early May, more than $1.1 billion in new construction was announced—involving just…
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Construction Sector Firing on Nearly All Cylinders A generally upbeat tone marked Ingram’s 2015 Construction Trades Industry Outlook assembly on May 15 at the Builders’ Association’s Education and Training Center in North Kansas City. More than 25 executives from the…
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Eight years into the process of identifying the Best Companies to Work For, we’ve found the common threads to employment nirvana: Leadership with vision. Employees energized, motivated and liberated to act on that vision. Clear goals—specific, measurable and realistic. All…
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Straight from the experts’ mouths, guidance on getting things done. Running a successful business in many cases comes down to applying the correct dosages of common sense at precisely the right time. There are occasions, though, when workplace situations call…
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They made it into 40 Under Forty this year based on what they’ve done with their careers and their efforts to support the region’s non-profit and civic sectors. This year’s class, the 17th installment, convened in the Sprint Plaza at…
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Tenant responsibilities—and obligations—can go well beyond the terms of a lease. After a commercial tenant signs a lease, he may think the paperwork is over and can get back to business. This article describes two other common documents that tenants…
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Critics may liken it to market timing, but history suggests there’s more at work here. Every year about this time, people are looking towards summer break. However, the summer break I’m writing about here is a break from the stock…
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Take some responsibility and change the outcome by taking action. Jeffrey, I have some sales situations I can’t get past, and maybe you can help. I’m an insurance agent. I read your stuff—OK, I’m a fan. I’ve been getting blown…
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It’s been an interesting decade for the region’s contractors, but the recovery is here. Across the construction sector, in Kansas City and nationwide, the past decade has been a time of profound change. Ten years ago, we were riding the…
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Years in the making, a full-scale revival of the construction sector seems to be upon us—at long last. Back in 2000, Ingram’s launched the Industry Outlook concept, a series of annual roundtable discussions involving top executives from key business sectors…
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You can’t assess public-school finance without an honest look at the numbers. The teachers at Padre Pio Academy in Shawnee watch the hysteria about Kansas public school budgets, I imagine, much the way Gary Butler watches the hold-out of Pittsburgh…
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ACA Cost, Compliance Issues Coming to When Ingram’s launched the Industry Outlook series 16 years ago, we wondered if there would be enough new material in any given sector year-to-year to keep it fresh. Within months of that first assembly,…
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Whether it's a matter of finances, demographics or changing preferences on use of time, the golfing scene—in Kansas City and around the nation—is changing If global trends are any indication, golfing in the Kansas City region these days is as…
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Diabetes presents unique challenges for business executives and their staffs, but increased emphasis on regional research is taking aim at a national problem. You finish college and get that first job as a ball of fire, pulling the late-night shifts,…
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True compliance impact is about to hit, so many small businesses need to act now. What do employers need to undertake related to Affordable Care Act reporting? The IRS, in February, released final forms and instructions for employers to prepare.…
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If we focus too much on the regional border dispute, we’re going to miss opportunities that will benefit the broader bistate area. Many articles have been written over the years about the availability of economic incentives in Missouri and Kansas…
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Another year, another proposal to improve public education in Kansas City—and another set of disappointments. A few years back, I had the occasion to speak to a group of inmates at a high-security California prison. The meeting was going well…
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We’re pleased to introduce Ingram’s 2015 Class of 40 Under Forty There’s a reason why we chose Show-Me Publishing as the name for the corporate entity that publishes Ingram’s: I’m a Missouri guy, and when you tell me to take…
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As long as businesses are managed and owned by humans, business succession will happen. Will it happen in an orderly fashion, according to a thoughtful plan based on the owner’s wishes? Or will it be sorted out by those who…
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Does life insurance play a role in providing the funding mechanism to successfully transition a business from one owner to another as a result of death? After almost 30 years of practice in the life insurance business, I can answer…
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Kansas City has long been known for its centrality and excellent transportation infrastructure. According to KC SmartPort, Kansas City is the largest rail center in United States by tonnage, has more Foreign Trade Zone space than any other city, our…
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A tremendous amount of wealth will soon be transferred from the Baby Boomers to the next generation. Many of the companies that were started from scratch, purchased, gifted or inherited will need to be passed along to someone else, because…
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In some ways, it is the typical small-business succession story: After a decade of building a start-up with a relative handful of employees into a leader in its field with more than 150 on the payroll, the chief executive is…
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The role of family business in America’s economy may be changing, but the foundation is solid Walmart started as a family business. Still is, if you think about it in terms of stock shares controlled by the Walton family (roughly…
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Missouri and Kansas are right in the thick of a resurgence in American manufacturing. “We don’t make anything anymore.” That lament of the industrially illiterate still gets way too much ink and airtime in a 24/7 world of business misinformation.…
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The Legal Perspective on Regional Job Growth Those who might want a panoramic view of the next Plaza lighting ceremony would do well to cozy up to the attorneys at Husch Blackwell, the hosts of this year’s Legal Industry Outlook…
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Most family owned businesses are successful because the owners are entrepreneurs who focus on their business with 110 percent of their efforts. Often that means that they do not effectively plan for business succession. Studies report that 80 percent of…
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Abusive patent litigation has become a major problem for CEOs and corporate counsel from America’s biggest corporations to the smallest start-ups. One of the biggest problems facing companies right now is the threat from Patent Assertion Entities, or “Patent Trolls,”…
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A proper, pointed, precise, purposeful response can help you shorten the sales cycle. How do you respond to your customer’s words and barriers? The answer is: CAREFULLY, TRUTHFULLY, and with AUTHORITY. Whether it’s a bold statement in response to a…
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Let’s throw out a few questions for sales executives to ponder: “How come people don’t call me back?” People not calling you back is not a problem—it’s a symptom. Here are some of the real reasons people don’t call you…
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MARCH 13 | Friday “Starr Women’s Hall of Fame”The Starr Women’s Hall of Fame will induct its inaugural class of historical and contemporary women who have significant ties to the area. Named in honor of the late Martha Jane Phillips…
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FEBRUARY 19 | Thursday "Graduate Assistance Fund Award Celebration"A reception celebrating the 2015 GAF recipients, the donors and the inaugural class of the Starr Women’s Hall of Fame at Grand Street Café, the time to be determined.816-235-2452 | www.umkcwc.org…
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Missouri Buchanan County Bayer Selling BuildingsBayer HealthCare has announced plans to sell two manufacturing facilities in St. Joseph, following a transition of workers into sites acquired with the 2013 purchase of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Officials hope to use the vacated properties…
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Missouri Buchanan County Training Solutions StudiedIn a county with one of the state’s lowest unemployment rates—4.2 percent in December—business leaders in St. Joseph are exploring ways to provide additional work-force training, pointing to a shortage of qualified candidates in the…
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In the first month or so of 2015, readers of The Kansas City Star received updates, daily or close to it, on two scandals, one national, one local. Both involved the inflation of things—footballs in New England and academic rankings…
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In late January, as I commence writing this column, I enter “Sam Brownback” in the search function on The Kansas City Star’s Web site and review the articles or editorials on Kansas budget issues. Incredibly, 10 have been posted within…
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By Dennis Boone Making its rounds through area research circles, it was a story that reflected the intellectual curiosity of local entrepreneurs, the vision of innovators, and the aspirations of bioscience executives hoping to make this a more robust center…
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“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” —William A. Ward The late Mr. Ward, a longtime administrator at a small private college in Texas, was onto something. Inspiration, however, is rarely…
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With coastal firms cutting costs by moving back-office operations here, could more legal competition be in the works? A long-cherished marketing tool for law firms in this region that compete for business nationwide is what’s generally known as the Kansas…
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If you’re in the business of higher-education, the numbers at first glance may be sobering: • According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 25 fastest-growing occupations nationwide between now and 2020 include exactly three jobs that require more than…
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Loggers. Truck drivers. Construction workers. Lots of job settings can—and occasionally do—entail life-or-death consequences. But even those cases, the worst outcomes, thankfully, are anomalies. Health care, somewhat incongruously, is a different story. The “life” part of it—the against-the-odds births, the…
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The stories of 50 Missourians You Should Know are the stuff of inspiration, no matter what their vocation. Some find fulfillment at the molecular level, advancing the cause of science in the University of Missouri system. Some find it on…
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Any branding or marketing professionals worth their salt can tell you what defines the value of an organization’s brand, and how public perception of it entails more than what one discerns beyond the optics of a logo, a television commercial…
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Starting the year right takes time, planning and anticipating how the construction industry will evolve and shift over the coming months. Legal departments face challenges with the ever-changing construction industry landscape and legislation affecting how companies do business. So let’s…
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From Manhattan (the Kansas one) to Miami, from Monterrey (the Mexican one) to Milan to Moscow, architectural firms in Kansas City have been reaping the benefits of a burst in stadium and arena construction that’s taking place on a global…
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The December jobs figures, released earlier this month, reflect an ongoing recovery that bodes well for the Kansas City economy, but we need to look behind these numbers for an idea of what to expect in 2015. Nationally, nearly 3…
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A milestone often brings about reflection for companies, just as with people: A chance to think about how the company came to be, where it has overcome adversity and where it is headed before reaching the next marker. Companies celebrating…
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At the dawn of a new year, “oil,” “output” and “optimism” have a lot more going for them than their alliterative possibilities: The six-month reversal in oil prices—plunging by more than half, from $115 to $47 per barrel of Brent…
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Missouri Cass County New ED DirectionFor the first time in more than a year, Cass County has an economic-development director. The county has contracted with Spectrum Strategies and its owner, Bill Brown, to oversee its development initiatives. That fills a…
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I am privileged to belong to what is rare now and what may one day soon be extinct, and that is a book club for men. Why such clubs may become extinct is no mystery. For the past few decades,…
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If you’re working in a world that pre-dates the 24/7/365 business cycle, you’re out of time. The vast majority of sales professionals—I’m guessing 95 percent or more—try to fit their sales day into a normal workday. They want their day…
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January 20-25“Chicago – The Musical”A six time Tony Award winner, two time Olivier Award winner and Grammy winner with performances in the Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816.994.7222 | kauffmancenter.org January 22-25“Kansas City Boat…
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When it comes to a regional work force, how does one measure competitiveness? One way is to assess where your strengths are as a community. When compared to more than a dozen peer metro areas across the U.S. (largely in…
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Success may be found in a company’s DNA, but some clear ground rules help. Did you check out the front cover of this month’s edition? Sixteen—count ’em, 16—members of the Cosentino family, including Jerry, the surviving co-founder of Cosentino’s Anyone…
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Things are happening in Downtown Kansas City, and on multiple fronts. Since the renaissance of the area began to hit its stride a decade ago, an estimated $6 billion in public and private funding has transformed the commercial core of…
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While it seems like just yesterday we were cheering on the Royals as they embarked on an epic battle for the World Series crown, December has arrived. This month marks the peak of giving season, when many of us take…
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It is a time of profound change and challenge in the non-profit world: Salvation Army kettles increasingly are unmanned, charity runs and walks are seeing a broad decline in participants who show up in fund-raising capacities, demand on food pantries…
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He just might be the perfect face of philanthropy in Kansas City—after all, Robert A. Long was born in December 1850, just six months after Kansas City came to be. His lumber concerns helped build a fledgling city, and by…
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For the better part of a decade, Ingram’s has profiled companies from throughout the Kansas City region that are going above and beyond in efforts to return a portion of the bounty they’ve earned doing business here. It’s not a…
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What makes us give? In a world where Darwinian theory tells us that only the strong survive, what compels humans to be their brother’s keeper, even if the amounts they have to give may pale in comparison to large donations…
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Consider the following syllogism: 1.) Affluent people live longer than average. 2.) People who live longer are more likely to need long-term care (LTC). 3.) Therefore, affluent people are more likely to need LTC. Furthermore, LTC costs more for affluent…
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It’s almost unfair, really: You spend decades working your way into a leadership position at a large corporation, or equal amounts of time building a business from start-up to a thriving, sustainable enterprise. Then, just as you near the border…
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ROI is a powerful metric, but there’s another useful tool that can prove just as meaningful. “Return on Investment” in business is predicated on the ability of the company to deliver as promised in product, profit, and its accompanying service.…
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When you send your eager little freshmen off to college next fall, there is a good chance the campus thought police will stop them before they even find their dorm rooms and demand of them, “Check your privilege!” “Check my…
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DECEMBER THROUGH DEC. 24“The Nutcracker”If you grew up mesmerized by the late Todd Bolender’s interpretation of “The Nutcracker,” this will be your last Christmas season to catch a Kansas City holiday tradition. The show’s 33-year run comes to a close…
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MISSOURI DeKalb County Wind Farm on MarketThe Lost Creek Wind Farm, a 100-turbine operation that spans 23,000 acres in northwest Missouri, is being listed for sale by its owner, St. Louis-based Wind Capital Group. The wind farm started generating electricity…
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Target, Home Depot, Apple—most recently, they share the dubious distinction of being the victims of security breaches. Whether it’s Target and Home Depot getting hacked and exposing access to thousands of credit card accounts or Apple’s iCloud being penetrated to…
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Hopefully you were busy watching the Royals play in the post-season and not focusing on the stock market. But if you were switching the channel over to CNBC (shame on you) or surveying the market, you would have seen a…
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If you’re a business owner or executive who’s sleeping like a baby at night, Rob Arnold offers this elbow to the ribs that might keep you up for a spell: “The interconnectedness of all business activities today, coupled with the…
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Are you being forced to sell someone else’s way? Are you uncomfortable using a “system” of selling?I read a report yesterday stating that 70 percent of all sales systems and sales initiatives fail. I have no idea who created that…
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Tim Hickok surveyed the rubble of a residential building sector after the real-estate crash of 2007, and the smoke rising from those ashes smelled like . . . opportunity. For the past three years, Hickok has been hip-deep in apartment…
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Baseball MemoriesWhat a great editorial from Joe Sweeney [“I Remember It Like It Was Yesterday,” Ingram’s, October 2014]. I read it aloud to a great Cardinal fan, along with my aunt, Sr. Olivia Marie, Order of St. Francis, Our Lady…
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“It’s got to be small startups and small businesses that are starting,” said Kevin Barth, president and COO of Commerce Bank in Kansas City. “You’ve got to always be helping the next business get started here.” Barth was discussing the…
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MissouriBuchanan County Jobless Rate Now Under 5St. Joseph continues to be one of Missouri’s shining examples on the employment front, with a September jobless rate of 4.9 for the month, figures from the Missouri Department of Economic Development show. That…
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Buying equipment before year-end to take advantage of accelerated tax depreciation deductions has been a normal move for business owners in recent years. Unless late legislation enhances this option, the Section 179 equipment expensing limit for 2014 is $25,000, and…
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Not too far over the horizon, we’ll be looking at 2015. But before we get into the crush of the holidays, it seems fitting that we take stock of things for which we should give thanks.As a business magazine wrapping…
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Bright and gleaming buildings, lush green lawns and people-packed sidewalks are just some of the imagery painting Downtown Kansas City these days. It’s a vision that was lying heavy in the minds of urban planners, city councils and downtown leadership…
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Maybe you run a pizzeria or a shoe store, or you’re an executive with a grocery chain or a hardware store. Maybe you’re the office manager for a law firm, pharmacy or an accounting firm. Your goal in business is…
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The successful 21st-century workplace is highly dependent on individuals who have strong skills in reading, writing, math, verbal communication and digital literacy. Attaining these skills is most meaningful when they are developed through a relevant workplace context, aligned with specific…
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Downtown Kansas City has seen a lot of changes in the past decade and a half. It has traded in a drab facade, empty parking lots and the occasional rolling tumbleweed for a colorful and vibrant place where the community…
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Each autumn, the Crossroads district of Downtown comes alive with the sights and sounds of successful businesses, and this year was no different. Hundreds of guests gathered on a blustery afternoon and evening Nov. 7 at Ingram’s offices to celebrate…
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When your otherwise credible electric company rewards you for not using its services and does so by posting smiley faces on your “Home Energy Report,” you get the unsettling sense that something is amiss in the world of power. As…
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November13 | THURSDAY“Attitude of Gratitude”HappyBottoms, which bills itself as Kansas City’s Diaper Bank, will hold its third annual Attitude of Gratitude: A Thanks Giving Event, at the Roasterie’s Bean Hangar event space from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It starts with…
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If you were to ponder the history of banking in the Kansas City area, and think of one historical figure who cast a shadow that’s still visible 50 . . . 100 . . . even 150 years after the…
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The timing simply couldn’t have been better: One of the nation’s most iconic basketball venues, celebrating its 60th year, and another college basketball season just around the corner. That was the backdrop Oct. 27 when thousands of University of Kansas…
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1. Pendo Management Group 1st Year Growth: 3,877.87% Average Annual Growth Rate: 1,292.62% Gross Revenue: 2013: $8,471,671 2010: $212,970 Full-time employees: 14Take a look at these dots, and see if you can connect them the way Jeff…
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Most companies have a good deal of latitude in how they perform internal investigations of electronic information, but the driving question should always be: Will this investigation pass muster under the questioning of a judge and jury? After recently testifying…
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In an investment world full of industry jargon, fancy titles and new-fangled investment products, it can be a daunting task just to find the answer to the simple question, “Which financial firm is the right firm for me?” As president…
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You can get there from here, but it’s going to require a strategic use of available tools.I have a goal and a plan to attract 1,000 leads in the next 30 days. But before I get into the strategy and…
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I’ve heard somewhere that we embrace spring because it renews our sense that all things are possible. That’s especially true after such a long and ferocious winter. And this year, the possibilities surround us: Lawns and landscapes are bursting alive…
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The 2008 financial crisis and subsequent tepid recovery produced flat or declining sales for many businesses. This has affected balance sheets, but more profoundly, it has altered business valuations and has had a far-reaching impact on the lives and plans…
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There are several types of bankruptcy, and the options available to a creditor vary with the type of relief sought by a debtor. In general, Chapter 7 cases seeking liquidation of assets are unlikely to yield distributions to unsecured creditors,…
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In 1850, the Town of Kansas was incorporated, shortly thereafter to become known as Kansas City, Missouri. Producing the articles of incorporation must have been an interesting exercise, because the first practicing attorney in town, one Henry B. Bouton, didn’t…
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Roughly 14 years ago, when Matt Robertson started at the St. Joseph offices of what is today CliftonLarsonAllen, a new push was coming down the accountancy pike: The paperless office. It didn’t catch on quite as quickly as the visionaries…
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In the past six months or so, two law firm mergers of significance came about in the KC market, with markedly different incentives behind each.The one that captured the most headlines was the Jan. 1 official merger of Stinson Morrison…
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Foosball tables, Keurig coffee makers, big-screen TVs, Beer Fridays, birthday bonuses—creative employers can come up with about a jillion ways, large and small, to demonstrate concern for the worker. Each one of those trappings, however, is just a tool. And…
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The challenge in business isn’t just getting things done—it’s getting them done the right way, at the lowest cost, with the greatest long-term return on your investment of time and resources. But whether you’re a start-up entrepreneur or a C-level…
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Something was missing.In retrospect, it might be hard for most people to look back on the retail construction scene in the Kansas City region circa 2006 and come to that conclusion. The Legends had just opened that spring, a 100-store…
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Earlier this spring, Kansas City’s TIF Commission signed off on a plan by Burns & McDonnell to spend $130 million for an expansion of its headquarters in south Kansas City. The goal, say company officials, will be accommodating 2,100 new…
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If your sales presentation focuses onlyon your company or product, you lose.When you’re giving your sales presentation, do you really know what the customer is thinking or what they’re asking themselves as you’re presenting? I doubt it. You’re too busy…
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Do we need a new terminal design at KCI? Maybe—but make the case with numbers, please. I’ve got airports—and airline customer service—on my mind, particularly after a recent trip to Los Angeles to shoot the front cover of this month’s…
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As demand for rental and multifamily real estate continues to climb in the Kansas City market, beginning investors should not feel resigned to standing on the sidelines for fear their pockets are not deep enough to enter the game. …
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Consider the CEO and the Bus Driver. Each spends a disproportionate number of hours every day doing something that health counselors discourage—sitting. At the end of his shift, the Bus Driver will go home. The CEO, by contrast, might be…
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When Ingram’s started its Industry Outlook series 15 years ago, we worried that an annual review of a given industry just might get repetitive. Then Sept. 11 happened, and we were reminded of just how susceptible to change even the…
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40 Under Forty 2015: What's in a Number? There’s something about 40. It’s mentioned nearly 150 times in the Bible (from Noah’s 40 days and nights of rain to the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering to the 40 days Jesus…
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The first class of Ingram’s 40 Under Forty, in 1998, proved prescient: among its members were high achievers who would validate their selections by going on to become president of the region’s biggest bank, owner of an influential ad agency,…
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Google “Kansas City Zoo,” and the headlines that jump out are ones that civic leaders would rather did not, headlines like this one from The Kansas City Star on March 18: “Free day at Kansas City Zoo ends in violence.”…
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Here’s today’s history lesson, to be followed shortly by an exercise in dot-connecting: May 30, 1854: Congress approves the Kansas-Nebraska Act, effectively overturning the Missouri Compromise of 1820. October 1855: Abolitionist John Brown arrives in Kansas. Dec. 6, 1855: Thomas…
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If you want to understand the history of real-estate development in the Kansas City region over the past 160 years—a history back-loaded with activity since the end of World War II—you can dig through the archives in libraries or historical…
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Like a stubbornly persistent zombie, (I’ve been watching too much Walking Dead), the notion that women get paid less than men for the same work does not die easily. Unlike zombies, however, this notion requires a certain finesse. You cannot…
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What Sets Missouri Apart Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Missouri and the people who live here: • In a looming era of unprecedented need, Missouri researchers are going to help feed the world. • Scientists in…
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City of the Big Blunders, they tell me you are witless, and I believe them, for I have seen your pained officials sell streetcars to contented drivers—or try to. And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: no,…
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The only people who don’t know that are other sales trainers, recently released old-world sales tactics books that are still trying to convey old messages, and several million salespeople still trying to cold call, pitch the product, overcome objections, and…
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Take a look at the fellow to the left, the one pictured rolling up his sleeves. You probably know it as the Norman Rockwell tribute, The Kansas City Spirit, commissioned by Hallmark founder J.C. Hall after the great flood of…
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I’ve tried to meet many of the 50 Missourians we’ve featured, and in doing so, I’ve traveled to many cities, towns and interesting destinations throughout the Show-Me state. A couple years ago—perhaps in the 2011 or 2012 issue including the…
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Kansas City has a question to answer: When the construction industry in this region returns to full strength—and it will, eventually—where will we find the qualified workers to fill the jobs that will emerge in the construction trades? It’s not…
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Microsoft’s massive grounds seem more resort-like than office-like, with restaurants and bars, free coffee bars, on-site spas and soccer fields (not to mention state-of-the-art collaborative work space). The diversity at Microsoft—including the huge influx of younger generations—brought to mind a…
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At one time, Betsey Solberg notes, the world’s largest art department was housed under the roof of Hallmark Cards. And, with a current staff of roughly 500 creatives—artists, illustrators, calligraphers, designers and many others—plus nearly as many other employees in…
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“I have to get out of this town. There’s just not enough for me in Kansas City. There’s nothing to do here and I need more opportunities. I’m moving to California.” Those were my words 15 years ago. I decided…
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I like coffee. Dark, black coffee. Espresso. No cream. No sugar. Just dark, black coffee. You?But I look at coffee differently than you do. I don’t “wake up and drink it.” I venture out to a coffee shop and an…
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In an impressively twisted column, even by his own contorted standards, The Kansas City Star’s Yael Abouhalkah recently decried the “hypocrisy” of the J.E. Dunn Construction Co. for its attempt to honor the conscience of its family members, as the…
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Confession time: When we started Ingram’s Industry Outlook series in 1999, I was in my late 30s and barely eligible for 40 Under Forty consideration. OK, a little removed. In the years since, then, we’ve hosted more than 150 Industry…
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A lot has indeed changed in the years since the first banks set up shop in the mid-19th century. And a lot has changed in just the past five years, with new major players jumping into an already competitive market.…
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As reported recently by The Associated Press, the imminent retirement crisis facing us has only worsened due to the 2008 Great Recession and subsequent stock market crash, and will negatively impact huge numbers of Americans for decades. The AP correctly…
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Looking back, urban historians point to the date of Nov. 5, 2013, as a turning point in the fate not just of Missouri, but of the nation. That was the day when 84 percent of the voters in the dependably…
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Nowhere in the Harvard Business School roster of roughly 130 separate cour-ses is one that deals with paranoia as a cornerstone of executive leadership. But Ben Legg doesn’t walk through the doors of Adknowledge in the morning without it.“From an…
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An anniversary year is often cause for introspection, a time to reflect on both stellar achievements and missed opportunities, and to look at what’s yet to come. That’s certainly been the case for us at Ingram’s as we close in…
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Compared to most of the 40 years since the founding of Ingram’s magazine, the period since the so-called Great Recession has not been easy. Yet, despite the challenges, the region’s economic scene is realizing some of the most significant developments…
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To be candid, something about the phrase “giving back” has always nagged at us here at Ingram’s. Part of that is because of the exclusivity of its use: When was the last time you heard that term…
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Over the course of four decades, any city can decline, and quite a few have. Not all of them will rise from their self-induced ashes. Kansas City is one that refused to go gently into that good night. And, from…
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That’s life in business in these United States. The companies that stood still became data points on the wrong side of SBA charts about business life expectancies. Even today, more than half the companies launched in this country fail to…
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It’s rare in our society where everyone comes out a winner. As Ingram’s celebrates its 40th year, the wins are in alignment:• As a regularly featured columnist since 2008, I’ve had the honor of branding myself in the Kansas City marketplace.…
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You can read The Kansas City Star from now until wood pulp is banned, and you won’t read an article, at least a sympathetic one, about a woman like Mary Hill. A Kansas City registered nurse and mother of three,…
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Quite the contrary: Many new, exciting things are unfolding here at Ingram’s Media, and we’re thrilled at the prospect of broadening and deepening our service to the greater Kansas City area business community. More on that in a minute.In this,…
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Roughly 25 years ago, a kind of economic-development fever broke out in cities across the nation. Inspired by the success of the Triangle Park research center in North Carolina, civic officials began to ask: Why not here? The goal of…
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Years ago, when a consumer needed a product or service, they went to the Yellow Pages. Items were listed in alphabetical order, and they picked from whoever was listed. Remember all those companies called A1, AAAA or APlus Services? Businesses…
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From K–12 levels to community colleges, private liberal-arts colleges and public research universities, we’ve seen the very best of what the region has to offer in teachers, professors and administrators. There’s always a touch of poignancy, though, in realizing that…
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The key players have long since moved on to that Great Operating Room in the Sky, so the trials and tribulations of building a health-care infrastructure in early Kansas City are known but to the special archive collections and libraries…
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In 2012, patient revenues at Excelsior Springs Hospital came to a little more than $50 million. That’s but a rounding error when compared with overall revenues of $3.53 billion at the region’s 800-pound health-care gorilla, the University of Kansas Hospital.…
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For eons, it seems, civic leaders have talked about ways to ensure that young talent in Kansas City would stay here. The phrase “Brain Drain” was kicked around a lot back in the ’80s. The topic would inspire forums where…
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They might seem unrelated developments, coming as they did at different times, in different business sectors, in different countries—even on different continents. But if you think of each of these developments as a piece on a chessboard, you start to…
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In last month’s Ingram’s Industry Outlook general assembly, as we plotted the future of metro Kansas City around the needs and wants of its younger residents, it slowly dawned on those gathered that we had no real idea what those…
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If we’ve learned one thing from four years of rounding up subjects for our annual 50 Kansans You Should Know feature, it’s that a common virtue of those good people is the quality of determination. We at Ingram’s can relate…
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“I share the optimism around the room,” said Pat McCown, CEO at McCownGordon Construction. He was speaking to the two dozen of his colleagues in attendance on a brisk February morning at McCownGordon’s headquarters on Kansas City’s Admiral Boulevard. The…
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“They get bids for everything and always take the lowest bid.”“They send out an RFP and I can never speak to the deci-sion-maker.” “We’re becoming a commodity. All they do is take the lowest bid.”“It’s the government. They have to…
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True story: Earlier this month, as the U.S. men’s hockey team was skating against the Russians at the Winter Olympics, I was at the new Dierberg’s grocery store at the Lake of the Ozarks. There were eight other men who,…
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If it hasn’t already been done, a registered Wikipedia user out there somewhere must surely be updating the page “Underdog (term)” to incorporate a team photo of the 2014 Kansas City Royals. Go back to May 31, when the Royals…
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As Wichita’s Koch family has learned the hard way, the surest way to make mortal enemies in contemporary America is to build a hugely successful business, stick to your principles, and care about the future of your country. A bantam-weight…
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Kansas City has always been a transportation hub, thanks to its central location, its position on major east-west and north-south interstate highways, the presence of large transportation companies, Kansas City International Airport, and its “bustling” intermodal activity. As such, when…
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We can all agree the way we did business 20, 10, even five years ago, has changed. No matter the industry, products and services have evolved, technology has vastly improved, and above all, customer expectations have risen. It’s not enough…
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Since the 2007–09 recession, we’ve seen a trend among U.S. companies to evaluate their total landed costs when making supply-chain decisions. An analysis to find business advantages from the supply chain takes into consideration all supply-chain expenses, including manufacturing, sourcing,…
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The Affordable Care Act comes into full bloom in January with implementation of the law’s employer mandate, the obligation on all but the smallest employers to offer health coverage to full-time workers or face penalties. Most employers are prepared to…
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According to statistics compiled from various sources by the American Public Health Association, the leading health-related causes lost productivity in the workplace include: Cancer: $135 billion. Heart conditions: Nearly $95 billion. Diabetes: $69 billion. That comes up to an impressive…
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Everyone tells you to meet with the decision-maker. Everyone tells you to meet with the CEO. No one, however, seems to offer any advice on what to say when you get to that meeting, what to do when you get…
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Lots and lots of land hereabouts—admittedly, expropriated from the original tenants—called out to a nation of immigrants, expansionists and opportunists in the 19th century. Fertile as it was, though, the ground underfoot didn’t make Missouri and Kansas the farming and…
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It’s a Top Doctors moment: When the diagnosis comes in, when you stare into the face of a serious health issue or physical impairment, one that could affect not just you, but your family and your livelihood, it’s natural to…
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Cindy Wallis-Lage | Black & Veatch Cindy Wallis-Lage’s passion for science was instilled in her from her grandfather, who was a science teacher. “His love of science, and his introduction of the that to me, sparked my interest in having…
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Lets face it: We as humans often procrastinate on a wide range of issues. Webster defines procrastination as “to delay action” and nowhere is it more dangerous than the toll it can take on your long-term financial health. Recently, in…
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You feel helpless, or if you’ve been poorly trained, you lapse into some manipulative dialogue that proves you’re both a crappy salesperson and you’re only there for the money. There’s a better way. I’m about to give you the ultimate…
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Gone—or almost gone—are the days of lawyers with two-wheelers, carting boxes of files into courtrooms, an image has given way to the convenience and storage capacity of the modern thumb drive. But the impact of technology on law firm operations—both…
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The word has applications in political fund-raising, investment banking and ad agencies, among others, but in legal circles, a Rainmaker is someone who brings to the firm more business than he or she can handle alone. The value of that…
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Shelley wrote those words in 1821, yet they resonate profoundly today. In this 21st century, your business, and your industry, is in a constant state of change. One of your great challenges is to anticipate or even create that change,…
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On a misty September afternoon high above the city in Bryan Cave’s new conference center atop One Kansas City Place, two dozen attorneys— consisting mostly of the region’s more significant rainmakers—convened to explore client development practices and the future of…
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It’s a simple question, but it has no simple answer: What is a local bank? Is it “local” by virtue of its size, or lack thereof? By the hometown listed in its articles of incorporation? By the presence of an…
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It’s sad, really, that so many people think of history as a time period that began the day they were born. For those folks, especially the ones old enough to remember Jorge Orta’s lunge toward first base, Don Denkinger, the…
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As a business owner and particularly as a journalist who for decades has studied business models—good, bad and indifferent—and a person who has written and edited profiles and features showcasing inordinately successful businesses and entrepreneurs, I believe we have a…
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How long have you been wishing for a place to escape the pressure associated with your daily routine? Has your dream progressed to the point of serious consideration of purchasing a second home in the sunny south, at the lake…
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My dear young friend, A few months back, while driving down I-70 on the ultimate perfect spring afternoon, I glanced off to my left and saw Kauffman Stadium filling with people. As I exited to turn back to the ballpark,…
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1 Shook, Hardy & Bacon There are national, even global firms, that have a footprint in KC and more attorneys firm-wide, but no firm has more lawyers working in this city than Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Once again, SH&B tops…
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16 | TUESDAY “Swing Fore Synergy” Swing Fore Synergy, a benefit golf tourney for Synergy Services, tees off at at Staley Farms Golf Course. Entry is $175. 816.587.4100 | synergyservices.org “Message in a Bottle” First Call Alcohol/Drug Prevention & Recovery…
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Have you seen any of those before-and-after photos of Downtown Kansas City, comparing what it looks like today from the pre-development-boom years before 2000? Both of those images are fixed in Lindsay Tatro’s mind, and in her daily life. The…
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Others have heard it, and are getting ready to respond. Opportunities are calling, and young Kansas City business owners, executives and personalities are answering that call with entrepreneurial authority and God-given talent. Looking for the next generation of go-getters in…
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The energy at Kauffman Stadium these days is electric. It’s a force that’s been popping all over the Kansas City region for months, and as mid-October approached, was sending a buzz across the nation. The Royals, the unlikely underdogs, find…
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A little more than a year ago, Timothy Pluard made the cross-state career trek from St. Louis to become medical director for Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute in Kansas City. It was an opportunity to get involved in an area of…
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As the economy slowly gains momentum, companies are hiring again and once again—many are finding that qualified candidates are not always readily available. A resource that often goes untapped involves military veterans. Despite government efforts and public-service campaigns, unemployment among…
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We are all beholden to those who came before us—in some cases, long before us. Think about it: If you drive into Downtown to work from Olathe or Liberty on I-35, or from Independence on I-70, or Smithville on U.S.…
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Matt Wood didn’t get into business in Kansas City thinking of himself as an exporter. When he founded SCD Probiotics in 1998, he was anticipating domestic demand for the company’s microbial product lines—like those for maintaining human health, or for…
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Various medical journals in the U.S. and abroad have estimated that health-policy changes, on average, don’t crystallize until roughly 17 years after they’ve first been suggested by evidence-based research. Some, in fact, can take a lot longer: The U.S. surgeon…
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John Meara did not move his accounting firm, Meara Welch Browne, from Missouri to Kansas simply because Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed HB 2117 into law in 2012—but that bill was incentive enough to make the difference. Kansas City had…
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For women in executive roles, one way to break the glass ceiling is to wield a hammer and do it through a combination of will, business skill, managerial competence and determination. Another way, it seems, is to own that ceiling.…
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A significant benefit of being a niche publication—one focused on development, business growth and outstanding performances by organizations and individuals—is that our world at Ingram’s is framed by positive events and mindsets. That allows us to have a heightened appreciation…
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When my father, Pasquale, stepped away from his position as CEO of Trozzolo Communications Group, I added those three letters to my business card and took on some new, exciting responsibilities. This decision wasn’t a surprise. Over the past six…
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For consumers, using a card is a convenient and quick way to make a purchase. But for the 500,000 Missouri small business owners—and for their peers in Kansas who have to offer credit sales to keep their stores current—understanding and…
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As the weather starts to heat up, prices are also rising across the country. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers increased 0.3 percent in April and 0.4 percent in May.…
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In the life of an entrepreneur, there is a big difference between funneling all of your profits back into your company and taking every nickel out to support other endeavors and/or investments. And the line between the two is different…
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Other than cold calling and finding the pain, this is one of the biggest misconceptions in sales. It’s not a technique. It’s not a manipulation. It’s not something that you wait until the end of your presentation to do. It’s…
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Although the word “diversity” is overused in higher education to mean the ethnic and gender variety, its most relevant and long-standing meaning has to do with the diverse nature of the institutions themselves. What distinguishes American higher education from that…
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What’s the link between hula hoops, Campbell’s soup, minivans, SUVs and three-car garages, and the pharmaceutical companies’ advertising assault on anyone who watches network TV news in 2014? Baby Boomers. In 1964, they made up a third of the U.S.…
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If American small business had just one color, it would probably be . . . gray. Depending on the source, as many as one small business in eight—perhaps one in six, or even more—is owned today by someone who has…
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BEST BARBECUE We start off with perhaps the signature category in our annual Best of Business Kansas City listings—this is a barbecue center of excellence, after all—and the one that makes the biggest news: Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Que takes its first…
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Business & Commerce
Now that the shock has worn off, businesses are starting to assess the impact of the United Kingdom’s historical decision to leave the European Union, and one area of particular concern for many businesses is privacy and data protection. U.S.…
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The odds are good that this thought has crossed an entrepreneur’s mind before: “Life would be so much easier if I could build a successful business just by reading a book or taking a class.”But in entrepreneurship, every opportunity is…
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“Billy, pay attention!” That was your first listening lesson. Probably delivered when you were too young to pay attention.Fast-forward twentysomething years (or more) and you’re still not listening.Your customer is telling you he or she is somewhere between “interested” and…
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A new rule issued April 6 by the U.S. Department of Labor will require all advice and recommendations on investments in retirement accounts to be in the best interest of the investor. If the revelation that the investment advice you’re…
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Commentary
The pandemic has definitely changed the workplace and most likely for years to come. Every company is doing its best to sail these uncharted waters. But for fast-growth companies, where hiring and often takes place at accelerated rates and where…
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These are certainly challenging times in which we live. Over the many decades we have been serving clients, it feels like we have seen everything. There have been wars, oil price spikes and crashes, mild recessions, deep recessions, computer driven…
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As a business attorney, I am often asked by our clients, “how should I fund my business.” My first response is always “with money.” I say that tongue and cheek, knowing what my client is really asking is, “where do…
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The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges to our economy and our very way of life. With infection numbers growing, businesses will be dramatically impacted for the foreseeable future. Much has been written about what we can and should do to best…
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Managing risks has never been more vital to a company’s prospects for success. It’s possible that the concept of managing risk—legal, operational, even physical risk to your employees—has never in our working lifetimes presented itself on more fronts, with more…
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If your business is among those still operating at full steam two weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic and economic shut-down, congratulations: You are an exception to the new normal. For most businesses, and especially the small ones, the threat of…
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The gyrations in U.S. equities markets in March were truly unprecedented, spooked by a supply-and-demand conundrum. In a capitalist economy, everything is a function of supply and demand. Markets react very negatively to a significant disruption of either. After 9/11,…
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Amid the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, several tax deadlines have been delayed. So what does this mean if you haven’t filed your taxes yet? For starters, you now have some extra time. This year’s Tax Day has changed to July 15,…
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“Billy, pay attention!” That was your first listening lesson. Probably delivered when you were too young to pay attention without a little prompting. Fast forward twenty something years (or more) and you’re STILL not listening. Your customer is telling you…
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A financially strapped worker is a human-capital issue—and a prospective job-hopper. Employers interviewing potential candidates are looking for a “diamond in the rough.” This usually means they are searching for one with specific credentials or that “it” factor. But in…
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Tough times may be looming for Downtown hotels. So just how did that come to be? Here’s a question for the civic do-gooders who for years called on Kansas City to build more and better hotel rooms Downtown, arguing that…
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Like all parents, you have hopes and dreams for your sons and daughters. But many of these aspirations depend on the ability of your children to earn a college degree. To help prepare your kids, you can encourage them to…
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In today’s low interest rate environment, investors are constantly searching for opportunities to obtain income without exposing their portfolio to a high level of credit risk. Investment advisers who analyze U.S. credit often target high-quality credit investment areas. These not…
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There’s some question about whether the Chinese actually had a saying often interpreted by Westerners as a curse clothed in the garments of well wishes: “May you live in interesting times.” Well, even if it didn’t originate there, it’s still…
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Now that President Andrew Jackson is getting thrown off the $20 bill, civic leaders in Jackson County have to be wondering whether they will be forced to rename their county. If so, they will be in good company. The name…
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Global events—including the United Kingdom’s vote to exit the European Union—are playing a greater role in driving all markets and economic policies than in the past. As a result, U.S.-based views of interest rate normalization require revision. We’re focusing increasingly…
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It’s that time of year again. As we move nearer the fourth quarter, employers are once again facing tough questions regarding their employee benefit plans. During this annual renewal and open enrollment period, more than ever, difficult decisions must be…
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Estate planning was long dominated by estate tax planning. In the not-too-distant past, state and federal estate taxes were applicable to a broad spectrum of clients, and the taxes themselves were constantly in flux because of legislative changes. Now, most…
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You want the deal badly. You need the business. You suspect that your price is too high to begin with. So what do you do? You lower your price rather than negotiate. Most salespeople are afraid to stand by their…
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He or she will give you the clue what you’re looking for if you just pay attention—and that means truly listening to them. Between the presentation and the close of the sale are buying signals. Recognizing the signals to buy…
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Features
If you ever meet someone who claims to have been a member of Ingram’s 40 Under Forty Class of 1999, congratulate him or her—then quickly move along. We’re going to be honest here: When 40 Under Forty debuted with that…
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Two generations have passed since the computer age inspired the founding of companies seeking to unlock the promise of health-care information technology. Another generation has passed since the term “Big Data” was introduced to suggest ways that huge volumes of…
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What gives a company’s brand status as being the most visible in a market? Talk to marketing experts, and they’ll tell you: Superior product, superior service, superior follow-up. But those are just table stakes—it gets you in the game with…
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Anyone who’s been a part of one knows that when it comes to ownership and operations, success and succession, the family-owned business is a com-pletely different game. And it takes some special players to win this one. The honorees of…
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The President of Leawood-Based Creative Planning recently sat down with Ingram's Jenn Bates to talk succession planning and trends in wealth management—topics he is eminently qualified to address. Creative has been Barron's top U.S. wealth advisor an impressive three times,…
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So ... you say technology is constantly changing the way you do business, eh? Well, if you’re truly a technophobe, you’re not working in the realm of digital marketing, where Richard Cherra of MBB+ assesses the pace of change with…
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It’s been said that the First Rule of Banking is to make loans. With corollaries, of course, about both collecting payments on those—and collecting on time. That being said, it’s worth a look inside the FDIC’s tranches of Big Data…
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If you have an estate plan already in place or are preparing one this year, are you aware of the impact The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017—the Act—will have on it? The law signed by President Trump on…
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Headlines, by their nature, are often rooted in developments that most of us might not consider good things. So a pair of them that emerged in recent weeks, regarding a couple of high-profile names on the regional manufacturing scene, might…
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The current reality of American agriculture is that this nation doesn’t have enough young farmers. And the ones it does have, just like their older peers, are challenged by a four-year slump in commodity prices, high capital costs for mach-inery…
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Universities compete for students on a lot of levels, from curriculum to research interests to distinguished faculty and social-life options. But one aspect that rarely seems to shed its competitive zeal is student housing. That’s a good thing for students…
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Go Ahead: Discriminate Thanks to America’s decades-long descent into the dark waters of political correctness, the concept of someone practicing what we call “discrimination” has come to evoke immediate—and often unpleasant—reactions from the masses. But let…
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Let’s see how well you know the history of fast-growth companies in the Kansas City region. Thirty-one years ago, this magazine rolled out a feature called the Corporate Report 100 (Which made sense, as feature titles go, since this…
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In December 2008—the same year that the oldest members of the Baby Boom generation became eligible to file for early Social Security retirement benefits—the board of governors for the Federal Reserve Bank responded to that autumn’s financial crisis by dropping…
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If you look around, you can see the face of health-care delivery in the Kansas City region changing right before your eyes. It might be with a Mosaic Life Care’s gleaming medical offices and lifestyle-wellness centers in the Northland, or…
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First, the optimistic view: Earlier this year, Wendy Guillies, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, declared that after a long period of stagnation and a stubborn decline in business creation, the U.S. economy was poised for a new era…
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Missouri Governor’s Race Takes Center Stage INGRAM’S PROVIDES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION In its obsession with Kansas politics in general and its Ahab-like pursuit of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback in particular, The Kansas City Star—much…
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The heart of Kansas isn’t a person, place or thing: It’s the collection of people who make it work. No state has a population density greater than . . . New Jersey. (Guess it’s good that their No. 1 at…
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What makes an Icon of Education? Not longevity alone, though some of this year’s honorees have been at the practice since 1968. No, it’s more than that: It’s part passion, part call to serve, part intellectual curiosity and part executive…
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Masters of EducationBefore they enter a regional work force more than 1 million strong, young people from across the two-state region—indeed, from across America and around the world—make their way through the educational systems in Kansas and Missouri, from K-12…
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Perspectives
The stated goal of Kansas City’s civic leaders and business community is to make this America’s Most Entrepreneurial City.To be sure, there are lots of reasons why we might be able to lay claim to that title—national and global companies…
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In 2008, the environmental lobby and its media allies frightened the usually level-headed Missouri voters into approving Proposition C. This Procrustean fiat required the state’s three large investor-owned utilities to ratchet their “renewable power” proportions up to 15 percent by…
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