The Ingram’s 250 and Recommendations from the Corner Office

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER, 2023

It’s not a popularity contest when our editorial board convenes to deliberate over which executives should be included in the Ingram’s 250 in a given year. The change has been profound among the top leadership, and the changing of the guard feels as though it’s happening much faster than most of us expected. 

Since the inception of the Ingram’s 250 in 2016, our team has believed that it was essential to keep an accurate roster not only of the region’s top leaders but who among them yield the greatest power. We’ve been discussing the Baby Boomer mass exodus for years, and the pace is quickening. Some folks aren’t built for retirement and will continue working. Others step away and immediately divest from the grind. I’ve always wondered how executives with massive responsibilities go from 100 to zero. More so, I’m baffled how some say they’re busier than ever once retired. I call B.S. on that line every time.

You’ll see a number of new faces in this year’s Ingram’s 250. Our goal from inception is to keep the classes fresh with the most viable hands-on top leaders who yield the most influence and power. 

As we do each year we’ll convene many honorees for a reception and it’s quite an assembly of the power players, many of whom are engaged civically. Surprisingly, many honorees mention they don’t personally know more of the other honorees. Civic engagement, albeit noble, is not a requisite for inclusion. The primary barometer we view is the clout of the organization’s executives and the weight they throw to benefit their firms, industries, communities and often times their personal interests. A formula we’ve used for years is Position (P) x Influence (I) = Throw weight.

This is an earned designation and seats are prized, few and never endowed. I’d be blowing smoke if I told you this was an easy project to conduct and to keep fresh. In fact, I’ll invite anyone to do their own research and craft a list as we have of the 250 most powerful players in the region. I would love to read and study your recommendations.

Difficult as this project is to produce, it keeps our journalists on their feet and well informed of the players here and now. Change is not only inevitable, but often necessary. If you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind. You’ll glean this message from many among the Ingram’s 250. Here lies wisdom from around the greater Kansas City region you can’t find anywhere else. It is with pleasure to serve as the steward of the Ingram’s 250 recognition program and to deliver this edition once again.     

This Year’s i250: What We Learned

The KCI Terminal is a Big Hit. We didn’t publish every response, due to space constraints, but there is near-unanimous praise for a terrific outcome with the new KCI. Congratulations to every member, firm and coalition who collaborated to design and build arguably the best airport in the nation. This achievement, like the bi-state tax of 1996 to fund the massive renovation of Union Station, is a sign of the Kansas City Spirit at work, aligning to achieve exceptional outcomes. 

Build the Downtown Ballpark. Each of this year’s class of  Ingram’s 250 was asked what KC’s Next Big Thing should be. The greatest majority believe that a new Downtown baseball stadium and home for the Royals is in order; and many like the idea of an adjacent entertainment district or village. Several mentioned, and I’ll add, that the Royals should put as much energy into building a winning franchise as they have put into acquiring financial incentives and approval for a Downtown stadium. Perhaps performance stipulations should be tied to funding. It’s just good business. It’s way beyond time for the Kansas City Royals to be back in the American League pennant race. Let’s build the dynasty before the palace.

Prepare for the World Cup. We have 2-1/2 years to prepare for hundreds of thousands of visitors, and millions of eyes from around the world, to see KC host the 2026 FIFA World Cup games. We’re aware there are preparations ongoing. I’ll echo sentiments of some i250 respondents that much is yet to be done in preparation for KC’s biggest stage. Many believe, and I want to amplify, the significant need to enhance regional transportation. I’m an advocate of the expanded light rail system to south of the Plaza, but it makes more sense to me to add an east-west route connecting the Sports Complex to Children’s Mercy Park and the Village West entertainment district in western Wyandotte County. That would move fans, visitors and our work force for the long haul. There is also a significant need to connect with the north/south line and the riverfront matrix northward to the airport. If KC is to assert its place on a national stage, as we did in the 1970s as a convention city, we need state-of-the-art mass transit. We have a good start—now we have a deadline. I’ve outlined an ambitious plan that could not be entirely completed in this timeframe, but like the ballpark, it could be started. What is leadership capable of accomplishing? 

If ever there was a time for this city and its leaders to be bold, it is at this time in our history. Ingram’s editors have reported from the 250 most powerful leaders, and I’d interpret this as a directive to focus on our future and do all we can before the summer of 2026, including the start of the Downtown baseball stadium and entertainment district and the light rail route connecting the stadiums.