Ingram's April 2023

CLASS of 2023

JOHN BERTRAND If you like clean drinking water, you might pass a word of thanks along to John Bertrand. Six years ago, he took a civil

states, has 11 licensed engineers and four engineers-in-training, and is himself licensed in 16 states, with projects completed in 14 states and a history of overseeing con struction work with a combined value of more than $1 billion. This year, all of his hard work paid off as the 38-year-old became just the fourth president in the 66-year his tory of structural engineering firm Bob D Campbell & Co. Yet for all that, “nothing is more important to me than my family and faith community in raising well-rounded youth to lead the future of our com munity,” Beverlin says. “We are active members at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lenexa, where engineering background with both pub lic-sector and private company experi ence, slapped on a thick slab of entrepre neurship, and took the leap by founding Daupler. The company provides software for utilities to manage water contamina tion, broken mains, and other issues. “Our platform automatically detects util ity issues and dispatches their staff to respond, resulting in faster resolution times,” Bertrand says. Today, Daupler serves utilities in 32 states throughout the U.S., multiple provinces in Canada, and even overseas, in Auckland, New Zealand. Already serving enough of Kan sas to account for 70 percent of the popu lation, he has set his sights on doubling the company’s size this year. “With an established team of over 25 dedicated seize an opportunity with a tech ser vices startup, Full Scale. What’s hap pened since might make one won der who was seizing whom. As chief operating officer, he’s been riding a growth tiger: revenues up 1,034.79 percent since he on-boarded; 17 stra ight quarters of revenue growth; 13 straight quarters of gross profit mar gin growth, and an employee head count that has surged nearly 12-fold, hitting 287. The ride, he says, “has been wildly fun and challenging. I have had the opportunity to network and get to know some of the most influential people in the Kansas City entrepreneurship and startup ecosys tem,” and his work helping compa nies build IT teams of their own has

three of our four children attend school.” He also leads a small faith group for men, Cub Scout dens of first- and third-graders, and serves as head soccer coach for teams in those same grade levels. That commitment to giving of time, talent, and treasure flows to well more than a dozen non-profits and his alma mater, Kansas State University, where he earned his degree in architectural engineer ing with an emphasis on structures. At Bob D. Campbell & Co., “I lead strategic planning and growth with our 10 principal sharehold ers as we transition the firm into the next generation of ownership,” he says. employees, Daupler's growth serves as a testament to the company's unwaver ing commitment to revolutionizing the utility industry and improving services provided to communities worldwide,” he says. A native of Kansas City, he’s also a husband to Cara and father of four, ages 2 to 13. Before starting his own enterprise, Bertand absorbed water infrastructure know-how for both the city of Lawrence and Johnson County Wastewater, as well as engineering firms Black & Veatch and HDR. “My commit ment to community service is evident in my work at Daupler and my involvement with the parish,” he says. He’s also an active mentor and advisor for entrepre neurs who seek to create innovative solu tions to real-world problems. impacted dozens of local businesses trying to scale their own enterprises. “My time in Kansas City,” he says, “has also resulted in what I consider to be my most important role in life— husband. I met my wife in Kansas City and had the pleasure of being married by Fr. Richard Storey in Honolulu last June.” While Valentino, their Shitzu/Yorkie mix, commands much of the free time, he and Carolina also take in Royals games, concerts, trav eling, trying new restaurants around the area, and lots of time with fam ily. “The final part of that sentence,” the 37-year-old says, “is the one that defines me most. Being around my old and new KC family is what brings me the most joy.”

CHRISTOPHER BEVERLIN His achievements in the design space are impressive: Chris Beverlin leads a firm that is active in 48

DARRELL BLACKBURN Barely into his 30s, Darrell Blackburn came to the Kansas City area from Indianapolis in 2018 to

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I ng r am ’ s

April 2023

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