Ingram's April 2023

CLASS of 2023

LAUREN KEPLER Lauren Kepler’s degree was in journal ism, not music, but she’s nonetheless a rock star—of business development—for

Newkirk Novak Construction Partners. After more than a decade in roles with large construction and design firms, she came on board last year as the first stra tegic hire outside of project operations for a company founded in 2017. It was already in rapid-growth mode, but Kepler has added fuel to the fire. Over a recent six-month period, she’s been part of $130 million in sales, slightly better than two thirds of the company’s total. She also led the firm’s 2023-2026 visioning and strategy process, including sales and revenue projections, market strategy dev- elopment, and people planning. Kepler, 34, is a civic and volunteer whirl- wind. She currently chairs the Platte County Economic Development Com mittee, has a seat on the board for the tunity that counts. Witness Megan Knoblauch, who had the good fortune of earning her accounting degree from KU just as RubinBrown was expand ing into the Kansas City market from its St. Louis roots. “When I joined the firm, I was one of three staff in our audit department, along with two man agers and two partners, the 38-year-old says. “I was the first new hire right off of campus. I saw this as an excellent opportunity for growth.” Two years in, she was married, and two years later, she and Luke welcomed the first of their three children to the fold. “I continued to work because it was important to me as a mom and wife to progress in my career,” she says. “I started to change my schedule a little bit in order to be

Northland Chamber of Commerce and sits on its education committee, has been through Leadership Northland and the Kansas City Chamber’s Centurions pro gram, and is secretary/treasurer for the Association for Learning Environments chapter. She's a busy volunteer for the Synergy Services board since 2019, serv ing as 2021 co-chair for the 31st annu al Kindest Kansas Citian event (raising more than $120,000 for school-based mental health programming), and other services with Missouri DECA, Junior Achievement, Coaches vs. Cancer, United Way and others. “I’m a Dotte original KC native” from Wyandotte County,” she says, and “very family-oriented with a twin sister, two brothers, four nephews and niece on the way.” more of an active mom because it was important to me to be able to spend time with our children before they went to bed.” She rode that model to manager in her fifth year at the firm, made part ner at 10 years, and became a partner in charge of assurance services in 2018. With eight assurance partners, 11 assur ance managers, and about 20 staff, she leads the charge on staff scheduling and serves as a career advocate to more than half a dozen team members. “Giving people new opportunities and the abil ity to try something new is incred ibly important to me,” Knoblauch says. Luke’s support has been vital, she says, and away from work, she fills the family time with softball team coaching, school parties, programs/musicals, and sports.

MEGAN KNOBLAUCH Career success isn’t always just a mat ter of being in the right place at the right time. It’s what you do with the oppor

Construction, Design and Real Estate: Coming in May and November What do increasing indicators of economic recovery portend for the construction and develop ment sectors in Kansas City? Find out what key executives from the region’s leading contracting companies and design firms are thinking about the opportunities and challenges for Kansas City in the months and years to come.

Advertising in the Construction and Development Quarterly Report is a logical choice for general and sub-contractors, suppliers, commercial, retail and industrial properties and Realtors, utility companies, architectural and engineering firms, ED agencies, associations and others.

Claim Your Ad Position in Ingram’s Construction & Development Quarterly Reports Coming next in May and November 2023

64

I ng r am ’ s

April 2023

Ingrams.com