Ingram's April 2024

CLASS of 2024

JOSH GOLDSMITH Call it Transplant Math. For former New Yorker Josh Goldsmith, it goes like this: Four years, two kids, and one career

firm had less than $10 billion in assets under management. Today, it’s north of $300 billion. And every one of those invested dollars comes with a tax issue to resolve. So yes, Ben Hake is a very busy fellow as managing director of the tax division for the region’s biggest wealth firm. One of just three employees in that unit when he started, Hake, 38, is now leading with a team of 110. Over that span, he says, “I have assisted in hiring, training, process development, as well as being a technical resource for my peers,” he says. “I personally work with hundreds of clients across the country on a wide range of tax issues, with particular interest in working with small-business clients who need help altering decision. That folks, is how this 39-year-old commercial realty pro ended up calling Kansas City home. “I never imagined I’d live anywhere other than New York,” he says. But he married into Kansas City roots, so when he and Lauren started thinking family, the track changed, despite his thriving career with Colliers International back east. Multiple job interviews led to a hit-if-off encounter with Cushman & Wakefield’s executive managing director, Mike Mayer, and Goldsmith was hooked. Mind you, a move like that in commercial realty—in 2020, at that—has its challenges. Nonetheless, he says, over that span, “I’ve been directly involved in generating deals valued at more than $500 million and now control more than 15 million square feet

navigating the constantly changing tax landscape. My goals are to provide clients with excellent service while helping them to understand their taxes and take advantage of every available opportunity.” In addition to his own book of clients, he consults with wealth management clients on complex tax planning, authoring articles on tax strategies and law changes, as well as helping start a podcast explaining tax concepts. "Clearly communicating with others and doing the right thing results in the best outcome for everyone involved,” says Hake, who, along with Shawna, has three children. He also serves on the board of directors for the Jewish Community Center, where his family has been long-time members. of client sites and projects nationally.” And you thought Sudden Impact was a Clint Eastwood movie. Beyond career, he says, “my parents and grandparents instilled in us a commitment to serve our community, and I’ve worked to honor them and carry on that tradition.” That includes the Chamber’s Centurion Leadership Program’s class of 2024 and service on behalf of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City. “I just felt like it would be a good thing to be a role model and mentor to a young man” during the pandemic, Goldsmith says. “That decision led me to become a Big Brother to Dashawn, who’s now 12 and part of our lives, along with Avery and Grayson, who were born here in 2023 and 2022.”

BEN HAKE When Ben Hake signed on with Creative Planning’s tax division a decade ago, the wealth-management

Ingram’s IndustryOutlook Series More than 25 years ago, Ingram’s Magazine convened the first of its Industry Outlook assemblies, gathering leading executives from such key business sectors as banking, construction, health care, higher education and more for one-of-a-kind discussions on the oppor- tunities and challenges facing each. As concerns with Covid begin to lift we’ll resume this important series. The menu for the remain- der of 2024 are Industry Outlook and General Assemblies and Reports on Leadership, Industrial Real Estate and Logistics, Wealth Management, Missouri Economic Development Assembly, Ingram's 250 General Assembly, Higher Education, Kansas Ecomonic Develop ment Assembly and Philanthropy. Call today for information on how to align your organization’s marketing interests with Ingram’s as a Program Sponsor and co-chair and for advertising opportunities within support articles. Claim Your Sponsor or Ad Position MSweeney@Ingrams.com n 816.842.9994

Ingram’s Upcoming Industry Outlook Assemblies and Reports May Business Icons General Assembly June Industrial Real Estate & Logistics July Wealth Management August Missouri ED Assembly September Ingram's 250 General Assembly October

Education November Kansas ED Assembly December Philanthropy

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April 2024

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