Ingram's August 2022

Helzberg Diamonds The C-Suite had a bit of a makeover just last month as CFO Brad Hampton assumed the leadership role upon the retirement of Beryl Raff, Warren Buffet’s hand-picked choice for that position back in 2009. But don’t expect new faces around the leadership ranks to tin ker much with a brand that has strong con sumer recognition: Helzberg Diamonds oper ates more than 170 stores nationwide. Seven years into its second century, Helzberg con tinues to dazzle with diamonds and other pre cious gems that help commemorate milestone

momentsinlife—engagements,weddings,grad- uations, promotions, and the like—as well as gifts like watches and accessories that will always be remembered. Founded in Kansas City and operated by three generations of the namesake family before Buffett made them an offer they couldn’t refuse back in 1996, the company is another corporate thorough bred in his Berkshire-Hathaway stable. The brand is built on a corporate commitment to customers first, quality over everything, and commitment to the community.

Kansas City Chiefs The perception of a brand rises and falls on its organizational performance, but how many organizations comparewith professional sports teams in their exposure to varying consum er tastes and loyalties year-over-year? Case in point: The Kansas City Chiefs. Before Andy Reid showed up as coach in 2013, the Chiefs had posted losing marks in six of the previous seven seasons, including a pair of 2-14 efforts in the No. 1 draft-choice sweepstakes. Suffice to say; the brand was aching. Today? Let’s see . . .

back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2020 and 2021, an NFL record of four straight con ference championship games at home, and six straight AFC West division titles—yup, it’s fair to say the Chiefs brand is stronger today than perhaps at any time in the nearly 60 years that the club has been in Kansas City. And, thanks to what many consider some under-handed moves by the former St. Louis Rams to deprive that city of an NFL franchise, the Chiefs today are more an all-Missouri brand than ever.

Missouri State University With nearly 25,000 students on its main cam pus in Springfield and satellite operation in West Plains, Missouri State University is by far the second-largest public university in the state. With 112-degree programs, it flexes its programming muscle nearly on par with its larger cousin in Co lumbia. Founded in 1905, it has swapped brands over the years and considering that it started with the less-than snappy moniker of Fourth Dis trict Normal School, that’s been a good thing. In 1919, the brand evolved to Southwest Missouri

State Teachers college to better align with its mission, then fine-tuned again in 1945 and 1972 before declaring itself Missouri State U. in 2005. The goal with that final movewas to reflect MSU’s size, scope, elevated admission standards, and increased numbers of graduate programs, which set a university record for enrollment last fall. Last year, it awarded more than 5,000 degrees and an additional 765 certifications, making it an integral component of southwest Missouri’s— and the state’s—work-force development.

Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. Here’s a company with two major national brand names going for it: Nestlé, better-known for the space it occupies in with food products and confections for humans, and Purina, the long-time leader in animal feed. Combined un der the current brand, this division of parent Nestlé bucked the trend among the parent’s other holdings. While the company overall was down 8.9 percent from 2019 revenues, the pet care division turned in an impressive 2.8 per cent increase in sales—perhaps Fido’s appetite was worked up by all those walks that people

were taking while stuck at home during pan demic lockdowns. It remains the nation’s sec ond-largest pet food and pet products compa ny, trailing only Mars Petcare, with its output of dog and cat food, treats, and pet-care products, from brands like Alpo and Beneful to Friskies and Fancy Feast, to Beggin’ treats and Tidy Cats litter. The Purina side of the corporate DNA came when William Danforth founded the feed company in 1894, creating a family legacy that would later include a one-time U.S. sena tor and a chancellor at Washington University.

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