Ingrams August 2023

Sherry Herschend Herschend Family Entertainment Branson When you think of the theme parks, the paddlewheel shows, water parks, aquariums, wildlife displays, shopping centers—even an open-air museum in Israel recreating Nazareth at the time of Christ’s birth—it’s hard to believe that

Art Holliday KSDK-5 St. Louis When Art Holliday first arrived at KSDK (the NBC affiliate in St. Louis: “5 On Your Side”) in 1979 after graduating with his journalism degree from the University of Missouri, the media landscape looked a little different than

the storied entrepreneurship and ensuing philanthropy all started with a hole in the ground. But Marvel Cave, back when it was a stand-alone attraction before the Herschend family surrounded it with Silver Dollar City, was indeed the humble start of a business and philanthropic empire that has changed the face of Branson and impacted causes around the world. A driving force behind that vision is Sherry Herschend, who teamed up with her husband Jack after their 1954 wedding in that same cave, and her in-laws, Peter and JoDee Herschend, to build an empire. A lifetime of giving back, inspired in large part by a youth spent on the precipice of poverty in the Ozarks, has generated a long and impressive list of donations. In 2021, this nurse by training was recognized by Skaggs Foundation for her work— including a $500,000 donation from her own charitable foundation— that allowed the medical center in Branson to build a cancer center with amenities that had been available no closer than Springfield, 40 miles to the north. Says Lois Brayfield of marketing firm J. Schmid: “Serving on a board with Sherry Herschend is an incredible and hum- bling experience. Her passion for people, community, and faith is unwav- ering, while her energy is endless. Simply put, she believes in giving back.”

what he sees today nearly 45 years later. “We used to be a TV station that had a website. Now we break all our stories online and with phone alerts because that’s the way news consumers get their news all day,” he says. “The digital revolution is a story that’s still being written.” But that’s fine with him. A “storyteller at heart,” Holliday spent a decade as a sportscaster at the station before starting a 22-year co-anchoring role. And in 2021, he was named the news director of KSDK. Along the way, he’s earned three sportscasting Emmys and was inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame just last year. A native of St. Charles, Mo., Holliday said he came home so his parents could see his work and to cover the teams he grew up rooting for. Now, he’s welcoming the challenge of his new role with open arms—and being “humble enough” to realize he’s not done learning. “I’m still doing things for the first time, 2½ years into the job,” he says. “In the end, it’s about hiring, problem-solving, serving our newsroom, and serving the St. Louis community. I don’t spend much time worrying about downsides. It’s not a productive use of my time.”

Martha Garcia Kampen Hispanic Chamber, St. Louis Kansas City native Martha Garcia Kampen might have ended up in St. Louis in any case, but it all started by placing a winning bet with the life partner she met at Southeast Missouri State, where she earned her degree in Latin American studies and marketing management. “He

Jim Kavanaugh World Wide Technology St. Louis

When Jim Kavanaugh teamed up with David Steward in 1990 to launch a com pany reselling tech equipment, the vision was right there in the name: World Wide Technology. On his watch as CEO today, it is precisely that—a global enterprise with

lived in St. Louis; we competed for who could secure the best job first.” She “won,” she says, when by securing a product-manager position for a healthcare manufacturer of surgical instruments—”at a much higher salary.” She would go on to form her on business consultancy, helping others overcome some of the same barriers she had encountered as a start-up before taking the reins as chief executive with Hispanic chamber there. “Starting a business is always difficult, challenging and requiring of perseverance,” she says. “I was a new mother, which was my incentive for more flexibility and control over my schedule and projects. It was during a time that it was not yet acceptable to be working out of your home, so I had to keep my dual-vocation—mother and entrepreneur—under wraps.” A more difficult barrier derived from her Anglo/European surname: “Many clients expected me to ‘look’ different than I do. I also had to keep many of my cultural behaviors subverted to better assimilate into the Anglo culture I was consulting.” At the chamber, she has found her career sweet spot. “I finally get to stand squarely in the center of my cultural heritage, business training, and desire to help lift and empower our Hispanic/Latino community,” she says.

a broad mastery of all things tech, from cloud computing and security to data centers and analytics to AI, app development and much more. Last year, it had revenues of $14.5 billion, and Kavanaugh recently updated employees with the news that it was on track for 50 percent growth this year. He leads an executive team of 18 and a global work force of nearly 9,000 who count as clients 80 companies among the Fortune 100, and he’s been recognized by Glassdoor as one of the nation’s 25 best chief executives. “I have always believed high-per forming organizations excel at both developing their business and people/culture,” he says. “I’m excited to say our business is thriving and we are well-positioned to help lead our customers through this digital transformation that has recently been accelerated with the game-changing impact of AI.” His understanding of the role that team play serves in organizational success runs back to his early years on the soccer field. Kavanaugh formerly played professional soccer and was a member of the U.S. men’s national team in the 1984 Summer Olympics. That soccer passion carries over today, as he’s among the local investor group that brought the St. Louis CITY SC franchise to STL He’s also part of the ownership of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.

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