Ingram's July 2026

RETIREMENT PLANNING | BANKING TRENDS | MANAGING FAST GROWTH

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Top 10 Fastest Growing Companies in Kansas City

The 41st Corporate Report 100 The KC Region’s Fastest-Growing Companies

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JULY 2026 • VOLUME 52, NO. 7

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Talk of the Town 7 In the News/Correspondent Business News and Legislative Updates Perspectives 4 Editor’s Note Riding the Growth Rocket by Joe Sweeney 9 Between the Lines OK—I was wrong about the World Cup by Jack Cashill 11 Reflections

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Features 17 The Corporate Report 100 Kansas City’s fastest-growing companies for 2026 share common traits of vision, resilience and ability to capitalize on emerging opportunities. by Dennis Boone 19 The View from the Top Executives from our CR100 gathered for the front cover photo shoot in a most appropriate venue. by Will Crow 47 The Bank Squeeze Fewer banks means more power is being concentrated among financial institutions in the region. A look

AI can redefine some of the drudgery of your operations, but it will never replace the human component. by Dennis Boone

12 In a Nutshell

The rise and fall of crude oil, explained. by Ken Herman

Special Features 21 Corporate Report 100

Business & Commerce 13 Inspirations

Among fast-growing companies in this region, banks have reaped the rewards of a changing economy since 2022. But from benefits consulting to car sales, professional services and construction, the opportunities have been plentiful.

Father Brian and Mother Teresa’s tie to KC by Joe Sweeney

15 Of Counsel

A criminal record may no longer be the red flag it once was in hiring, but it’s not irrelevant. by Brandan Davies

inside the consolidation wave sweeping the Kansas City area. 53 The Retirement Shift

46 Banking, Financial Services and Wealth Management Special Report Deep dives into trends facing retire ment planning for investors, an

51 Financial Adviser

Within the urban core, start-up capital is not an act of philanthropy. by Marquita Joshua

Long-term investors today enjoy a range of options that differ markedly from retirement planning in the past. But those emerging choices come with new challenges, too. by Dennis Boone

57 Senior Living Adviser

in-depth interview with the CEO of one of the region’s biggest wealth advisories, and we update annual lists of the top banks, credit unions and mortgage lenders in the region.

Beyond the portfolio lurk issues that will impact retiree lifestyles, with housing a major concern for seniors. by Caitrin Franklin

54 The 100-Year Life Longer life spans are reshaping not just wealth-accumulation strategies for investors, but raising issues of legacy and lifestyle options far beyond traditional retirement age. 58 Q&A: David Callanan The co-founder and CEO of Topeka based AE Wealth Management and Excel Advisors reflects on trends facing investors across multiple generations, and on the advisory sector itself. On the Cover: Photographer Matt Kocourek captured leaders from this year’s CR100 Top 10 as dusk began to descend on Downtown Kansas City.

60 Wealth Management

A business-succession checklist for owners amid the M&A wave. by Craig Novorr 61 Small Business Adviser Four strategies to help family-owned enterprises secure the future. by Deborah Orozco Leads & Lists 42 All-Time CR100 Honor Roll 44 Why Ingram’s? 46 Top Area Banks (by assets) 50 Top Area Credit Unions

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Business success is closely tied to banking success, so throughout the year, Ingram’s dives deep into the key trends, policies and people shaping lending practices, profitability and growth in this and related business sectors. Ingram’s Banking and Financial Services Quarterly Report series delivers the kind of thoughtful, data-driven content and insights from industry leaders that you simply won’t find anywhere else. We supplement that with our Industry Outlook series featuring the highly influential Ingram’s 250 and take you behind the headlines of the day to explore the way those stories and issues are affecting the regional business community. Look to Ingram’s for meaningful coverage that connects your business to the commercial lending environment in the greater KC region .

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EDITOR’S NOTE

by Joe Sweeney

Riding the Growth Rocket

At the age of 27, I was unaware of this new fast-growth competition back in July of 1986. You can see the front cover on the opposite page. The cutline reads: “Todd Potts and Bert Benjamin of Hafkemeyer BMW lead the pack of auto dealers in the Corporate Report 100.” The magazine debuted in 1974 as Outlook . At it happens, my dad, John Sweeney, while running an appraisal and residential real-estate company also served as the monthly real-estate columnist for founding publisher Ludwell Gaines. As I recall, the revenue we recorded at Corporate Care back in 1986 exceeded $4 million—two-thirds of Lockton’s reve- nue. We had a sizeable landscaping instal- lation at Executive Park in 1986 and our attorney, Jim Wirken, battled on our behalf to obtain payments being withheld from a crook named Jim Wiss of that organization. In checking the archves Corporate Care would have ranked 6th place in the first CR 100 in 1986. Our four year growth at 800% which would have placed Corporate Care a solid #2 ranking in this year’s ranking. The following year in October of 1987 the one-day stock market crash Black Monday shocked the business community and assaulted the portfolio of nearly every executive in the nation. Corporate Care’s net profits went from nearly 20 percent to nothing, and I decided to sell some accounts and to sell the equipment. We had an absolute auction in 1988 after selling Harry Lloyd $250,000 in equipment for Loch Lloyd, which opened in 1990— a hilarious negotiation to share another time. This is the 30th year of our ownership and administering this ranking. It’s been a privilege and an honor to serve the bus iness community. Our team is honored to serve as the steward of the CR 100, and we appreciate the thousands of companies that have participated over the years. Congrat ulations to this year’s honorees for claiming a place in the history of this unique annual tradition. A special thanks to Dennis Boone of our team who has for the past 18 years managed this important annual ranking. We hope your firm strives to make the CR100 every year and give Lockton and those noted above a run for their money.

Personal reflections on the CR100 over 40 years. We’ve paired this annual Corporate Report 100 edition, ranking and recognizing fast-growth companies based in this region, with the theme of wealth management, banking and financial services for decades, and for very good reason: Companies go through cycles, and nearly all firms included in this month’s edition of Ingram’s are going through a significant growth phase. Some are perennial players in this annual ranking now 41st iteration. On page 49 of this edition is my favorite and arguably the most important annual ranking list we publish each year—the Corporate Report 100 All-Time Winners Honor Role. Despite being gone and Oracle being ineligible by virtue of its Austin, Texas headquarters, its prize acquisition, Cerner Corp., remains the all-time leader with 22 CR100 appearances. I grew up and went to grade school with Neal Patterson’s wife, Jeannie, and we were friends with them for many years. Nearly every June before Neal’s untimely passing, I’d receive a phone call from him, and he’d simply start with: “Well?” Knowing exactly who was on the other end of the line, one year I absolutely belly-laughed and told him to brace for impact. I told him Cerner ranked 101 that year and didn’t make the cut. “You have to lose someone, Joe!” This led to both of us belly laughing. One of my favorite memories of him. Neal Patterson knew the importance of being on but not necessarily ranking high on the CR100 ranking. Cerner never achieved the #1 ranking for fast growth, but to this day tops the list for all-time appearances. He understood consistency. Lockton has a shot at claiming this title but it’s rare for multi-billion dollar companies to meet the growth percentages, given the size of their basis. Still, Lockton made this year’s CR100 at No. 93 with 50 percent growth in four years. While Security Benefit is not among the repetition leaders of the CR100, this nearly $12 billion organization grew more than 64 percent from 2022 through 2025. Eight KC-based companies included in this year’s CR100 deserve a special shout-out. Each of these organizations adds a year to their frequency of appearances: Firm # of Appearances Highest Rank Year Lockton Companies 21 36 1986 Henderson Companies 18 12 1994 Propio Language Services 14 3 2025/2026 Garney 11 29 2004 City Lifestyle 10 5 2016 Apollo Insurance Group 10 7 2017 Hoefer Welker Architects 10 32 2002 Cable Dahmer Auto Group 9 4 2025 Corporate Report-Kansas City was the name of this magazine in 1986—the year the Corporate Report 100 ranking was established. Lockton Insurance was on that inaugural ranking and ironically, the company I owned and operated at that time—Corporate Care— mowed the lawn and took care of the landscaping and snow removal for Lockton, then located in a two-story office building in Prairie Village at 74th and State Line. Jack Lockton and I met all those years ago and he appreciated my hustle. That year, Lockton had revenues of $6.7 million. Last year, Lockton hit $4.08 billion.

Joe Sweeney Editor-In-Chief and Publisher E | JSweeney @ Ingrams.com

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Kansas City’s Fastest Growing Companies For 41 Years. Ingram’s Editor’s Applaud Your Extraordinary Performance.

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CORPORATE REPORT 100 | LEGAL INDUSTRY OUTLOOK | WORK-FORCE DEVELOPMENT

SMALL BUSINESS MATTERS | CORPORATE REPORT 100 | EDUCATION INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

Ingrams.com | July 2020

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Kansas City’s Fastest Growing Companies

Taking Off

The Top 10

The 35th Corporate Report 100 The KC Region’s Fastest-Growing Companies

Kansas City’s Fastest Growing Companies

The Kansas City Area’s Fastest-Growing Companies

Making Tracks: Kansas City’s Fastest-Growing Companies

35TH ANNIVERSARY

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BEST OF BUSINESS KC | RETIREMENT PLANNING | REGIONAL BUSINESS: 2010-2019

RETIREMENT PLANNING | BANKING TRENDS | MANAGING FAST GROWTH

MANAGING FAST GROWTH | RETIREMENT & SUCCESSION PLANNING | BANK LENDING TRENDS

Ingrams.com | June 2021

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Toast to Fast Growth KC’s Top 10 Fastest-Growing Companies

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The 37th Corporate Report 100 The KC Region’s Fastest-Growing Companies

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KC’s Top 10 Fastest-Growing Companies

KC’s Top 10 Fastest-Growing Companies

The 36th Corporate Report 100 The KC Region’s Fastest-Growing Companies

Top 10 Fastest Growing Companies in Kansas City

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The 39th Corporate Report 100 The KC Region’s Fastest-Growing Companies

The 41st Corporate Report 100 The KC Region’s Fastest-Growing Companies

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Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Joe Sweeney | JSweeney @ Ingrams.com Editorial Director Dennis Boone | DBoone @ Ingrams.com Senior Editor Jack Cashill | Editorial @ Ingrams.com Columnists and Key Contributors

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July 2026

IN THE NEWS

Tidbits of Business News from Around the Region

MISSOURI BUCHANAN COUNTY Sales-Tax Initiative

for middle-market clients. Nolan & Associates, which specializes in sell-side, buy-side, and capital-raise advisory, will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary, with plans to retain all staff and maintain St. Louis-area offices to ensure continuity. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Plaza Incentives Request Country Club Plaza owner Gillon Property Group has returned to Port KC with a revised incentive proposal Correspondent News Updates from the Capital cities

supporting its planned $1.5 billion rede velopment of the city’s iconic shopping district. The package would provide prop erty-tax relief over 30 years, with the Plaza making fixed annual payments to affected taxing jurisdictions. Those payments, together with additional revenue expected from new development, are projected to generate roughly $281 million during the incentive period. The revised plan follows months of negotiations and objections from Kansas City Public Schools and other taxing entities concerned about long-term revenue losses.

Leaders from area child-advocacy groups are pushing a quarter-cent sales tax for a dedicated Children’s Services Fund to support local children and youth up to age 19. Comprising Voices of Courage, Noyes Home for Children, and the YWCA, members have decided to place the measure on the November ballot after consulting with health, education, and service organizations in May. Only 11 of Missouri’s 114 counties have approved such taxes, which collectively generate about $145 million yearly. Committee leaders say early intervention is critical to raising healthier, more productive children, despite the county’s existing tax burden. One down, 10 to go: Oracle plans to lease a 42,653-square-foot building on its former Cerner world headquarters campus to NKC Health, marking the first major tenant activity since announcing it would close the site back in 2022. The North Kansas City Planning Commission is reviewing an amended site plan to convert the standard space into medical offices and outpatient clinics at one of the 11 buildings on the campus. Under the proposal, the facility will host physician offices and ambulatory services, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy. This agreement breathes new life into the vacant 100-acre tech campus following Oracle’s workforce consolidation to south Kansas City. CLAY COUNTY Cerner Campus Tenant

Washington | Commerce Targets KC for Tech Funding The U.S. Department of Commerce announced this month that the Economic Development Administration will award $169 million across six selected Tech Hubs–including one in Kansas City–to advance U.S. leadership in industries essential to our economic competitiveness and national security. These projects are part of EDA’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program, which serves as a key investment in this Administration’s America First agenda, investing in regions with the talent and assets to become global leaders in the critical technologies of the future. Among them is the Kansas City BioSecure Manufacturing Tech Hub, which would receive $34 million to modernize manufacturing processes, strengthen and retool domestic supply chains, and accelerate the translation of Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has signed legislation reviving and expanding a state economic-development program previously used to support Kansas City’s Power & Light District. The measure could provide new financing options for major downtown developments, including potential professional-sports facilities, while also creating incentives for converting underused office buildings into housing. The legislation allocates up to $6 million annually for office-to-residential conversions and broadens the Missouri Downtown and Rural Economic Stimulus Act. Kansas City officials and Cordish Cos. had advocated for the changes to support future development. Topeka | Rural Development Grants Unveiled The Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $750,000 in Downtown Revive & Thrive grants to support nine building renovation projects across Kansas. When matched with more than $286,000 in local contributions, a total investment of over $1 million will be used to create spaces for business incubators. Lt. Gov. and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said the program would take established, unused infrastructure and give rural entrepreneurs a place to flourish. Demand is rising throughout Kansas for flexible spaces that allow entrepreneurs to test products, develop commercial concepts and pilot new ventures. In response, Commerce launched the Revive and Thrive program to support those endeavors by transforming vacant and underutilized buildings into accessible, modern and sustainable workspaces. biologic discoveries into scalable, resilient, and agile U.S. production. Jefferson City | P&L District Gets a Boost

JACKSON COUNTY Commerce Acquisition

Commerce Bank has announced the acquisition of St. Louis-based investment banking firm Nolan & Associates and its broker-dealer, Middle-Market Transactions. This strategic move, announced on June 29, aims to enhance Commerce Bank’s advisory services

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IN THE NEWS

Tidbits of Business News from Around the Region

Credit Union Seizure The National Credit Union Admin istration has placed Kansas City-based WeDevelopment Federal Credit Union into conservatorship, citing unsafe and unsound practices. The federal regulator assumed operational control July 10 while keeping the institution open and member services uninterrupted. WeDevelopment reported about $2.63 million in assets in its most recent regulatory filing, making it one of the market’s smallest financial institutions. Member deposits remain protected by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund while the NCUA works to address the operational problems that prompted the intervention. Hotel Plan Emerges Developers have unveiled plans for The Novelist, an $27.3 million boutique hotel proposed near Third and Green streets in downtown Lee’s Summit. The project would include 84 guest rooms and a high-end restaurant adjacent to the city’s Green Street public space and City Hall. Lane4 Property Group is working with Mississippi-based hotel developer and operator The Thrash Group on the proposal, with design work by Dale Partners Architects. Supporters say the hotel could increase overnight tourism and direct more customers to downtown shops, restaurants and events. More Data Center Objections A Miami developer is seeking city approval for a 20-story data center at 10th and Central streets in Kansas City’s historic Quality Hill neighborhood. The approximately 384-foot structure would replace or incorporate the historic Western Newspaper Union Building and rank among the nation’s more unusual vertical data-center proposals. Residents and preservation groups, however, are challenging the project, citing questions about architectural compatibility, power demand, noise and the appropriateness of industrial-scale digital infrastructure in a residential historic district. City planners will hold a public hearing Aug. 5 to consider the proposal.

KC as Materials Hub? A Kansas City-led coalition is pursuing a National Science Foundation award that could provide as much as $160 million to expand the region’s role in critical materials technology and manufacturing. UMKC’s Critical Materials Crossroads Engine would lead the multi-state initia tive, which focuses on materials needed for advanced batteries, electronics, defense systems and other strategic industries. Organizers project that the effort could help create 10,000 jobs and produce up to $40 billion in economic activity over the next decade, although the full award and resulting private investment remain prospective. KANSAS DOUGLAS COUNTY KU Housing Plan A major step toward completing the “live, work, play” vision for KU’s West Campus development, called The Crossing, is underway. A group led by Block Real Estate Services has filed for economic development incentives to build a more than $100 million multi-family housing complex with 341 residential units. The Crossing already features a thriving work environment with KU School of Pharmacy, Kansas Geological Survey, and startup incubators, plus recent “play” additions including a new Dillons grocery store and synthetic turf athletic fields. The new housing project aims to add the missing residential component near Clinton Parkway and Iowa Street. Kansas regulators have closed Small Business Bank in Lenexa and appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as receiver after the institution failed to meet capital requirements. Farmers State Bank of Oakley agreed to assume substantially all deposits and acquire certain assets, with the Lenexa office reopening July 20 under the Farmers State name. Small Business Bank reported approximately JOHNSON COUNTY Lenexa Bank Shut Down

$73 million in assets and $69 million in deposits as of March 31. The FDIC initially estimated that the failure would cost its Deposit Insurance Fund about $5.7 million.

SHAWNEE COUNTY Rental Registry in Play

After similar measures were adopted in Wichita, Kansas City and Overland Park, officials in Topeka are assessing the need for a landlord registry program aimed at improved housing safety in prop erties with at least five units. Landlords have already objected to the potential cost impact, noting that the program would require tiered fees and inspection cycles that vary based on each property’s compli ance record. The City Council is expected to discuss the measure later this summer. WYANDOTTE COUNTY Chiefs Turn to Burns & Mac Burns & McDonnell will team with CAA ICON to serve as the Chiefs’ adviser for development of the team’s new stadium near Village West, plus its $300 million campus in Olathe to house both business and football operations. The Olathe head quarters and practice facilities will sit on 155 acres at the northwest corner of College Boulevard and Ridgeview Road, south of Kansas Highway 10. The $4.5 billion stadium is set to open ahead of the 2031 football season. The team said more announcements about the new practice facility and headquarters in Olathe are expected in the coming weeks. Baseball Complex on Market Homefield LLC has placed its eight-field baseball complex in western Kansas City, Kan., on the market for $9.52 million. The professional-grade turf complex, located at 1501 N. 90th St., was among the first major components completed within Homefield’s broader $838 million sports and entertain ment development. The property attracted more than 900,000 visits in 2025, accord ing to the developer. Homefield says proceeds from a sale would be reinvested into later stages of the master plan rather than signal a retreat from the project.

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BETWEEN THE LINES

Pointed Perspectives & Penetrating Punditry | by Jack Cashill

OK, I Was Wrong About the World Cup

Kansas City—with a little planning and some luck—pulled it off.

The conversion came quickly. I was driving south on Main Street toward the Country Club Plaza when I heard a ruckus coming from Mill Creek Park, site of the erstwhile J.C. Nichols Fountain. “What are they protesting now?” I asked myself. Turns out they weren’t protesting at all. They were cheerlead ing for Argentina’s national soccer team in anticipation of that evening’s game at the erstwhile Arrowhead Stadium. I must say, the eagerness to “erstwhile” our past bugged me throughout the area’s preparation for the World Cup. In the same spirit that the city stripped the name off the most celebrated of its fountains, FIFA’s make-over artists erased the name of Arrowhead Stadium. For the duration of the playoffs, Arrowhead Stadium had to pretend to be “Kansas City Stadium.” For the sake of our foreign visitors, we seemed to be creating a Potemkin Kansas City. And yet, what a refreshing place Potemkin KC proved to be. Our visitors seemed to appreciate the area more than did the locals, certainly more than does the city planning class. As our visitors happily wandered through the Plaza and Westport, they seemed blissfully unaware of the area’s erstwhile glory.

The Kansas City writ large that the visitors found, they liked. Almost every visitor interviewed spoke of how welcoming the people were. This observation did not surprise me. When I first moved to town many years ago, I had the same impression. One visitor enthused, “The high ways are a breeze.” Another fellow added, “Everything is very quiet. The roads are quiet.” Driving in Kansas City has always been a breeze and “quiet” because drivers need not honk at each other as they fight for space. It is unfor tunate the “street dieting” crowd does not appreciate what the visitors do. Several visitors spoke to how “very clean” the city was. Noted one woman, “The city is clean and beautiful and everything is manicured,” much cleaner and more manicured, I might

Happily, the miscreants who have scared locals away from Midtown gave Mayor Q a break for the World Cup. Crime fell in Potemkin KC during the six-week stretch, even as officials had readied themselves for an increase. True, on June 16, 2026, on Interstate 70, a driver pulled alongside an Uber carrying Argentina fans to the stadium and fired twice. Fortunately, the shooter missed the Argentinians. Unfortunately, he hit the driver, a local fellow whom police did not identify. The driver survived and saved Potemkin KC the notoriety that descended on the real KC after the fatal shooting at the last Chiefs Super Bowl parade.

add that it was six months prior. Penn Valley Park, through which I often walk, mutated from grotesque to picturesque almost overnight. Now if we can only keep it that way. One young woman from Arg entina made a shrewd observation that our city plan-ners seem to

Acknowledging that extra policing lowers crime was something of an “own goal” for the mayor, whose political allies have made a rally ing cry out of defunding law enforcement.

Mayor Quinton Lucas praised the city’s security operations as “large-scale policing at its best.” For Lucas, acknowledging that extra policing helps lower crime was something of an “own goal.” If he has never exactly chanted “defund the police,” for many of his political allies “defund” has become a rallying cry. Relieved that nothing horrible happened during KC’s moment in the sun, Lucas boasted, “We got thousands of ques tions, it seems, for years. Will we be ready? Can we handle it? How could this city pull it off? And we did do it better than anyone else.” Better perhaps, but Q was one stray bullet away from international outrage.

forget. “I am proud to be in Kansas City this year,” she said. “This is the most American city you can get.” Yes, exactly. Given its centrality and its history, Kansas City embodies what international visitors found most refreshing about America writ large. The angry, divided, depressed xenophobic, impoverished America their media promised proved to be a sustained lie. Traveling through flyover country, visitors found an

Jack Cashill Ingram’s Senior Editor P | 816.842.9994 E | Editorial @ Ingrams.com

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BETWEEN THE LINES

America that was as vigorous and as open as the America de Tocqueville discovered 200 years ago. Visitors loved so many of the things we have taken for granted, from free Coke refills to central air—air condi tioning at all, for that matter. Given the variety of our food—barbecue was a big hit everywhere—and the size of the servings, visitors worried about putting on the “FIFA 15.” Now they understand why we’re so fat. If they’d stayed, they would be, too. Weeks ago, who among us knew what an exotic treat ranch dressing was? Who knew that the Waffle House deserved a place of honor in the Michelin guide? Who knew that Buccee’s was the Eighth Wonder of the World? One thing I did not know is that Kansas City has somehow emerged as “Soccer City.” The FIFA people knew, which explains why four of the World Cup teams, including two of the semi finalists, headquartered here during the

The core problem is that the goals are too small. They remain the same size they were when the rules were set in 1863. The goalies, however, are literally a foot taller on average and much more athletic. The result is a near absence of scoring. As a case in point, in the seven games before the final, Spain’s opponents had scored one goal—combined. This much I knew coming in. What I learned was the oversized impor tance of penalties. With every stumble, players would fall to the ground writh ing in imagined pain, hoping to draw a penalty. In one game I saw, a player broke a 0-0 tie with a penalty kick I could have made. Soccer can be fixed. So, for that matter, can Kansas City. But first must come the recognition they’re broken.

duration of the tournament. I attribute my ignorance on this score to my indifference to the sport. Coming into the tournament, I thought the game fatally flawed. Now, having watched more soccer in the last month or so than in the 50 years preceding, I am convinced the game is fatally flawed. I did not know that Kansas City had somehow emerged as “Soccer City.” The FIFA people knew, which explains why four of the World Cup teams, including two of the semi-finalists, head quartered here during the duration of the tournament.

The views expressed in this column, which is also published online in the Heartlander, are the writer’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Ingram’s Magazine. Jack Cashill , Senior Editor, Editorial @ Ingrams.com

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REFLECTIONS

by Dennis Boone

At the Intersection of Business and Life

What Does Progress Look Like?

The data-center backlash sweeping this region has an argument—but it needs a better one.

abatement window—deserves serious scrutiny. Whether clawback provisions are tight, whether the city captured enough of the upside through PILOTs and infrastructure cost-sharing, whether comparable jurisdictions have negoti ated better terms: those are questions a business-minded community can answer with information. They are not the same question as whether AI infrastructure should be allowed in the metro at all. The opposition has paid almost no attention to displacement risk, which the critique deserves, whether one approves of data centers or not. When affluent, well-organized communities prevail in stopping a project, the developer does not abandon the build. Instead, it relocates to a community with fewer lawyers, smaller turnouts at council meetings and more pressing reasons to accept the tax base. Beale Infrastructure’s withdrawal from Gardner did not end Beale’s plans; the company is still developing a campus elsewhere. None of the opposition subtracts data centers from the region. It redistributes them, and the redistri bution flows toward the less politically powerful, often into rural counties whose grids and water resources are no longer able to absorb the load. Critics on the left have begun to notice this. Critics here have not. Finally, the regional stakes are worth naming plainly. AI compute is becoming what rail in the 1880s and fiber in the 1990s once were: the platform on which the next generation of economic activity will be transacted. Metros that decline a seat at that build-out do not stop the build—they pay a long tail of oppor tunity cost for a generation, watching the tenant base, the construction work and the supply-chain ripple migrate to whichever jurisdictions said yes. Kansas City’s “platform for thinking bigger” is not optional infrastructure. It is the infrastructure. The way forward? Better deals, better zoning, better disclosure. Not a smaller future.

The wave of organized opposition spreading across the Kansas City metro—from Peculiar’s preemptive ban in 2024 to this year’s dust-ups with Independence’s tax-abatement fight, Gardner’s with drawn proposal, Edgerton’s hold, Jackson County’s moratorium, the gathering pushback in Leavenworth County—has produced some legitimate scrutiny and some lazy symbolism. The work of distinguishing the two is overdue. Start with what the opposition has gotten right. Hyperscale data centers do not behave like the office parks they sometimes resemble on a site plan. A campus drawing 75 megawatts or more operates closer to the load profile of a small city than a corpo rate headquarters. Banks of backup diesel generators, industrial cooling systems and 24-hour operation create noise and emissions footprints that bear little family resemblance to “light industrial.” Critics calling these projects “heavy industry” have a defen sible point, and zoning codes—written in an era when industrial use meant smokestacks and conveyor belts—were not designed for what a modern hyperscale campus actually is. Local governments arriving at the table without updated land-use categories, perfor mance standards or buffering requirements have been outflanked by developers moving faster than ordinances can adapt. That is a real problem, and it deserves the procedural fixes opponents are demanding. The legitimacy of the zoning critique, however, has been doing a lot of heavy lifting it should not be asked to carry. Two separate arguments are being braided together. One is technical: the exist ing land-use framework underweights the operational impact of these facilities. The remedy is updated zoning, transparent siting criteria, enforceable noise and emissions standards, and disclosure of energy and water demand at the application stage. None of that requires opposing the underlying investment. The second argument is symbolic. The leader of the Kansas City Data Center Watchdog group summarized it cleanly in a recent interview: communities uniting “to fight against corporate interests and big companies.” In this register, data centers are not problematic because of decibel readings or aquifer draw. They are problematic because they are large, because they are owned by large corporations, and because they represent a future being built by parties insufficiently accountable to the communities they enter. This, folks, is not a critique of data centers. It is a critique of how industrial economies are financed, and it bridges a popu list left suspicious of Big Tech with a populist right suspicious of Big Tech for largely opposite reasons. Treating that symbolic argument as if it were a zoning argu ment leads to bad public policy. The scale of Independence’s incentives—hundreds of millions in foregone revenue across the

Dennis Boone is the edito rial director at Ingram’s. E | DBoone @ Ingrams.com P | 816.268.6402

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IN A NUTSHELL

by Ken Herman

Crude Oil’s Price Fluctuations

Up, down and back up, depending on conflict levels in the Strait of Hormuz.

The recent drop in crude oil from its peak above $105 down to the $75 range (before nudging back up north of $81 in mid-July), felt incredibly surprising because it clashed with many speculations. To the average observer, it seemed illog- ical for prices to crash by $30 per barrel while a considerable amount of the world’s supply infrastructure faced un precedented physical disruptions, which supposedly might take months, even years, to bring back online. The reason the sell-off was so dramatic comes down to a fundamental rule of commodities trading–namely, the physical market and the paper futures market are driven by two entirely different forces. The current oil-price correction wasn’t caused by a sudden influx of physical oil; it was caused by the violent popping of the speculative war premium

consumes in a little more than 16 days. This rapid drawdown stripped nearly 18 percent of the remaining reserve in a single quarter, pulling total U.S. strategic inventories down to their lowest operating levels since 1983. However, this aggressive supply intervention successfully buffered the physical market until the 60-day truce memorandum was reached in Geneva, which ultimately reversed the war premium and resulted in oil prices getting back into the $75-range. And, as the realists might have ex pected, back up again

overhanging the crude-futures markets. Traders bought up oil contracts as insurance against a massive, permanent Iranian disruption. However, as soon as dip lomatic backchannels yielded an interim peace memorandum and a framework to reopen shipping lanes, that worst-case scenario quickly evaporated. The moment the threat of long-term containment was removed, traders rushed to liquidate their long positions. This triggered an unhedged cascade of selling, causing the speculative war premium (roughly $25 to $30 of the price) to unwind almost overnight. Another reason the physical disruptions didn’t hold the price firmly above $100 is that the world didn’t suddenly starve for oil as governments and state entities aggressively ran through their oil “savings.”

when Iran began vio lating terms of the cease-fire and the U.S. forcibly recip rocated. By burning thr ough inventories ra- ther than bidding up active contracts, major economies starved the market of the buying pres sure required to keep oil trading at triple-digit levels. Oil is famously price- inelastic in the short term. Because

Because people and industries can’t instantly stop consuming when oil prices soar, a small 1 percent shortfall in physical supply might even cause the price to gap higher by 10 percent or even 20 percent.

The United States released immense volumes from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), pushing it to historical lows to keep domestic refineries fed. Also, China utilized its massive 1-billion-barrel state reserve. Instead of chasing expensive barrels in the Atlantic Basin during the uncertainty, China dramatically reduced its imports and drew down its own stockpiles, while scaling back refining capacity. The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve saw an approximate drawdown of 75 million barrels during the March-June three-month window. The reserve entered the crisis in mid March with an inventory of roughly 415 million barrels. This coordinated release alongside the International Energy Agency action officially commenced around this approximate time to combat the spike in crude oil, which then was headed toward $105. By mid-June, the Department of Energy confirmed the nation’s stocks of crude in reserve had declined to 340 million barrels, roughly equivalent to what the U.S.

people and industries can’t instantly stop consuming oil when it gets ex- pensive, a small 1 percent shortfall in physical supply might even cause the price to gap higher by 10 percent or even 20 percent, just out of fear of future shortages. Despite the drama of dropping by $30 a barrel, the $75-$80 price floor is still significantly higher than pre-conflict levels. The market suc- cessfully stripped out the specula- tive panic, but it left a structural disruption premium intact to ac- count for the real, lingering logistical damage done to the global energy supply chain.

Ken Herman served as the Managing Director of Bank of America Global Capital Markets and was the Mayor of and served on the City Council in

Glendora, Calif. E | Editorial@

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INSPIRATIONS

by Joe Sweeney, Ingram’s Publisher and Edtior-in-Chief

Inspiration from Mother Teresa: Meet Father Brian Kolodiejchuk

Father Brian and Dr. Gary Morsch make an inspiring presentation and KC’s ties to Saint Teresa

Years before he was appointed postulator of the cause for Mother Teresa’s canonization, Father Brian Kolodiejchuk could tell that something was different about this soft-spoken nun from Calcutta. “Everyone knew that we were in the presence of a saint because of the effect that she had on people,” he says. They met in 1977—inaugurating a friendship that would last the rest of her life. Today, Fr. Kolodiejchuk leads the Mother Teresa Institute, and is known for his previous roles as the Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers and postulator of the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of Mother Teresa. During their 20-year friendship, he learned from her example of holiness, kindness, and selfless service. Through an exclusive conversation with the National Shrine, he shares insights into the selfless love and faith of one of the world’s most beloved saints. The world may define Mother Teresa’s legacy by her accomplishments—from her receipt of the Nobel Peace prize to the plethora of humanitarian efforts she led—but those in the Church view them

as the outpouring of a steadfast faith. “She exceled in faith,” Fr. Kolodiejchuk says. “You need a lot of faith to live in the darkness.” But what was it that set her faith apart? What was it that made people flock from afar if only to be near her and learn from her devotion? The answer, according to Fr. Kolodiejchuk, starts with her overwhelming focus on others. Throughout her life, Mother Teresa always went out of her way to serve others and show her care for them, no matter who they were. “For us, her children,” shares Fr. Kolodiejchuk, “she was like a real mother.” A spirit of humility was the foundation of her work, her kindness, or her exceptional gifts. As for the constant tributes she received for her work, she once told Fr. Kolodiejchuk, “God has given me the gift that what I hear—all the praise and adulation—goes in one ear and out the other.” Above all else, she was a woman “passionately in love with Jesus” and the way she lived out that love brought people together from all different backgrounds and inspired them in turn to “put love for God in living action,” Fr. Kolodiejchuk says. She believed that “love gives meaning to everything. And we can do that anywhere,” whether you’re a housewife, a worker or a student in school. Ultimately, her focus on selfless love is what truly set her faith apart and left a legacy that continues to inspire people around the world. It was a faith that aspired not to accomplish the greatest things, but to fulfill the little things with great love, as she herself once said: “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love. [Do] small things [with] great love.”

THE MISSION EDITION This New Special Edition is Coming in December 2026 and Will Polybag and be Distributed with THE PHILANTHROPY EDITION

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Ingram’s December PHILANTHROPY EDITION and we’re proud to have shared our blueprint with nearly 100 publishers throughout North and Central America and inspired business publications to dedicate the theme of their December edition to the subject of Philanthropy. This year, we’re launching a new and exciting print and digital publication that will be delivered with the December Philanthropy Edition: THE MISSION EDITION. The inspiration for it comes from the many surgeons and medical teams who have traveled around the world and selflessly volunteered to save lives and serve mankind. In addition to Medical Missions, this publication will include stories of many other missions—those to build homes for people in need and provide emergency relief. THE MISSION EDITION was inspired in part by Mother Teresa, who was canonized and named St. Teresa in 2016. More than two dozen volunteers attended a July 22 presentation by Fr. Brian Kolodiejchuk and Dr. Gary Morsch, both of whom had met and worked with her in India. As a young physician at her side in Calcutta, Dr. Morsch was inspired to create Heart to Heart International. Founded in 1992, this Lenexa, Kan.-based non-profit has performed hundreds of charitable missions, providing medical aid and strengthens healthcare systems in underserved communities and disaster zones globally and domesticcally. THE MISSION EDITION will share stories about Heart to Heart and other local and regional missions that include volunteers from the bi-state region. Kansas City is the Heart of America not just for its geography: It’s an epicenter of medical and humanitarian mission work serving mankind worldwide. The editors at Ingram’s believe these stories should be shared, and with their assistance, we’ll align to produce and deliver the debut issue of THE MISSION EDITION in December. Sponsored content pricing will be deeply discounted for organizations that care to share their stories. We’re confident this will further inspire Ingram’s readers and we hope it will further stimulate more support going forward. Please contact Publisher Joe Sweeney at 816.679.1828 or email JSweeney@Ingrams.com to learn more and to claim your position in this purposeful new publication.

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