Ingram's October 2022

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knows that college is not the only option and there are careers available in trades,” he says. “Otherwise, we are going to be in big trouble as Baby Boomers continue to retire.” Jake Durhamwould press for improving the pull of Downtown as an epicenter for business. “I’d like to see more businesses headquarter their operations there,” he said, just as his firmhas done. “I understand there are outside factors contributing to this trend, but I believe there is an opportunity to drive growth and establish our downtown as the flagship business hub of our city.” Ticking off a long list of assets, Durham cited the region’s history and culture, along with physical spaces and attractions like the River Market, the Power & Light and Crossroads districts Downtown, the Kauffman Center for the Performing arts, the Downtown streetcar, Union Station, the LibertyMemorial andWorldWar IMuseum. “These areas are living proof of our city’s past accomplishments, and they create a platformfor future accomplishments,” he said. Jacob Robertson, of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation, pointed out that many of the events that attract people to the region and national attention with televised sporting events “don’t come here without the welcome

mat” that the foundation has set out with its work. A City’s Potential Beyond career-focused needs, the region can do more to attract young workers by increasing the supply of homes and apartments, helping offset the rising costs generated by Millennial and Gen-Z demand, improving walkability and public transit options, and continuing to add assets and attractions like the coming Kansas City Current soccer stadium in the River Market. Within that residential space, Rachel Kilmer is an agent for ReeceNichols, and “specifically in the real estate world, I’d love to see management companies/ investors incentivized to compensate agents for bringing them tenants and/or for putting rental listings on the Multiple Listing Service,” she says. “I think this would help with housing equity a bit in the rental market because it would be publicly accessible for all rather than just for those that happen to have connections with people in the know.” Samuel Noel says he would prefer to see the region “speed up the development process by making the city review, inspection, and approval process more

efficient. We are 20 years behind some of these Tier-1 cities, and it is going to take some aggressive work to not just catch up– but to make a splash.” Austin Miller says he’s excited about Kansas City’s growth trajectory. “I believe that what we are seeing today is the tip of the iceberg for this town,” he says, “and opportunities for both new and existing businesses will be plentiful well into the future.” Businesses and individuals from outside of Kansas City are taking notice; he said, “and that is why you see more and more businesses consider moving operations to the KC region. It will be fun to see the city develop over the next 10-plus years. Other factors, such as our school districts, culture, good food (BBQ), the people, and of course our sports teams, are all additional reasons why people want to call KC home.” 1. Kaitlyn DeYoung said that when the region loses diverse workers to other cities, business innovation and creativity here will suffer. 2. Will Thomas says that even among his friends, a certain lack of work ethic in construction is making it tough to find qualified labor. | 3 . Samuel Noel would like to see more green space Down- town and more public transit, especially connect ing the population in the central city to the airport.

Ingram’s 2022 Class of 20 in Their Twenties convened for the assembly and reception at The Maverick—an awesome new event space in KC’s Crossroads District.