Ingram’s September 2022

Don Armacost CHAIRMAN, PETERSON MANUFACTURING

Adam Aron PRESIDENT/CEO, AMC ENTERTAINMENT

With nearly 700 employees at its massive 670,000-square-foot headquarters and production facility, Peterson Manufacturing is a cornerstone of the business community in Grandview. Don Arma cost Jr., who ran the day-to-day operations for decades, sits at the apex of a family-owned enterprise with revenues of $245 million last year. The company makes and markets vehicle safety-lighting systems and accessories for cars, trucks, planes, and boats.

A Philadelphia native and co-owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, Adam Aron arrived in Kansas City in 2016, taking a hospitality-fo cused career in a new direction with the lead role for the world’s biggest cinema chain. He previously excelled in travel and tourism settings, then put his leadership skills to the test in early 2020 when the global pandemic shuttered theaters worldwide.

COLLEGE: B.A., Business Administration, University of Missouri-Kansas City EARLY START: Armacost was just a teenager when his father acquired the company from its founder and put him to work with various odd jobs around the plant for a whopping 75 cents an hour. INDUSTRY RESPECT: Like his father, Don Jr. has served as the president of the Transportation Safety Equipment Institute, marking the first time that a second-generation owner had held that role. After two separate terms with TSEI, the reins passed to his daughter, making the Peterson clan the first in the organization’s history to be led by three generations of a single family. PHILANTHROPIC PLATFORM: Though it’s not open to the general public, the Armacost Museum is a venue for charitable fund-raising events. In this unique setting, attendees can view an array of vintage automobiles in that collection.

COLLEGE: B.A., Harvard University; MBA (with distinction), Harvard Business School CHECKING IN: Before arriving at AMC’s world headquarters in Leawood, Aron served as CEO for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. WELL-ROUNDED: He flashed his entrepreneurial skills by founding World Leisure Partners, a con sulting firm he founded to advise clients hailing from travel, tourism, high-end real estate develop ment, and professional sports venues. He has also held leadership roles with companies that had holdings in ski resorts, cruise lines, and general aviation. CRASHING THE BOARDS: His ties to the 76ers go beyond ownership; Aron served as CEO from 2011 to 2013. Away from the office, he holds board seats with the team and with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

Jeff Auslander PRESIDENT/CEO, DYNAMIC LOGISTIX

Mario Azar ENERGY & PROCESS PRESIDENT, BLACK & VEATCH

It’s no secret that supply chains are in need of help. The good news is, Jeff Auslander’s team is on handwith the technology they need to keep things moving. He looks back happily at “experiencing more than a doubling of growth coming out of the pandemic, which led to our new state-of the-art facility and 100 percent retention of all of our clientele during that time. The new building was earned off the backs of our leadership team that led Dynamic Logistix staff and partners to new levels,” he said.

When Mario Azar came aboard at Black & Veatch in 2018, the company was getting more than a power-sector pro with a global perspective: It was getting a future chief executive. Azar is the CEO-designate upon the looming retirement of Steve Edwards atop the $3 billion engineering, design, and construction firm. He’ll lead a small army of 10,000 employees as just the eighth president in the 107-year history of the firm based in Overland Park.

COLLEGE: B.S., Journalism, University of Kansas; MBA, Baker University ON TALENT: “We hired an advertising firm at the start of 2022 to truly attack the market for both clientele and employment branding and recruiting. It’s next-level stuff with people who have pro duced successful ad campaigns for Fortune 1000 companies and major league sports, as well. Our advertising and website are already on display to show us off and create attractive credibility that this is the best place to work in KC.” COVID PERSPECTIVE: “It showed our resolve and toughness that led to creativity and organiza tional improvements. Those improvements have launched us from an up-and-comer environment to a company that is a big-time and long-term powerhouse. We won’t stop, either. That experience changed us for the better and made us even hungrier, now that we know the engine is running better than ever thanks to it.”

COLLEGE: B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of North Carolina-Charlotte POWER PLAYER: The Energy & Process Industries business sector he oversees for B&V provides infrastructure services for companies in the power, oil, gas, and mining sectors, among others. BEFORE B&V: Azar founded a private consultancy to global energy companies, ALP Citadel Business: Management Consulting & Services. That followed a 25-year run with stops at West inghouse Electric and Siemens, where he rose to chief executive over its oil and gas and marine solutions division. OUTSIDE THE OFFICE: Azar sits on the board of directors for the U.S. Energy Association and has previous board service for the Solar Energy Industries Association. SUMMING UP : “At the end of the day,” he writes, “I pride myself in balancing my roles as an involved father, active leader in my community, and an effective global business leader.”

David Ball CHAIRMAN/PRESIDENT/CEO, BALL’S FOOD STORES

Marion Battaglia PRESIDENT, SOAVE AUTOMOTIVE GROUP

Over the course of his career and leadership with one of the re gion’s biggest grocery chains, if David Ball wasn’t in his office, it’s a good bet you’d find him in the aisles of one of the company’s Hen House, Price Chopper, or Sun Fresh stores. He’s a third-generation leader in a family business that has grown to cover nearly 30 retail locations, along with ownership of Tippin’s Gourmet Pies.

Marion Battaglia is a guy who gets around—in style. As pres ident of the parent of Aristocrat Motors, Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City, BMW of Topeka, and VW of Topeka, Battaglia is perhaps the most prominent face in luxury vehicle sales in this region. The key to his successful leadership? Giving his people the freedom and knowledge required to serve customer needs on the spot, without needing constant approval from management.

COLLEGE: B.A., Personnel Administration, University of Kansas CHARITABLE CHAMPION: The Ball family has been instrumental in both the founding and fund ing of KVC Health Systems, which each year helps 60,000 children and their families by providing services in behavioral health care and youth substance-abuse treatment. FAMILY VALUES: Ball credits his parents—he says his mother was the CEO of the family, and his father was CEO of the company—for teaching him to do every job the best he can. They were also the source of his passion for serving others and giving back to the communities where the company operates. SPACE CADETS: The family was instrumental in fund-raising for KVC’s Ball Event Center, a multi purpose venue with seating for up to 350, specializing in weddings, special events, corporate events, and business meetings.

OTHER DUTIES: He also sits on the board of the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Kansas City and oversees dealership participation in multiple charities. BEFORE SOAVE: Battaglia spent nearly 14 years burnishing his luxury-car sales credentials with Baron BMW. FAN FAVORITE: Aristocrat Motors is a perennial Gold Medal winner in Ingram’s Best of Business Kansas City awards’ Best Foreign Auto Dealership category.

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I n g r a m ’ s

September 2022

Ingrams.com