Ingram’s September 2022

Abe Cole COO, FORIVS

Scott Colangelo MANAGING PARTNER, PRIME CAPITAL INVESTMENT ADVISERS

Like a Phoenix rising, FORIVS was built on the legacies of BKD and DHG. Last year’s merger, though, doesn’t change commitment to value and service for Abe Cole, who started with BKD in 1996. He became a managing partner in 2014 and this year moved up the pro verbial ladder to assume the helm of COO. His longevity and upward mobility help instill confidence in their clients. Knowing all that KC and FORVIS have to offer will keep him in the region for years to come.

In 2017, Scott Colangelo became CEO of a new wealth-manage ment brand, PCIA, as one of the senior partners who bought the firm they were working for from its founder. Then he and his team put a spark to the growth fuse: From $4 billion in assets under management at acquisition, it now stands at $17.3 billion AUM, serving more than 12,000 client accounts.

COLLEGE: B.S., Finance (minor in marketing), Kansas State University. He also holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 66 registrations OTHER DUTIES: In addition to managing partner Colangelo is chairman of PCIA, and founder of Qualified Plan Advisors, focused specifically on retirement planning needs. A NICHE IS BORN: As Colangelo tells it, a client who owned a company with a retirement plan came to see him for guidance, so Colangelo asked to speak with employees to learn about their retirement goals. The owner’s response: “Why do you need to meet with them? No one has ever done that before.” Bingo. QPA was formed to address those needs. A FAMILY CONSTRUCT: “The concept of work-life balance, unfortunately, doesn’t happen often enough in our business. But our team approach provides a support system that allows us time to be with our families.”

COLLEGE: B.S., Accounting, Missouri State University BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: “We were able to complete a massive merger of equals between BKD and DHG, effective June 1, 2022. This merger was one the largest in the history of the public accounting profession. The combination of our two great firms created FORVIS, which is now the eighth-largest public accounting firm in the country.” RECESSION OUTLOOK: “Though a recession is somewhat likely, I don’t believe there will be a deep recession. I think it will be more like 2000-2001, when we had a slight dip. The labor market remains very competitive, and I believe it will be that way for a while.” POSTURE: “Focus on our core metrics, including maintaining strong levels of working capital.” BIGGEST CHALLENGE: “Talent acquisition continues to be very competitive in this current labor market. We are very focused on providing a flexible work environment.

Dave Colo PRESIDENT/CEO, MGP INGREDIENTS

Matt Condon CEO, BARDAVON HEALTH INNOVATIONS

Few topics in business are hotter today than supply-chain man agement. Few executives are as well-prepared to discuss the root causes of supply-chain disruption—and the needed solutions—as Dave Colo, who took on the leadership at MGP Ingredients just as the pandemic hit in March 2020. He led MGP’s pivot into the pro duction of desperately needed sanitizing solutions, and revenues jumped an impressive 58 percent the following year.

Before founding ARC Physical Therapy+, then Bardavon Health Innova- tions, Matt Condon got his first lessons in business on the farmwhere he grew up. “It didn’t just teach me about hard work—getting up early, working into the night, and getting my hands dirty,” he says. “It also taught me about entrepreneurship and small business. I didn’t just learn about the pressures of owning your own business—I lived them. My mom and dad taught me about work ethic, risk, faith, and love.”

COLLEGE: B.S., Agribusiness Economics, Southern Illinois University LEARNING THE BUSINESS: Colo, who already had more than two decades of leadership in general management and manufacturing operations, had a five-year head start on understanding the fun damentals of MGP’s operations as a member of its board of directors since 2015. He took the reins after Gus Griffin retired as CEO. BEFORE MGP: Colo previously was President and CEO of the Canadian firm SunOpta, following a stretch with San Francisco’s Diamond Foods as chief operating officer, where he earlier had been executive vice president of global operations and supply chain. His resume also includes leadership roles at ConAgra Foods. THOUGHT LEADER: Colo put that expertise to work for three years as an independent industry consultant, focusing on organizational optimization and planning.

COLLEGE: B.S., Kinesiology, Iowa State University; JD/MBA, University of Toledo GAME-CHANGER: Condon has an established track record as an innovator in health care services. He launched ARC in 2003, sold a majority interest in a $36 million deal a decade later, then created Bardavon to help companies make data-driven decisions for improving workforce wellness. A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: Fly fishing has long been one of Condon’s passions. “There is some thing magical about really learning about the setting (fresh water vs. salt water; stream vs. ocean, etc.), the rhythm of the casting, and the excitement of the strike. Unfortunately, the strikes don’t come as often as I would like.” MISSED OPP?: “I’ve always dreamed of being an ESPN College Game day announcer. Sometimes I think I missed my calling! I’ve always loved college football, the strategies of growing a program, the culture of college towns, and the excitement of the game day experience.”

Jon Cook GLOBAL CEO, VMLY&R

Jon Copaken PRINCIPAL, COPAKEN BROOKS

Hands down, the best part of Jon Cook’s job, he says, is “being excited every morning about what I get to do for a living. In my wildest dreams, I could have never imagined that after joining VML in the mid-90s as employee No. 30 or something … I would have the opportunity to help lead a global marketing enterprise with nearly 13,000 employees in nearly 45 countries—all from right here in Kansas City.”

For 100 years, the firm that is now Copaken Brooks, with Jon Copa ken sharing the leadership load, has developed some of Downtown Kansas City’s most iconic centers of commerce. That work contin ues unabated, but a the same time, the firm is remaking the face of Lenexa in the Kansas suburbs, with projects totaling hundreds of millions in value at Lenexa City Center.

COLLEGE: B.A., American History, University of Pennsylvania; MBA, University of Michigan UTILITY PLAYER: Copaken brings a history of achievement in multiple aspects of development, from major tenant office and retail leasing to financing, land acquisition, zoning, and construction. LEADERSHIP TRIO: Along with his brother, Keith, and their partner, Bucky Brooks, Copaken leads in strategic planning initiatives, with a particular emphasis on public and private partnerships like their crown jewel in Lenexa. HONORS: Copaken earned a spot in the Midwest Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame for a career primarily focused on Downtown Kansas City’s future and the urban core. ABOUT THE FIRM: A full-service commercial real estate firm, it deals with investment acquisition and sales, tenant representation and headquarters relocations, condominium building and property management, leasing in office, retail, medical, industrial and underground, and construction man agement.

COLLEGE: B.A., Journalism, University of Missouri KEY MENTOR: “My father, Clayton Cook. Dad was a Presbyterian minister, and I remember asking him if coming up with a weekly Sunday sermon was the hardest part of his job. His answer surprised me. He said everything else about the job—providing religious guidance … visiting parishioners in the hospital … helping people with life issues—was the most challenging. Writing and delivering the weekly sermon was fun and made everything else worthwhile. I think about that as I tackle my role. It’s the in-between stuff that really matters—for our people and our client partners.” IF YOU COULD LIVE INANOTHER TIME: “100 years from now. Having experienced so many techno logical and cultural advancements in my lifetime, I’m incredibly hopeful the world will be a more connected, peaceful, and bountiful place for all of humanity.” HOWYOU’D DESCRIBE YOURSELF: “Passionate.”

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I n g r a m ’ s

September 2022

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