Ingram’s September 2022

Melinda Estes PRESIDENT/CEO, SAINT LUKE’S HEALTH SYSTEM

Warren Erdman EXEC. VP, ADMIN. & CORPORATE AFFAIRS, KC SOUTHERN No getting around it: Big Business and Big Government are inextri cably linked. So it’s just good business—and defense of sharehold er interests—to have someone who can decipher public policy at all levels. For Kansas City Southern Railway, soon to be Canadian Pacific Kansas City, that someone has long been Warren Erdman. The final phase of a distinguished career has been helping the two rail systems navigate regulatory challenges to last year’s merger.

Melinda Estes has led a health system with more than 12,000 em ployees across its hospitals, clinics, and urgent-care centers for a decade, helping define high-level health care in the Kansas City market. “The mission is first and foremost to care, and that mission always starts with the patient,” Estes says. “Looking back, I’m proud that I’ve really lived and worked through that credo in every leader ship position I’ve held.”

COLLEGE: B.A., Westminster College MAKING CONNECTIONS: Erdman served as chief of staff to Kit Bond during the latter’s tenure in the U.S. Senate and likewise was a member of Gov. John Ashcroft’s staff. BIG JOB: His duties for the railroad have included supervision of the rail system’s legal operations, claims, and railroad security. That put him at the forefront in dealing with regulatory affairs, government relations, and communications and focusing on the long-term infrastructure needs of the railroad and the communities it serves. CIVIC CHAMP: Among his many civic involvements, he’s been a member of the University of Missou ri-Kansas City board of trustees and a vice chairman of the Westminster College Board of Trustees. CAREER ADVICE: “Be a good and respectful listener, and seek to understand what others are saying and why to inform you in your own views and efforts.”

COLLEGE: B.S., Sam Houston University; M.D., University of Texas Medical Branch; M.B.A., Case Western Reserve University HAPPY ENDINGS: “As a longtime bassoonist, I began my college as a music major at Sam Houston State University. But it wasn’t long before I understood the real formula for success as a musician—and it really wasn’t fair. Music is 90 percent hard work and 10 percent talent. You can work and work, but if you don’t have the full measure of talent, it’s going to be a long, hard road. That realization, fortunately enough, sent me into biology, medicine, and health-care administration. I think it was the best outcome.” HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF: “Courageous. The word comes from the Latin root “ cor ,” which means heart. I try to live and work with courage and heart.” ACCOLADES: She’s on numerous awards, including Modern Healthcare’s recognition as being among its “50 Most Influential Clinical Executives.”

David Feinberg CHAIRMAN, ORACLE CERNER

Bill Ferguson PRESIDENT/CEO, CENTRAL BANK OF THE MIDWEST Bill Ferguson’s extensive retail banking experience reads like a Who’s Who in banking, and it made him stand out when Central Bank, named as one of Forbes “Best Banks in America” every year since 2009, conducted a regional search for a Chief Operating Officer in 2016. That role was short-lived, as Ferguson was heir apparent and being groomed for his current position, which he transitioned into a year after joining Central Bank.

David Feinberg is certainly a man of action. It took Cerner’s three founders and successors more than 15,300 days to build a visionary startup into Kansas City’s largest private-sector employer. Feinberg, who became its CEO last Oct. 1, needed just 81 days to orchestrate its sale to Texas-based Oracle Corp. for a reported $28.3 billion. The new owners reaffirmed a corporate commitment to Kansas City and put Feinberg in charge of a rebranded division, Oracle Health.

B.S., Univ. of California-Berkley; M.D., Univ. of Health Sciences/Chicago Med; MBA, Pepperdine Univ. LINCHPIN: Industry analysts say Feinberg, an M.D., will play a key role in determining whether Oracle founder Larry Ellison made the right move by expanding into the health-care space. Feinberg understands population health and informatics with UCLA Health and, before Cerner, Google Health. THE ORACLE MISSION: Oracle Health offers the most secure and reliable health care solutions, which connect clinical, operational, and financial data to improve care and advance decision-making around health and well-being, creating human-centric health experiences. SOUTH CAMPUS STATUS: Oracle has not formally announced whether it will pull the plug on what had been billed as the largest development project in Missouri history, the proposed $4.45 billion Innovations Campus near Bannister Road. Four of the 16 buildings originally envisioned have been completed, but even that space is under-utilized in the wake of pandemic-era remote work.

COLLEGE: B.S., Finance, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Executive MBA, Entrepreneurship and Finance, UMKC ABOUT CENTRAL: A division of Jefferson City-based Central Bancorp., it has 32 locations and $1.7 billion in assets. It’s the fifth-largest bank based in the Kansas City area by assets and tied for seventh-biggest by market share of deposits at 2.14 percent. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Central Bank won the J.D. Powers Best Bank Award for the Lower Midwest Region, including Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. RECESSION OUTLOOK: “Likely as we move into next year.” DEFENSIVE POSTURE: “Taking care of our team, so we are here to care for our customers and help them navigate the likely downturn.” CHIEFS PREDICTION: “11-6 with a slow start due to our re-calibrating.”

Jim Ferrell PRESIDENT/CEO, FERRELLGAS

Spencer Fields KC OFFICE LEADER, WILLIS TOWERS WATSON

The undisputed dean of Kansas City business leadership is Jim Fer rell, who has been with Ferrellgas—almost exclusively in the lead ership role—since before many of his Ingram’s 250 peers were even born. He joined his father’s flagging propane-services company in 1965, built it into one of the nation’s biggest propane retailers, re tired after about 40 years, then came back to right the ship in 2016 after a series of decisions that jeopardized the company’s future.

Spencer Fields heads up the Kansas City operation for a multinational insurance advisory company. He has quite a story to tell about the past year. “The Kansas City office of Willis Towers Watson faced a significant challenge this past year after a failed M&A transaction with another large competitor,” Fields recalls. “Our office had to step back, recommit to each other and, most importantly, our clients. While we did lose some colleagues, overall, we united and renewed our commitment to WTW, our clients, and the marketplace.”

COLLEGE: B.A., Business, University of Kansas COMEBACK 1: After serving as an Army infantry officer, he intended to return to the KC area to stabilize his father’s operation with the goal of helping manage a recovery. He found his career calling. COMEBACK 2: Ferrell stepped aside for nearly a decade before returning in 2016, managing a recov ery after several ill-advised attempts at diversification. After restoring a focus on its primary propane services and Blue Rhino exchange system, he led a corporate restructuring in 2020. The improved balance sheet from that, he said, “gives us a chance for a very long life.” LOOKING BACK: “We drove a hard bargain for our employees because we believed the company was worth saving,” Ferrell said in a commentary for LPGas magazine. “Now we have gotten what we fought so hard for” on behalf of 4,500 workers nationwide and 350 in Kansas City. SERVICE: Ferrell is a past president of the World LP Gas Assn and chaired the Propane Vehicle Council.

COLLEGE: B.S. General management/accounting, Accounting and Business/Management, Purdue Univ. ON MANAGING TALENT: “We focus on embracing colleagues to bring their whole self to work; thus, we have been recognized globally for our inclusion and diversity programs and support. In addition, we better understand and allow for flexibility in our work locations, working from home, and our flexibility regarding workday hours. This allows us to be an employer of choice for many employees. Providing a safe, engaging, and respectful workplace has gone a long way in attracting and retaining talent.” COVID PERSPECTIVE: “We aggressively invested in technology, employee and family support, and flexibility. As a professional services firm, we were able to quickly implement the needed protocols and support working from home that other organizations could not do, as we were able to continue to serve our clients without having to go into an office or factory location.”

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I n g r a m ’ s

September 2022

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