Ingram’s September 2022

Carlos Holwell CLAYCOMO PLANT MANAGER, FORD MOTOR CO.

Jason Hooper PRESIDENT/CEO, KVC HEALTH SYSTEMS

In Carlos Holwell, you might not find a better example of how the manufacturing sector has evolved from its blue-collar roots. Among the skills he brings to work for one of the region’s biggest private employers are Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, ISO 14001, DMAIC, and Value Stream Mapping. He uses those tools and more to oversee one of Ford’s crown jewel assembly plants, which produces the iconic F-150 pickup truck and the Transit van.

A global pandemic’s lingering effects include uncountable mental health costs, placing even greater demand on Jason Hooper and his team at KVC Health Systems. The need for behavioral health care and child -welfare services remains as strong as ever, a chal lenge even for an organization with $150 million in annual revenues. It’s the region’s second-largest non-profit organization, with more than 1,600 employees and 35 locations in five states.

COLLEGE: B.B.A., University of Central Missouri BACK IN TOWN: Holwell made his way here at the start of the year, coming in from Ford’s plant in Lousiville, which he also managed. But the Claycomo operation isn’t new to him: He started there in 1994 and worked as a production supervisor, manpower planning manager, quality manager, and assistant plant manager until Ford sent him to Kentucky in 2018. ABOUT THE PLANT: More than 7,000 people work at the massive plant north of the Missouri River, making Ford one of the Top Five private employers in the metro area. GETTING BIGGER: In June, the company announced that as part of a nationwide build-up, it would add 1,100 more union jobs at Claycomo, part of a $3.7 billion investment that also includes plant upgrades in Michigan and Ohio.

COLLEGE: B.A., Baker University; M.S.W., University of Kansas FINDING TALENT: “Talent acquisition and retention has always been our greatest challenge as well as our greatest opportunity. Our people, their core values and expertise, and how they form meaningful connections with the children and families we serve are at the heart of KVC. Having smart, compas sionate, empowered employees is how we create value and make a positive difference in people’s lives.” HIRING EDGE: “We lead with our mission and purpose; offer flexibility; support employee en gagement; prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; offer attractive compensation and benefits; and much more though it’s our employee engagement work that has really been a key differentiator. Our team’s employee engagement has risen by 19 percent over the last three years. This means people are getting their needs met at work, are psychologically committed to our mission, and contribute their best work. We are so thankful for our KVC team members.”

Sam Huenergardt CEO, ADVENTHEALTH MID-AMERICA REGION

Clark Hunt CHAIRMAN & CEO, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Sam Huenergardt’s leadership touches more than 20,000 peo ple every year in hospital admissions alone, and more than 3,200 others working for him at AdventHealth. The main medi cal center in Merriam is the centerpiece of the regional health care system that also has more than 170,000 outpatient cases a year and generates $3.2 billion a year in revenues.

Can his team make it five straight? Clark Hunt has set the stan dard for NFL team achievement with four straight AFC champion ship game home-field appearances. Now, he’s looking to build on that success and see the team back in the Super Bowl after seeing a two-year streak broken in early 2022. With two appearances in the title game, he’s matched his legendary father, team founder Lamar Hunt, in both frequency and outcome: They both stand 1-1.

COLLEGE: B.B.A., Accounting and Finance, Union College; MBA, Baker University BUSY YEAR: In July, AdventHealth Shawnee Mission announced that it would soon begin work on a new 71,000-square-foot cancer center. The new building will be entirely dedicated to cancer care, helping accommodate the anticipated need for more than twice as many patients to be served by 2030. OTHER EXPANSIONS : He previously oversaw a 100,000 square-foot expansion on the hospital’s main campus, and within the past year has advanced plans for a new wellness campus at Lenexa City Center and an expansion at the hospital in Ottawa. DUAL ROLES: Huenergardt came to the Kansas City area in May 2018 after serving as president and CEO of Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Colo. In addition to his duties here, he’s tasked with the direction of Chippewa Valley Hospital in Durand, Wisconsin.

COLLEGE: B.A., Business Administration/Finance, Southern Methodist University STRONG START: Hunt graduated first in his class at SMU, where he was a four-year letterman for the Mustangs’ nationally ranked soccer team. POWER PLAYER: His peers among NFL team owners have recognized Hunt’s leadership by naming him chairman of their Finance Committee, and he serves or has served on the league’s International committee, the Management Council’s executive committee, the Personal Conduct committee, and the chairmen’s committee. NOT JUST FOOTBALL: Early in his career, he helped his father establish Major League Soccer in 1996. He also serves as the co-chairman of the MLS Product Strategy Committee and sits on the league’s Labor Committee.

Marco Ilardi MANAGING PARTNER, V2 VENTURES

Joe Jeffries PRESIDENT/CEO, WESTLAKE ACE HARDWARE

Marco Ilardi is focused on not being hasty in the face of shift ing economic winds. “We try to remind ourselves about the long-term benefits of adjustments in value for sustainable assets and great companies that we can partner with to grow together,” he said. “Without a longer-term view, it is easy to make poor decisions and miss out on opportunities during an economic downturn.”

Joe Jeffries is at the helm of a company founded in 1905 and to day is the largest Ace Hardware dealer in America, operating more than 150 neighborhood stores throughout the country. That number has grown throughout Jeffries’ leadership, based on a strategy of strategic acquisitions of properties that benefit from scale in the competition against big-box home improvement stores. On his watch, the store count has increased by 25 percent.

COLLEGE: B.S., Truman State University EARLY RISER: Ilardi was a 2011 selection for Ingram’s 40 Under Forty, spotlighting rising young executive talent in the Kansas City region. FOSTERING SUCCESS: V2 has been behind nearly a dozen companies that have either been acquired or merged into larger entities. One of those investments, Amply Media, soared to the top of Ingram’s Corporate Report 100 list of fastest-growing regional companies in 2020. LOCAL SUPPORT: V2 is squarely behind ReachMobi and Pushly, both based in Kansas City. COMING TO KC: Ilardi joined V2 forerunner Adknowledge in November 2011 after a successful run in digital media, including a stint with the firm that launched MySpace.

EXECUTIVE PATH: Jeffries first arrived at Westlake in 2014 with a strong retail resume in hand. After serving as COO for four years, he assumed control and has led the company’s growth of better than 87 percent since then, surpassing $617 million in 2021. NOTEWORTHY: Westlake Hardware is the biggest Ace Hardware dealer in America. Nearly 3,500 people in 12 states work for the Lenexa-based company, about 650 of them in the Kansas City area. INVENTORY APLENTY: The company provides in-store and online access to more than 70,000 products, many aimed at the do-it-yourselfer market. THE ROAD TO LENEXA: : Before jumping into hardware, Jeffries was an executive at Office Depot, then worked in the world of retail arts and crafts. In 2012, he launched a private venture-capital company called Antiques Village.

62

I n g r a m ’ s

September 2022

Ingrams.com