Ingram’s September 2022

Jeff Laurendeau REGIONAL MANAGER, AMAZON

Mark Larrabee MARKET PRESIDENT, ARVEST BANK

Back during his active-duty service, Jeff Laurendeau oversaw an armour company of roughly 30 personnel. He’s overseeing a heck of a lot more troops today on the firing line of Amazon, the online re tailer that has fallen in love with the Kansas City area as a center of distribution excellence. Laurendeau’s charges now surpass 5,000, operating out of multiple massive distribution facilities, mainly on the Kansas side.

It’s been said that the pandemic produced clear winners and losers in business. Chalk Mark Larrabee’s team up with a “W.” “Our team has continued to focus on meeting customers’ needs, and we have successfully grown our business 50 percent during the pandemic to $1.5 billion in total assets in Kansas City.” He runs local opera tions for the biggest and oldest bank in Arkansas, owned primarily by survivors of Walmart founder Sam Walton. COLLEGE: B.S./B.A., Finance, University of Kansas; MBA, Finance, Trulaske College of Business, University of Missouri RECESSION OUTLOOK: “The Fed’s goal is to slow the economy by raising interest rates. Monetary policy tends to be a blunt-force instrument, so I think it is highly likely that we will have a recession in the next 12 months. How severe it might be remains to be seen.” CHALLENGES AHEAD: “Talent acquisition remains very challenging, particularly for entry-level positions. Rising interest rates help our net interest margins but adversely impact other parts of our business.” KC’S NEXT BIG THING: “I think we’re on the cusp of seeing significant investment and rejuvenation on the City’s east side. There is already momentum, but the challenge is how to do that in a way that lifts all boats in the rising tide.”

COLLEGE: B.A., Criminal Justice, Norwich University COMBAT VETERAN: Before joining Amazon in 2010, Laurendeau spent four years as an active-duty Army officer, then nearly three more in the Reserves. He was stationed in Iraq, and as a scout platoon leader there, he planned and executed more than 100 combat missions in the most dangerous parts of Baghdad. LOGISTICS LESSONS: In addition to leading troops, Laurendeau was responsible for $10 million worth of equipment in a combat environment, training that plays directly into a civilian logistics career. BEFORE KC: Laurendeau’s tour of duties in online retail distribution has included billets at facilities in Middletown, Del., and Windsor, Conn.

Sandra Lawrence INDEPENDENT/CORPORATE DIRECTOR

Carlos Ledezma OWNER, CABLE DAHMER AUTOMOTIVE GROUP

Sandra Lawrence is a veteran of C-suite offices now sharing her expertise on the director level, and she’s glad to see companies recognizing the value in a wide range of people. “The publicly-traded companies of the boards on which I serve have paid close attention to strengthening their cultural foundations, showing appreciation for the people who make success possible,” Lawrence said. “We are being deliberate about recruiting ethnically diverse candidates through non-traditional sources, like the Executive Leadership Council and NACD.”

Only one person can lay claim to owning Kansas City’s biggest minori ty-owned company, and that person is Carlos Ledezma. But trust us, this native Texan earned that distinction every step of the way since arriving in Kansas City nearly 30 years ago and starting his career on the sales floor for new and used cars. He needed just two years there before joining the ownership of the Cable Dahmer enterprise and has built it into a market-leading presence with eight area dealerships.

STILL GROWING I: Early this year, the group added an eighth location, breaking into a new market with the acquisition of Ed Bozarth of Topeka. That added another horse to his stable of dealerships selling Buick/GMC, Cadillac, Chevrolet, as well as Kia. Cable Dahmer Auto Direct, in Independence, is its used car outlet. STILL GROWING II: Ledezma’s team, like most every car dealer in the country, has felt the sting of supply-chain construction since the pandemic hit. Nonetheless, sales are up more than 30 percent since the final year before COVID hit, reaching $736 million in 2021, earning Cable Dahmer a spot on the Ingram’s 100. AUTOMOTIVE FAMILY: Ledezma’s daughter, Amanda, is the general manager of Cable-Dahmer Chevrolet. His sister, Sylvia Ledezma Flores, is head of human resources for the company.

COLLEGE: B.A., Psychology Statistics, Vassar College; M.A., Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MBA, Real Estate/Finance, Harvard University DEFENSIVE POSTURE: “It’s so important to create and maintain options in both your professional and personal activities. To do that, build liquidity, fully assess all products, and be prepared to flex as market conditions change. Times of stress sometimes produce our best opportunities.” BOARD BARONESS: Lawrence graces boards for publicly traded companies (Evergy, Brixmor Proper ty Group, Delaware/Macquarie, and Sera Prognostics, privately held Recology, the national non-profit NACD, and two very big local non-profits, the Hall Family Foundation and the Nelson-Atkins. NEXT BIG THING: “The easy answer is a downtown baseball stadium, but I think we need to continue to press forward in equal opportunities and support for all members in our diverse community.”

Brian Leitner MANAGING DIRECTOR, MARINER WEALTH ADVISORS Retaining clients and associates alike was a key success metric for Brian Leitner and Mariner this past year. “We know both our clients and associates have other options and vote with their feet,” he says. “As a leadership team, we need to earn their loyalty every day.” He oversees Mariner invest ment platforms managing $55.8 billion in 95,000 client ac counts.

Matt Linski KC MARKET PRESIDENT, BANK OF AMERICA

According to Matt Linski, “We improved routines and communication to become more efficient with time and resources” over the past year. And he looks back at the arrival of COVID as an important time of learning. “Yes, it has had an impact on everything, but there are silver linings. We are more aware as a company culture that teammates can work from anywhere, and we trust in technology and each other more than we did—and we already trusted our teammates a lot.”

CHALLENGES AHEAD: “Talent acquisition … We are seeing a great deal of demand for the services we are offering, and finding the right talent is not easy. There’s a shortage of talent across our industry, and according to the data, about one-third of advisers plan on retiring over the next 10 years.” RETAINING TALENT: “Our associates have been an incredible resource in attracting talent. Great people know great people, and we encourage and incentivize our people to speak with others they know and share their experience. We also reward and celebrate associates who demonstrate and live our values. ...We partner with firms that invest in their associates and share our cultural values, and it has been a wonderful way to find talent. Finally, we have a significant number of internal recruiters who do a phenomenal job of sourcing incredible people.” KC’S NEXT BIG THING?: “It would be great to host the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four. The last time we did was in 1988. An event like this would be fantastic in so many ways for our city.”

COLLEGE: B.A., Accounting & Finance, Missouri State, Missouri RECESSION CHANCES: “Early 2023, we will see it play out, even though we are in a technical one now. We will ensure our team is prepared to help our customers—we will educate teammates, review portfolios, and ensure we have the staffing to support KC customers.” CHALLENGES AHEAD: “Falling consumer confidence.” KC’S NEXT BIG THING: “With KCI’s Streetcar expansion and the slew of new companies growing and hiring in KC, big ideas will drive major KC-brand awareness.” CHIEFS POSITION: “9-7, because it is hard to win 10-plus games in the NFL.” EARLY RISER: Just 15 years after his first job as a banking intern, Linski became president of the Kansas City market, a big reason he was recognized as a member of Ingram’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2021.

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September 2022

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