Ingram’s September 2022

Kathy Nelson PRESIDENT/CEO, KC SPORTS COMMISSION & FOUNDATION The FIFA World Cup is coming City in 2026. “Not only the most significant achievement for us this year,” says Kathy Nelson, “but one of the most notable victories in the Kansas City Sports Commission’s history. The multi-year bid process was among the most complicated and time-intensive projects we’ve ever undertaken.” As for the 2023 NFL Draft? “It will be the largest event our city has ever hosted,” Nelson said.

Tim Murphy EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, MURPHY-HOFFMAN CO.

From the Utah border to suburban Philadelphia, and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf, Murphy-Hoffman has much of America covered with the muscular machines of commerce: the tractors that pull trailers of freight, sleeper tractors, cab/chassis combos, and now, even elec tric versions as Tim Murphy and the team continue to modernize and diversify its offerings. Dealing primarily in new Kenworth and Volvo trucks, MHC also offers used-truck sales, service, parts, and leasing.

COLLEGE: B.A., Business Administration, Spring Hill College LONG-TIME LEADERSHIP: From 1989 to 2017, Murphy served as chief executive officer at MCH before taking the executive chairman’s duties, and overall has more than four decades of experi ence in the trucking industry. OUTSIDE DUTIES: Murphy was appointed to the Economic Advisory Council of the Federal Re serve Bank of Kansas City in January 2021 and is also on the board of directors for UMB Bank. INDUSTRY PROPS: He has served on numerous supplier councils to the heavy-duty industry, and the company has been a frequent winner of Kenworth’s North American Dealer of the Year Award. SMALL START: From a three-man operation that started as Ozark Kenworth in 1975, the company has grown to serve 50,000 customers through more than 125 location in 19 states.

COLLEGE: Truman State University CHALLENGES AHEAD: “As organizations that produce our own events, like the Garmin Kansas City Marathon and Kansas City Triathlon, as well as attract conventions as visitors, inflation is an immediate concern since it impacts both business and discretionary spend ing. And with COVID-19 restrictions easing, there is increased competitions for market share when it comes to personal and business travel, sports tourism, and endurance events. MORE ON THE DRAFT: It will be the largest event our city has ever hosted, with an un precedented economic impact. Not only will thousands of fans come here from all over the country, but tens of millions of people will see Kansas City via the broadcast coverage.”

Rex Newcomer CEO, D.H. PACE CO.

Jesper Nordengaard PRESIDENT, HILL’S PET NUTRITION

D.H. Pace has been “opening doors” for customers since 1926. Over the past year, Rex Newcomer has been impressed by seeing his team “adjusting to an uncertain operating environment.” And adjust they cer tainly did, bringing in $35 million more in 2021 than 2020 and com pleting a record number of backlogs. The company ended 2021 with 2,899 employees and announced in April that Total Quality Service of Southern Florida is now part of the D.H. Pace family of companies.

Jesper Nordengaard had a big job on his to-do list soon after stepping into the leadership of one of Topeka’s biggest compa nies, Hill’s Pet Nutrition. He helped break ground for last year’s grand opening of a new $20 million, 25,000-square-foot nutrition facility. The new operation focused on small dogs, added even more depth to the service lines available in the region’s Animal Health Corridor.

COLLEGE: The University of Kansas RECESSION OUTLOOK: “Best case is a short, shallow recession with a lower probability for a deeper recession along with uncomfortably high inflation, driven by further disruptions in trade flows of energy, food, raw materials, high-tech components, and financing.” CHALLENGES AHEAD: “Talent acquisition and retention is always job one.” KC’S NEXT BIG THING: “A downtown stadium. Building a strong niche in the EV and green energy chain.” CHIEFS PREDICTION: “Toughest schedule in football. My heart says 12-5, my head says 10-7.” ABOUT D.H. PACE: The family-owned enterprise isn’t far from its centennial; it has been pro viding doors and door-related products and services to commercial businesses and residential customers since 1926

COLLEGE: B.A., Marketing, Copenhagen Business School ABOUT HILL’S: The company is a $2.7-billion private division of global consumer-goods conglom erate Colgate-Palmolive. CHANGING CONSUMERS: As American consumers have opted for smaller dogs in recent decades, the task for Hill’s and other pet food has changed—animals with small stomachs do more grazing throughout the day, whereas the big dogs eat just once or twice. That meant reformulation and resizing of the company’s feed lines. THE HILL’S STORY: The company was founded more than 75 years ago when a veterinarian named Mark Morris designed a dinner product to treat the kidney infection in a dog that belonged to a traveling salesman. It worked, it caught on, and the rest is history.

Mike Norsworthy PRESIDENT, KELLAN RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT Mike Norsworthy and his team stood tall during the worst part of the global pandemic, a time when restaurants by the thou sands were going under after government-imposed reductions in customer volumes. At Kellan Restaurant Management, with locations popularly known as 54th Street Grill, he led the team through a defensive posture that limited losses and set the stage for better than 37 percent growth in 2021.

Gayle Packer PRESIDENT/CEO, TERRACON

Those of you in the betting pool for Kansas City’s next compa ny to top $1 billion in revenue would be well-advised to keep an eye on Gayle Packer’s team at Terracon, which burst through the $908 million mark last year on the strength of an 11 percent year-over-year gain. That kind of performance has been the norm at the environmental engineering giant since she moved into the leadership ranks.

QUICK PIVOT: Norsworthy’s team responded quickly during the pandemic, swiftly shifting to a to-go and delivery model where those sales increased fivefold. NOW HIRING: The hospitality industry suffered a crippling body blow starting in early 2020, and Norsworthy had to pare staff. But with restrictions easing, the company continues to advertise for help in the face of a fairly tight labor market for that kind of work. About one-fourth of its 2000 employees are based in the Kansas City area. ABOUT KRM: The customer-facing brand is 54th Street Grill, with 31 casual, neighborhood-style bar and grill settings in eight area locations, plus six more in St. Louis and 17 in the San Antonio and Dallas metro areas in Texas. It recently opened a site in Austin and will cut the ribbon on another San Antonio location in 2023. FAMILY TIES: Norsworthy took the leadership reins from founder Tom Norsworthy, who founded the chain.

COLLEGE: B.A., Political Science, B.S., International Studies, M.S., Agricultural Economics, Ohio State University; J.D., University of Minnesota Law School; LLM, Agricultural Law, University of Arkansas Law School ACQUISITIONMASTER: The company has a two-pronged strategy that relies on both organic growth and acquisitions. Packer demonstrated her leadership skill, particularly on the second prong, as chief administrative officer, driving the acquisition and integration of 50 companies across the company. WHAT IT DOES: The firm was founded in 1965 and has become a national leader in environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials engineering services. Engineering News-Record last year ranked the firm as No. 1 in the nation for its asbestos and lead abatement work and in the Top 25 for design firms. STRUCTURED GIVING: In 2008, the firm established the Terracon Foundation to formalize its cor porate philanthropy. It focuses on education and the built and natural environment and also has a program to match employee gifts, university and community grant programs, and scholarships for employees’ dependents.

84

I n g r a m ’ s

September 2022

Ingrams.com