Ingram's May 2024

Jonathan Kemper He was part of the last generation that would come of age without computers as a daily fact of life, but Jonathan Kemper was quick to seize on their potential when the first Apple model rolled off the production line in 1976, well before his run at Commerce Bank began. He was still working on his MBA from Harvard at the time, and as it happened, that campus was a hot bed of developing theory and practical applications of computer science.“In my business school class, we had several people who ended up being leaders in the future of computer software and e-commerce,” he said, including one who produced a precur sor to Excel. For someone raised in a family with deep roots in banking, the implications hit home immediately. “It made me understand how important tech would apply to business,” Kemper says “I could see how productive you could become not just in analysis, but communications. It has revolutionized finance, allowed us to do modeling, and allowed markets to be created. No one could see the full extent in the beginning, but I was watching intently.” He spent several years in New York and Chicago, working as a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve and Citicorp before his parents presented an opportunity to come home, but with a request: Committing to a leadership track. Commerce had just expanded its St. Louis footprint with a major acquisition, so his brother David headed east, and Jona than settled in here. He became CEO in 1991, and by the time he retired as chairman in 2018, the bank’s assets had increased better than 10-fold, surpassing $22 billion. “Most of that growth was organic, capturing new market share,” Kemper says. “That has been a great addition to our bank in many ways.” He takes some satisfaction in knowing his tenure was not marked by crisis. “Good bankers don’t like surprises,” he says. His father’s decision to expand the bank’s geography made his job easier as Commerce became “a super community bank. When people gave us opportunities, we stuck with the model that worked for us, very customer-oriented and community-oriented.” Going through multiple ups and downs with economic cycles brought its own lessons. “Each time, we know we’re going to come out of it, but in the depths of one, it’s hard to see how,” Kemper says. “It’s hard to have the wisdom to be patient and the capac ity to not have to make precipitous moves that end up doing harm in the long term, and trusting the value of your culture. I’ve always believed that success is more about hitting singles and doubles than swinging for the fences.”

Ann Konecny Ann Konecny is the type of leader who understands that the past—even if it seems distant—determines a great deal about our present. And future. In fact, she’s living that paradigm as a woman who owns a company that specializes in heavy con struction equipment, a sector that has yet to fully yield to social imperatives. A Wichita native, she’s the third-generation owner of Foley Equipment Co., carrying on and building on a vision laid out by her grandfather. He was, she says, “a big influence in my life. He founded the company that I now run and was an incred ibly talented businessman. He encouraged me to study finance and found examples of successful businesswomen to show me that it was possible. That was pretty forward-thinking for some one born in 1900.” She’s been with the company for 33 years, signing on after earning her dual degree from Wichita State, and has seen her share of challenges. “There were definitely times early on when it was touch and go,” she says. “When I took over the company more than 20 years ago, it was clear that we needed to pivot. I believed that the only way we could drive the change needed was to create the right culture. I wrote our first Mission, Vision, and Principles statement (MVP), which helped us build the culture we have today. While our MVP has been updated, the concepts are largely the same, and they continue to guide us in a rapidly changing world.” About a decade ago, she acquired the Caterpillar rights for the Kansas City region and relocated, managing both this office and her previous base in Wichita. She counts herself among those who have benefitted from the executive community’s reputation for collaboration here. “I have absolutely experienced that approachability and have tremendous gratitude to the leaders who have welcomed me and given me guidance,” she says. “A thriving business community benefits everyone, and I know it is important to pay it forward.” She does precisely that with philanthropic engagement, such as service on the boards of the American Royal and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, continuing a record of service she estab lished 30 years ago in Wichita. She’s building a legacy in business leadership as well as giving back. “I hope I will be remembered for leading an excellent and valued team that does important work serving our customers who quite literally improve the world we live in,” she says. “One of the greatest compliments I have ever received was from my past CFO when he retired. He said, ‘Ann is like fertile soil. If you are around her, you will grow.’ In both small and large ways, I hope that is my legacy.”

26 I ng r am ’ s

May 2024

Ingrams.com