Ingrams September 2023

Carl Wasinger PRESIDENT/CEO, SMART WAREHOUSIHG

Rick Weller CFO, EURONET WORLDWIDE

As the name implies, Smart Warehousing sets out to give logistics executives a better way to store materials and push them through the nation’s supply chain. The company has been a darling of the VC crowd in recent years, but the truth is, this “overnight” success has been Carl Wasinger’s passion since 2001. It’s definitely in high gear now; last year’s revenue growth was up nearly 22 percent over the 2021 figures.

More than 20 years ago, Rick Weller came on board to oversee financial operations for Euronet, the Leawood-based global finan cial-services leader in secure electronic financial transaction solu tions. His 30-plus years of experience include leadership positions with companies ranging from start-up businesses to large, multina- tional operations.

2022 REVENUES: $151.74 million COLLEGE: B.A., Business/Information Management, Kansas State University

COLLEGE: B.A., Accounting, University of Central Missouri STARTUP AND SCALE: Weller, a CPA by training, has held operating and financial leadership po sitions with companies ranging from start-up businesses to large, multinational operations. On the small end, he was COO for Ionex, a local-exchange company, while at the other end, he was a vice president in the finance operations of the former Sprint Corp. OFF THE CLOCK: Weller has most recently been engaged as a board member for Avila University. EURONET’S NICHE: The company was founded in 1994, not long after the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the Soviet Union itself—fertile ground for millions of people being exposed for the first time to the power of readily-accessible capital. It offers automated teller machines, point of sale services for businesses, credit and debit card services, currency exchange and other electronic financial services and payments software.

A LOGISTICS BASF: Remember the company that bragged it didn’t make things, it made things better? Smart Warehousing is like that: It doesn’t have products to ship or orders to fulfill; it provides high-tech space that other shippers and fulfillment centers can use to improve operational efficiency. VC BACKING: Smart Warehousing is a portfolio company of Five Elms Capital, the Kansas City venture group that has recorded some stellar successes investing in early-stage companies and those poised for major growth. THE SMART EDGE: Smart Warehousing’s value proposition: 1-2 day shipping across 100 percent of the U.S.—with an impressive inventory-accuracy rate of 99.8 percent.

Pat Whalen CHAIR/MANAGING PARTNER, SPENCER FANE

Debbie Wilkerson PRESIDENT/CEO, GREATER KANSAS CITY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Over the past year, Debbie Wilkerson’s organization helped donors grant more than $819 million from their charitable funds. She an swered our question about what project Kansas City should take on next, now that KCI is up and running, in typically charitable-exec fashion: “Let’s make Kansas City a place where opportunities abound for all, especially those who haven’t been given a fair chance before.”

There’s been good news recently for Pat Whalen and colleagues. With the acquisition of California’s Pahl & McCay, Spencer Fane is now a coast-to-coast firm. Whalen also points to the retention and recruit ment of top talent as a major accomplishment of the past year. That success probably has a lot to do with his approach to leadership-level hires, where he says he looks for “Humility, work ethic, and a com mitment to ongoing improvement.”

2022 REVENUES: $229.03 million COLLEGE: B.A., Economics, University of Kansas; J.D., University of Texas School of Law; MBA, University of Texas Graduate School of Business (San Antonio); CME, Harvard Business School ON THE NEW KCI: “Incredible improvement.” DREAM CHARITY MISSION: “Youth mental health.” STAFFING PLANS: “Add.” IN THE TROPHY CASE: Whalen has an impressive collection of national, regional and local awards for his legal acumen, including The National Law Journal recognition as one of the nation’s law-firm Leader ship Trailblazers for both firm administration and his mastery of the cybersecurity and data privacy space. OFF THE CLOCK: Whalen has a civic service record that includes board work for both the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City and the Kansas City Area Development Council, as well as support for the Heartland Civic Collaborative Committee and the St. Louis Regional Chamber.

COLLEGE: B.A., Psychology, University of Kansas; J.D., KU School of Law ON THE NEW KCI: “I am so proud of our new airport!” SALUTING MENTORS: “I have had many mentors. They taught me to lift up others to help them succeed rather than worrying about my own success.” MORNING READ: “Yesterday’s words on The New York Times Spelling Bee.” LEADERSHIP HIRE TRAITS: “A commitment to the Community Foundation. We promote leaders from within.” IF YOU COULD START A CHARITY: “I wouldn’t. I see how many amazing organizations we already have in Kansas City. I’d put my efforts in to one of them.” STAFFING: Currently about 100, and “we are at a good size right now.”

Bridgette Williams CEO, HEAVY CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION

Chad Williams CHAIRMAN/CEO, QTS

Seven years after Bridgette Williams joined this advocacy group for infrastructure specialists in the construction sector, she was tabbed as chief executive. In that capacity, she represents the interests of about 150 contractors and product and service suppliers who build and maintain the public and private infrastructure that underpins the economy—roads, highways, bridges, airports, reservoirs and major utility corridors.

Chad Williams set out to make an impact in the world of digi tal storage. Did he ever: The company he founded with a single, 35,000-square-foot site in 2005 is QTS, and today, it operates more than 9 million square feet of data-center space across the United States and Europe. Growth like that is what attracted eyeballs at the private-equity giant Blackstone, which paid $10 billion for QTS two years ago.

COLLEGE: B.A., Communication, Pittsburg State; B.A., Liberal Arts, Ottawa University; MBA, Helzberg School of Management, Rockhurst University QUOTABLE: “These are truly challenging times,” Williams says, “but also times of great opportunity for the leaders of our country and our local governments to plan and implement upgrades to our infrastructure that will save lives and ultimately help boost our economy for the future.” LOCAL HEART: The association, founded in 1950, mainly comprises local family-owned businesses, working closely with city, county, state, and federal elected officials and civic leaders to build the infrastructure that is the foundation of the metro area. WORDS TO LIVE BY: Her organization’s motto is “Making It Better…” exemplifying the vibrant spirit of members rising to meet the challenges of improvement for Kansas City and the states of Kansas and Missouri.

MASTER OF ALL THINGS: Williams has demonstrated a willingness to roll up his sleeves—he has led the strategic investment in product and asset acquisitions, site selection, design, development, and construction initiatives, among other efforts. THE FRIENDS YOU KEEP: Williams is a member of the Potomac Officers Club—and no, that’s not a sailing thing. It’s a collaboration of corporate leaders whose companies are in the government contracting sector, largely with federal agencies in D.C. BEFORE QTS: Williams brought CEO-level experience to his new venture after leading QGC, the Quality Group of Companies. That holding company’s interests included commercial real estate, de sign-build development, commercial interiors, and vehicle and technology leasing. BOARD SERVICE: He’s on the board of the U.S. Dream Academy, which focuses on issues to improve the lives of children whose parents are incarcerated.

101 I ngr am ’ s

Kansas City’s Business Media

September 2023