Ingrams September 2023

Dave Cummings CHAIRMAN, TRADEBOT SYSTEMS

Dennis Curtin OWNER, RE/MAX REGIONAL SERVICES

Dave Cummings has some bad news, some good news, and some inspirational news for those who aspire to work in the combat zone that is high-speed equities trading. The bad: Tradebot Systems had no job openings to fill as of the start of this month. The good? It will soon be reviewing candidates for summer internships in 2024. The inspiration? Since its inception, “the company has made well over $1 billion in trading profits,” the firm says.

In 1975, young Dennis Curtin signed on as the very first franchisee for a Colorado-based real-estate group called RE/MAX. What he did with that is the stuff of residential realty legend: From expanding into half a dozen offices in the Kansas City area, he went on to create RE/MAX Mid-States Region, added RE/MAX Dixie Region to create a seven-state reach, then went overseas with 80 offices in Europe. All, he says, flows from a goal of “helping my clients find the home of their dreams.”

COLLEGE: B.S., Computer and Electrical Engineering, Purdue University MULTI-TASKER: With Tradebot making long strides on its growth journey, Cummings saw another high-speed trading opportunity and started BATS Global Markets (for Better Alternative Trading System). He raised $152 million to get it up and running, and it eventually became the nation’s second-largest trading platform, surpassing NASDAQ in volume with more than a billion shares traded per day. ECSTATIC EXIT: Cummings relinquished the leadership at BATS in 2007, and less than a decade later, the firm was acquired by Chicago-based Cboe for $3.2 billion. THE NEED FOR SPEED: High-speed trading changed the game by executing stock sales within not just seconds but microseconds, narrowing the spread between the asking price on equities and the bid prices from buyers. Profit margins would be smaller than traditional trading, but the massive volumes more than offset the difference.

COLLEGE: B.S., Business Administration and Marketing, Rockhurst College GOING BIG: Before Curtin sold his individual franchise operations back in 1990 to pursue the RE/MAX Region model, his operations accounted for more than 40 percent of the residential sale market share. INFLUENCER: Curtin is a past president of the Metro Kansas City Board of Realtors, and formerly held the same title with state association, which had more than 20,000 members at the time. RESPECT: He’s also been recognized by RE/MAX as regional director of the year (1982), Distinguished Service Award winner (1987), Legacy of Leadership winner (2005), and the Founders’ Award winner (2017). RE/MAX Regional Services the North American Region of the Year honoree in 2018. WALKING THE WALK: Curtin doesn’t just help families fulfill their dreams; as an investor, he also is a prolific owner of homes across the nation.

Tim Danker PRESIDENT/CEO, SELECTQUOTE

Tim Davis PLANT MANAGER, GOODYEAR TOPEKA

Since 2020, the year Tim Danker helped orchestrate SelectQuote’s initial public offering, the insurance-services tech firm has seen its top line surge by more than 67 percent. So naturally, Wall Street has rewarded that performance by hammering the stock price. Go figure. If this is indeed Kansas City’s next billion-dollar revenue generator, you won’t want to sleep on that stock price.

He oversees one of Topeka’s biggest workforces, with roughly 1,700 employees at the Goodyear tire plant, and does it with a passion for production: “The world of manufacturing is one of the most impactful industries, affecting each of our daily lives,” says plant manager Tim Davis. “Every product used has gone through the complex process of planning, design, product development, and turning raw materials into finished products for consumers around the globe at the lowest cost.”

2022 REVENUES: $895 million COLLEGE: B.A., business administration, University of Missouri; MBA, University of Kansas ABOUT SELECTQUOTE: Danker has been CEO at the firm since 2017, overseeing its online exchang es for home, auto, Medicare, and life insurance services. CAREER PATH: Before Danker made his way to SelectQuote as president of the auto and home seg ment in 2012, he was the co-founding CEO of Spring Venture Group, which became a national leader among direct-to-consumer property and casualty insurance brokerages. He prepped for those roles by working for two of the region’s biggest corporate names early in his career—Cerner and Spring. GOOD CALL: Ingram’s knew then that achievement awaited when we recognized Danker in our Forty Under 40 Class of 2012.

COLLEGE: B.S., Mechanical Engineering Technology, University of Tennessee-Martin; MBA, General Management, Oklahoma City University TOOL KIT: In holding leadership assignments for organizations from 400 to 2300 and operating on capital budgets of more than $500 million, Davis’ background entails oversight of engineering, opera tions, business development, lean manufacturing, labor relations, and best-practices implementation. OFF THE CLOCK: Davis is a member of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce board and previously served on the governor’s Industrial Development Advisory Board and local ED agency Go Topeka. GETTING BIGGER: Last fall, the parent company announced plans to invest $125 million into the Topeka facility and hire 40 new employees. The plant began production in north Topeka in 1945. TALL ORDER: You won’t find Honda tires here; the plant produces medium radial truck tires, off-the-road and Hummer tires. The biggest one in its production line stands about 13 feet tall and weigh 13,000 pounds.

Brian DeFrain PRESIDENT, D&L TRANSPORT

John Dicus CHAIRMAN/PRESIDENT, CAPITOL FEDERAL BANK

The past year has been a tough one for many in the logistics sector, so just holding serve as an organization can be chalked up as a win. For Brian DeFrain, that means “no reductions in workforce. We’ve main tained our entire family of employees even during one of the steep est economic declines in logistics this year.” The bright side? “We’re primed for a great 2024,” says the leader of this Overland Park company.

John Dicus leads a Topeka-based banking juggernaut that has been part of the Midwestern business landscape since 1893. Today, Cap itol Federal is a leader in residential lending in Kansas and Missouri, boasting more than $9 billion in assets, making it the state’s biggest homegrown bank. Most recently, the company completed a digital core conversion, which Dicus says is an important step forward.

2022 REVENUES: $323.4 million COLLEGE: B.B.A., Finance, Baylor University; J.D., University of Missouri School of Law RECESSION ODDS: “The logistics market is in a practical recession, which I see improving in 2024.” KC’S NEXT BIG THING: “Entertainment district around Arrowhead/Chiefs. Or an NBA team.” ON THE NEW KCI: “Love it. Love it. Love it. And our guests from out of town rave about it.” SALUTING A MENTOR: “Former Jackson County Judge Jay Daugherty. He was very good at bringing opposing sides together for a deal. I use those lessons every day.” MOST-ADMIRED: “Lynsi Snyder, In-N-Out Burger. Why is company successful: Its approach to employees.” LEADERSHIP HIRE TRAIT: “Value employees. Earn respect from employees.” DREAM CHARITY MISSION: “Youth mental-health initiatives.”

2022 REVENUES: $212.63 million COLLEGE: B.A., Business, MBA, University of Kansas RECESSION ODDS: “5 to 1—recession being less likely.” KC’S NEXT BIG THING?: “New baseball stadium.” MORNING READ: “ The Wall Street Journal .” IMPORTANT QUALITY FOR A LEADER: “Can they do the job?” DREAM CHARITY MISSION: “Not one specific need. Give to what is needed.” CURRENT EMPLOYEE HEADCOUNT: 661 STAFFING PLANS: “Hold or reduce.”

EMPLOYEES: Currently 25 employees, with 200 exclusive contractors, and DeFrain says they will “hold staff at current levels” for the near term.

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I n g r am ’ s

September 2023

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