Ingrams September 2023

Joe Jeffries PRESIDENT/CEO, ACE RETAIL HOLDINGS/WESTLAKE HARDWARE Across 16 states, Joe Jeffries’ hardware empire employs 4,800 team members, and their ranks will be growing. “In our offices, we will likely hold at current levels,” he says, but adds: “Our objective is to invest in our field teams, retail stores, and commercial divisions.” Jeffries feels good about the future, saying, “based on the recent reports from nation ally recognized economists regarding the resilience of the US economy, I believe it’s unlikely. If inflation begins to tick up again, that might change.”

Russ Johnson PRESIDENT & CEO, LMH HEALTH

Health care has been a tough and challenging business in recent years, so it’s no wonder Russ Johnson says, “I think our most signif icant achievement has to be related to the almost 2000 people who make up our work force and who have continued to remain a part of health care in our community through very difficult circumstances.” He added, “So many of these people could work almost anywhere in the country, and we are very proud to have them as part of our team.”

2022 REVENUES: $620.97 million ON THE NEW KCI: “I use KCI most weeks and love the new facility; it’s very attractive, efficient, and represents the amazing KC region very well on the national stage.” MOST-ADMIRED CEO: “I pay attention to plenty, looking for insights regarding leadership and stra tegic decision-making. I must say that I am intrigued by Elon Musk and his ability to multitask across so many disciplines while driving the world forward across several industrial directions beyond most people’s comprehension. It’s fascinating to watch and read about.” BEST BUSINESS BOOK: “How about most recent? Two— Speed of Trust and The Heart of Leadership .”

2022 REVENUES: $1.3 billion COLLEGE: B.S., Management/Economics, Univ. of Tulsa; M.A., Health-Care Administration, Washington Univ. RECESSION ODDS: “Relatively low, and we’re beginning to see some signals to that effect. While unem ployment remains low, we are seeing inflationary markers staying in check and reducing from the previ ous 18 months. Outside of major economic, weather-related, or military actions, I think we will see 2024 being a step towards a stable economy with more reasonable interest rates and inflation under control.” SALUTING MENTORS: “Sam Wallace, who was then the CEO of St. Luke’s Methodist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sam taught me to keep my eyes on the forward horizon with the greater strategy and purpose in mind.” NEXT BIG THING: “Maintain our commitment to public transportation connecting the plasma, West port, Crown Center, and Downtown areas, including the farmers market, is vital to a vibrant city culture and economy. I would also add that the new Panasonic battery plant and other similar development projects should be seized upon to define Kansas City as a desirable technology hub.”

Jeffrey Jones PRESIDENT/CEO, H&R BLOCK

Dick Jones CHAIRMAN/FOUNDER, FIDELITY SECURITY LIFE INSURANCE On leave from the Army in 1968, young Dick Jones signed the incor poration papers for his father’s business, creating Fidelity Security Life Insurance. It wouldn’t take long before the firm grew from that original service line, and 55 years later, FSL has paid out more than $9 billion in claims for the health care, hospitalization, prescription drugs, and eyeglasses that benefit its massive client base of 13 mil lion policyholders.

When he signed on with H&R Block in 2017, Jeffrey Jones was assum ing the mantle of one of Kansas City’s iconic entrepreneurial success stories: H&R Block had grown from two-man accountancy in 1955 to a global leader in tax and financial services. But it still retains the phil anthropic spirit of Henry & Richard Bloch; in its most recent display, the firm set a goal of 1 million volunteer hours by its staff and finding ways to support 500,000 small business owners and 500 communities.

2022 REVENUES: $3.46 billion COLLEGE: B.A., Communication, University of Dayton; Fork Union Military Academy POWERHOUSE PAYROLL: With more than 2,000 employees in Kansas City, many of them based at the Downtown headquarters, the firm is a major employer locally but has far more around the globe—more than 72,000 at its annual peak. CULTURE: H&R Block is an example of a mega-corporation that pivoted quickly during the pandemic in 2020, instituting new remote-work protocols and retaining key elements of that structure to give employees greater flexibility with their schedules while still allowing for vital in-person hours midweek. REBOUND: The advent of online tax services, many of them free, put the company on the defensive for years. But new product lines and services have allowed Block to reassert its place in the financial services world. As revenues have increased, shareholders have benefited—just last month, the company authorized an increase of 10 percent in stock dividends.

2022 REVENUES: $178 million FAMILY AFFAIR: Fidelity and its corporate kin, Forrest T. Jones—which provides group insurance plans for school districts and associations—have seen second- and third-generation members of the family become engaged with the business, including Dick’s son Bryson, who serves as FSL’s president. SERVICE LINES: The company offers supplemental health plans, life, and disability insurance, retire ment annuities and risk management for self-funded employee benefit plans. LOYALTY: Across its range of partnerships with 75 organizations, 16 have been affiliated with FSL for at least 20 years, and the average relationship length for all is 13.3 years.

Laura Kelly GOVERNOR, STATE OF KANSAS

Jonathan Kemper CHAIRMAN EMERITUS, COMMERCE BANK OF KANSAS CITY Sure, you know Jonathan Kemper, The Banking Executive: It’s hard not to be noticed in that capacity when you’ve been affiliated with one of the biggest hometown financial institutions for 40 years. But do you know Jonathan Kemper, The Historian? On local, national, and international scales, Kemper is a highly regarded student of history, with an emphasis on historic build ings and their preservation. Since his 2018 retirement as CEO at Commerce in Kansas City, he has devoted more of his time to those pursuits.

How good was the past year for Laura Kelly? Consider this: Site Se lection magazine ranked her state No. 1 in the nation for per-capita economic development investment. True, much of the impetus for that came from a single deal, but what a deal it was. She and her team worked with the Legislature last year to craft an incentive pack age that secured Panasonic Energy’s commitment to build a $4 billion plant that will produce batteries for electric vehicles.

COLLEGE: B.S., Psychology, Bradley University; M.S, Therapeutic Recreation, Indiana University QUOTABLE: “Forget what you heard about Kansas being a ‘flyover state.’ We aren’t just moving for ward; we’ve moved to the top,” she was able to boast after the Site-Selection honors were announced. FUNDING FRENZY: With state revenues at historic heights, putting Kansas solidly back in the black, Kelly has been busy signing off on economic development grants that span the width of the state. Among them: $50 million in Building a Stronger Economy grants to address infrastructure and eco nomic development needs where solutions were delayed or slowed because of the COVID-19 pandem ic; $43.6 million to create 4,211 new child-care positions statewide; and $12 million (provided by the feds) to help 13 community mental health centers raise their certification levels as health centers. GLOBAL REACH: Just this month, Kelly visited Asia to promote business in her state, including a trip to the South Korean company that invested $600 million to build the world’s largest pizza-man ufacturing plant in Salina.

COLLEGE: A.B., MBA, Harvard University RARE ACHIEVEMENT: Earlier this year, he joined his alma mater’s I Tatti Council, a research en terprise that has included more than 1,000 appointees exploring Italian Renaissance art, history, literature, philosophy, history of science, and music. HISTORY IN DEPTH: To fully grasp Kemper’s bona fides as a historian, check out the extensive interview conducted earlier this with the Jackson County Historical Society. Local topics include the history of Union Station and the controversial renaming of the Miller Nichols Fountain. FULL CALENDAR: In addition to serving on the Commerce board of directors, he has seats on the boards of Tower Properties, the Kansas City Public Library (he’s a past president of that board), Pem broke Hill Country Day School, and the Hall Center for Humanities. Prior service benefited the Federal Reserve’s Federal Advisory Council, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Board of the Smithsonian Institute.

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September 2023

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