Ingrams September 2023

Lisa Krigsten MANAGING PARTNER, DENTONS

Bill Krueger COO, THE ANDERSONS

Lisa Krigsten is the one a lot of executives will summon when there’s a knock on the door delivering a federal or state legal action. After all, she knows much of the other team’s playbook. She’s a former federal prosecutor who represents management and boards during investiga tions and litigation, criminal or civil. She’s a partner in Dentons’ white collar and government-investigations practice, yet still finds time to manage the Kansas City office.

Back in the 1940s, a lovely couple named Anderson opened up a truck terminal and a grain terminal to help farmers move product more efficiently. Decades of fluttering calendar pages later, The Andersons is a multinational Fortune 500 company supporting the world of agriculture. Bill Krueger, a longtime grain man himself, re ports from the Overland Park office a highlight of the past year as setting up operations in Romania.

COLLEGE: B.A., University of Kansas; J.D., University of Iowa College of Law BEST BUSINESS BOOK: “While not a traditional business book, I often recommend ‘ Thinking, Fast and Slow ,’ by Daniel Kahneman. It’s a great exploration of decision-making in all aspects of life.”

COLLEGE: B.A., Agribusiness, University of Nebraska RECESSION ODDS: “50/50.”

KC’S NEXT BIG THING: “Attractions to increase tourism, other than sports teams.” MORNING READ: “Emails related to news that affects commodity markets.” LEADERSHIP HIRE TRAIT: “Ability to interact with customers and fellow employees.” DREAM CHARITY MISSION: “Providing solutions for underprivileged children.”

DREAM CHARITY MISSION: “Literacy. Learning to read is life-changing.” STAFFING: “We are on track to grow several of our practice areas next year.”

FIRM DOINGS: When Dentons aligned with the Chinese firm Dacheng in 2015, it created the world’s largest law firm, as measured by the numbers of lawyers. Turns out, the divorce papers were filed last month, with Dentons saying that Beijing’s increasingly challenging regulatory environment made the partnership unworkable. Dentons nevertheless remains a formidable firm on a global scale.

Krueger also serves on the board of Children’s Mercy Hospital. EMPLOYEES: “2,400,” he says, and “we will add staff in 2024.”

Craig Kuckelman MANAGING PARTNER, DELOITTE TAX LLP

Brad Lager CHAIRMAN/CEO, HERZOG ENTERPRISES

Some people are afraid of AI, but Craig Kuckelman and crew have been meeting it head-on, scaling their AI capabilities. “We launched a Gener ative AI practice to help clients design their Generative AI strategies and leverage the disruptive new technology,” he says. “At the core of the prac tice is a Generative AI Market Incubator with a dedicated team of engineers focused on the rapid development of pilot programs; demos and proofs of concept; and a R&D team working alongside Deloitte alliance partners to train and tune Foundation Models.”

Despite current economic concerns, Brad Lager reports good news from the world of rail and heavy/highway contracting: “We have been blessed to see continued top-line and bottom-line growth, even though sectors of our business have seen a slowdown,” he says. “The team has done a great job of finding quality work and identifying customer challenges where we were able to provide value-added solutions that aided us collectively in advancing their mission.”

2022 REVENUES: $962 million ON THE NEW KCI: “The new airport is absolutely incredible, and we often hear comments from both our employees who use it, as well as business travelers who are visiting.” SALUTING MENTORS: “I have been blessed to have a couple of very successful mentors who invest ed time and energy in me and my family. In both cases, they instilled the importance of doing the right thing, even when it is hard and even when no one is watching. If you live your life that way, lead your organization that way, and encourage those around you to do the same, good things will happen.” LEADERSHIP HIRE TRAITS: “Alignment with our culture, a commitment to developing and growing the people around them, and ability to lead a team in a manner that makes everyone better—we as individuals, we as an organization, and we as partners with our customers.” EMPLOYEES: “We have north of 2,600 members of our professional family,” Lager says. “Given current workloads, customer communications around future needs, and expected backlog, we are looking to grow.”

RECESSION ODDS: “According to Deloitte’s most recent private company outlook, companies earn ing $100-$200M were more concerned about the risk of recession than those earning higher revenue. Among all respondents, nearly half said their company valuation has declined. Among those com panies whose valuation has declined, 83 percent said recession was a high risk to their organization, compared with 39 percent among those respondents whose company valuation has not declined.” MORNING READ: “News apps on my smartphone; I like that I can get news from a lot of different sources and quickly get up to speed on what is happening in the world.” LEADERSHIP HIRE TRAITS: “The most effective leaders can understand and navigate the complex ities of the professional world, coupled with a strong sense of personal awareness and an in-depth understanding of industry trends. Leaders should be well-informed, adaptable, and able to anticipate changes in today’s dynamic business environment.”

Gordon Lansford III PRESIDENT/CEO, JE DUNN CONSTRUCTION CO.

Mark Larrabee PRESIDENT/CEO, ARVEST BANK KC

Come year-end, JE Dunn will mark Gordon Lansford’s first decade of leadership at one of Kansas City’s corporate icons, and he’s certainly left a mark. It took the company 90 years to reach $2.6 billion in revenues; that figure has more than doubled since Terry Dunn turned the wheel over to his former CFO. And the builder has strengthened its national profile; it’s now the country’s eighth-largest general contractor.

While Mark Larrabee believes the odds of a recession remain high as the trailing effects of interest-rate increases are realized, he thinks the likely severity of such an event has lessened. Recession specu lation certainly hasn’t stopped Arvest from growing: For the fourth consecutive year, they’ve grown their assets in Kansas City by more than $200 million and now approach $1.8 billion in market assets.

2022 REVENUES: $5.83 billion COLLEGE: B.S., Accounting/Business, Baker University

COLLEGE: B.S./B.A., Finance, University of Kansas; MBA, Finance, Trulaske College of Business, Uni versity of Missouri KC’S NEXT BIG THING: “The greatest opportunity we have is creating a quality education environment in our urban core school districts. KCPS is making strides here, but elevating academic achievement to even higher levels is essential to building a quality workforce, addressing economic inequalities and creating positive pathways of opportunity for all.” ON THE NEW KCI: “KCI is amazing and finally provides Kansas City with a front door to be proud of!” MORNING READ: “ The Wall Street Journal .” LEADERSHIP MUST-HAVES: “I think it is important that leaders have intelligence, intellectual cu riosity and appropriate experience. More importantly, are they cultural fits that can lead in alignment with our core values?”

NEW ENERGY: The Kansas City region was abuzz this past year with talk of the new Panasonic Ener gy battery plant coming to De Soto in 2025, but JE Dunn was making some clean-energy headlines of its own. Early in the year, LG Chem of Seoul, South Korea, announced that it had hired Dunn to lead construction on its $3.2 billion EV battery manufacturing facility in Clarksville, Tenn. LOCAL IMPACT: The company also wrapped up work on the $75 million Sobela Ocean Aquarium at the Kansas City Zoo, and it has been chosen as project partner on the new $301 million Jackson County jail. TIME TO CELEBRATE: Ernie Dunn must have been a busy fellow a century ago. Not only was he preparing to formally go into business as a contractor, he was welcoming a son to the fold. That would be second-generation leader Bill Dunn, who celebrated his 100th birthday this past summer, with a company-wide and civic tribute to a titan of business.

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September 2023

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