Ingrams September 2023

Gayle Packer PRESIDENT/CEO, TERRACON

John Olander COO, BURNS & MCDONNELL

The engineers and other team members at Terracon have engineered themselves quite a bit of success. “We crossed $1 billion in revenue in 2022 and should surpass that growth again in 2023,” says Gayle Packer, perhaps one of the best-educated CEOs in this market. “We restructured part of the company to better position us for growth in early January and are already seeing tremendous results from that change.”

Will John Olander be able to catch his breath soon? It’s been a whirl wind of hiring and growth at the region’s biggest design/construction firm, with overall employment soaring to 13,500—doubling in just a few years. So “maintaining our substantial organic growth and successfully scaling our supporting structures” has been a job in itself. Next up? “We remain in a growth mode,” he says, “but with awareness of the external environment including interest rates, a major election cycle, and the potential for increasing global disruption.”

2022 REVENUES: $1.02 billion COLLEGE: B.A., Political Science, B.S., International Studies, M.S., Agricultural Economics, The Ohio State University; J.D., University of Minnesota Law School; LLM, Agricultural Law, University of Arkansas Law School. KC’S NEXT BIG THING: “The public transportation infrastructure to support the World Cup and a possible new Downtown baseball stadium.” ON THE NEW KCI: “A much better representation of Kansas City for our visitors and a more pleasant experience for those of us who are “frequent flyers.” MENTOR: “I was fortunate to work directly for our previous CEO, David Gaboury, for 15 years. He taught me so much about courage and transparency in leadership. I’m forever grateful for his wise and strategic counsel.” BEST BUSINESS BOOK: “ Switch by Chip and Dan Heath. A primer on change management.” EMPLOYEES: Currently at 6,300 across the enterprise, she has a one-word staffing plan: “Increase!”

COLLEGE: B.S., Electrical Engineering, North Dakota State University; MBA, University of Kansas RECESSION: “I believe the odds are relatively low, assuming we are not too aggressive driving toward a low inflation rate. I’m more concerned with individual industries where money supply is too tight or too costly.” NEXT BIG THING: “I love the in-progress idea of moving Royals stadium toward a restaurant and ho tel-centric destination. Continuing to connect our entertainment and visitor districts is great for the metro and I appreciate what our business and political leaders have accomplished toward that goal.” ON THE NEW KCI: “I love it, especially its modern security and amenities. I am willing to walk a bit more to have this as our front door for our visitors and to have a better experience during flight delays. I am also encouraged to see additional direct flight counts and destinations.” BEST BUSINESS BOOK: “ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ,” by Stephen R. Covey. This book forced me to think about balance and helped push me to focus beyond just the things in front of me at a given time.”

Bob Page PRESIDENT/CEO, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HEALTH SYSTEM Growth remains an uplifting fact of life for Bob Page’s operation. In recent times, they’ve added Olathe Health to the fold and enhanced facilities in Great Bend. He proudly points out that the system’s care collaborative continues to support better care and outcomes for patients across Kan sas, especially in the rural and underserved areas. “We are an economic engine for the metro,” he added, “and a world-class academic medical center bringing patients in from the region, the nation, and the world.”

Roshann Parris FOUNDER/CEO, PARRIS COMMUNICATIONS

Political insider, campaign adviser, and former key congressional staff er, Roshann Parris, started her firm in 1988, specializing in strategic corporate communications, media relations, public affairs, and crisis communications. Among her team’s highlights from the past year, she cited, “The Grand Opening of the new KCI single terminal culminated our team’s 5+ years on the project, and the $4 billion Panasonic Ground breaking—the largest economic development project in Kansas history.”

2022 REVENUES: $12.45 billion COLLEGE: B.A., Accounting, Illinois Wesleyan A MAIN ATTRACTION: “Again, this year, our patients came from every county in Kansas, all but three counties in Missouri, every state in the country, and 29 international locations,” he says. NEXT BIG THING: “I will admit to being biased, but I believe the next big thing is to make Kansas City a national hub for medical research and advanced medical care. The new cancer facility we are building with the Medical Center is one example of how that will happen.” LEADERSHIP: “The first is understanding what it means to be a leader and not just a manager of people. … The second is the skill/ability to put organizational/team success ahead of personal success. EMPLOYEES: “With the addition of Olathe Health System, we are at about 17,000 staff and over 1,500 physicians.” Looking ahead, he says, “I believe form follows function. I also believe in a mantra our first CFO shared: ‘You can’t shrink your way to greatness.’

WHAT NEXT : “At least two big things lie ahead: 1) The opportunity to not only Welcome the World in 2026 but to leverage the World Cup into sustainable regional impact, and 2) The chance to bring to life a new Royals ballpark district that further cements our status as one of America’s major league cities.” THE NEW KCI: “KCI changes everything about our brand. It’s a source of incalculable pride. Our team flew out on Day One—a surprise trip to Chicago they thought was ‘a last meeting’ with KCI/Edgemoor. MENTORS: “My mom, Stella Parris, and Adele Hall. Mom was raised by her very modest Greek immigrant parents and went to college. She was one of the smartest, most motivated, and most giving women I have ever known. She was my icon for how to juggle life’s balls. Worked full-time in our family drug store while raising us, chairing community organizations, and still never missing a Girl Scout meeting. Forever present when it mattered. Adele was the most and the best of everything. She possessed every human trait most of us hoped to have but a fraction of. Her kindness, compassion, boundless generosity, and intense belief in the goodness of people is an inspiration.

Tim Paulson CO-CEO, EMERY SAPP & SONS

Tammy Peterman KC PRESIDENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HEALTH SYSTEM No question, says Tammy Peterman: One of her team’s major achieve ments over the past year was “the intentional, thoughtful, and inclu sive process for integrating Olathe Health into The University of Kansas Health System.” Hundreds of employees had to work together, she says, “to make the right decisions, not the fast decisions. Our road forward is better because of the time we spent planning for and doing the work of integration” that produced a combined workforce of 17,000.

One of the Midwest’s largest 100 percent employee-owned com panies, Emery Sapp is doing its owners proud. Tim Paulson reports trending for more than $1 billion in 2023 revenues. Last fall, Sapp won the largest private and public contracts in the history of the company—and the two largest projects in the Kansas City region. Those are the Project Kansas battery manufacturing project and the joint 69Express project.

MORE GROWTH MARKERS: “We also completed our largest-ever acquisition when Arizona-based Rummel Construction joined as a wholly-owned subsidiary,” Paulson says. RECESSION: “We’re not seeing any recessionary impacts to the heavy civil construction sector in either the private or public markets. Specifically in the Midwest, I see a slight slowdown but, overall, a stable economy.” NEXT BIG THING: “The next big thing has got to be a new Royals stadium. From tailgating to post-game entertainment in a ballpark village, that kind of project will continue to push downtown to new heights.” THE NEW KCI: “I’ve used it now at least 10 times, and I think it’s one of the best terminal buildings in the nation. From the spacious gate waiting areas and the strong local eateries to the easy parking, it’s at the top of my airport travels. Plus, it still has that ‘new car smell’ that makes it so enjoyable to arrive at KCI!” BUSINESS BOOK: “Without a doubt, it has to be The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Every thing , by Stephen Covey. The book teaches that when leaders effectively communicate the company’s mis sion and direction, trust is established. And once you have trust, the business can operate at a faster pace.”

COLLEGE: B.S., M.S., M.S.N., University of Kansas SUCCESS KEYS: “Our formula for success continues to work. While no health-care organization can take its eyes off of smart growth and sustainability, we have always said the way to achieve success in those areas is by having a competent and engaged team focusing on providing the very best care and outcomes for patients. Staying true to that formula made FY23 a success.” THE NEW KCI: “It is an amazing first impression of the many offerings our metro area has to offer.” MORNING READ: “Like most people, I look at email early every day. I also try to read a daily devotional.” DREAM CHARITY MISSION: “I would love to spend time helping students and young people learn about roles and opportunities in health care. Getting them interested in health-care careers early will help build a pipeline of interested individuals for the future. I think we need people from diverse backgrounds and from both urban and rural areas to learn about the many opportunities in the health care field. I realize there are already organizations doing some of this work.

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September 2023

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