Ingrams September 2023

Dennis Rodenbaugh PRESIDENT/CEO, DAIRY FARMERS OF AMERICA

Kimberly Rock MANAGING PARTNER, ERNST & YOUNG KANSAS CITY Motivating team members has been a big challenge for companies post COVID, which is why Kimberly Rock takes great pride in the new EY Way of Working (EY WOW). “Our teams have intentional, ongoing conversations about their needs and our clients’ needs, then decide when it makes sense to come together or when it might be better to work remotely,” she says. The program reimburses $800 a year in commuting, dependent care and pet care-related costs. “We’ve seen a great response to EY WOW, including a 150 percent increase in people coming into offices across the U.S.

The leadership skills were evident all the way back at Washburn University, when Kansas native Dennis Rodenbaugh was tabbed as student-government president. They were realized again last summer, when he became CEO of the region’s biggest private company (2022 revenues: $24.5 billion). Rodenbaugh previously led the dairy cooper ative’s operations and global ingredient solutions division, overseeing U.S. milk marketing and global marketing operations.

COLLEGE: BBA, Finance/Economics, Washburn University BROAD EXPERIENCE: Rodenbaugh joined DFA in 2007 and held previous leadership roles with its Western Fluid Division and as COO for the Mideast, Mountain and Western regions. INDUSTRY INFLUENCER: He’s vice chairman for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and serves on the executive board of directors for the National Milk Producers Federation. He also sits on the board of directors for Global Dairy Platform, which comprises dairy companies, associations, scientific bodies and others to promote dairy’s role in the diet and responsible food production. BEFORE DFA: Prior to joining DFA, Dennis worked at, managed and owned diverse forms of busi nesses, ranging from communications brokerage and investment banking to agricultural businesses, including ownership and a managing partner role of a couple larger-scale dairy farms. QUOTE: “Our farmer-ownership, alongside our infrastructure, offers the opportunity and motivation for us to position dairy as the sustainable source of nutrition to feed a global population.”

COLLEGE: B.A., Accounting, John Carroll University KC’S NEXT BIG THING: “We should work to attract and retain our headquarter companies here in Kansas City. This is an amazing place to do business, work, play and raise a family. I believe Kansas City is a hidden gem. KCI as well as all of the attention the city is receiving as a result of the success of our sports teams, the NFL Draft, NCAA tournament, and hosting the upcoming World Cup in 2026 are highlighting the many reasons that Kansas City is the place to be right now.” THE NEW KCI: “I have flown in and out of KCI many times, including the first week it opened. I am so excited that we finally have an airport that truly reflects the spirit of our community—artwork from local artists, the food, and the open-air concept. It is also impressive that the airport opened on time and under budget.” MENTORS: “I am always learning from my fellow partners and teammates who are positively impacting our com munity as well as serving our clients and each other. My personal leadership style continues to iterate as a result.”

Fred Ross CHAIRMAN, CUSTOM TRUCK ONE SOURCE

Chris Rosson PRESIDENT/CEO, UNITED WAY OF GREATER KANSAS CITY Chris Rosson is still beaming about his team’s accomplishments over the past year. “We reinvented our business model, launched a new community-investment approach, and completely transformed our brand,” he says. He then described a charity he’d start if he had to: “I would start one that is hyper-local with global reach and has the power to bring the corporate, civic, and charitable sectors together to advance the common good—oh wait … that’s United Way!”

He turned the reins of the family-founded enterprise over earlier this year, but if you think Fred Ross is simply going to head for a beach somewhere—oh, wait: looks like he is. But not that way. He’s the driving force behind Oasis at Lakeport, a $300 million resort and en tertainment district on the Lake of the Ozarks. It’s going in on property acquired by another of Ross’ interests, Big Thunder Marine.

2022 REVENUES: $1.57 billion HUMBLE START: In 1996, Fred Ross and his siblings launched what would become the nation’s largest single-source provider of heavy-duty commercial trucks and equipment. It’s vehicles are the stuff of productivity for electric utilities, telecom, heavy contractors, rail and other infrastruc ture-related markets. BRAND STRENGTH: Most people would tell you they’d never head of a company called Nesco—no, it doesn’t make chocolate—but in 2021, it laid out a cool $1.45 billion to acquire then-private Custom Truck. In a bow to the band the Ross family had created, it adopted the Custom Truck One Source Brand and even changed its New York Stock Exchange listing to CTOS. CTOS VEHICLE FLEET SIZE: More than 10,200, available at 35 locations nationwide.

COLLEGE: B.A., Business Administration & Economics, William Jewell College; Philosophy & Polit ical Science tutorials, Oxford University (England); M.A., International Economics & International Relations, Johns Hopkins University KC’S NEXT BIG THING: “Early childhood education for all.” ON THE NEW KCI: “A world-class airport for a world-class city.” SALUTING A MENTOR: “I’ve long been inspired by Paulo Coelho’s words, ‘The world changes by your example, not your opinion.’” MORNING READ: “I’m currently reading Barbara Kingsolver’s new book, Demon Copperhead , and it’s fantastic!”

LEADERSHIP-HIRE QUALITIES: “Resilience, creativity, and adaptability.” EMPLOYEES: “About 100,” he says, and they will “hold at current levels.”

Andy Sareyan PRESIDENT/CEO, ANDREWS M C MEEL UNIVERSAL

Jeff Schmid PRESIDENT/CEO, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF KANSAS CITY Leading a dispersed team of 2,000 for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Jeff Schmid has just taken the baton from longtime CEO Esther George. The 10th District he oversees has offices in Kansas City, Denver, Oklahoma City, and Omaha, but on a national plane, Schmid is part of the federal effort to help stave off a recession over the coming year. He brings more than 40 years of banking and banking supervision experience to the job.

With a stellar publishing career that includes 19 years at Time, Inc., Andy Sareyan has spent the past decade at the helm of a creative powerhouse. AMU works with an robust roster of creative talent that helps enrich readers’ lives through “truth, humor, and hope.” It found much of the latter over the past year, he tells us, by “staying even keeled, being resilient, and bouncing back from a lot of unexpected change.”

COLLEGE: B.A., Middlebury College; MBA, Stanford University KC’S NEXT BIG THING?: “An NBA team would be awesome,” Sareyan says.

COLLEGE: BBA, Finance/Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Banking Leadership, Southwest ern Graduate School of Banking, Southern Methodist University THE ROAD TO KC: A native Nebraskan, Schmid has career stops that include serving as president of American National Bank in Omaha from 1989 to 2007, growing the bank from $500 million to $1.5 billion in assets over that period. ACADEMIC APPEAL: Schmid has also dipped his toe into higher education administration; before taking the Kansas City appointment, he spent the previous two years as president and CEO of his alma mater’s banking school at SMU. BOARD SERVICE: He’s logged board services for Operation Hope, the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, and the Avenue Scholars Foundation.

RECESSION ODDS: “Lots of people were saying 100% in 2023. Could still happen, but highly unlikely. I’ll go with 100 percent odds at some point, but it feels like fool’s errand to put a time stamp on.” ON THE NEW KCI: “Love it! And I was a real skeptic that it would make a difference. Dumb call, Andy.” HIDDEN VALUE: “No one person (as a key mentor), but many excellent teachers over the years. Speaking of learning, I’m finally realizing the value of an MBA 35 years later.” MORNING READ: “Calvin and Hobbes.” LEADERSHIP HIRE TRAIT: “It’s a tie between curiosity and drive.” DREAM CHARITY MISSION: “Clean safe drinking water for all.” EMPLOEES: Now at 205, he says, AMU will over the coming year will “most likely hold.”

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September 2023

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