Defining the Best of Today and Tomorrow

Due to a quirk of timing this year, our 18th Annual Best of Business Kansas City Awards edition coincides with our Third Annual Future of Business Awards issue. Each of these two focuses is inevitably one of our most difficult, but most rewarding, to produce.

This month, we have also produced the 2006-2007 edition of Destination KC—Ingram’s bi-annual economic development publication and compatible website designed to attract investment to the greater Kansas City area and communities therein.

The coincidental scheduling has presented us with an opportunity to observe the successful businesses of today and tomorrow from our unique vantage point as Kansas City’s longtime, trusted business magazine. The irony of these issues and topics converging at one point in time enables us to showcase the virtues and organizations of one of America’s most thriving emerging markets.

As you browse through the restaurants, organizations and service companies that have been selected by you and a jury of your peers, you’ll notice many familiar, long time winners. You’ll also notice plenty of fresh entries. The same juxtaposition of new and old is apparent by reading through the eight winners and nine finalists of our 2006 Future of Business Awards competition. Indeed, one of our Future of Business Award winners has thrived for more than 140 years while some of the companies we celebrate in our Best of Business section are, quite literally, brand-new. The type of organization profiled runs the gamut as well—some firms build buildings, others build software and some build great meals.

All use the same building blocks to construct successful organizations—regardless of what it does or how long it’s been doing it. A dedication to a specific purpose, a commitment to nonpareil service and an honest drive to achieve excellence will always place a business endeavor on firm footing. But, what separates the trendy from the classic success stories is the quality of that foundation—as industries shift, markets emerge, opportunities grow and the repercussions of decisions reverberate.

On behalf of Ingram’s employees and and our associates, I would like to offer my most sincere congratulations to each of the outstanding companies you’ll read about—whether receiving Best of Business or Future of Business Awards. I would also like to point out that this was among the more difficult years for judging each competitions. But the challenge of naming the best of the best when there are so many exceptional choices is a “problem” that we’re fortunate to encounter.

Truly, it’s our pride and our pleasure to tell the stories of Kansas City finest businesses. Today as well as tomorrow.

 

Regards,

Editor-In-Chief & Publisher

Editorial@IngramsOnLine.com