Jack Welch Visits With Ingram’s and Friends

(Front row) Chancellor Bob Hemenway, University of Kansas and Chancellor Richard Wallace, University of Missouri. (Back row) Ingram’s Executive Editor Jack Cashill; KTEC President and CEO Rich Bendis; Kansas City Board of Trade President Bob Petersen; Ingram’s owner/senior VP Michelle Sweeney; former General Electric Chairman Jack Welch; Grant Thornton’s Managing Partner Kent Gedman; Bryan Cave Senior Partner Herb Kohn; KC Catalyst President David Frankland; former KCMO Mayor Richard Berkley; Ingram’s owner/publisher Joe Sweeney; Rainy Day Books owners Vivien Jennings and Roger Doeren. Reception attendees not in the photo include Commissioner of the Missouri Department of Conservation Anita B. Gorman; and Weary & Associates President Rodney Weary.

This past month, Ingram’s was pleased to arrange an impromptu reception for some of our favorite supporters with the much-celebrated former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch. Welch was at the Unity Temple in Kansas City to promote his huge best-selling autobiography, titled Jack: Straight from the Gut.
Warren Buffet has called Welch “the Tiger Woods of management.” Yet for all of Welch’s success the Ingram’s group found him to be entirely engaging and down to earth. Likewise, Welch seemed charmed to be in Kansas City. His hosts had driven him from the Downtown Airport out to the Sprint campus, and he was moved to ask
rhetorically, “Don’t you have any bad housing in this town?” He could think of no city that looked as consistently good.
The one topic that intrigued Welch most was the state of the university campus. He probed Chancellor Bob Hemenway
of the University of Kansas and Chancellor Richard Wallace of the University of Missouri on the subject. He also asked the respective chancellors about their football teams, and understandably each deflected the subject to basketball. After posing graciously for some photos, Welch spoke to a crowd of some 500 people in the Unity Temple auditorium, an event that was arranged by the always-accommodating folks at Rainy Day Books in Fairway.

In Honor of KC’s Native Sons
Ingram’s Forty Under Forty Alums Recognized

Also this past month, a new tradition was unveiled among an established group of Kansas Citians. On Dec. 8th at Indian Hills Country Club, several hundred members and friends of the Native Sons of Greater Kansas City
convened for their Annual Holiday Brunch. As part of this year’s festivities, the Native Sons unveiled a new annual recognition—an honor to a younger generation of accomplished business and community leaders. “The Scout Award highlights the future leadership of Kansas City by saluting individuals who have begun to make their mark,” said John Dillingham, Scout Award Committee Chairman. “Each of our finalists represent the best and brightest that our community has to offer.
Ingram’s Magazine is particularly proud of these six individuals who all are among the alumni of Ingram’s Forty Under Forty—another cherished Kansas City tradition.

(Top) Bob Dunn, Vice President of J.E. Dunn Construction joins Lois Boyle, president of J. Schmid & Associates as being named the first recipients of the Scout Award.

John Dillingham introduces Scout Award honorees (left to right): Kelvin Simmons, Commissioner of the Missouri Public Service Commission; CitiCorp executive and Roeland Park, Kan. Mayor Lori Hirons; Todd Graves, U.S. Attorney for Western Missouri; Barbara Wiley Frankland, former Chair of the Central Exchange; Bob Dunn of J.E. Dunn Construction and Lois Boyle of J. Schmid & Associates.