Reflections Forward

Ten years ago this month, Show-Me Publishing produced its first edition of Ingram’s. This may not seem a major milestone in the eyes of most, but publishers, like politicians and quarterbacks, tend to measure their careers in dog years.

Given that, we reserve the right to stop and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Show-Me Publishing is the sixth owner of the publication now known as Ingram’s Magazine. We have operated it longer than any of our predecessors including Bill Dorn, Mike Russell and Bill Worley, and the late Bob Ingram.

Even more so than other industries, publishing is entrenched on the uncomfortable front lines of deadlines and tight project management schedules. Most people—ourselves included—could not endure the pace were it not for the creative payoff. Seeing one’s product in all its purposeful glossy wonder offers a rush that Internet editors will never understand.

Space precludes the ability to detail the many experiences we’ve had, but I encourage you to read Jack Cashill’s article on page 24. Cashill has served under five of the six publishers on and off for nearly three decades, and he has a keen perspective on the publication’s history and its place in the market.

Particularly rewarding are the new projects we have launched in this past decade, several of which have become community traditions. Among the most appreciated perhaps is Ingram’s 40-Under-Forty, which celebrates its tenth anniversary next month. (Oddly, we skipped over the second year in 1999.  We thought the pool of young leaders was limited at the time. What were we thinking?)

Our other valued annual programs include the Special Medical Edition which includes the often-imitated Top Doctors program, and Heroes in Healthcare, whose recipients are honored each year at a March awards ceremony.

Among our very favorites is the Philanthropy Special Edition. This annual December issue does a great deal to help position worthy not-for-profits and share their good work, a task that the more sensational media neglect.

Our annual CEOpen Executive Golf Tournament has been a big hit as well, not only among the golfers, but also among the charitable organizations for which they compete.

This year’s CEOpen will be held June 4 at Shadow Glen. With the help of patrons, we’ve raised $120,000 for ten charitable organizations in two years and expect to do better this year and in future years. Golfers and sponsors, give us a call.

In addition, we have refined and expanded several other outstanding programs that we inherited. These include the Corporate Report 100 competition for the fastest growing local companies—now in its 22nd year—and the Best of Business Kansas City awards celebrating its 19th year in 2007.

Looking Ahead

As our readers know, we’re bullish on the future of KC and the bi-state. Centrality and efficient distribution of product and information position the region well for the future—we continue to see signs of growth and prosperity.

Politics and parochialism have, to a certain degree, hindered our emergence as a first-tier city. A region split so evenly by a state line inevitably presents challenges, but there is much more we can do to overcome them.

Once we do, the state and county lines that separate the region will work to our favor. We can engage four U.S. senators and as many as five congressmen and a number of state agencies to collectively drive investment our way.

If we can continue to press forward, and if those organizations that are established to support business stop competing with each other and with the businesses themselves, I am confident this region will thrive more than any of us fully imagine is possible.

For the last ten years, we have committed ourselves not just to churning out news, but to championing heroes—civic, scientific, entrepreneurial, educational, and philanthropic. With your help and theirs, we can make greater Kansas City and the states of Missouri and Kansas the very best destination for economic investment and business prosperity.

Our Best!

Joe Sweeney

Editor-In-Chief & Publisher

JSweeney@IngramsOnLine.com