Ingram's Magazine: January 2012

With Markets Volatile, Munis Are Worth a New Look

In August 2011, the credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s removed the U.S government from its list of AAA borrowers for the first time, citing diminishing confidence in the government’s ability to manage its finances in the current political environment. Yet…more

Area Banks Find Their Way Through the Uncertainty

On a clear day in early January, a score of the area’s leading banking executives met high atop the Downtown Kansas City headquarters of Stinson Morrison Hecker, the sponsor of this year’s Banking Industry Outlook, the 12th in our annual…more

Predictions—and challenges—for a great 2012

Right up front, let me state: These are not economic predictions. They are based on my personal observation and first-hand knowledge of sales forces across the United States—their present situation, and their future hopes, based on market conditions and readiness.And…more

Economists Read the Tea Leaves for 2012

The calendar flips, and a new year—a presidential election year, at that—is upon us. What’s the lay of the land for the regional economy in 2012? Well, that depends on whom you ask. Ingram’s queried several economists familiar with conditions…more

Adjusting to the New Normal: 2012 M&A Outlook

As we emerge further from the credit crisis and great recession of 2008–2010, the lessons learned during the crisis and existing economic externalities shape our outlook for 2012 M&A activity. Our focus is on the private middle and micro market,…more

Bowl Bound

The real hell of being both a small business owner and a college football fanatic—I use that word deliberately; I’m not just a fan—is that there’s not nearly enough time you can carve away from work demands to fully enjoy…more

Knowledge, Excellence Cross Paths in Education

Over a span of more than 60 years, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has thrown several billion dollars into research, its biggest weapon in the war on blood cancers. Louis DeGennaro, the society’s chief mission officer, now has a new…more

Remember the Citadel

To position Kansas City as America’s entrepreneurial capital, area leaders need to distinguish crony capitalism from the real thing. Happily for them, the ill-fated Citadel Plaza project has surfaced once again, and it makes for a splendid case study on…more

50 Kansans x 2: What We’ve Learned

Since the inaugural production of our 50 Kansans You Should Know feature in 2011, the editors and researchers at Ingram’s have had the opportunity to consider more than one thousand deserving residents of the Sunflower State. Unlike other business-recognition honors…more

Icons of Education

This Is What You Get When Excellence is the Goal The fourth installment of Ingram’s Icons of Education produced an odd twist: Each year since the program began in 2009 to recognize the best of what education in this region…more