Ingram's

1 month ago | ingrams.com | Joe Sweeney

We’re 15 years into our Ingram’s 100 ranking of the region’s top private companies, and for anyone wondering about the health of the regional economy, there’s some encouraging news:Nearly half of this year’s Top 100—47, to be exact—experienced year-over-year revenue growth by double-digit percentages. Leading the way there was Cable Dahmer Auto Group, where owner Carlos Ledezma had his team firing on all cylinders.

1 month ago | ingrams.com | Jack Cashill

Given how often we hear someone called a “threat to democracy” today, we are tempted to think that democracy—like, say, the polar bear—is an endangered species. Not so. In Jackson County, at least, there is not too little democracy; there is too much. Case in point: Recently Jackson County Legislator “Abarca IV” alerted residents of his district to the deadline for appealing property tax hikes.

1 month ago | ingrams.com | Jack Cashill

The Kansas City Public Library actually had a Golden Age. From the years 2005 to 2020, no public library in America did more to enlighten and entertain all of its patrons than did Kansas City’s. Unfortunately, the library fell harder and quicker than the Kabul airport. If the library now has any educational value, it is to remind taxpayers of the dangers of institutional capture.

2 months ago | ingrams.com | Jack Cashill

Embedded in the title above are two distinct questions. The first question, a personal one, is whether those who work from home actually do any productive work. The second question, a communal one, is whether working from home works to improve the culture and the economy. My answer is “sometimes” for Question 1 and a hard “no” for Question 2. My concerns were reinforced on a wintry 1-degree morning in mid-February when I heroically left my cozy home and drove through the snow to my office.

2 months ago | ingrams.com | Joe Sweeney

Several of my colleagues have developed unique publications designed to educate high-school students and their parents and counselors of educational options available after graduation. There was a time, not long ago, when not considering a college education, at least an associate’s degree, was pretty rare, at least in business circles. I believe the pandemic and labor shortages caused a trajectory unlike any we’ve seen are compelling students to pursue the trades.