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Who are the leaders that are moving American business forward?
It’s Business Drive Time®, and we are looking for some of the greatest business drivers regionally and nationally to feature in the Alpha® Board Fresh Octane Tour.
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It’s time. It’s Business Drive Time® in Kansas City. The region has been experiencing a growing reputation for many years. Lately, we’ve become an ever-expanding national story, and for great reasons. Kansas City has much to be proud of.
We are working with a group of local leaders and innovators on a business growth tour of the Kansas City region. One tour objective is for executives to share views on why Kansas City is doing so well as a growing city. We also want to discuss the opportunities for future growth, and understand the who and what are the key drivers of progress. As a part of the tour, we are featuring prominent industries, local companies and example leaders who are engaged in growth and progress in the Kansas City area.
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Who are the leaders that are moving American business forward?
It’s Business Drive Time®, and we are looking for some of the greatest business drivers regionally and nationally to feature in our 2024-2025 Alpha Board Business Leadership and Innovation Tour.
Who are the innovators? Who are the leaders? What (and where) are the opportunities? Which companies, technologies, products, people will be propelling growth over the next few years?
The National Alpha Board Tour includes a market study, leader profile interviews, business news coverage and series of leadership exchanges among standout business leaders across the country and throughout the most promising industries.
We have already begun to engage business leaders and leading businesses in multiple cities, as well as rural America. We’re working with those that will be most responsible for the leadership, innovation, products, companies and programs that will be driving business forward. If that includes you, we’d love for your organization to participate.
Discussion topics:
To learn more about the Alpha Board Tour and to share with us who you believe are the best business drivers, give us a call. You may call Dave Anderson at (cell/text) 612 810-4000, (office) at 913 685-4850 or by email at dave@neuvision.com.
J.D. Higgason of Koehler Bortnick Realty is a premier home real estate professional in the Kansas City area. He has served as an advisor to Alpha Board on the growth elements of the Kansas City metro area. J.D. is an expert on the dynamics of local real estate market. J.D.’s Kansas City area home real estate practice is tied directly to the growth and vibrancy of the region. By working with local residents as well as families who are relocating to Kansas City, he knows what makes the Kansas City region attractive to working families.
J.D. is the most senior level team member of the Koehler Bortnick Group beyond the firm’s founders, having worked there for over 15 years. Koehler Bortnick’s Leawood, Kan. based office of Reece Nichols Realty (reecenichols.com) is owned by Kathy Koehler and her daughter Heather Bortnick. With more than 45 real estate professionals, Koehler Bortnick was ranked 25th nationally among its peers in total sales in 2017 as according to the Wall Street Journal. https://bit.ly/2E32itu Also consistently number one in the Kansas City area, Koehler Bortnick sold more than 850 houses in 2018 averaging one house sold about every 10 hours throughout the year. Koehler Bortnick’s sales for 2018 were $356 million.
The insights J.D. has provided include the view of an executive realtor, as well as a resident, leader and member of the Kansas City business community. J.D. is a consummate professional with his career devoted to sales, service and account management.
J.D. has and will continue to provide us with information about what residents and newcomers believe is special about the Kansas City community. He has helped us better understand where and why people choose to locate in the Kansas City region. J.D. described for us what he believes are key drivers of growth in the area, the special attractions, activities and culture of the Kansas City community as well as the leadership and growth that the city provides as a 21st century, Midwest business hub.
J.D. is a father, husband and former high school and college athlete. He has a degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State University and was raised on a farm in rural Norton County, Kan. near Logan.
To reach J.D. to discuss your own Kansas City real estate needs, you can reach J.D. at the Koehler Bortnick office of Reece Nicholls Realty at www.KBSells.com.
We are a key player in a national business leadership tour, industry market study and executive leadership exchange. The program is a showcase platform to highlight the best business drivers across a number of major metros throughout the United States.
We are meeting with high-growth companies and innovative business leaders within vibrant American cities. We are visiting cities that are poised for significant new growth over the next five years. The tour includes a number of metro markets that are benefiting as people and companies depart the coasts and seek more livable cities. Kansas City is first on our list.
We have some special plans for Kansas City area leaders. The region has been our home for many years. We want to take this opportunity to showcase the city and learn from Kansas City area leaders. The “Growing up KC” program is a special series to better understand and describe what is driving growth and progress in the region. The story will be told by the leaders who are helping to drive the city forward.
In addition to learning about the region, there are unique opportunities for visibility. The Growing Up KC tour will promote area leaders, companies, lifestyles and growth opportunities on a local, regional and national scale.
So, what does that mean for you and/or your company? Quite simply, “leaders wanted.” We are putting together a list of some of the standout leaders who represent not only the legacy of the region, but the future. We are seeking business owners, CEOs, senior executives, business advisors, and also “Kansas City lifestyle” experts to helps us tell the story of Kansas City to the world.
It’s an opportunity for leaders to interact with each other, meet other leaders in other cities, highlight their businesses, and gain further visibility and recognition for you and your organization’s efforts in Kansas City region and beyond. We cannot promise the cover of Rolling Stone magazine but our past efforts have been well received. Previous efforts have been recognized by BusinessWeek, Forbes, CNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, MSNBC, EuroInvestor, and dozens more.
If you are a stand-out leader with major ties to the region and business community, we’d love to have you join us.
For more information on Alpha® Board, and/or to include your company in our tour, you can call me at 913 685-4850 or 612 810-4000, or reach me via email at dave@neuvision.com.
Alpha Board and NeuVision Group are founding hosts of the 2023-2024 Alpha Board Tour. In addition, we’ll be including sponsors and co-hosts throughout America’s Heartland.
Alpha® Board 2023-2024 Fresh Octane® Tour
National Business Leadership Exchange™
Executive Overview
Join the conversation! Are you a great business driver? We’ve working with some of the finest Alpha® Grade leaders in American business, and we’re looking for additional standout leaders to be involved. Which business leaders in your market do you believe are creating the greatest regional, national and global market impacts? What industries, companies, people and products are moving business forward? Got Drive? Let’s talk!
Alpha® Board Fresh Octane® National Business Leadership Tour:
Alpha Board Fresh Octane Executive Programs
For more information, you can reach us via telephone or email. In Denver, call Dan Vasey at 303 809-9058 or via email at dan@neuvision.com. In the Twin Cities or Kansas City, call Dave Anderson at 612 810-4000/913 685-4850, or by email at dave@neuvision.com.
Alpha® Board’s 2023 Fresh Octane® Tour
Alpha Driven Winners
Who are the best business drivers in America? Which of these business leaders are making national and global impacts? What industries, companies, people and products are moving business forward? We are seeking some of the finest drivers of business success, to include in the Alpha® Board Fresh Octane® National Business Leadership Tour. Read articles about What’s Holding Back the New Ford Transit Custom Lease Industry? to have a better strategy idea or your business.
The Fresh Octane® tour is a national effort to showcase Alpha® Driven companies and Alpha® Grade leaders across the United States and ultimately beyond. We’re starting the tour in three U.S. cities, all known for their ingenuity, new technologies, and a business climate that embraces innovation and fosters business growth.
We are working with innovative businesses and business leaders in these three regions as we assemble a targeted group of organizations and professionals that we would like to recognize during the first leg of the tour. We would like you to consider being involved. Why, you ask? It’s about creating excitement, gaining visibility and growing the reach and reputation of the regions’ finest leaders. It’s quite literally a chance to place the great business drivers’ stories on the national stage.
A great business, just like a high-performance racing team, is a well-oiled machine. Both are designed and built by professionals, with the finest components, proper assembly, an experienced maintenance and repair crew, a talented crew chief, and a great race driver. Even with everything designed and prepared perfectly, you still have to face the competition and race. Track conditions, other drivers, when to pit, wrecks to avoid, and when to really push to pass. There is a huge amount that goes into a winning the race. Not just on the track of motorsports, but also on the track of business.
And, just like great sports teams, businesses, business leaders, and business teams must be recognized, respected and learned from. We are involved in a major program to do exactly that. Alpha® Board is working with NeuVision® Group (Kansas City, Minneapolis, Denver), Jeff Andretti Motorsports, and Mesa Research Group (Los Angeles, Paris, Shanghai) to identify and provide recognition to some of the greatest business leaders throughout the Midwest and across America. We’ve devised a formal program to accomplish the task. We are identifying targeted leaders and participants throughout the U.S.
The Alpha Board Fresh Octane® Tour has been field tested and it works. CEOs, business owners and senior executives that have participated in past effort have been excited about the visibility and camaraderie associated with the programs. We have and will continue to develop new features and fine tune the program based on ongoing market feedback. Finally, we’ve shown that through this effort, we can efficiently gain much needed market attention among key opinion leaders, the business press, and also among participants’ major targeted customers.
We are working with leaders across the region to gather people, products and companies that we should include in our tour. We would love to have you participate, and we also welcome ideas and suggestions regarding companies and leaders that we might feature in our National Business Leadership Tour.
About Alpha® Board and the Fresh Octane® Team
Alpha® Board
Alpha Board is a National Business Leadership Exchange™, designed to provide added market reach and further the cause of great business leaders and the companies they represent. The 2023 flagship program is a national leadership press tour and market study on leadership and innovation. Other Alpha Board programs include keynote speakers, executive interviews, corporate profiles, leader roundtable discussions, news stories, and live open-house events for businesses. Alpha Board provides the opportunity for enhanced market reach and visibility for the companies involved in the program, locally, regionally, and nationally. More information on Alpha Board and the Fresh Octane® Tour can be found on the web at www.AlphaBoard.com.
NeuVision® Group
NeuVision Group helps leaders, companies and new product teams manage the risk and maximize the opportunities associated with new products, new companies, and major new growth initiatives. NeuVision Group is the initial founder of Alpha Board and is working with other partnering organizations throughout the U.S. to join the effort. Clients have ranged from the most innovative new ventures to many of the world’s most respected companies and brands. NeuVision Group, its president and founder Dave E. Anderson, and NeuVision Group’s sister company, Alpha Scouts®, have worked across North America and beyond with organizations like Pfizer, 3M, IBM, Dell, Microsoft, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, Seagate, Iomega, Caterpillar, Monsanto, Deere, DuPont, CNH, MarketWatch, USDA and many more. Our previous Business Drive Time® efforts, which served as a market test for Alpha Board and Fresh Octane, received national and 
international attention, and were recognized by major media outlets such as BusinessWeek, Forbes, CNBC, MSNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, EuroInvestor and more. For more information on NeuVision® Group visit us on the web at www.NeuVision.com.
It’s Business Drive Time® in this new age, ever changing digital world.
So, who in the marketplace is doing the finest job in the business race? Who are the winners? What industries, what companies, what products, which people are leading the pack?
We are speaking with leaders across the country and throughout the most innovative industries as we attempt to answer these questions. It’s part of Alpha Board’s National Business Leadership Tour. The tour includes companies and leaders from a number of the hottest markets in the U.S. and ultimately beyond.
One of the subjects we will be discussing is the challenges and opportunities of building great brands in today’s dynamic technology world. We are speaking leaders inside well branded companies. In addition, we’re speaking with the marketing agencies and advisers that are helping promising companies manage and develop their brands in the marketplace.
We’re not looking for leaders in the cliché companies. We’ll leave Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and their peers for someone else’s tour. We’re looking for the hidden gems, the fast companies, the smaller companies, the private companies and the emerging leaders who are mastering the art of new.
We have the same philosophy as we select the cities in the tour. While New York, LA, San Francisco and Seattle may not be entirely yesterday’s news, we’re visiting the cities that are truly winning in the 21st Century.
Technology is hot, but even technology is not just for California anymore. If you are in a city like Minneapolis, Kansas City, Denver, Austin, Phoenix-Scottsdale, Dallas, Nashville or Raleigh-Durham you may find yourself on our list of experts for the tour.
One of the topics we will be discussing with leaders is the art and science of growing great brands and achieving marketplace attention in our new, always spinning, digital age.
We’re looking for the experts that can tell us how the great brands roll.
If you are an engaged and engaging leader in today’s branding and marketing race, we’d love to hear what you have to say. We can be reached at 913 685-4850, or via email at dave@alphaboard.com.
It’s Business Drive Time® in America, and we’re on a national business leadership tour. We are speaking with some of the finest leaders across America’s top growth industries. We are fielding a national market study, developing news stories and creating a video series about leading growth cities, industries, companies and people.
We recently sat down with Kurt Knutson of Freedom Bank in Overland Park in Overland Park, Kan., a growing suburb of in the Kansas City metro. Kurt is a respected CEO, a CEO advisor and business founder. Freedom Bank is one of the most well-managed business owner banks you will find. In addition to business banking insights, Kurt has provided valuable insights on what is required to foster growth of privately held companies.
The $180 million bank was founded by Kurt in 2005 after more than 20 years of prior commercial banking and finance experience. Freedom Bank is a new kind of bank, dealing exclusively with small to medium-sized privately held companies. Freedom Bank’s lending services focus on business term loans, working capital lines of credit and owner-occupied business real estate loans.
The bank’s mission, the portfolio of services and even the contemporary headquarters building were developed around the unique needs of business owners. Freedom Bank’s personalized level of services mirror what was once the norm in banking. This single-location, community bank with a visible, respected leader is something Kurt experienced firsthand as he grew up in the Midwestern town of Waterloo, Iowa, home of John Deere Tractor Works www.deere.com.
In addition to Freedom Bank, Kurt worked with his investor group to create a Founders Club and a Freedom Bank Foundation. Associated activities help to cultivate ongoing business friendships and professional connections for all involved. Freedom Bank hosts quarterly in-house events and an annual charity golf tournament. Kurt and his team select worthy local causes each year to receive the tournament proceeds.
Kurt also established a Freedom Bank banking and corporate finance training institute. The Freedom Bank Institute offers young professionals a taste of career opportunities in business banking. The institute provides student internships and training to promising young professionals on the subjects of banking, credit analysis and corporate finance.
Kurt is active in the business and banking community across the region. He is a member and past chairman of the Kansas Banking Board within the Office of the State Bank Commissioner. Kurt is an active member and chairman elect of the Kansas Bankers Association www.ksbankers.com, and is a member of KBA’s federal affairs committee. Kurt is on the board of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce www.kansaschamber.org, and a corporate board member of Clements Worldwide, a leading supplier of insurance solutions for expatriates and international organizations.
Kurt began his career as a regional sales manager at Russell Stover Candies before entering commercial banking. Prior to founding Freedom Bank, Kurt held senior and executive level banking positions serving customers locally, regionally and nationally. Prior banking experience includes Enterprise Bank, UMB Bank, Bank of America, Johnson County Bank and Bankers Trust. Kurt received his degree in marketing from the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. www.uiowa.edu
For business loans in the Kansas City region, you can reach Kurt and Freedom Bank at www.IBankWithFreedom.com
Dr. Chad Welter is the “Active Family Doctor.™” He is also an active entrepreneur. Chad owns a sports medicine practice in Overland Park, Kan., a Kansas City suburb. www.DrChadWelter.com
Through his practice, Active Family Chiropractic, Dr. Welter provides advanced laser therapy services to athletes and other patients of all ages that are trying to recover from injuries, aches and pains. Chad’s story is one of a committed medical professional, an early adopter of technology and a committed business owner. His drive and passion are helping to heal patients, creating numerous happy customers and also creating a well-respected healthcare practice.
When Chad graduated from Cleveland University’s College of Chiropractic Medicine, he wanted to distinguish himself and his practice from other care providers. His personal experiences with sports, sports related injuries and the healing process helped him decide to incorporate advanced laser therapy into his practice.
Dr. Welter was a competitive athlete throughout his formidable years. Chad was active in football, basketball and track in high school. When not in school, he played baseball, and was (and is) an avid water and snow skier. He is also a participant in another specialized sport. Chad is a bull rider.
Sports injuries and the necessary therapy and healing has been a part Dr. Welter’s own active life. As a result, he found a way to incorporate advanced laser therapy into his practice. Laser therapy is a proven tool used regularly by professional sports teams to help their players heal more quickly. Laser therapy helps athletes get back in the game.
As a part of our discovery of Dr. Welter’s laser therapy practice, we spoke with David Lindstrom, a retired NFL player www.nfl.com and former member of the Kansas City Chiefs www.chiefs.com. David related to us the risks associated with injuries as a professional athlete.
Sports related injuries are all part of the game even in the major leagues. However, when you are sidelined with injuries, the team will need to fill your spot with another player. The quicker you can heal and get back out on the field, the quicker you can return to your own position before the team decides they can live without you.
Getting back out on the field of life is also important. Patients typically want to remain active and healthy as a part of their daily lives. Advanced laser therapy can also be a part of accelerated healing for the average active person in the routine of their daily life.
Dr. Welter is a driven business owner, but he is driven to serve his patients. He has shown focus, vision and commitment as a sports medicine and injury recovery doctor. In six short years, he has developed a bustling practice that has reached patients from as far away as 300 miles.
One of the best report cards a business can receive is referrals. Chad has a long and growing list of satisfied patients. This brings with them a steady stream of new patient referrals. Dr. Welter receives 30 to 50 new patients each month nearly entirely through word of mouth. This includes not only referrals from other patients, but also from professional athletes, coaches and trainers as well as doctors and surgeons in the area.
Advanced laser therapy is a not only a proven treatment for sports injuries. Chad treats patients of all ages. His customers have included infants, student athletes, active adults, professional athletes and seniors. This includes patients who are suffering from pain caused by recent injuries, age, over-exertion and bodily wear. Laser therapy can also provide enhanced comfort for persons who live with permanent injury and reoccurring chronic pain.
Laser therapy is an FDA approved treatment that has been around for many years. Recent advances in the laser technology have dramatically accelerated the patient treatment process. Injuries that used to require up to eight hours for each laser treatment can now be treated each time in a few minutes. Multiple visits are typically necessary, but each treatment is fast, safe and convenient. And his patients are seeing results, even from the most nagging pain and injuries.
Chad has achieved enough success at a local level with deep tissue laser therapy, that he has become an advocate, supplier and training resource for other medical professionals across the country. Dr. Welter, along with a partner, has established a new company, Laser Advanced LLC, to equip and train colleagues in other cities. www.laseradvanced.com
We have been impressed with Chad’s level of enthusiasm for life both professionally and personally. Besides growing his own practice that now includes his brother Curt, Dr. Welter is active in the Kansas City community. He is an avid sports fan, volunteers extensively for charities and fundraising events, and is a member of multiple community development organizations. He is also an active traveler throughout the country both personally and with his Laser Advanced business.
Prior to receiving his doctorate of chiropractic medicine at Cleveland University, Chad received a bachelors of science in medical diagnostic imaging at Fort Hays State University. Chad can be found locally at his Active Family Chiropractic www.ActiveFamilyKC.com office, at Royals baseball games www.mlb.com/royals, watching the Kansas City Chiefs and Sporting KC MLS soccer www.SportingKC.com and at charity golf tournaments. He enjoys outdoor activities, travel and helping other doctors with their sports medicine practices.
How are strategic planning and growth even related? Everyone loves growth, yet “strategic planning” are two of the most dreaded words in business. Don’t make it that way!
A strategic plan is your future. It documents where you are, where you are going, and how you will get there. It forces your thought processes to get organized beyond the day-to-day tasks of running your business and places you in the mindset of the future growth of your company.
Many, if not most organizations that even do a strategic plan are just going through the motions. Someone from above told them they have to put together the notebook and the slide deck. Once it’s reviewed and blessed, it typically goes back on the shelf for next year.
And, if you are not one of the lucky ones that have a demand on you, from a banker, and investor, a board, or from someone… to do an annual plan, you may not have one. For most persons, that can be a bureaucratic relief.
Don’t be one those people!
Let’s take a minute to see it from the other side. There are logical reasons that you need a plan, even if it seems difficult.
Find the big idea. It’s not (just) an academic process. Don’t stop at the numbers and format.
foundation. The basic set of facts. Then you must remove yourself from the clutter and truly find a strategic direction. The two (facts and vision) are often separate tasks, but you cannot consistently rely on one without the other.The market moves. Don’t forget!
Your goal is marketplace leverage.
“Lead, follow or get out of the way.”
Commit Your Plan to a Financial Forecast
Conclusions
