In an extraordinary gathering of key local business creators, 20 Kansas City entrepreneurs were celebrated Friday during the inaugural induction ceremony for the Henry W. Bloch School of Management’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.An audience of about 200 saw the group receive medallions of honor (some awarded posthumously) in a room adjacent to the new hall of fame at the Bloch Executive Hall for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
“Have you ever seen a collection of such entrepreneurs in your life?” said UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton in remarks paying tribute to the inductees seated onstage. “This is awesome.”
Morton described the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame as “honoring and preserving the past, educating and inspiring the present and laying the foundation for the future.”
In his remarks, David Donnelly, dean of the Bloch School of Management, expressed the hope that the hall of fame would not only provide role models to emulate but that its honorees would return to “speak, mentor and share stories of inspiration with students.”
The inaugural class of Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductees includes:
- G. Kenneth Baum, George K. Baum and Co.
- Henry W. Bloch, H&R Block
- David Brain, EPR Properties
- Mike Brown, Euronet Worldwide
- William H. Dunn Sr., JE Dunn Construction
- Barnett C. Helzberg Jr., Helzberg Diamonds
- Shirley Bush Helzberg, Helzberg Diamonds
- Lamar Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs (posthumous)
- Ewing Kauffman, Marion Laboratories (posthumous)
- Bonnie Kelly, Silpada Designs
- Jerry Kelly, Silpada Designs
- John T. Lockton III, Lockton Companies (posthumous)
- Dan Lowe, RED Legacy
- John McDonald, Boulevard Brewing Co.
- Regnier Family, Regnier Family Foundations
- John Sherman, Inergy L.P.
- Terry Van Der Tuuk, Graphic Technology, Inc.
- Teresa Walsh, Silpada Designs
- L. William Zahner, A. Zahner Co.
- Hugh Zimmer, Zimmer Companies
Serving as the event’s master of ceremonies was Peter deSilva, president and COO of UMB Financial Corporation and vice chairman of UMB Bank.
DeSilva noted the accomplishments of the inaugural class and called attention to some of the artifacts on display in the hall of fame, such as H&R Block’s first business tax return; original bottles of Marion Labs’ earliest prescription medications; a collection of Helzberg Diamonds “I Am Loved” buttons in foreign languages; vintage Boulevard Beer tap handles; and Lamar Hunt’s original plan for the American Football League handwritten on American Airlines stationary.
Representing Bloch School of Management students was Elaine Eason, who is to graduate in 2015 with a BBA in entrepreneurship and innovation management.
“This exhibit will remind us on a daily basis that success is real and possible,” she said.
