Some of you may not know who is steering this ship and that is why we wanted to do this week’s team member spotlight on our fearless leader, John! John’s role spans all aspects of the company including business development, underwriting, relationship management, finance, and marketing. He has previously worked for Fortune 500 and privately help companies across the financial services, legal, insurance, manufacturing, and retail industries.

Given John’s diverse background, he is the perfect fit to guide our organization and instill an entrepreneurship culture. He was also selected as a NextGen Leaders by the KC Business Journal and graduated from Centurion Leadership Program through the Greater KC Chamber of Commerce.

He has also held numerous leadership and board positions throughout the community including Catholic Charities, Catholic Foundation, and Bishop Ward Mentoring Program, Reach Out and Read KC, Healthy KC, St Benedictine’s Abbey, Ascension Finance Council, the Knights of Columbus, and coaches multiple youth football and baseball teams.

And SOMEHOW, amongst being a CEO and volunteering across Kansas City, John has written the book, Journey to Leadership, Timeless Lessons for Today’s Leaders. One could say he is the most interesting man in Kansas City so here’s a couple of questions to get to know him better!

Where did you grow up?
I grew up with my brother and two sisters just north of KC in St. Joseph, Missouri.

If you could only have one last meal, what would you eat?
Most people would probably say I’d choose Chipotle. But my last meal would be a nice steak.

What is your favorite sport to watch? Do you have a least favorite sport to watch?
My favorite sport to watch is anything that my kids are playing at the time.

What was the last show you binge-watched?
Yellowstone

How many children do you have? Obviously, you’re not supposed to have favorites, but do you?
My wife Angie and I have four kiddos (Jack, Drew, Maggie, and Michael). Of course, they are all equally my favorite.

For a person who has 4 children and a dog, what do you do to relax?
I try to stay healthy and work out (currently doing CrossFit). I like to read and walk in our neighborhood with Angie.

What was the best advice you ever received?
Slow and steady wins the race, but…sometimes you must put the foot on the gas.

As a native of the KC area, what’s your favorite BBQ spot?
KC has some great BBQ, but my personal favorite is Oklahoma Joe’s (KC Joe’s).

What is your go-to pump-up song?
I always put on Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen when I need to get after it. Best concert song ever (in my humble opinion).

What is your favorite place to visit & why?
I love going to the mountains of Colorado in the summertime. Getting away from the heat and humidity of the KC summers and being outdoors in cooler weather is a great way to recharge.

Do you have a slogan you live by?
I tell my kids every morning “Carpe Diem USA” and every evening “Jesus and his Angle watch over you”. I would say those are my slogans.

What is your dream for Kompass Funding?
I would like to help build a place that folks can grow in their lives and grow in their career. I want everyone to feel at the end of the day that they helped build something special, a place that helped all our stakeholders succeed. That would make me proud.