2021 Kansas Citian of the Year John Sherman

Successful entrepreneur. Dynamic civic leader. Generous philanthropist. And the third owner of the Kansas City Royals.

That, in a nutshell, is John Sherman, the KC Chamber’s 2021 Kansas Citian of the Year. His surprise award was presented at the Chamber’s 134th Annual Dinner November 23, 2021.

Sherman’s list of accomplishments is long:

  • He built two successful companies within the space of 10 years, first the LPG Services Group, then Inergy L.P., a supplier of propane worth $6 billion today.
  • He’s served the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, the Truman Presidential Library, the UMKC Foundation, Teach for America Kansas City, trustee of the Kauffman Foundation and the National World War I Museum.
  • His Sherman Family Foundation contributes about $4 million annually to local nonprofits, with a particular focus on urban education.

The public knows him best as the owner of the Kansas City Royals Baseball Team. Royals President Dayton Moore describes Sherman as an honorable man, who, when they first met, wanted to talk more about the Royals impact on the community rather than winning another World Series. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick describes Sherman as “Kansas City through and through.”

Sherman joins a long list of other notable Kansas Citians of the Year including Ewing Kauffman and Lamar Hunt.