The Greater Shreveport Chamber on Wednesday honored long standing businessmen and philanthropists Glenn and Chris Kinsey as the Chamber’s Business Leaders of the Year for 2021 at its 112th Annual Banquet, presented by Willis Knighton Health System.
Each year since 1978, the Chamber has recognized local business leaders who bring together superior business acumen with significant contributions to the development of the greater Shreveport community. For the first time ever, the prestigious award for 2021 was presented to brothers Glenn and Chris Kinsey.
Born and raised in Shreveport, Glenn and Chris are both graduates of Culver Military Academy in Northern Indiana. Glenn holds a BA and BFA from Southern Methodist University and Chris holds a BA from Trinity University and an MBA from LSU. Together with their siblings, they own and manage Kinsey Interests, a family office active in oil and gas, real estate, timber, and public and private equity, based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Kinsey Interests employs almost 500 individuals in North Louisiana and over 5000 individuals across the globe through their direct investments in more than 35 companies.
“The Chamber is delighted to honor Glenn and Chris Kinsey as our 2021 Business Leaders of the Year”, said Dr. Timothy Magner, President of the Greater Shreveport Chamber. “Glenn and Chris are the third generation of the Kinsey family to take up the mantle of business leadership here in Shreveport. Their business acumen, strategic focus and global investments have developed businesses and enhanced communities both here and abroad.”
In addition to their extensive business portfolio, the Kinsey’s have also continued their family’s practice of enlightened and engaged philanthropic giving. In addition to their charitable contributions, Chris and Glenn’s personal involvement as a Board member and officer in a host of organizations including the YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, Committee of 100, Holy Angels, LSU Health Sciences Foundation, the United Way and the Community Foundation of Northwest Louisiana as well as LABI, CABL, PAR and the Nature Conservancy speaks to the tradition of service that is one of the hallmarks of the Kinsey family.
“To have individuals with the kind of national and global reputations such as the Kinseys based in our community, and active in our community, is to be recognized and celebrated,” said Francesca Benten Moreland, 2022 Chair of the Greater Shreveport Chamber. “That their father was honored with this award almost 30 years ago speaks to the lasting impact the Kinsey family continues to have in Shreveport-Bossier.”
Both men have traveled extensively and have varied hobbies and interests. Glenn began his career in radio at KMGC and KNOK in Dallas/Fort Worth, produced a documentary for PBS with Beatles Producer George Martin, and is a Knight Commander in the Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. He has been married to Ellen Sheridan Kinsey for 35 years and together they have five daughters.
Chris is a globally recognized explorer and sportsman who is a member of both the Explorer’s Club and a Fellow in London’s Royal Geographical Society. He has undertaken more than 30 safaris in Africa, including retracing the 1911 safari of President Theodore Roosevelt and collecting unique specimens for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Chris and his wife Judy have one son.
