Four longtime Lawrence leaders inducted into Business Hall of Fame

The people behind Lawrence’s schools, churches, campus expansion and downtown business network were all in one room at KU’s Burge Union as four longtime leaders were inducted into the Lawrence Business Hall of Fame. The recognition went to Kevin O’Malley, Father Mick Mulvany, KU Chancellor Doug Girod and Bonnie Lowe, and it also helped fund Junior Achievement programs for local students.

The 16th annual Hall of Fame dinner, held Thursday evening, is more than a ceremonial honor. Junior Achievement of Lawrence says the event recognizes prominent business leaders who have made extraordinary contributions to Lawrence while supporting its K-12 programming in financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness. The hall of fame display itself hangs inside the Lawrence Public Library, where biographies and photos of inductees have been preserved since the inaugural class of 2010.

Each member of the 2026 class represents a different part of the local economy and civic life. O’Malley leads O’Malley Beverage of Kansas, a Lawrence-based beer, wine and liquor distributor established in 2005, a business that has become a regional employer with a visible footprint in everyday commerce. Mulvany is remembered for decades of church leadership, including his years as the third pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church, where parish history says he helped expand the campus and school and grew the parish to more than 1,400 Catholic families.

Girod, KU’s chancellor since 2017, has presided over a period when the university’s role in Lawrence development has expanded sharply. Local reporting in 2025 said his office had a hand in roughly $1 billion in development in Lawrence, including the Gateway District, which KU has described as an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen both KU and Lawrence. That makes his place in the hall of fame about more than campus administration. It reflects the university’s growing influence on housing, construction and the city’s long-term economic trajectory.

Lowe brings another piece of the local leadership network. She has served as president and chief executive of The Chamber of Lawrence since January 2019, after previously working as the chamber’s chief operations officer. Before that, she worked in banking and as a financial investigator with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, giving her a background that links finance, public service and business recruitment. She also holds a finance degree from Fort Hays State University.

Together, the four honorees show why the Hall of Fame matters beyond the banquet itself. It ties Lawrence’s business identity to the institutions that shape daily life, from parish halls and classroom lessons to major campus projects and the chamber’s economic agenda.