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Kansas City Business Journal
2024 Champions of Business Awards: Meet the honorees, judges
Since its inception in 2007, the Champions of Business program has recognized companies displaying excellence, from financial performance to community involvement. <\p> To date, 48 companies have entered our Hall of Champions, reserved for those earning a Champions of Business honor three times. In the spirit of recognizing their continued focus on excellence, we’ve launched a new awards program, League of Champions. Three companies are receiving the inaugural honor: VML, JE Dunn Construction Co. and Country Club Bank. <\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Airshare
Airshare has been in business for more than two decades, but it accomplished one big goal overnight.<\p> The aviation company had offices in Overland Park, Wichita, Fort Worth and Buffalo, New York, before acquiring the aircraft management business of Wheels Up last fall.<\p>
2024 League of Champions — Country Club Bank
Country Club Bank’s core values influence every decision. They include achievement, compassion, enthusiasm, integrity and teamwork.<\p> “Doing the right thing is always going to serve you well,” CEO Paul Thompson said. <\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Vytelle
Vytelle wrangled two distinct challenges from early on. One, convince potential customers of a cattle herd optimizing technology that sounded too good to be true. And two, prioritize — because the company faced growth potential that could have been overwhelming.<\p> “Scaling is a really hard stage to be in,” CEO Kerryann Kocher said. “Early on, our demand was outrunning our production systems. We really had to prioritize our efforts and focus on where we could be excellent, and maintain a strong value proposition for customers.”<\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Commerce Bank
On the surface, keys to Commerce Bank’s growth during the past year have been its payments business and helping customers understand ways to prevent the increasing threat of fraud. But those two areas reflect a deeper philosophy that extends far beyond checking accounts and loans.<\p> “We find, increasingly, that we’re helping commercial entities find out there are needs they didn’t even know they had,” CEO Kevin Barth said.<\p>
2024 League of Champions — JE Dunn Construction
Throughout its 100-year history, JE Dunn Construction Co. has played a role in a variety of noteworthy projects.<\p> Among the newest is the Kansas City Current’s CPKC Stadium, where JE Dunn and Monarch Build were general contractors. The $117 million stadium is believed to be the world’s first purpose-built for a professional women’s sports team. <\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Propio Language Services
Propio Language Services, an Overland Park-based language interpreting service company, grew its revenue by 60% last year and its profit by 452%. CEO Marco Assis said they are only getting started.<\p> “If we have the best service, if our team is the most qualified, and if our pricing is the most competitive, there is no reason to not switch to Propio,” Assis said. “And our clients are seeing that.”<\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Prime Capital Investment Advisors
Overland Park-based Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC has completely transformed itself during the past seven years, building a footprint throughout the U.S., completing 25 acquisitions and offering strong financial advice to clients across the wealth spectrum.<\p> Prime Capital Investment Advisors (PCIA) was recapitalized in July 2023, selling a minority stake to Boston-based private equity firm Abry Partners. That added fuel to propel its growth.<\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Max Motors Dealerships
Robert Jacaway started selling cars straight out of high school at a local Oldsmobile GMC dealership in 1983. More than 40 years later, the brands and locations have changed, but the business remains the same.<\p> “I’ve done it my whole life,” Max Motors Dealerships CEO and co-owner Jacaway said. “I started in sales and worked my way into management by the time I was 20. I’ve been around good people who helped me a long way.”<\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Lever1
Lever1 prides itself on white-glove customer service. The Overland Park-based professional employer organization works to provide human resources services and products tailored to individual client needs.<\p> As Lever1 continues to grow, recently expanding into St. Louis and Oklahoma City, one philosophy that remains is a customer-first mentality.<\p>
2024 Champions of Business — TreviPay
Online purchasing has long shaped how consumers make choices in an ever-changing goods and services landscape.<\p> TreviPay CEO Brandon Spear said a recent shift from brand loyalty to experience loyalty is yet another change that affects the way people choose to purchase. The easier the transaction, the happier the customer.<\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Fre3dom Interiors
Fre3dom Interiors is a Kansas City-based design company that works to create engaging spaces in the community. The company works to bring visions to life in classrooms, but it also is an active participant outside the classroom. <\p> The company prides itself on being involved with its surrounding communities and giving back to worthwhile causes. It’s involved with organizations such as literacy program Lead to Read KC and Kansas City Girls Prep Academy, the first all-girls charter school in Kansas City. <\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Dairy Farmers of America
Dairy Farmers of America has weathered a volatile two years in the milk industry, coming out on top.<\p> CEO Dennis Rodenbaugh took over the cooperative’s top leadership position in 2022 amid a downward trend in earnings.<\p>
2024 Champions of Business — TREKK Design Group
The nation’s aging infrastructure has drawn much attention and investment, with many major systems nearing the end of their lifespans.<\p> That’s where TREKK Design Group LLC comes in, offering safer, more efficient ways to evaluate and address problems in two key areas: roads and water systems. Combine that with the company’s expansion of office locations and new sales of in-house tools, and TREKK is paving a path to growth.<\p>
2024 Champions of Business — Multistudio
Defining how a typical Multistudio project might look is no easy feat, given the range of nontraditional efforts the Kansas City architect has designed during its 50-year history.<\p> Although these developments vary in size, as do the clients pursuing them, a commonality they share is the possibility they stand to unlock in their respective communities, National Managing Principal Anthony Rohr said.<\p>
2024 Champions of Business — A.L. Huber
Family-owned general contractor A.L. Huber Inc. launched 120 years ago, but it continues to change with the times while relying on its original core beliefs. This adaptability has allowed the company to continue to grow well into 2024 and beyond.<\p> “I have been here 39 years, and the culture is the same, but change is the thing that has allowed great growth,” CEO Phil Thomas said. “It’s built on an old foundation, but it’s all about change and doing things through the absolute best processes and willingness to change them every day.”<\p>
KC ad agency wins big North American contract
Signal Theory, one of Kansas City's largest advertising agencies, is rolling in new business with tire company Michelin North America Inc. <\p> The agency won a contract to handle marketing for Michelin’s tire categories business throughout its commercial markets in the U.S. and Canada; the companies did not disclose the deal's value. The agency’s work also will extend to Michelin’s portfolio tire brands, including BFGoodrich Tires, Uniroyal Tires and Camso. <\p>
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