LEADERSHIP
Best Business for Supporting Charities
It’s a mark of character among many who have been blessed with financial success: They seek to extend their blessings to those who haven’t been as fortunate. And many, like J.E. Dunn Construction, tend to give not just generously, but quietly.
But know this: Every year, J.E. Dunn contributes 10 percent of its pre-tax earnings to many charities. Even at conservative margins within that sector, Dunn’s philanthropy would run into the millions.
The commitment, though, doesn’t stop at the boardroom. The firm encourages employees to give of their time and energy, producing benefits for more than 200 organizations nationwide. Direct donations to charities by employees topped $700,000 in 2010.
The company formalized its philanthropic outreach in 1981 to meet one of its core operating values—addressing community needs—when it set up the Dunn Family Foundation. Led by Bob Dunn, the youngest of the five Dunn brothers active in leadership of the employee-owned company today, the foundation focuses on education, health and human services, youth, the disabled, the elderly, ethnic minorities, and community development.
Best CEO
Were it a private company, rather than a public health authority, the University of Kansas Hospital would be the eighth-largest in the Kansas City region. The fact that it so successful in what it does—like the fact of its organizational structure—is in large part due to the efforts of Bob Page, the current CEO.
His role in helping the hospital attain that structure, setting it on the path to solvency, is well-documented. His latest contribution to the organization, though, could have profound implications that go far beyond the hospital grounds.
The most recent filigree on his resume is the hospital’s designation by the National Cancer Institute as a national cancer center. That completed an eight-year quest, which involved raising more than $107 million in private donations. The next step: elevating that status to comprehensive cancer cen-ter, something only about 40 other research centers in the country have attained.
All of that will benefit not only the hospital and its research efforts, but the patients who could realize new treatments from them. And it will pay off for the broader Kansas City economy, as well; those programs are already producing the kinds of start-up companies with higher-paying jobs that have elevated the region’s status within the life-sciences realm.
Best Business-Friendly City/County Government
Looking for a metric that tells you how business-friendly a local government might be? Try counting rooftops. After all, business follows where people go to live, and no other city in Kansas has seen the kind of long-term sustained growth that has made Overland Park an economic counterweight to Kansas City proper. The city didn’t even have its own census footprint until 1970, and it has added nearly 100,000 residents since that year’s count, making it the second-largest municipality in the state.
Another gauge: BusinessWeek magazine, citing such factors as work-force education levels, numbers of start-ups per capita, venture capital funding, patents and others, put Overland Park No. 16 on its list of 40 top cities of under 200,000 people for small-business start-up ventures.
For reasons like those—and more—readers have designated Overland Park as the most business-friendly city and local government for 2012.
Best Not-For-Profit Organization
Kansas City has a well-earned reputation for punching above its weight in philanthropic terms, a reflection of Midwestern values grounded in helping those we see in need. From that vantage point come reader designations for the best not-for-profit organizations, which could be interpreted several different ways, but we like to think these rankings are based on the need addressed and each organization’s effectiveness in meeting it.
Readers cite Operation Breathrough for Gold; its mission is helping poor children reach their full potential by providing them a safe, loving and educational environment, and by aiding their families with advocacy, referral services and emergency aid. Starlight Theatre earns Silver for meeting another different kind of need: No community thrives without a vibrant arts sector, and Starlight’s unique outdoor venue and high-quality programming benefit not only the theater-goers, but the region by making this a more attractive community for potential hires. The Bronze goes to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City, which matches children ages 8 through 18 with badly needed mentoring figures. For decades, BB/BS has demonstrated that mentored students are more confident at school, get along better with their families and are far less likely to drop out or begin using alcohol or illegal drugs. 
Wining & Dining :: Entertainment & Culture :: Business Services :: Business Products :: Leadership