Best Accounting Firm
Deloitte & Touche LLP captures the Gold along with a large portion of business, staff and partners from last year’s number one. The accounting firm traces its Kansas City roots back to 1920 and now provides multiple services, including accounting and assurance, enterprise risk services, tax consulting and technology and financial consulting. Over 95,000 employees at Deloitte & Touche serve roughly one-fifth of the world’s largest companies. The Silver is taken home by Grant Thornton LLP, a Chicago-based firm that has built its business serving middle-market clients. BKD, LLP retains its position on the list and is again awarded the Bronze.

Best Advertising Agency
Not only is Bernstein-Rein Advertising the largest advertising company in Kansas City, it’s also regularly chosen as the best. A fourth Gold award goes to Bernstein Rein as it further cements its excellent standing in Kansas City. Its "brand humanity" approach to marketing aims for both the heart’s and mind’s of consumers and has been connecting brands to people—to the tune of $400 billion in goods and services for its clients last year alone. The Silver goes to a 27-year-old named Fasone Garrett Boehm Advertising. The self-proclaimed "Little Agency That Roars" has certainly made itself heard this year. Barkley Evergreen & Partners picks up the Bronze and returns to the best ad agency category.

Best Airline
Kansas City travelers have been hitching a ride with Midwest Express Airlines since it established a connection in 1989. The company vision is to be a world leader in customer service, employee commitment, operational performance and business results. Adherence to its mission has brought Midwest Express the devotion of Kansas City flyers and their award of the Gold for the fourth year in a row. Southwest Airlines carried over 1.7 million passengers in and out of MCI last year and wrangles another Silver. The Bronze award goes to American Airlines as voters confirm their opinions and renew the winners in this category.

Best Architectural Firm
Since 1914 this Kansas City firm has been building a sturdy reputation in transportation, bridge, aviation, architecture and environmental services industries. HNTB created its architectural division with the merger of Kivett & Myers in 1975. Its more recent acquisition of Mackey Mitchell Zahner Associates has further strengthened the architectural prowess that wins HNTB the Gold for the second year in a row. The Silver will reside with two firms this year. Regular honorees in the Best of Business, Gould Evans Goodman Associates and CDFM2 Architecture Inc. tie for the award. The Bronze is given to HOK Sports & Venue & Event Architecture.

Best Bank
UMB Bank has a strong hold on Kansas City’s banking business, if its fourth consecutive Gold award is any indicator. UMB dates back to 1913 as a storefront bank that began with $1,100 in deposits. Under the direction of a long line of Kemper presidents, the bank has grown into a multibank holding company covering six Midwestern states with $7.3 billion in assets. In the metro area it covers the most ground in the local banking business with 56 full-service facilities. The Silver has also returned to Commerce Bank for the fourth time. The bank stays in favor as its 5,500 employees carry out their promise to be accessible, offer solutions and build relationships. Bank of America has been on the board and growing in Kansas City since its acquisition of NationsBank and nets the Bronze.

Best Child Care Facility
Crème de la Crème rises to the top to take the Gold award from the traditional honoree, La Petite Academy. Crème de la Crème, based in Colorado, opened in Leawood, Kan. in 1999 and is part of a premium-quality childcare organization that has eight facilities in four states. Its mission to provide the most nurturing, creative and educationally innovative environment possible in a secure and immaculate facility has made it a favorite in KC and across the country. La Petite Academy takes home the Silver award this year. Roughly 87,000 children, from age 6 weeks to 12 years old, are under the care of the academy, which recently headed back to its original state of Illinois to relocate its headquarters to Chicago. The Bronze is awarded to Berkley Child & Family Development Center on the UMKC campus.

Best Commercial Interior Design Firm
Another award is tallied for CDFM2 Architecture Inc.—this time the Gold is captured for its interior design work. Other honors have been stacking up for CDFM2, including the 2002 International Illumination Design Award; multiple AIA Kansas City Allied Arts and Craftsmanship Awards in 2001 for work on the Valencia Place Dome, Lockton Headquarters Staircase and Decorative Wall Panels and the American Century Services Conference Table and Credenza. Gould Evans Goodman Associates also picks up a second award, the Silver, for this category. A newcomer to the honoree list, Rees Masilionis Turley Architecture debuts with a Bronze in the bag.

Best Day Spa
Naturally has made quite the impression on voters as it zooms past its rivals to claim the Gold. The AVEDA Concept Salon is owned by Richard and Sally DeLozier and has been named as one of the fastest growing salons in the nation by Salon Today magazine. The salon serves a host of noticeable clients, including the Chiefs Cheerleaders, Mary Tyler Moore, Lauren Bacall, Kate Jackson, Steven Tyler, Julie Andrew, Gov. Ann Richards and others. Mario Tricoci holds on to its Silver with its meticulous attention to detail and a drive to make an ordinary beauty treatment an unforgettable, enjoyable indulgence. The Bronze award goes to a regular favorite, bijin salon and day spa, which continues to thrive and expand in Prairie Village.

Best Employer
Companies, big and small, have been dropping left and right in the last year, but employees at Hallmark relax comfortably with supreme confidence in their employer. The company has long been earning the good marks of its workers with excellent benefits and a creative and nurturing environment that have kept it the top dog in this category with another Gold. American Century Investments has been noted locally and nationally for its employee-praised working environment. The investment management firm, led by James Stowers Jr., earns the Silver. Though it may seem a broad statement, voters decided that the Federal Government earned its keep this year and have awarded it the Bronze.

Best Engineering Firm
From a two-man operation in 1898 to a 1,350 employee-owned international engineering firm Burns & McDonnell has built a solid reputation in Kansas City. "Burns & Mac" recently received the prestigious project-of-the-year honor from the American Public Works Association for the emergency sewage system repair along the Blue River. Its work is commonly awarded with high praise, certainly reflected in the voter’s selecting it for the Gold award. Black & Veatch is a multibillion-dollar powerhouse in the world of international engineering with operations on every habitable continent. The Silver is awarded for expertise in engineering, only one of its many services including construction and consulting in the fields of energy, water and information. HNTB picks up another award, this time Bronze to complement its gold in architecture.

Best Financial Service Firm
American Century Investments picks up its second award this year in a new category. The firm has built a name for itself in the financial industry, starting as a small, single-style mutual-fund manager in 1958. It has evolved to a multidisciplined global firm managing nearly $85 billion in assets with over 3,000 employees. The firm’s guiding belief that its performance is measured by the clients’ success has won it the Gold. Founded by Chauncey Waddell and Cameron Reed in 1937, Waddell & Reed Financial has gained more than 661,700 mutual fund customers and manages $32.3 billion. Its leadership in the financial industry has gained the respect of clients and earned it the Silver. The Bronze is awarded to UBS Paine Webber.

Best General Contractor
For the best builders when it comes to construction, voters have answered without hesitation for the last four years. The honor of the Gold goes to its seeming owner, J.E. Dunn Construction. The company’s mark on Kansas City is obvious with high-profile projects such as the Sprint Campus, Stowers Institute, Union Station and others. A less visible effect is the investment goal of returning 10 percent of its pre-tax earnings to the Kansas City community as well as over 400 charitable organizations throughout the United States. Walton Construction Company has made quite a name for itself since Greg Walton founded it in 1985. It has become one of the Engineering News Record magazine’s Top 100 contractors in the nation and bags the Silver. The Bronze award goes to Turner Construction, a contractor with 4,000 employees completing roughly $6 billion in construction annually.

Best Health Club
This Gold winner dates its inception back to England in 1844. Since then, the YMCA has spread across the globe to more than 120 countries around the world. There are 2,400 facilities in the United States that serve over 17.9 million individuals annually. From Blue Springs to Bonner Springs and Olathe to Quality Hill, 13 locations cover the Kansas City metro area. Services include various exercise, dance, martial arts, racquetball and community education classes, fitness evaluations, wellness screenings, and multiple clubs and special events. Prairie Life Center, with locations in Olathe and Overland Park, Kan., takes the Silver. In 37 years, Gold’s Gym has grown from its origins in Venice Beach, Calif., to encompass over 600 gyms, 2.5 million members and a Bronze award from our voters.

Best Home Builder
Roth Construction Co. is well-known for some of Kansas City’s most distinguished residences. Founded by Harry and Beverly Roth, the company has been in the custom-home-building business for 18 years. Custom details flow through each unique home and have caught the eye and vote of enough Kansas Citians to capture the Gold. Brett and Cory Childress have fashioned Timberstone Development Inc. into one of the top custom home builders in the $500,000 to $1,000,000 price range. Along with this year’s Silver award, the company is a Grand Award Winner and First Runner-up in the Spring Parade of Homes 2002. Provence Homes Inc.—By John Lober draws a lot of Northland recognition and wins the Bronze.

Best Hospital/Medical Center
Saint Luke’s Hospital brings another mark of pride for its Saint Luke’s-Shawnee Mission Health System with a solid hold on yet another Gold award. The Plaza-based facility has been serving Kansas City since 1882 and has earned a regional, national and international reputation for excellence in care. Honored with the Silver this year, Menorah Medical Center was originally founded on Rockhill Road in 1931 and has made a new home for itself in Johnson County, Kan. The medical center takes pride in its beautiful park-like setting, the highest standard of patient care and cutting edge technology. The Bronze goes to first-time recipient Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Best Hotel
For the night’s rest and relaxation, voters point to The Fairmont at the Plaza and salute it with the Gold. The hotel takes the award for the fourth time—first as the Ritz-Carlton. Nestled into the hill overlooking the County Club Plaza, the 400-room hotel was built by the J.C. Nichols Company in 1972. Its prominent location and elegance has made it a consistent favorite for visitors and residents alike. Swayed by its old-world styling, voters gave the Silver to The Raphael Hotel. The historic building was originally built in 1927 as an apartment house and has since become Kansas City’s choice "little" hotel.
The Kansas City Marriott/Muehlebach Downtown holds its course on the list with the Bronze award.

Best IT/Computer Training Company
First Step 1, then Conseva, now kaput - the Center for Business and Technology-JCCC is more than happy to take control of the Gold. Employers have been taking notice of the center because of its versatility in education. It offers broad-based programs in training, assessment, consulting, certification and grant-funding opportunities. Add on-site training and a staff with a combined 225 years of experience, and the center is hard to beat. Though the name has shifted from IKON Technology Services, the strength of leadership and constant line of owners and directors have made CENTRIQ a favorite in the training industry. CENTRIQ reels in the Silver and PC University goes home with the Bronze to finish off a list of all new names in this category.

Best Internet Service Provider
On top of the list again Time Warner Cable is KC’s choice to go online. Providing Internet service that includes the popular Road Runner, the company nets the Gold with its high-speed connections. AT&T knocks AOL off the list and captures the Silver this year. Now under the wing of Interland Inc., CommuniTech.Net keeps its hold on the Bronze for its second year.

Best Law Firm
Returning to its debut spot in the category, Shook, Hardy & Bacon reclaims the Gold. The areas largest firm, with nearly 350 lawyers, has been in the business since 1889. It serves clients as superb litigators and its community as dedicated volunteers—its staff donates considerable time and money to various charities across the country. This year’s Silver award goes to Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin, which has practiced in Kansas City since 1916. The honor of the Bronze is shared between Lathrop & Gage and Shughart Thompson & Kilroy.

Best Public Relations Firm
Fleishman-Hillard started as a two-man team in 1946 to become one of the world’s leading public relations firms. The Kansas City office, which again takes the Gold, was established in 1977, early in the firm’s expansion that would eventually lead it around the globe. The company now boasts 70 offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and South Africa. Barkley Evergreen & Partners returns to the PR category for a Silver to add to its bronze in advertising. For its first Best of Business award in PR, sturgesword takes home the Bronze.

Best Commercial Realtor (Company)
Stepping up from last year’s bronze, Cohen-Esrey Real Estate Services reaches to reclaim its 2000 Gold. The Kansas City company was founded in 1969 and has become a premier real estate agency in Chicago, Topeka, Wichita, St. Louis and Des Moines. Since its inception, Cohen-Esrey has completed leasing and brokerage transactions in excess of $5 billion and has managed more then 57 million square feet of investments. Block and Company keeps its Silver award for a second year, while voters give B.A. Karbank & Co. its first Bronze.

Best Shopping Center
The Country Club Plaza has been a favorite district for business, shopping, dining and entertaining long before voters were given the chance to laud its various pleasures. The historic area continues to thrive as new residential and business developments gather to associate themselves by location with the Gold-earning district. Also making a four-year claim on its award, the Town Center Plaza holds on to the Silver yet again. The Leawood open-air shopping center maintains a marketplace feel that keeps customers strolling through. Oak Park Mall rounds up the list with the Bronze.

Best Staffing Service Company
The Gold goes to the Kansas City office of Accountemps/Robert Half of KC. The company takes pride in its continuing position of leadership and its staff of the highest quality recruiters and temporary consultants in the area. The firm’s ability to fill the most basic or the most difficult position has kept it a heavyweight in the staffing business. Voters decided on two new additions to the category this year. Human Resource has three offices across the metro area, one in Denver, Colo., and a Silver award to hang on its wall. J.M. Neil & Assoc., a regular on various fast-growing company lists, is awarded the Bronze.

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