Best Accounting Firm
For the third straight year, KPMG grabs the Gold. The Kansas City office of KPMG is part of KPMG LLP, the US member firm of KPMG International, a firm of nearly 100,000 professionals and 6,000 partners in 148 countries. All of the honorees are headquartered outside of the Kansas City metro area, but their service to their Kansas City clients has won them favor among our voters. Springfield, Mo.-based BKD moved up a spot on the medal stand taking the Silver, its fourth straight year on the list. Bringing home the Bronze is Minneapolis-based RSM McGladrey, an H&R Block wholly owned subsidiary.
Best Advertising Agency/ small
For the second straight year, Trozzolo Communications Group earns the Gold. Trozzolo specializes in “Marketing Velocity.” “When on the road less traveled, drive fast!” is their motto. Two West received the Silver. The company’s resume includes assignments for several recognizable names across several industries. Meers Marketing Communications repeats as the winner of the Bronze. Meers’ approach is “Insight drives strategy, Ideas create connections and Results drive profit.”
Best Advertising Agency/ large
Bernstein-Rein Advertising is the largest advertising agency in Kansas City and Ingram’s voters rewarded the company with the Gold for the seventh straight time (every year that this category has existed). The Plaza-based firm has come up with such well-known concepts and slogans as the “Happy Meal” for McDonald’s, “Rapid Refund” for H&R Block and “Make it a Blockbuster Night” for Blockbuster Inc. Nicholson Kovac used to be called NKH&W, but the change in name did not change the quality of service, acknowledged by the voters with the Silver. Nicholson Kovac’s services include public relations, direct marketing, market research and interactive services in addition to core ad agency services. VML, located at the Downtown airport, has invested heavily into the technology sector of the advertising world, in addition to the traditional marketing divisions, and its efforts are rewarded with the Bronze.
Best Architectural Firm
HNTB has been in business for more than 90 years and earned the Gold for the sixth time in the seven-year history of this category. HNTB commits the technical expertise, broad experience and extensive resources that are critical to creating successful public infrastructure. Kansas City is known as the hub of sports stadium architecture. HOK Sport + Venue + Event recently stroked a double in baseball stadium design when it landed the work of designing New York’s two new stadiums. Closer to home the Silver winner is part of the team that designed KC’s new showcase Sprint Center. Bronze winner Gould Evans Associates has been earning accolades throughout the region and nation for many years and continues to be one of the area’s most respected architectural firms.
Best Corporate Citizen
KC is known as a charitable and generous community, so the competition in this category was intense. There are many worthy companies, any of whom could have claimed the top spot. However, in a repeat from last year, Hallmark earned the Gold. Volunteerism, charitable giving, product donation and social awareness are a few of the company’s community-oriented goals. Silver winner Sprint made the biggest splash by agreeing to pay for the naming rights of the new arena. But the company’s contribution of more than 16,000 metro jobs contributes heavily to the economy, and the decision to join Yellow Roadway in sponsoring the United Way 300 Busch Series at Kansas Speedway showed its benevolent spirit. The Kauffman Foundation, charitable and civic-minded by definition, claimed the Bronze, due in part to the millions given to civic causes including the Kauffman Scholars program that helps economically challenged urban students prepare and complete a college education.
Best Employer
Hallmark says it’s “on a mission to enrich lives,” and it’s not just talking about the people who read their cards and buy their products. Hallmark claimed the Gold for Best Employer for the fourth time in five years. American Century Investments, the only other company to earn Gold in this category, earned the Silver. Named a top 100 company to work for by Fortune magazine, American Century “recognizes the importance of work/life balance. The Plaza-based company provides investment guidance and maintenance for individual and corporate investors. Bronze winner Sprint has had to cut back its workforce several times recently, but those still with the telecommunications giant apparently enjoy it. The merger with NEXTEL—and the likely move of the corporate headquarters to Reston, Va., may make those still employed with the company in Kansas City even more grateful.
Best Commercial Contractor / Large
McCownGordon Construction claims the Gold in this category, the first year the commercial contractor voting was divided between large and small firms. McCownGordon claimed the Bronze last year in the combined list. McCownGordon performs nearly all projects on a construction management or negotiated design-build basis. Nine out of 10 clients become repeat customers after experiencing the company’s approach. Bringing home the Silver is Neighbors Construction. Neighbors has been in the construction business for more than 50 years. Started by R.D. Neighbors with little more than a Navy-issued tool box, the company now has completed 230 projects worth more than a half-billion dollars. Taylor Kelly also has been in business for more than 50 years and this year claims the Bronze. Taylor Kelly has overseen the construction of a wide variety of projects, including office buildings, hospitals, medical and research facilities, libraries, civic centers, pools, shopping centers, and religious and education facilities.
Best Commercial Contractor /Large
This category could be renamed the J.E. Dunn Division, because J.E. Dunn Construction just keeps coming back for more. Once again, they claim the Gold, the seventh straight time. J.E. Dunn is the largest commercial contractor in the region offering services in general construction, construction management, program management and design/build. Based in KC, the company has offices in 14 U.S. cities, from Seattle to Charlotte. Grabbing the Silver is Walton Construction. Walton also offers services in a wide range of specialties. A.L. Huber Construction Company takes the Bronze. Huber prides itself that 75 percent of its customers are repeat clients, with 85 percent of its contracts a result of negotiations or limited bids.
Best Exhibit Hall
Bartle Hall Convention Center, the largest in the area, receives the Gold. Now, as part of the renovation of Downtown, the Convention Center will be expanded. The center of the 135,000-square-foot expansion includes a 46,450-square-foot grand ballroom. The Overland Park Convention Center grabbed the Silver last year, and repeated the feat, thanks to a cyber café, a 25,000-square-foot outdoor courtyard, free parking and their large ballroom. The Crown Center Exhibit Hall grabbed the Bronze for the second straight year.
Best Financial Services Firm
Another example of stiff competition, this category repeatedly showcases some of KC’s finest companies. Since 1958, Gold-winning American Century Investments has evolved from a small, mutual fund manager to a multi-disciplined, global asset-management firm offering diverse investment vehicles. The KC home of Buffalo Funds is Kornitzer Capital Management, which earns the Silver. Founder and President John Kornitzer has 35 years of investment experience, including portfolio management for GE, Texaco and Employers Reinsurance. Twin Financial claims the Bronze. Twin Financial offers a team of pros who coordinate and implement insurance, investments, estate analysis, college tuition funding, retirement planning and asset allocation for clients.
Best Commercial Realtor
Zimmer Real Estate Services picked up the Silver last year, but grabbed the Gold in ‘05. The Zimmer family operation has business units in the industrial, office, retail and urban residential fields. Recent projects include acting as Owners’ Representative of the 4,000,000-square-foot Sprint World Head-quarters Campus and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Zimmer also will be the development manager for the NABC’s College Basketball Hall of Fame in the Sprint Center. Plaza-based Block & Company moved up one spot from last year, claiming the Silver. That left the Bronze for RED Development, which leases, owns and manages lifestyle and hybrid shopping centers.
Best Health Club
The top two health clubs from last year trade places this year. Winning the Gold is 24 Hour Fitness. There are six locations in the area and more than 300 across the US. The club received some good publicity during July as club member Lance Armstrong pursued his seventh straight Tour de France championship. Last year’s Gold winner—Prairie Life Center—claims the Silver in 2005. Prairie Life Center has locations in Olathe and Overland Park, plus six others in Nebraska, Iowa and Tennessee, and offers a wide range of services and membership options. Earning the Bronze is the YMCA, one of the oldest networks of health services in the country. With more than 2,400 locations, including 13 in the area.
Best Home Builder
Provence Homes by John Lober appears on the list for the fourth straight year, once again claiming the Gold. Each custom home is a work of art, created with the buyers’ personality and taste in mind. Lober takes his work and his customers’ goals to heart. His hands-on approach and pride in his work make him one of the best in the business. Provence Homes focuses on the Northland. Wielding the Silver is Kevin Green Homes, another Northland specialty builder. The Design Build Team earns the Bronze.
Best Hospital/Medical Center
The Gold goes to Saint Luke’s Hospital, part of the Saint Luke’s Health System which includes nine hospitals and many physician practices in the Kansas City metropolitan area and surrounding region and provides a wide range of primary, acute, tertiary and chronic care services. The Silver is claimed by Children’s Mercy Hospital & Clinics. Child magazine has named Children’s Mercy one of the top 10 children’s hospitals in America; and the American Nurses Credentialing Center has awarded Children’s Mercy its rare magnet designation for the high quality of patient care. The Bronze is awarded to St. Joseph Medical Center. St. Joseph is an accredited, 300-bed hospital served by a staff of approximately 725, offering a full array of high-quality, acute-care, outpatient and extended care services as part of the Carondelet Health network.
Best Hotel
The Fairmont Kansas City wins the Gold in this category. The Fairmont was called “the grand dame of Kansas City hotels” by The New York Times and “the city’s reigning luxury hotel” by Frequent Flier magazine. Even non-guests love the glass elevator that gives them a panoramic view of the Plaza, especially at Christmastime. The Silver goes to the Raphael Hotel, also located on the Plaza. The Raphael features 88 suites and 35 guest rooms furnished in traditional styles. Hotel Phillips, located Downtown, gets the Bronze. Hotel Phillips was opened in 1931 as the tallest hotel in KC at 20 floors, with 450 rooms, and was built at a cost of $1.6 million. Following a $20 million restoration, it was reopened in 2001.
Best Law Firm
Shook, Hardy & Bacon is awarded the Gold in this highly competitive category. Shook, Hardy & Bacon is an international firm with 10 offices—eight in the United States, plus Geneva and London. Established in KC in 1889, today the firm has grown to more than 1,507 employees worldwide, with 502 attorneys and 262 re-search analysts and paraprofessionals. The Silver is claimed by Polsinelli Shalton Welte Suelthaus, one of the fastest growing law firms in the Midwest with offices in Kansas City, St. Louis and Topeka. PSWS is a business-focused law firm with clients ranging in size from Fortune 100 companies to local entrepreneurial firms, from major public corporations to not-for-profit and service organizations. The Bronze, once again, goes to Lathrop & Gage, the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi River.
Best Meeting/Conference Facility
The Overland Park Convention Center quickly is becoming a major player in the convention business, bringing home the Gold for the second straight year. Located on College Boulevard, the Convention Center is booked solid with a variety of events. The Silver goes to the Marriott Hotel Downtown Kansas City. It certainly should see plenty of new business with the Downtown redevelopment going on. The Fairmont Kansas City at the Plaza claims the Bronze.
Best Shopping Center or District
Still the standard, Country Club Plaza earns the Gold once again. When out-of-town guests come to Kansas City and want a taste of our town, who doesn’t take them to the Plaza, especially if it’s between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, with the hundreds of miles of Christmas lights. But even in the middle of the summer, there’s plenty to do, plenty to buy and plenty to eat among the Plaza’s wide array of shops, restaurants and attractions. Two of the top three hotels on this year’s Best of Business list are located here, as well, proving that it’s not just a place to go on your way somewhere else, but a destination in itself. Zona Rosa on Barry Road and I-29 is a bustling “new urbanism” shopping center worthy of the Silver. Barely a year old, Zona Rosa is ahead of schedule on planning for the second stage of development. On the other end of town is Bronze-winner Town Center Plaza in Leawood. Just as upscale, it provides residents of southern Johnson County with elegant, yet convenient shopping options.
Best Spa
A repeat Gold goes to Bijin Salon & Day Spa in Prairie Village, Kan. Bijin, which means “great beauty” in Japanese, is the embodiment of the creative contributions from its service providers. Bijin is a multiple honoree on this list, debuting with a Silver in 1999. Bijin specializes in hair care, skin care, hand and foot care, massage therapy, spa treatments, and hydrotherapy. The Silver also goes to a repeat winner—Mario Tricoci Salon & Day Spa—which has 20 locations, including two in the area. Mario Tricoci offers a wide variety of services and packages for the whole body. Bringing home the Bronze is Persona Day Spa, located in the Waldo area. Persona operates with the philosophy and goal that the services it provides will enrich each person involved with the experience.
Best Residential Realtor/Firm
When looking to sell a home or buy a new one in the Kansas City area, Ingram’s readers turn to the leaders, like Reece & Nichols, which claims the Gold. Reece & Nichols was formed in 2001, with the merger of two of Kansas City’s oldest and most prestigious real state companies, J.D. Reece Realtors and J.C. Nichols Residential Real Estate. Reece & Nichols features more than 2,500 agents, making it the largest in the area. Silver-winning Prudential Real Estate was founded as Summerson-Burrows Realtors, in June 1978, and joined the Prudential network in 1990. The KC office accounted for approximately $680 million in volume in 2004. RE/MAX receives the Bronze. Also part of a worldwide network, RE/MAX has eight offices in the area.
