24th Annual Business Excellence Awards

With 350 in attendance, the Platte County Economic Development Council celebrated its 24th Annual Business Excellence Luncheon on Friday, December 12 at the Embassy Suites KCI.  North Kansas City Hospital sponsored the member gift, the printed program was sponsored by TranSystems, and Candid Marketing provided the marketing collateral for the event. A VIP reception, sponsored by the Embassy Suites KCI, was held prior to the lunch for award winners, elected officials, and Platte County EDC Board members.

Seven Platte County companies were awarded Business Excellence awards for job creation and/or significant expansion and investment projects. These seven companies contributed $92 million in public and private investment, filled over 1 million-square-feet of space, and currently provide employment to over 1,500 people.

Community Development awards were given from the communities of Kansas City, Parkville, Platte City, Riverside, and Weston. “Our annual Business Excellence lunch is an opportunity for the Platte County EDC and its members to say ‘thank you’ to those businesses which have chosen Platte County as the premier location to operate a successful and profitable business,” said Executive Director Alicia Stephens. “Our businesses are growing and expanding, and this was a great event focused on celebrating our businesses’ success.”

2014 Community Development Awards

The Community Development Award recognizes civic and business leadership in five Platte County communities. Each of the businesses recognized is a successful and integral part of Platte County, capturing the spirit of community far beyond serving their customers’ needs.

Weston Award: Hull Lumber Do-It Center

In 1955, Zim Hull’s parents purchased the Weston local lumber yard in combination with the local flour mill. In 1961, the Hulls turned the lumber yard and flour mill into a hardware store. The store caught fire in March of 1987, destroying the building; however, the family continued operating. In April 1988, Hull Lumber celebrated its grand opening at its current location. Since 1955, Hull Lumber has provided jobs to high school and college students in the Weston community. The Hulls have given back to the community by donating to the West Platte School District, participating in the Hands of Hope Fundraiser, and other various non-profit organizations.

Riverside Award: Briarcliff Dental Care

Dr. Michael Arnett started Briarcliff Dental Care in 2009 in the Briarcliff Professional Plaza in Riverside. The practice is committed to quality service, affordable prices, and the latest technology. Briarcliff Dental Care is a green, paperless, all-digital office, which ties into Riverside's dedication to sustainability. The practice also shows its commitment to the community by hosting a 'Community Giveback Day'. This event helps provide free dental services to those who could not otherwise afford it. Community Giveback Day offers each patient a free limited exam and x-ray, along with either one free filling or one free tooth extraction.

In 2014, the event treated 33 people and was showcased on two local news stations. The total value of the 2014 Giveback Day is estimated at over $14,000, with more than $8,000 in treatments and nearly $6,000 in volunteer time. Briarcliff Dental Care's top-notch services and generosity are most definitely “Upstream From Ordinary” and represents the City of Riverside well.

Platte City Award: Dairy Queen

Platte City Dairy Queen is part of both the history and future of Platte City. Established in 1983, Dairy Queen was Platte City’s first fast food franchise to open in the City and one of the first businesses to locate along Missouri Route 92 through the City. Julie Deyo purchased the franchise in 1988 and has been running it by herself since. Deyo takes pride in making sure her restaurant provides great service and great hospitality.

Deyo also takes pride in the Platte City community by making a long-term commitment to remain in Platte City through the recent exterior renovation of the building. The Platte City Dairy Queen also donates to the Platte County R3 School District choirs, participates in the Youth Sports Leagues Frequency Cards program, assists with Shop with a Cop, and provides sponsorship to the police department for the holidays.

The Platte City Dairy Queen was also the top regional store to sell the most balloons for the Children’s Miracle Network and recently received the Golden Crown Award presented by International Dairy Queen for revenue sales. The store will be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2015.

Parkville: Café des Amis

Café des Amis owners, Guillaume and Ingrid Hanriot, natives of Champagne, France, came to Parkville eleven years ago to fulfill internships required for their culinary education. They worked at Cafe des Amis for seven years before transitioning into the restaurant’s owners. Situated in downtown Parkville, Cafe des Amis is a cozy and intimate French Bistro full of rich colors, an energetic atmosphere accentuated by French music, and is accompanied by outstanding food and wine.

Owners Guillaume and Ingrid Hanriot have worked tirelessly, over many years, to create one of Kansas City's most successful French restaurants. The Hanriots work together to plan the menu, which frequently changes based on seasonal, available ingredients. Cafe des Aims prides itself on using organic, all-natural, and local ingredients as much as possible. Their dedication, persistence, and relentless pursuit of excellence have made Cafe des Amis an enviable success.

Kansas City Award: Trammell Crow Company

Trammell Crow Company was founded in Dallas in 1948. The Company has developed or acquired nearly 2,600 buildings, valued at nearly $60 billion and over 540 million square feet. Trammell is experienced in a broad range of product types and has capital relationships built on performance and trust.

Here in Kansas City, Platte County, Trammell is developing the industrial facilities at the KCI Intermodal BusinessCentre, but hopes to expand into other areas of the KC metro as the economy continues to gain momentum.

Trammell kicked off the KCI Intermodal development with the announcement of Blount International. In October 2013, Trammell broke ground on a 350,000-square-foot speculative building, which was leased upon completion to Project Walker, a GM supplier. Trammell will be launching LogisticsCentre IV, a 432,600-square-foot spec building in March 2015.

2014 Business Excellence Awards

The Business Excellence Awards are an honor roll of businesses that have made significant investments in the creation and retention of jobs and quality of life in Platte County.

Aviation Technical Services

In December 2013, Aviation Technical Services announced that the company planned to open a new 607,000 square-foot facility at the KCI Overhaul Base. ATS has been providing maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for commercial and military transport jet aircraft since 1970.

Based in Everett, Washington, Kansas City, Platte County is the company’s first location outside of the state of Washington. After a complete renovation of the facility, ATS is fully operational with 200 employees. The company is operating 24/7 and plans to add at least 200 additional employees by the end of 2015.

After evaluating several locations across the U.S., ATS selected Kansas City, Platte County, because of its location to the company's existing customer base and availability to a qualified workforce. ATS prides the community on not only the access to skilled workers but also as a location people are willing to relocate to, as the company has been recruiting from all over the Country.

Bunzl Distribution Kansas City/CBC Real Estate

Bunzl Distribution has been operating out of a 106,000-square-foot distribution center in the KCI Corridor since 2004. Bunzl Distribution supplies a range of products, including outsourced food packaging, disposable supplies, and cleaning and safety products. After outgrowing its space, the company chose to remain in Platte County and expanded to a new distribution facility at the SkyPort Industrial Park developed by CBC Real Estate Group. The new 157,000-square-foot facility will be used to distribute Bunzl products to retailers, supermarkets, and convenience stores. The company currently employs 64 and plans to add an additional 6 jobs.

Classic Parts of America

In the early 1980s, Mark Jansen purchased an older vehicle that needed new parts. In doing so, he started collecting additional parts and selling them at car shows. What started as a hobby out of his home in 1983 has now turned into a worldwide selling business.

Shortly after moving to Riverside, Jansen bought a building in downtown Riverside. After outgrowing the space in 2001, Classic Parts relocated and built a 35,000-square-foot building at its current location on Tullison Road in Riverside. Classic Parts again outgrew its space in 2013 and doubled the size of the facility to 70,000-square-feet. Now with 30 employees, mostly from around the Northland, the company prides the City of Riverside on the ease of doing business and a central location.

Johnson Controls, Inc.

In 2011, Johnson Controls, Inc. announced the company’s plans to build a new 180,000-square-foot facility in Riverside Horizons, kicking off the Horizons development. Originally, JCI announced it planned to add a total of 240 new high-quality jobs. Now, three years later, the company employs 600 at its Riverside Horizons location.

Johnson Controls Riverside, a global leader in automotive seating, was recently awarded the GM Malibu contract as well as the Ford contract, both through 2020, so we can expect to see more positive growth from the company in the coming years.

JCI Riverside was also recently awarded a Supplier Quality of the Year award by GM and is one of only 26 plants nationwide to receive the prestigious award.

Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation

Earlier this year, Truman Medical Center took occupancy of the 120,000-square-foot Corporate Circle I office building in the KCI Corridor. ZDG Investments, a real estate investment partnership that includes Zimmer Companies, Inc. and Dunn Realty, generously donated the building to TMC.

ZDG has been actively involved in the development of Platte County, beginning with the 330-acre Airworld Center development in 1975. Both the Zimmer and Dunn interests are strong supporters of the Truman Medical Center mission as well.

Truman has moved a total of 119 people to the Tiffany Springs location since it opened. Most of the staff here support IT and finance operations for Truman Medical Center. Truman will be moving an additional 90 support and operational staff to this location after the first of the year to provide more space for patient clinics and services at Hospital Hill.

Tyco Integrated Security

In 1997, the Platte County EDC awarded Tyco Integrated Security, previously ADT, with a Job Development Award after the company selected Kansas City, Platte County for a national call center location. The company has seen some changes throughout the last 17 years, but with a major interior renovation, Tyco has shown its commitment to the Platte County community and its employees. The renovation includes a complete revision of the building layout, an addition of meeting space, and upgraded employee areas.

Tyco now employs 600 and plans to add up to 150 more employees in the near future. The company prides itself on its employee retention rates, and since the renovation, has been recruiting from all over the metro area.

Twin Creeks KC

The Twin Creeks KC area, originally named 1st and 2nd Creek Watersheds, is an area of about 15,000-acres within the City of Kansas City, primarily Platte County. The major barrier to development in the area has been a lack of infrastructure. Ground was broken in April 2013 for the sanitary sewer, and phase one is officially complete thanks to $45 million in funding provided by the City of Kansas City and the KCI Corridor TIF.

In 2013, a public-private task force was put into place to discuss the plans and make development recommendations for the greatest return on investment for the City. The Twin Creeks task force, co-chaired by Councilman Ed Ford and Ed Bradley, has been meeting monthly and plans to make its recommendations to the City early next year.

Tiffany Springs Parkway Diverging Diamond Interchange

The Tiffany Springs Parkway Diverging Diamond Interchange was converted from a standard interchange to the DDI to improve traffic safety and flow, as well as provide better access and accommodate development. The $14 million project, located within the KCI Corridor TIF plan, was supported through the investment in infrastructure by the City of Kansas City, KCI Corridor TIF, the Kansas City Aviation Department, and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Thanks to this partnership effort, the infrastructure is now in place to foster and sustain future growth within the KCI Corridor.

 

December 15, 2014