Overstock.com leases 517,000 SF in KCK, plans to hire 200

Overstock.com has leased 517,000 square feet for a new distribution center at 5300 Kansas Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. 

Luke Burbank and Kyle Roberts with Newmark Grubb Acres in Salt Lake City led the national site search for Overstock.com. Mark Long and John Hassler with Newmark Grubb Zimmer teamed with Newmark Grubb Acres to provide assistance with lease negotiations in the Kansas City region.  The building is owned by BH Properties based in Los Angeles, California. 

“Selecting Kansas City as the home of Overstock’s newest fulfillment center allows us to offer over 99 percent of our US customers two-day shipping options, improving shopping experiences by getting orders into the customer’s hands as soon as possible,” said Carroll Morale, Overstock.com vice president of supply chain. “We’re extremely thankful for all of the support and collaboration we’ve received from state and local officials and the Kansas City Area Development Council during this expansion process.”

Check out the official news release from KC SmartPort!

Chris Gutierrez, president of KC SmartPort, led economic development incentive efforts with regional partners including the State of Kansas Department of Commerce and the Wyandotte Economic Development Council. Overstock.com will begin to move in immediately and will employ up to 200 people.

“Kansas offers a great central location and the best workers in the country for any company looking to relocate here. We are thrilled that a successful company such as Overstock has selected Kansas City for its latest distribution center,” said Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, M.D. “Opening for business in Kansas will provide Overstock.com with an excellent strategic location and creates hundreds of well-paying job opportunities for Kansans.”

Bridge Space connects Lee's Summit's past with present coworking trend

Downtown Lee’s Summit officially joins the coworking movement with the Wednesday opening of Bridge Space, a 14,000-square foot redevelopment of the city’s historic U.S. Post Office.

Bridge Space includes 34 private offices, 12 dedicated desks, 6 state-of-the-art conference rooms, and 3,000-square feet of open coworking space, as well as a 2,000-square foot event space with mezzanine and balcony.

Longtime Downtown Lee’s Summit resident and serial entrepreneur Ben Rao led and championed the redevelopment effort, which involved the arduous process of securing a spot on the national historic registry.

“This entire project for me was very personal and very intentional,” Rao said. “I wanted to exploit the walkability of Downtown Lee’s Summit. There’s a real quality of life here.”

Rao envisioned a startup facility that would attract economic development in Lee’s Summit by encouraging companies to incubate businesses in their hometown. It’s a concept that Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council President Rick McDowell agreed is much needed.

“A coworking facility like Bridge Space has been a desire of Lee’s Summit for some time,” McDowell said. “The LSEDC looks forward to helping entrepreneurs who may get started in Bridge Space grow their businesses and increase their capital investment and workforce in Lee’s Summit.”

The Bridge Space redevelopment was made possible through state and national historic tax credits, as well as $200,000 in city incentives granted through the LCRA (Land Clearance Redevelopment Authority.)

“This is really an economic development play- completely- to the point that I’m getting calls from other cities. They want to talk about how we did this in Downtown Lee’s Summit,” Rao said.

Bridge Space amenities include a member lounge, large kitchen, café area with free coffee for members. Conference rooms are loaded with 55-inch 4K TVs and multiple hardwire and internet connections.

More than 500 people registered in advance to attend Bridge Space’s grand opening Wednesday night.

Florida healthcare technology company expands to metro with new Lenexa distribution center

Convey Health Solutions has expanded into the Kansas City region with a new 38,000-square foot distribution facility at Lackman Business Center, 106th Street and Lackman Road, in Lenexa. The leased space will accommodate the company’s expected growth in the government sponsored healthcare market, allowing Convey to more than triple its shipping capacity.

“As we continue to provide end-to-end OTC solutions for major health plans in the Medicare and Medicaid markets, we want to operate in a central location to provide better service to our clients and their members,” Convey Executive Vice President Jonathan Starr said. 

Convey’s benefits program is designed to help members better manage their day-to-day health while at home. With volume projected to grow more than 50 percent in 2019, the company’s new location will include the latest logistics technology to increase efficiencies and streamline the distribution process.

Convey plans to hire 40 employees at its Lenexa facility. Phil Algrim of Jones Lang LaSalle represented Convey in the transaction; Joe Accurso and Rob Holland of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord. Additional partners included the State of Kansas, City of Lenexa, Kansas City Area Development Council, and KC SmartPort. 

“Kansas City continues to attract distribution centers due to our access to markets and customers throughout the U.S., and Convey recognized this locational advantage,” said KC SmartPort President Chris Gutierrez. “We expect to see another great year of locational decisions in KC with manufacturing, regional distribution and e-commerce facilities.”

“It is always exciting to welcome a fast-growing company like Convey Health Solutions to our region,” added KCADC President and CEO Tim Cowden. “The KC region continues to rise to the top of the list of cities that are ideal for logistics, supply chain and distribution operations and we’re honored to be the newest home for Convey.”

Additional comments from project partners:

“Our state’s central location always makes Kansas the prime choice for companies looking to locate a distribution center, and combined with the Kansas City area’s already strong concentration of healthcare service companies, Convey Health Solutions couldn’t have picked a better location for its new facility,” said Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. “We are excited to have this pioneering technology company expanding in Kansas and look forward to our continued partnership.”

“We are very pleased that Convey Health Solutions has chosen Lenexa for their new facility,” said Lenexa Mayor Mike Boehm. “This operation will feature top of the line technology and will serve as a showcase for the industry. I think Convey will be a great addition to the region.”

TrialCard expansion caps off bi-state trifecta of customer service operations

TrialCard’s announcement that it will create 225 jobs at a new Northland client service center marks the third large-scale customer support operation for the Kansas City region in less than a month, bringing the total number of new jobs in that sector to just under 1,000.

The pharmaceutical solutions company’s expansion follows insurer EXL’s announcement that it will hire 250 at a new support hub in Lee’s Summit by the end of the year and auto insurer GEICO’s plan to add 500 new jobs at a new Lenexa operation over the next five years.

“The Kansas City region is quickly becoming a popular destination for companies looking for a central location in the U.S., employees with a strong work ethic, and highly efficient customer support operations,” said Tim Cowden, president and CEO, Kansas City Area Development Council. “The entire KC region is attracting new jobs and talent, with companies locating in nearly every corner of the region so far in 2018.”

Cushman & Wakefield represented TrialCard in its 23,000-square foot operation in the Kansas City Business Center, 2001 NE 46th St. Keith Baker and Matt Eckert of CBRE represented the landlord in the transaction.  

"We’re excited to see an employer bring over 200 jobs to Kansas City, but the people that are aware of the entrepreneurial culture in this city aren’t surprised companies want to be here," said Cushman & Wakefield Managing Principal Mike Mayer.

"You look at the rapid growth of local companies like Spring Venture Group, Mediware, and Cerner, but also smaller startups like Blooom, C2FO, Lead Bank, Charlie Hustle, Orbis Biosciences-- and a lot of other companies that people might not have heard of but have certainly caught the interest of investors and major companies around the world-- and you recognize Kansas City is a great place to do business.  Part of that is the city, but a bigger part is the people and the culture," Mayer added.

Indeed, North Carolina-based TrialCard cited the region's diverse, highly-educated workforce, an affordable cost of living and numerous cultural amenities as reasons it found Kansas City to be a very desirable place to live and work.

“We are pleased to be expanding into Kansas City, a vibrant community made up of thousands of small businesses, tech start-ups, and top-notch health care," said TrialCard President and CEO Mark Bouck. 

Photo courtesy: TrialCard

EDC of Kansas City announces 2018 Cornerstone Award winners

The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri, (EDCKC) announced winners of its 2018 Cornerstone Awards, which recognize the city's top construction, redevelopment, capital investments and job creation or expansion projects.

A total of 11 projects were showcased at the EDCKC’s annual event on Tues., May 15, 2018 at Kansas City’s Union Station. Winners achieved a variety of economic development criteria, including job creation, global economic growth, capital investment, innovation, P3, entrepreneurship, sustainability, neighborhood improvement, tourism, workforce and education, and adaptive reuse. 

“The Cornerstone Awards celebrate the people and organizations that are building the future of Kansas City, Missouri,” said Bob Langenkamp, EDCKC president and CEO. “The 2018 award recipients have played a vital role in creating a thriving economy in our city, and we enthusiastically congratulate them on their efforts."

Winners of the annual development awards included: AutoAlert, Cable Dahmer Headquarters & Collision, Cerner Innovation Campus, Hotel Indigo and Fairfax Lofts Apartments, Hunt Midwest SubTropolis Animal Health Corridor, KC Urban Youth Baseball, Linwood YMCA/James B. Nutter Sr. Community Center, NBKC Bank, Spring Venture Group, Urban Cafe, and Westport Commons/Plexpod.

EDCKC also recognized several organizations for work on regional projects such as the Amazon HQ2 proposal and the successful campaign for A Better KCI. Amazon HQ2 honorees included Barkley, VML and Xact Technologies, and A Better KCI partners included Platte County EDC, Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Area Development Council, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, and The Dover Group.

KCP&L was applauded for its Clean Charge Network & KCP&L Connect initiatives. The Veterans Community Tiny House Project received EDCKC's People's Choice Award. 

The ceremony also honored UMKC Chancellor Emeritus Leo Morton for his tireless support of philanthropic, civic and economic progress in Kansas City.