Cretcher Heartland leaders featured on KC Business Radio KMBZ 1660 am
On the air: Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor in the KMBZ 1660 studio
Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor were the featured guests on the May 1st broadcast of Kansas City Business Secrets: Live with Rink and Marko, a regular weekly segment on KC’s all-new business radio station, KMBZ 1660 am. The show airs every Tuesday from 1:00 to 2:00 pm and is hosted by Ryan Rink and Marko Ungashick, the principles of Two West Advisors, a Cretcher Heartland partner company.
If you missed it, listen to selected audio clips here or download an MP3 of the Cretcher Heartland segment and listen at your leisure. The show is a lively, fast-moving format that we’re sure you will find entertaining!
Full May 1, 2012 Segment: Guests Steve Nicholson, CEO, and Chandler Cullor, President, Cretcher Heartland
Live with Rink and Marko: Kansas City Business Secrets on KMBZ 1660 Business Channel
Listen below, or Download the full segment (mp3: 37 minutes, 35mb)
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Audio Clip: Competing and Differentiating Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor discuss with Rink and Marko the competitive Kansas City marketplace, how Cretcher Heartland is different and why understanding the client’s business is critical.
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Audio Clip: History, Origins and Partnership Nicholson and Cullor share the beginnings of their partnership, the company’s origins and long ties in the construction business.
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Audio Clip: Cretcher Lynch-Heartland Benefits Merger Nicholson and Cullor talk about the strategic and cultural match in the 2008 Cretcher-Heartland Benefits merger and what makes a good strategic alliance for the company and its clients.
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Audio Clip: Cretcher Heartland’s Vision and Future Growth Rink and Marko ask Nicholson and Cullor about their vision for the future of the company, organic growth, mergers and acquisitions, building sales and expanding operations.
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Audio Clip: Recruiting and Mentoring People Nicholson and Cullor discuss how Cretcher Heartland finds, develops and retains talented and high-performing professionals.
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Cretcher Heartland Helps Harvesters With “De-Canstruction”
The Cretcher Heartland "De-Canstruction" team included (left to right) Dan Williams, Karra McGreevy, Jennifer Davis and Mark Nauser
With nearly 39,000 cans of food and eleven structures, the 2012 Harvesters’ Canstruction event took some effort to build…AND take down! A team of Cretcher Heartland Associates was pleased to help out.
The CH team, led by Chairman of the Board Mark Nauser, pitched in to “de-canstruct” and quickly get this food on its way to those who desperately need it. This included removing countless pieces of duct tape, wood, cardboard and other “structural” elements that held the cans in position.
The eleven structures entered in the Harvesters’ 2012 Canstruction event translate into about 22,000 meals for the hungry. Added together, Harvesters’ Canstruction has provided more than 309,000 pounds of food—more than 237,000 meals—since its inception. Great job to everyone who participated and made this great end result possible!
Chandler Cullor named to KC’s 40 under Forty 2012
Photo from Ingram's Magazine 40 under Forty, April 2012 issue
Cretcher Heartland President Chandler Cullor has been recognized as one of Kansas City’s most influential young leaders in the Ingram’s Magazine annual 40 Under Forty feature. Now in its 14th year, 40 under Forty honors business leaders who are making significant contributions to their profession, their organization, their colleagues and their communities. (Fun fact: Cretcher Heartland CEO Steve Nicholson was a 40 Under Forty honoree in 2008!)
Congratulations, Chandler, and to all of the 40 under Forty Class of 2012!
Read the rest of the Ingram’s 40 Under Forty article on Chandler here.
Updated May 9, 2012: This photo was taken at a gala May 2nd event held at Kansas City’s beautiful Union Station. At the event, the 40 Under Forty Class of 2012 was honored and presented with a commemorative plaque…sure to be a great memento of the event, and as Chandler said, “the great people I’ve had the opportunity to meet because of this award.”
Chandler Cullor at the Ingram's magazine "40 under Forty" event held May 2 at Union Station.
Cretcher Heartland is a finalist for Kansas City’s 2012 Small Business of the Year
Thanks to our great staff, clients, leaders and partners, Cretcher Heartland has been named as a top ten finalist for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce 2012 Small Business of the Year. (See below for the Chamber’s full press release.)
Steve Nicholson, left, and Chandler Cullor, right, at the March, 2012 Business After Hours Small Business Candidate Showcase
This is exciting news and an important milestone for us. We’re grateful to all of our clients who have trusted us with their business, and to the many Cretcher Heartland associates who have worked so hard to support our growth and goals. You have made this possible!
We look forward to the finale event on Wednesday, May 23rd, when the finalists will be honored and the “Mr. K” Award for the Small Business of the Year will be announced. (The venue is the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center. Small Business Celebration overall event sponsors are the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, and the media sponsors are The Kansas City Star and News Radio 980 KMBZ. There’s more information about the Small Business Celebration at www.kcchamber.com.)
Steve Nicholson, CEO
Chandler Cullor, President
As announced by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce:
THE 2012 TOP 10 SMALL BUSINESSES ARE…
Companies from all over the Greater Kansas City region have submitted applications for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s 26th Annual Small Business of the Year award, and the judges have narrowed the candidates down to the Top 10.
This year’s honorees are:
- Arsalon Technologies, LLC; Lenexa, Kansas; Provides enterprise class hosting solutions including co-location, dedicated server, virtual server, and managed services.
- Boulevard Brewing Co.; Kansas City, Missouri; Largest specialty brewer in the Midwest.
- Cretcher Heartland, LLC; Overland Park, Kansas; Insurance and employee benefits consultants.
- encompas; Kansas City, Missouri; Provides design-forward office furniture and office workplace products.
- John Beal Construction, Inc.; Kansas City, Missouri; Home improvement company specializing in construction and roofing.
- Meers Advertising; Kansas City, Missouri; Full-service digital marketing/advertising agency.
- sys-tek; Blue Springs, Missouri; Offers mechanical, electrical, plumbing consulting engineer and commissioning services.
- Travois Holdings; Kansas City, Missouri; American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian housing and economic development financing firm.
- TK Architects, Inc.; Kansas City, Missouri; Worldwide theatre design company.
- Validity Screening Solutions; Overland Park, Kansas; Provides employment screening and drug testing.
Old Republic Surety: Our 2011 Surety Partner of the Year
Cretcher Heartland is pleased to announce that Old Republic Surety Company has been awarded their 2011 Surety Partner of the Year Award. A presentation of the award took place in Cretcher Heartland’s Overland Park offices on February 8, 2012.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based company, with local offices in Overland Park, has received the honor for the second consecutive year. In addition to premium writing and growth, Cretcher Heartland associates and clients cite Old Republic Surety’s overall high service levels, strong relationships, responsiveness, professionalism, staff continuity and commercial surety support as factors leading to the 2011 distinction.
Erle Benton, Cretcher Heartland Bond Manager, said, “We are fortunate to have great relationships and exceptional service from all of our key surety partners, but during the last two years, Old Republic Surety has continued to exceed our expectations. Day after day, they provide the very best level of service we could ask for.”
Cretcher Heartland’s Surety Partner of the Year award was established in 2007 and past winners include Zurich N.A., CNA Surety/Western Surety, United Fire & Casualty Company, and Merchants Bonding Company.
Congratulations to Old Republic Surety, and to everyone on their high-performing service team!
L to R: Margaret Carey, ORSC Commercial Surety Manager; Mike Sanders, ORSC Vice President; Sam Perschau, ORSC General Manager–Midwest Region; Gerry Leach, ORSC President; Erle Benton, CH Bond Manager; Omar Guerra, ORSC Kansas City Bond Manager
Did you see our New Year’s email greeting?
We’re upbeat about 2012 and wanted to share that sentiment with our clients, partners and friends! If you didn’t receive it earlier this month, you can view the email greeting here.
If you’re not on our email list, sign up now! (We won’t clog your inbox with too-frequent mailings and we do not sell or share names on our subscription list.) In addition to the occasional greeting, you’ll receive timely newsletters, invitations to our exclusive client seminars and alerts on important regulatory and legal issues.
Announcing: Cretcher Heartland Acquires The Scotland Group
We’re pleased to announce exciting news that is a win-win deal for our company and clients alike. Following is the text from the news release, issued this week. (View the original news release here.)
See also: as reported by the Kansas City Business Journal: Ex-Chief’s insurance agency sells to Cretcher Heartland
CRETCHER HEARTLAND ACQUIRES
SCOTLAND GROUP
Deal enhances Kansas City and Wichita presence,
loss prevention services
Overland Park, KS – January 9, 2012 – Cretcher Heartland, a rapidly-growing insurance, risk management and employee benefits agency, has announced that it has acquired The Scotland Group, a commercial insurance agency operating in the Kansas City and Wichita markets. The transaction closed in October, 2011 and terms were not disclosed.
The Scotland Group was founded in 2009 and grew to $4 million in annual sales volume. Former Scotland principals Tim Sinclair and Kendall Gammon have both joined Cretcher Heartland; Sinclair will continue to be based in Wichita and Gammon, along with other former Scotland Group staff, has moved to Cretcher Heartland’s Overland Park offices.
Steve Nicholson, Cretcher Heartland CEO, said “We consider more than just revenue in an acquisition, and The Scotland Group and Cretcher Heartland shared a common vision, attitude and approach. It’s definitely a win-win partnership.”
Scotland Group principal and Rose Hill, Kansas native Kendall Gammon is a well-known figure in the area, having played 7 years for the Kansas City Chiefs during his 15-year NFL career. Gammon is also known for his insightful reporting and commentary on the KC Chiefs for various local sports broadcasting outlets.
According to Kendall Gammon, “While The Scotland Group had been remarkably successful in a short amount of time, we were anxious to grow our business to the next level. This partnership enabled us to fast-track our goals. After 15 years in professional football, I appreciate a culture of excellence and in Cretcher Heartland we found like-minded people who want to win and strive to be the best.”
Gammon continued, “This is a very meaningful and important step for us—a game-changer in terms of the enhanced support and resources we can offer to our clients.”
Chandler Cullor joins Young President’s Organization
Cretcher Heartland President Chandler Cullor has been accepted into the Young President’s Organization (YPO), a global network that connects young chief executives in more than 100 countries. To qualify for YPO membership, business leaders must be under the age of 45 and must be the chief executive/operator of a company that fulfills minimum size and complexity criteria. In aggregate, the companies run by YPO members employ more than 15 million people and generate US$5.4 trillion in annual revenues.
According to Chandler, “I’m looking forward to an active involvement with the YPO. It’s a great opportunity to gain insights from a network of peers and share my decision-making processes with other young business leaders from a cross section of industries.”
Congratulations, Chandler!
Cretcher Heartland 2011 Service Awards
At the 2011 Cretcher Heartland Holiday gathering, everyone was treated to a very special surprise presentation: Service Awards were given to our associates who had reached key tenure milestones with the company…the first of what will become an annual holiday tradition!
Steve Nicholson, Cretcher Heartland CEO notes, “We’re proud that median tenure here is 12.5 years, almost triple that of other U.S. companies in the private sector. Their committed service means we can continue to deliver market-leading knowledge and experience, not to mention rewarding long-term relationships, both inside and outside of our organization.”
Thank you and congratulations to these Cretcher Heartland associates!
5+ years of Service
(with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor) Paul Cohen, Theresa Bebout, Kelly Miller, Paige Hohmann, Martha Bennett, Cyndi Ulett, Dennis Mosier, Jodi Gehrs, Angela Alvarez, Steve Sopinski, Erle Benton, Guinn Buck, Jackie Honomichl, Adam Gildemeister, Marge Dunn, Carolyn Aten, Valerie Swinney (Not pictured: Jill Grundy)
10+ Years of Service
Debbie Clark, Bob Zeller, Steve Nicholson, Joe Spiess, Wilma Mallon, Nicole Blaylock, Kelly Watson, Kevin Williams, Randy Sinclair, Christina Stewart, Chandler Cullor, Teresa Zeller, Lynne Ornduff, (Not pictured: Paul Black, Rex Sweetwood, Jim Wilkinson)
15+ Years of Service
(with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor) Alice Apprill, Tom Hogan, Tom Quick, Cindy Bennett, Carroll Sinclair, Rebecca Speake, Cris Snooks, Evelyn McGaughey, Bob Frankovic, Ron Woelk (Not pictured: Shari Gilliam)
20+ Years of Service
Doris Harper, Linda Minson (with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor)
25+ Years of Service
Mark Nauser, Chris Romine, George Donnelly, Pattie Ransom (with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor)
30+ Years of Service
Susie Young (with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor)
35+ Years of Service
Diana Jackson (with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor)
Welcome to the new CretcherHeartland.com!
Welcome to our newly redesigned website! We’ve completely rebuilt CretcherHeartland.com to make it faster and easier for you to find helpful resources and access timely information.
The new site is part of our continuing commitment to excellent client service, including an ever-growing menu of web-based technologies that deliver enhanced, expanded services when and where you need it.
And as always, we welcome your ideas and feedback as we continue to expand and improve this site. Thanks for visiting!
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