Two companies expand in Overland Park, adding more than 40 jobs

More than 40 jobs will be created in Overland Park thanks to two new companies – a railcar maintenance and repair company and a worker’s compensation medical company – that have opened offices in the Corporate Woods office park.

GBW Railcar Services, a joint venture between Greenbrier and Watco Companies, delivers freight car repair services and monitors railcar maintenance requirements. It has already hired 22 employees and will add 20 to 30 jobs within the next year.

Berkley Medical Management Solutions is a unit of W.R. Berkley Insurance Group and provides worker’s compensation managed care services. The office currently has six employees and plans to hire 20 more before it opens on next Monday

GBW said it chose Overland Park because of the company’s concentration of repair shops in the Midwest and the city’s proximity to Watco’s headquarters in Pittsburg, Kan.

The Overland Park office will include full-time jobs providing corporate support, such as finance, human resources and custumor support.

“The plan is to have lots of opportunities to grow for our team members,” said Jack Isselmann, senior vice president of Greenbrier.

Berkley had been based in Greensboro, N.C., but decided to relocate its main office to Kansas. The company considered moving to Nashville and Dallas, but Overland Park ultimately beat the other contenders out because of cost of living, workforce availability and overall quality of life.

“Overland Park was the clear winner,” said Patty Onion, CEO of Berkley. “The main attraction was the quailty of the workforce. We’re really excited about the type of workers we can hire.”

Those new employees will include both information technology and medical professionals.

The state Department of Commerce provided incentives for the business’ job-creating moves to Kansas However the department declined to comment on the specifics of the deal.

The move to Overland Park also benefits the sprawling Corporate Woods, office park, which is now about 93 percent occupied.

GBW is located at 10895 Grandview Drive; Berkley Medical’s address is 10851 Maston Blvd.

This story was originally published June 15, 2015 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Two companies expand in Overland Park, adding more than 40 jobs."