Overland Park economic group to present annual business awards

Three fast-growing companies, two commercial developments, one longtime corporate employer and the four founders of the Corporate Woods suburban office park will be honored Feb. 5 by the Overland Park Chamber Economic Development Council.

The organization’s eighth annual honors luncheon will be held at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The three Overland Park businesses to be honored with the chamber’s NOVA award:

▪ DEG, which provides strategies for social media campaigns and digital commerce. It has added 61 jobs and grown more than 170 percent in the past three years.

▪ Netsmart Technologies, which specializes in health care management software.

▪ Object Technology Solutions, which provides information technology security and analytics. The company serves Fortune 500 companies and has made the Inc. magazine list of the 5,000 fastest-growing businesses eight times.

The Business Hall of Honor award will be presented to Zurich North America. Formerly Universal Underwriters, the company has been based in Overland Park since 1981 and became part of the Zurich international conglomerate in 1982.

The chamber will also recognize two developments: the Prairiefire Phase 1 development, a 58-acre project in southern Overland Park; and Momenta, an 11-year-old architecture firm, which recently renovated its offices in downtown Overland Park.

The four businessmen who founded the Corporate Woods office park about 40 years ago will receive the Ben Craig Vision Award. The honorees are Whitney Kerr Sr., Russell Jones, and posthumously Tom Congleton and Richard Wagstaff.

For more information on the luncheon: 913-491-3600, or www.opedc.org

This story was originally published January 27, 2015 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Overland Park economic group to present annual business awards."