Booming Spring Venture Group Plans to Add Over 650 Jobs in Downtown Kansas City and Gobble New Office Space

By Kevin Collison

Spring Venture Group, a fast-growing senior health insurance brokerage firm, is moving its downtown headquarters this winter from Crown Center to 12 Wyandotte Plaza and expects to occupy almost half of the 18-story building by the end of 2019

At a time when downtown leaders are focused on attracting more private jobs, the seven-year-old firm is a role model.

At a press event Wednesday, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said the company plans to hire 681 people and invest $25 million downtown.

“We feel great about that number,” Spring Venture Group CEO Chris Giuliani said Thursday. “We’re hiring 400 new employees over the next two years and so we think we’ll blow well past that 681 figure over five years.”

The company was founded in 2010 with 24 employees, and has grown rapidly serving the aging Baby Boomer market. It currently has about 375 employees. It moved from Leawood to 2301 McGee St. in Crown Center four years ago.

Giuliani said the move downtown has been a great fit for his firm because it allows it to recruit talent from throughout the metro.

“We have a passion for Kansas City and our people have a passion for it,” he said.

“We love the energy going on downtown, the residents pouring in, the buildings going up. We’re incredible excited to be part of it.”

The firm specializes in senior health insurance, allowing customers to comparison shop multiple carriers to find the best fit for their needs. The firm described its growing staff as experts in sales, marketing, technology and data analytics with a focus on the customer experience.

“We have an intense focus on our people and culture,” Giuliani said. “We provide training and great opportunities for career advancement.”

Spring Venture Group specializes in Medicare supplemental insurance and other health insurance needs for a rapidly growing retirement age population. He said the number of people qualifying for federal Medicare health insurance is expected to swell to 73.2 million by 2025.

“There are 10,000 people a day turning 65 and that’s anticipated to continue for 10 years,” he said. “The market already is huge and will grow by 50 percent.”

Earlier this summer, the Kansas City Council approved tax incentives to assist with the Spring Venture Group expansion.

Spring Venture Group’s decision to stay and expand downtown is considered a big win.

Attracting, retaining and growing private employers has been a major priority. While downtown’s residential population has grown substantially in recent years, and it’s seen a host of new hotels, entertainment facilities, bars and restaurants, companies have not been part of the boom.

In July, the Downtown Council hosted a downtown office summit at the new Corrigan Station office project at 18th and Walnut to examine the issue and seek solutions.