KCAS named a Champion of Business in Kansas City
Award recognizes our financial performance, innovation, and community involvement
The Kansas City Business Journal has selected KCAS as one of fifteen companies in its “Champions of Business” cohort for 2023.
Due to the investments made in 2022, including in our modalities, infrastructure, and services, we are proud to have this work recognized.
Some of the achievements which contributed to being named a Champion of Business include:
- Expanded in our modern modalities by acquiring two companies that expand our ability to develop drugs in today’s modern pipeline, one based in Pennsylvania, and one in Lyon, France.
- Invested in our own infrastructure and operational excellence in several ways, including with two brand new buildings amounting to almost 100,000 square feet of modern lab and research space, arguably making KCAS the most advance Contract Research Organization (CRO) in terms of our equipment and space. Additional operational investment include a new advance project management system, a new call management system, a new HR people system, a paperless AP process, and a fully paperless reference standard process.
- Broadened our product and service line by starting up a cell and gene therapy line, updated our dose form, and gained depth in instrumentation with 26 new mass spectrometers. We’ve also doubled our capacity in spectromax.
- Involved in the Kansas City community by our membership on key boards within the metro area, by recruiting from local universities, and by teaching those students key lab skills even if they do not come to KCAS. We also support the volunteer efforts of our employees with 4 hours of paid time off to volunteer each year.
We’ve done all of this while staying true to our wheelhouse, and unlike many competitors, we purposefully did not pursue COVID-related diagnostics. This meant that while we didn’t see the dramatic increase in 2021, we also didn’t experience the dramatic decline in work in 2022 that many experienced.
Last, our ability to attract train and retain talent has helped with our ambitions and has supported our growth. It’s paramount to invest in our people – scientists and support staff. We’ve invested heavily into our people team, including an infrastructure that supports development and engagement. As a result, even though we are rapidly growing and even in the midst of the Great Resignation, we increased our retention.
“Together with the recognition we received last month as one of the ‘Healthiest Employers’ in KC, we are showcasing to our local community that we invest in advancements in both our business and in our employee experience, and we are highlighting why we are a remarkable employer, which will in turn help us continue to advance the health worldwide,” commented John Bucksath, CEO of KCAS.
Learn more about the award here: link