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John Q. Hammons Founder’s Award: Med-Pay, Inc.

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The first time Med-Pay, Inc. became involved with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame was, believe or not, before there was a Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield.

Back in the early 1990s, as founder John Q. Hammons traveled the Show-Me State and sought a community eager to house the Hall, the Springfield News-Leader published a full-page advertisement in hopes that Hammons would build in the Queen City of the Ozarks.

It’s a story proudly told by the man who was behind the advertisement idea – Gordon Kinne, owner of employee benefit company Med-Pay, Inc. As Kinne put it, “The Hall was real intriguing.”

Med-Pay, Inc., eventually began a longtime corporate sponsorship with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which is proud to honor the company with the 2016 John Q. Hammons Founder’s Award. The award is presented to those who play a significant role in the advancement of sports in the state of Missouri, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

It’s all part of 2016 Enshrinement Ceremonies presented by Killian Construction on Sunday, January 31 in Springfield. (For tickets, call 417-889-3100 and see information at the end of this story for specific details.)

Gordon Kinne
Gordon Kinne

Thanks in part to corporate sponsorships, the Hall of Fame celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015. Med-Pay, Inc., has played a key role by stepping up to the plate numerous times to provide financial support.

Kinne himself has served on the Hall’s Board of Directors almost 20 years and supports the Hall’s numerous efforts in many ways through celebrity golf classics and other events. Med-Pay, Inc., is also a supporter of the annual Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, the PGA’s Web.com Tour stop managed by Hall of Fame President and Executive Director Jerald Andrews. The PCCC has generated $12.8 million in gifting to local charities in the past 26 years.

Kinne is a regular at Hall events. For instance, when the Hall hosted the Summer Oasis Beach Party ahead of the Springfield Celebrity Golf Classic, guess who strolled in sporting his best tropical shirt and khaki shorts? More so, Marshall Kinne, Gordon’s son who now works at Med-Pay, Inc. as Director of Compliance, is a big sports fan as well.

To the Kinnes, the uniqueness of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, a 501c3 not-for-profit, is the big draw. Gordon has served on numerous Springfield-area boards over the years and calls the Hall the most fun.

“Sports brings joy to a lot of us,” Gordon said. “Sometimes sports are sad. Mighty Casey strikes out. But sports at their core are a joyful type of history. We are remembering people who are our heroes and touched our lives such as through coaching. And especially for today’s kids, a coach can make a big impact in their lives.”

Med-Pay, Inc. has managed to assist the Hall of Fame thanks to its own success. Kinne founded the company in 1984 with two partners, Jim Morris and Frank Manzardo. There was a need in the Ozarks for a company that could administer employer-based self- funded health insurance coverage.

Gordon cannot thank family enough for their support through the years as he made the business successful. He and his wife, Laura, are parents to Marshall and Mason and parents-in-law to Winter and Jamie.

Today, Med-Pay, Inc., is one of the longest running independent third-party administrators (TPA) in the state of Missouri. Med-Pay, Inc., provides quality medical, dental, vision short-term disability and cafeteria plan claims processing and reporting capabilities. The company also offers employee benefit consulting for the full array of employee benefit options, compliance services, chronic disease management programs, wellness consulting and more.

In essence, Med-Pay, Inc. partners with clients to customize employee benefit offerings to help organizations gain control of their benefit costs and provides flexibility in the products they offer their employees. This is done through self-funded and fully-insured health insurance plans, flexible spending accounts (FSAs), health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and placement of ancillary offerings including group dental, vision, disability, life insurance and more. Enlisting Med-Pay as you benefit advisor allows for numerous options to be on the table as decision-makers consider the best employee benefits program for their organization.

“Nobody was doing it that way at all (when he opened the company),” said Kinne, who sold the company in 1995 but bought it back in 1998. “We got it set up. We just grew it, and it was a good fit. We have clients who wanted help to manage their employee benefit plans.”

Teaming with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame was a natural fit. Gordon played several sports back home in Hamilton, a farming community in northwest Missouri. His family owned a farm, too, and Kinne considered going into that line of work before his father encouraged him to pursue a college degree. Gordon graduated from Missouri State University in 1975.

His arrival in Springfield eventually led to key positions across the city, including President of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. It was in his time there when Kinne, hearing of Hammons’ desire to construct a Hall of Fame, began working the phones. “Highland (Springs) was really starting to pop,” Kinne said. “So I called his personal secretary and said, ‘What do we need to do?”

Kinne then wrangled the support of several business leaders and phoned the News-Leader’s publisher at the time, Nancy Green, about a full-page ad showing support for the Hall from various business organizations. The next day, the advertisement read, “Please Bring The Hall of Fame to Springield” – a clear misspelling of the city’s name that all still laugh about today. Ralph Slavens, Kinne and other community leaders then held a reception for Hammons at Highland Springs, where Hammons was presented a framed copy of the full-page ad.

Thus, Kinne began a long relationship with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. In his time supporting the Hall, he has continued to serve the community in other ways as well. He currently serves on the boards of the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, and the Ozark Empire Fair, and has been active in the local Republican Party as the 7th District Chair since 2010. He also has served as Vice Chair of the Missouri State Foundation.

“I’ve had the pleasure of serving on numerous boards, and all of their missions have a special place in my heart. Much of this service has involved life-changing issues facing individuals and families in our community, issues that can often be difficult in nature,” Kinne said. “The Hall of Fame board is unique, in that it allows me to be involved in the celebration of individual and team achievement for the benefit of fans, ranging from the casual to die-hard. This is a great group. It’s fun service because we get to preserve memories.”

Marshall Kinne
Marshall Kinne

Med-Pay, Inc.’s support of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame has been strengthened, too, with the addition of Kinne’s son, Marshall, to the business.

Marshall is a 2003 Glendale High School graduate who went on to double-major in business administration and political science at Southern Methodist University, graduating in 2007. He then served two years on the congressional staff of Roy Blunt when Blunt was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of his successful U.S. Senate campaign. Marshall moved back to Springfield in 2009.

Much like his father, Marshall sees the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s value through the lense of a former athlete, knowing that it could positively influence so many sports fans and non-sports fans alike. A former high school soccer player, he interned in the summer of 2005 at the Hall of Fame and still remembers it well, right down to building a small fence with first-year staffer Marty Willadsen, now the Hall’s Executive Vice President.

Likewise, Marshall also remembers attending the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s inaugural induction ceremony in 1994, an event emceed by none other than national broadcaster Bob Costas. He still owns the printed program.

“It’s the memories the Hall can crystalize and make lasting that mean so much,” Marshall said. “The Hall is a way to forever capture the sports moments we were all a part of. Personally, I just think athletics are important. It’s the positive attributes of sports that are terrific – how to work hard, be part of a team and deal with adversity.”

Med-Pay, Inc. certainly has been a valuable teammate of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

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Enshrinement Ceremonies 2016 presented by Killian Construction

What: Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Enshrinement

When: 11 a.m. reception presented by Meeks The Builder’s Choice at the Hall of Fame, 3861 E. Stan Musial Drive; 4 p.m. reception & 5 p.m. dinner & event on Jan. 31

Where: University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center

Associate Sponsors: Advertising Plus; Hiland Dairy; Hillyard, Inc.; White River Valley Electric Cooperative

Missouri Sports Legend: University of Central Missouri athletic director Jerry Hughes

Class of 2016: Mizzou Tigers football coach Gary Pinkel; former big-league pitcher Jerry Reuss, longtime NFL coach Gregg Williams, Springfield native and retired PBR bull rider L.J. Jenkins, Kansas City Chiefs center Tim Grunhard, St. Joseph native and Olympic gymnastics silver medalist Terin Humphrey, Kansas City native and St. Louis Cardinals linebacker Eric Williams, longtime Kansas City Royals scouting director Art Stewart, Evangel University men’s basketball coach Steve Jenkins, West Plains native and former Texas Christian University baseball coach Lance Brown, former University of Missouri and Olympic track and field standout Natasha Kaiser-Brown, Missouri Southern men’s basketball coach Robert Corn, St. Louis University High School racquetball coach Joe Koestner, Missouri State University sports information director Mark Stillwell, John Burroughs High School football coach Jim Lemen, The John Burroughs School football program and the Mizzou Tigers’ 1966 Sugar Bowl team. The John Q. Hammons Founder’s Award will go to Med-Pay, Inc., owned by Gordon with Marshall Kinne as the Director of Compliance, and Ken Meyer of Meyer Communications is the recipient of the President’s Award.

Tickets: Call 417-889-3100. Individual tickets are $150. Tables of 10 are $1,500 and include associate sponsor recognition in the printed program and autographed prints. Sponsorship opportunities such as congratulatory ads also are available.