Growth Drives Marketing Agency Sullivan Higdon & Sink from Crossroads to Westport
About 140 employees will office in renovated Manor Square
Kansas City, Mo. (Oct. 17, 2018) – Rapidly growing marketing communications agency Sullivan Higdon & Sink today announced it would move its downtown Kansas City office from the Crossroads District to Westport, the historic dining and entertainment district less than three miles
The agency’s consistent growth — recently accelerated by its focus on animal health and “farm-to-fork” food clients — made the move necessary. From 2015 to 2018 the number of Kansas City-based SHS employees grew from 87 to 140, and revenue grew by 48
“We’ve outgrown our space,” said Ali Mahaffy, SHS co-CEO. “But staying in Kansas City was important to agency leaders and employees. Westport’s unique personality and convenience make the area perfect fit for
The agency’s search for new offices lasted 14 months before it selected Westport’s Manor Square in the heart of Old Westport at 4050 Pennsylvania Ave. The agency will move in November
The Manor Square building wraps around Kelly’s Westport Inn at the corner of Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue to straddle the block, with frontage on Pennsylvania Ave., Westport Rd. and Mill St. Tenants include the Char Bar restaurant and Tivoli Cinemas on Pennsylvania Ave., and Offkey Karaoke Lounge & Suites at the corner of Westport Rd. and Mill
SHS’ entrance will be on Pennsylvania, between Kelly’s and the Char Bar. The agency is collaborating with Kansas City-based Odimo on the design and architecture of creative and collaborative space, with renovation taking place from January to November 2019.
“We’re exploring a range of designs that balance the need for quiet, thoughtful spaces with open, collaborative environments and meeting spaces of various sizes and shapes,” Mahaffy said. “Odimo is already working with SHS employees to shape the space according to our needs and preferences.”
Access to parking was a key factor in the agency’s decision. Every SHS employee will have a covered parking space in Manor Square’s 700-space garage
The renovation of the SHS space is part of a larger Manor Square development. The proposed $75 million West Port Terrace at Manor Square project would build apartments around Char Bar on Pennsylvania Avenue and a nine-story building on Mill Street that would feature lofts and a 120-room boutique hotel. The plan also calls for a public park with green space atop the existing parking garage.
SHS first opened in Kansas City in 1998 and moved to its current location in 2005.