Who We Are Icon

Who We Are


Lever1 is a Kansas City-based professional employer organization (PEO) providing a multitude of resources for businesses across the country. Integrated services enable business owners to cost-effectively outsource the management of human resources, payroll, employee benefits and workers’ compensation.

PEO clients are able to focus on their most pressing business operation in order to maintain and grow their bottom line. It is the goal of Lever1 to partner with other businesses to provide employer solutions to fit small and midsized business needs. Lever1’s biggest measurement of achievement is the growth and success of its clients.

Our Mission Icon

Our Mission


Lever1 will provide administrative and management solutions for small business owners. By assisting businesses with their office management needs, Lever1 allows its clients to focus their resources on generating revenue. Utilizing Lever1’s PEO plan allows business owners the opportunity to provide their employees competitive benefits otherwise not feasible.

What Others are saying

What Others Are Saying


“As a small business owner, Lever1 has basically given me an HR department for a fraction of the cost. They are VERY fast at communicating with us. They are also great listeners and wonderful resources when HR issues come up. Additionally, I was able to offer employees a bunch of benefits I otherwise couldn’t afford because of their connections. We love the 401K program they offer.” – Katie Yeager

READ MORE Our Leadership Icon

Our Leadership


Erica Brune

Erica Brune, CEO

As Owner and CEO of Lever1, Erica is responsible for strategic planning, management and business oversight. With Erica’s guidance, Lever1, a fully accredited professional employer organization, has secured an industry-wide reputation of excellence, operational reliability and thought leadership.

Gregory Gragg

Gregory Gragg, Executive Chairman

As Executive Chairman of Lever1, Greg Gragg has over 30 years of business management experience through business consulting and advisement. A true entrepreneur, Greg has spent the past 24 years growing his flagship advertising agency into one of the top companies in the Kansas City area, and has since started four additional companies specializing in lead generation, internet compliance, consulting, and business services.

Chad Braymer

Chad Braymer, President

Chad brings more than 26 years of experience in a wide variety of roles within the professional services industry to his position at Lever1. Over the course of his career, he has enabled tremendous growth in revenue and profitability by developing highly scalable operational processes and cohesive work teams.

Cheryl Daily

Cheryl Daily, Director of Employee Benefits

As Director of Employee Benefits, Cheryl brings over 20 years of experience to her role. Cheryl is a licensed insurance producer and works one-on-one with our clients and prospects to ensure they receive first class customer service and education regarding their benefit options. Her hands-on approach to benefits is an added benefit to small businesses looking to grow their organization.

Jill Hixon

Jill Hixon, Director of Sales and Marketing

Jill Hixon leads the business development team at Lever1 as Director of Sales and Marketing. As a member of the leadership team, she focuses on overseeing and leading the growth and business development efforts for the company. Prior to joining Lever1, she spent the last eight years in the real estate industry, with an emphasis on leading high-performing teams and driving growth.

Pam Martin

Pam Martin, Director of Recruiting Services

Pam Martin is our Director of Recruitment Services. Her strengths include relationship building among clients and candidates alike in order to optimize the recruiting match. She is active in a variety of key networking organizations including the Association for Corporate Group of Kansas City, Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG), and the Corporate Growth Group.

Shannon Carpenter

Shannon Carpenter, Vice President of HR and Client Services

Shannon brings over 20 years of experience in all areas of HR including HR Strategy, Recruitment and Employee Management. She has experience serving as a resource and advisor to clients on all areas of HR, including performance management, onboarding, terminations, handbook creation and updates, training, investigations, complaints and company P&P.

Joe Hoffmann

Joe Hoffmann, Controller

Joe Hoffmann is a Certified Public Accountant with over twenty years of experience. He has served in many leadership roles throughout his career and worked in a variety of industries. As Lever1 Controller, Joe oversees the accounting team and ensures best practices are met in all areas of finance and accounting. His experience working directly with clients to achieve their accounting goals is an added benefit for small businesses looking to outsource their administrative tasks to our team of experts.

Shawn Flippo

Shawn Flippo, Market President - Kansas City

As Market President, Shawn is responsible for growing the company brand and maintaining key account relationships in Kansas City and the surrounding areas. Shawn brings over 13 years of experience working with business owners in the areas of marketing, business strategy, human resources, payroll, benefits and more.