Ingram’s Magazine, a leading business publication in Missouri and Kansas for 50 years, recently recognized two leaders at Spring Venture Group as ones to watch in their fields.
The publication recognized Kendal Schmidt, SVG’s director of employee engagement and communication, as a member of its 2023 Class of 20 in their Twenties, and Johnny Hilgers — SVG’s Chief Analytics Officer — was named part of Ingram’s 2024 class of 40 Under Forty.
For Hilgers, it was his second time being recognized by Ingram’s; in 2018, he was a part of Ingram’s 20 in their Twenties class.
On Schmidt, Ingram’s wrote:
“Seven years ago, as fast-growth Spring Venture Group was onboarding hundreds of hires, Kendal Schmidt got the marching orders: To create a company culture that aims to attract, engage, and retain top talent. The director of employee engagement and communication set about connecting front-line workers to leadership at a company that provides online insurance comparison tools for consumers. She’s done that through her team’s creation of an award-winning intranet tool that just this year has produced 260,000 views and 585,000 searches, with an employee-recognition program that so far has produced 11,213 recognitions sent from managers to employees. She’s also helped implement a series of quarterly all-hands meetings and an executive communication strategy that has boosted employee engagement and company-confidence metrics.”
“I am honored to have been recognized alongside such a talented group of young professionals. I have felt nothing but inspired and uplifted by my leaders and team members during my eight-year tenure at SVG.This recognition showcases the opportunities that SVG provides its young employees to innovate and have a voice within the organization. I look forward to continuing my journey with SVG alongside an amazing team.“
Like Schmidt, Hilgers built a department from scratch, transforming the SVG Analytics Team into one of the most strategic, data-driven organizations both in the Medicare industry and beyond.
“The storyline of success at insurance brokerage Spring Venture Group is in lockstep with Johnny Hilgers’ professional achievement: Straight out of KU with a degree in finance, he came on board when the company was just two years old and has been The Data Guy throughout his run—at age 35—to chief analytics officer. His world embraces data mining, predictive analytics, and statistical analysis, all factors that turn complex information into insights that help the leadership make better business decisions. He was tasked early on with starting and expanding the analytics team, which now at 40 members—bigger than SVG was when he started there. At each step up, he’s been the youngest to have held executive and C-suite roles in a company that now employs more than 1,000, and his work to implement machine learning led to gains of more than 25 percent in margins and cash flow.”
“I feel incredibly honored to be recognized by Ingram’s Magazine as part of their 2024 class of 40 Under Forty. This achievement is a testament to the unwavering support and incredible opportunities given to me by Spring Venture Group. I owe immense appreciation to my analytics team, whose unwavering dedication and exceptional expertise have played a vital role in building a dynamic, data-driven organization. It is through their efforts that we consistently deliver significant impact through intelligent decision-making.”