Erica Brune is CEO of Lever1, a Kansas City-based professional employer organization (PEO) providing human resources, payroll and employee benefit solutions. Within five years of launching Lever1, Erica helped drive the company to become Missouri’s Fastest Growing Company of 2017—ranked No. 44 in the nation by Inc. Magazine. Women Presidents' Organization recently named Erica No. 4 in The 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies 2018. With Erica’s guidance, Lever1 has secured an industry-wide reputation of excellence, operational reliability and thought leadership. Her team’s customer-first mindset drives the PEO to achieve greatness for its clients and help them succeed. From providing countless free HR training workshops to serving on the board for local non-profits, Erica is ingrained in the community and giving back continues to be an incredibly important aspect of Lever1. Erica's expertise has been shared in renowned publications including Kansas City Business Journal, PEO Insider and Thinking Bigger Business. In addition to Lever1, Erica Brune holds a dual role as CAO of an Inc. 500/5000 Fastest Growing Company, Blue Chair Holdings – which includes subsidiary Gragg Advertising. Erica’s role is to lead the financial team and oversee the administrative functions for the holding group. In the nearly 10 years Erica has been part Blue Chair Holdings, Erica has successfully assisted the company through 11 starts ups and two acquisitions. Recent recognition includes Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist 2017 and 2018, Kansas City Business Journal’s 2016 Women Who Mean Business Honoree, KC Business Magazine 2015 Most Influential Women in Business and a 2015 Startup of the Year Honoree by American Business Awards, among others.