ShawneeDispatch.com

Perceptive Software may have a foosball table in the office and play host to a big, zany dodgeball tournament each year, yet employees manage to get a lot done.

The Shawnee-based company’s growth and commitment to the community landed it this year’s Shawnee Economic Development Council’s Hall of Fame Award, which the council announced July 13 at its annual business appreciation awards luncheon.

The Hall of Fame Award is reserved for a Shawnee business that has played a major role in shaping the face of the community and making a “tremendous” contribution over a long period of time, according to the council’s description.

Pat Daniels, the development council’s executive committee chairman and awards emcee, said Perceptive — which has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the world — also has offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and the Asian Pacific.

Daniels said Perceptive’s “work-hard, play-hard environment” had contributed to it being named one of the best places to work in Kansas City multiple times and that employees thrived on having “room to breathe.”

He said Perceptive also had demonstrated a commitment to the community, through efforts such as volunteering for Rebuilding Together Shawnee and organizing the annual Dodge for a Cause dodgeball tournament, which raises money for charity.

Cary DeCamp, Perceptive’s vice president of strategic initiatives, said programs like those all started with ideas from employees.

“The important thing about our culture is it didn’t come from the top down, it came from the bottom up,” he said.

Perceptive’s corporate headquarters are at 22701 W. 68th Terrace. The company added 50 new jobs this year, bringing its employment in the city to about 600.

DeCamp said the company had outgrown its main building and that some employees were now working in adjacent buildings.

“We’re busting at the seams up there on the hill,” he said.

Despite Perceptive’s growth, company officials indicated the company wouldn’t be looking for space outside of Shawnee.

“We look forward to a lot more years of hard work and lots of growth in Shawnee,” DeCamp said.

In a video about Perceptive — which luncheon attendees viewed after the award announcement — vice president of marketing Glenn Cross said staying in Shawnee and the Kansas City area was important to the company.

“Not only do we want to be a business, but we want to be a part of the community,” he said.

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