Matt Briegel named President of BNI Clay-Platte

About BNI Clay-Platte

BNI is a business networking organization built around referrals: members meet weekly, learn each other's businesses, and send each other work. Each chapter allows only one member per professional category, so every member is the chapter's go-to for their trade.

BNI Clay-Platte takes its name from Clay and Platte counties, north of the river. Its members are owner-operators in fields such as electrical contracting, travel planning, wealth management, glass care, moving, payments and cleaning. According to the chapter's website, members passed more than $5.9 million in business to one another over the 12 months ending October 1, 2026.

Matt leads a chapter leadership team that includes Vice President Brandi Barnum (Brandi B Travel) and Secretary/Treasurer Ryan Meda (Savvy Wealth). He is also the chapter's featured speaker on October 21.

Why a health insurance broker belongs in the room

BBS Insurance has helped Kansas City families and businesses with coverage since 2016, from its office on Burlington Street in North Kansas City, an office in Lawson and a new office in Overland Park. A referral chapter is a room full of exactly the business owners BBS works with: small teams, usually with no HR department, where the owner decides on benefits personally.

Small businesses like these commonly run into three benefits problems:

• The team is too small, or too spread out, for a traditional group plan to make sense.
• Group renewals are unpredictable, and the owner wants a fixed benefits budget.
• Employees live in different counties, or on both sides of the state line, so one network doesn't fit everyone.

The option many small businesses haven't heard of: ICHRA and QSEHRA

A health reimbursement arrangement lets a business skip the group plan entirely. The employer sets a monthly allowance, each employee buys their own individual health plan, and the business reimburses them tax-free.

• A QSEHRAis for businesses with fewer than 50 employees that don't offer a group plan. For 2026, the IRS caps it at $6,450 a year for self-only coverage and $13,100 for family coverage, and everyone gets the same terms.
• An ICHRA works for a business of any size, has no cap, and can give different amounts to different groups of employees, such as full-time and part-time staff or two different locations.

Because individual ACA plans can't charge more for a health condition, every employee can get covered. BBS sets these arrangements up, helps administer them, and helps each employee pick a plan. The full explanation, including how Kansas City's rating areas change the math, is in our guide to ICHRA & QSEHRA in Kansas City.

Businesses with five or more employees that want a group plan also have a choice between a traditional plan and a level-funded plan, which can cost a healthy group less and may refund unused claims money after a good year.

Visit the chapter

BNI Clay-Platte has open categories and welcomes visitors at its Wednesday meetings. Details and the member list are on the chapter's website (opens in a new tab). Business owners with a benefits question don't have to wait for Wednesday: call BBS at (816) 205-4664 or stop by one of our offices.