What Lever1 does

Lever1 is a privately held Professional Employer Organization (PEO) founded in 2011-2012 by Erica Brune, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, with additional regional offices in St. Louis (opened June 2023) and Oklahoma (Edmond, 2024). The company delivers bundled outsourced HR services to small and mid-sized businesses across the United States, operating under the IRS Certified Professional Employer Organization (CPEO) designation, which allows it to assume federal employment tax obligations for client worksite employees. Its primary customer segment is SMBs seeking to outsource HR administration, payroll processing, employee benefits, recruitment, accounting and bookkeeping, and Workers' Compensation coverage; a secondary segment is family offices.

Lever1's product surface consists of five core service modules — Human Resources, Payroll, Employee Benefits Administration, Recruitment, and Accounting & Bookkeeping — delivered alongside two employee-facing digital touchpoints: a branded PrismHR employee portal (lvr-ep.prismhr.com) and the pay.lever1.com self-service portal. Technology infrastructure is largely third-party: Lever1 runs on PrismHR's HRIS/ATS platform for employee self-service, payroll, benefits enrollment, W-2 access, and time/attendance tracking, and partners with Slavic 401k for retirement plan administration. Its main differentiators are proprietary pooled benefit plans that give SMB clients access to large-group pricing typically unavailable to small businesses, plus an Accelerated Payroll Program introduced in April 2020 that enables daily payroll deposits for client employees.

Revenue is generated through recurring monthly service fees tied to the number of worksite employees under co-employment and the scope of HR services provided; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, combining a field sales organization (regional VPs of Sales and Market Presidents in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Oklahoma) with inside sales tracking discovery calls and outbound touches, supplemented by content marketing, webinars, and a referral channel targeted at sourcing one-third of new leads from existing clients. Lever1 operates as part of the Blue Chair Holdings family of companies alongside Gragg Advertising and IntegriShield, with Erica Brune serving as CEO and Chad Braymer as President.

Name

Lever1

Legal name

Lever1

Website

https://lever1.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lever1 is a privately held Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that provides outsourced HR, payroll, benefits administration, recruitment, and bookkeeping services to small and mid-sized businesses, operating from Kansas City with regional offices in St. Louis and Oklahoma.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / HR Outsourcing Services

NAICS

Professional Employer Organizations (561330), Professional Employer Organizations (56133), Payroll Services (541214), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / Co-Employment Services (BPACAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Onboarding, Offboarding & Employee Lifecycle Administration (BPACAHAL), Tax Operations Support (Indirect Tax, Withholding, Compliance Admin) (BPAAAGAI), Garnishments, Levies & Wage Withholding Administration (BPAAAHAG)

Keywords

• PEO services
• HR outsourcing
• Payroll processing
• Employee benefits administration
• Workforce management

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. PEO Services / Co-Employment: Lever1 operates as a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), providing co-employment services where they share employer responsibilities with client businesses. Revenue is generated through service fees for managing human resources, payroll, employee benefits, and Workers' Compensation. The company measures success by client growth and retention.
2. Payroll Management: Outsourced payroll processing services including time/attendance tracking, W-2 processing, customized reporting, and HR compliance.
3. Benefits Administration: Administration of health, dental, vision plans, 401(k) retirement plans, life insurance, and Workers' Compensation coverage.
4. Risk Management: Risk management and HR compliance services including Employment Practices Liability Insurance coverage for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lever1 operates as a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) providing co-employment services to small and mid-sized businesses. Its core offering is an integrated suite of HR outsourcing services — Human Resources, Payroll, Employee Benefits Administration, Recruitment, and Accounting & Bookkeeping — delivered with IRS CPEO certification and supported by the PrismHR employee portal. Revenue is generated through bundled service fees and recurring subscriptions tied to worksite employee counts.

Product overview

Lever1 is a boutique Professional Employer Organization (PEO) offering an integrated suite of HR outsourcing services. The core offering consists of five interconnected service modules — Human Resources, Payroll, Employee Benefits Administration, Recruitment, and Accounting & Bookkeeping — which work together to enable small and mid-sized businesses to outsource non-core employment administration. The Human Resources module covers job descriptions, training, recruiting, and background checks; Payroll handles compliance, reporting, W-2 processing, and time/attendance; Employee Benefits delivers health/dental/vision, 401(K), life insurance, and workers comp through Lever1's proprietary group plans; Recruitment provides full-cycle talent acquisition; and Accounting & Bookkeeping manages back-office finance. Two employee-facing digital touchpoints — the PrismHR Employee Portal (lvr-ep.prismhr.com) and the pay.lever1.com self-service portal — give workers self-service access to payroll, benefits enrollment, W-2s, and time tracking. All services are delivered with IRS CPEO certification and backed by E-Verify compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Human Resources Services Comprehensive HR outsourcing covering job descriptions, employee training, recruiting, and background checking to help clients attract, hire, and onboard talent. Targeted at small and mid-sized businesses that want to outsource HR administration.
• Payroll Services End-to-end payroll processing including HR-related compliance (FLSA, OSHA), customized reporting, W-2 processing/consulting, and time/attendance tracking for client businesses.
• Employee Benefits Administration Administration of health, dental, and vision plans, 401(K) retirement plans, life insurance, and workers compensation delivered through Lever1's proprietary benefit plans that give SMBs access to large-group pricing.
• Recruitment Services Full-cycle recruiting from job postings to onboarding employees in-person or remotely, including executive search and talent pipeline building for client businesses.
• Accounting and Bookkeeping Outsourced accounting and bookkeeping services to help small and mid-sized businesses manage financial administration alongside HR.
• Accelerated Payroll Program Program allowing employees and client employees to receive payroll as frequently as daily deposits, addressing financial stress and the gap between paychecks.
• Employee Self-Service Portal (pay.lever1.com) Web-based employee portal for employees to view pay stubs, enroll in benefits, access W-2 forms, and manage their information.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients can save up to one day per week from time spent on employee management paperwork
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLever1 CEO Erica Brune was named to the national board of directors for NAPEO, supporting the company's growth at the national level. NAPEO is the trade association for the PEO industry.
• PrismHRcoreTechnology or IntegrationLever1 uses PrismHR's employee portal platform (lvr-ep.prismhr.com) for client employee access to payroll, benefits enrollment, W-2 forms, and time/attendance tracking.
• SHRMminorOthersSHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) membership/affiliation is displayed on the Lever1 website, indicating alignment with HR industry standards and resources.
• Blue Chair HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLever1 is part of the Blue Chair Holdings family of companies, which also includes Gragg Advertising and IntegriShield. Greg Gragg serves as Executive Chairman of Blue Chair. CEO Erica Brune also serves as CAO of Blue Chair Holdings.
• Gragg AdvertisingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary of Blue Chair Holdings alongside Lever1. A Top 10 company within the holding group.
• IntegriShieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Blue Chair Holdings family, IntegriShield is an online compliance monitoring SaaS company. Greg Gragg continues to work towards acquisition and growth strategies for the brand.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Paychex: Large incumbent payroll and HR services provider with PEO capabilities (Paychex PEO) serving SMBs nationwide. Competes with Lever1 on payroll processing, benefits, and HR outsourcing, but at significantly greater scale.
• ADP TotalSource: ADP's PEO division offering co-employment HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance for SMBs and mid-market companies. A national-scale incumbent that overlaps directly with Lever1's core services.

Direct peers

• Justworks: PEO/HR platform serving small businesses with payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR support through a tech-forward delivery model. Comparable in target customer and bundled service structure.
• TriNet: PEO focused on small and mid-sized businesses, offering HR, payroll, benefits, and risk management as a bundled service. Highly comparable to Lever1's SMB-focused co-employment offering.
• Insperity: Public PEO providing co-employment HR, payroll, benefits, and risk management to SMB and mid-market clients. Closest direct peer to Lever1 in business model, customer segment, and CPEO-style service delivery, but at much larger scale.
• Oasis Outsourcing: PEO offering HR, payroll, benefits administration, and workers' compensation to small and mid-sized businesses. Direct peer in co-employment structure and customer segment.
• G&A Partners: Mid-market PEO providing HR outsourcing, payroll, benefits, and risk management to SMB clients across multiple U.S. regions. Comparable mid-sized PEO with similar SMB focus and acquisition-led growth strategy.

Emerging players

• Sequoia One: PEO serving small and mid-sized businesses with HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance via a technology-led platform. Comparable SMB-focused PEO model with a more digitally native delivery approach.
• Zenefits: Cloud-based HR, payroll, and benefits platform serving SMBs. Comparable customer segment to Lever1 with overlapping benefits administration and HR software capabilities.
• Bambee: Tech-enabled HR service provider targeting very small businesses with outsourced HR managers, policy creation, and compliance. Overlaps with Lever1 on SMB HR outsourcing but with a different delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=HXh95skgfHU
• Facebookfacebook.com/Lever1PEO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lever1
• Instagraminstagram.com/lever1.peo
• Xx.com/Lever_1

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lever1