Duck Creek earns incentives through jobs program

Through Missouri Quality Jobs, a company that creates jobs paying at or above the county average wage is eligible to keep a portion of their state withholding taxes. Eligible firms also must offer health insurance and pay 50 percent of health care premiums.

Duck Creek is entitled to 6 percent of the new payroll in retained withholdings and tax credits over the next five years. The 65 new jobs that pay above Polk County's average wage of $23,900 will equal $827,400 in tax incentives and will provide more than $4 million in additional wages.

Duck Creek, founded in 2000, enables insurance carriers and other participants in the insurance distribution process to define and develop rating, underwriting and policy processing services.

The company recently was named No. 63 on Inc. magazine's list of 500 fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. Duck Creek had a three-year growth rate of 1,131 percent.

Duck Creek also was named in late January as one of Springfield Business Journal's 2006 Dynamic Dozen honorees. The company will join 11 other fast-growing companies from southwest Missouri at a March 9 rankings event.