Economic Development Update Spring 2016
A Medical School For The Region $100 Million Estimated Economic Impact; 600 Students, 100 Faculty and Staff After years of effort, a new, major driver of the regional economy became a reality at the end of March. Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCU) began work on its new Joplin campus with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by thousands of people throughout the region. KCU is the oldest medical school in Missouri and 12th largest medical school in the country. One hundred fifty students per year will be enrolled in the doctor of osteopathic medicine program at the new campus site. When fully operational, the Joplin campus, opening in 2017, will add 600 students to the 1,000 plus at the Kansas City campus. “The expansion of KCU to an additional location marks a significant moment for our University, and an opportunity to help address the rural health care needs for the region,” said Marc B. Hahn, D.O., president and chief executive officer, KCU. “As the second-leading educator of physicians for both Missouri and Kansas, and with nearly 40 percent of our graduates practicing medicine in rural areas, this was a logical decision for us.” KCU made the commitment to creating the 600-student campus contingent on the region raising $30 million, or about half of the total cost of obtaining accreditation of the new school, renovating and equipping the former 150,000-square-foot Mercy facility just vacated and having operational funds for the first few years while the student base grows.
MSSU Gears Up For New Medical School
In December, MSSU and KCU signed the “Advanced Medical Acceptance Program,” which will allow up to 25 MSSU students to be admitted to the KCU’s new school upon successful completion of Southern’s pre-med requirements. “This unique partnership with Missouri Southern State University guarantees students acceptance into medical school, paving a bright future for primary care in Joplin and the region,” said KCU CEO Dr. Marc Hahn at the announcement. “It’s a differentiator for us,” it sets us apart from other schools that don’t have a connection like this,” said MSSU President Dr. Alan Marble. “It also raises the bar for everyone. It elevates the standards and the rigor that will be happening in our classrooms.”
Inside ... Pittsburg State Research Park Two More Work Ready Counties Shell Buildings Available
PSU Selects Planning Consultant
Science And Research Park Expansion Project In January, Pittsburg State University announced it selected TEConomy Partners to be its planning consultant for the expansion of its current science and research park. “We received a number of quality proposals,” said Shawn Nacarrato, executive director of the Center for Innovation and Business Development at PSU. “TEConomy Partners quickly distinguished themselves through the detail and professionalism of their presentation. We’re confident in their abilities and optimistic about the future of this project.” The expansion project is coming to fruition because of a $330,000 grant from the Economic Development Administrations Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The grant was given to PSU to explore the feasibility of expanding Pittsburg’s current science and research park. “As with any project, you need a detailed plan before you can move forward,” said Nacarrato. “Investors, whether private or public grants, want to know that you’ve taken the time to fully study the situation and that you have community support. This is an important step forward for our community and our region”. Based in Ohio, TEConomy Partners has a 25-year track record of helping universities throughout the world plan and implement strategies for research parks. They also serve as the economic and technology policy adviser to the Association of University Research Parks.
Helping Our Communities Help Existing Companies Existing firms are the engine of economic growth in the Joplin region. What’s why the JRP is helping its communities and counties strengthen their local business expansion efforts. JRP is using the Synchronist system to help local partners develop key data to work with their companies on expansion opportunities as well as what companies see as community needs. While sharing the Synchronist, each community has its own password-protected area to ensure confidentiality. The Synchronist system helps communities work with the local firms to show: -
Each company’s value to the community
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The opportunities for or obstacles to a company’s growth
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Support needed to assist a company and
The company’s view of the community and its services to help that community improve its business support
For more information or to begin the process for YOUR community, email Mark Turnbull at Joplin Regional Partnership, mturnbull@joplinregionalpartnership.com.
Two More JRP Counties Are Certified Work Ready Cherokee FIRST County in Kansas
Two more counties in the Joplin Regional Partnership area have been officially named Certified Work Ready Communities by ACT. The CWRC initiative certifies that communities meet specific goals designed to validate the key basic skills of existing workers and those coming into the workforce. The CWRC is based on the well-known WorkKeys testing system, which has a proven track record of indicating competency of basic skills related to nearly every job.
Nathan Kubicek, Crossland Academy Education Department
Cherokee County is the first county in Kansas to become Work Ready Certified, thanks to the efforts of its employers and high schools working with the County Economic Development Council. One of those employers, Crossland Construction, uses the WorkKeys assessments to help both existing and prospective employees at the company’s own training center.
“We’ve been using this ACT Work Readiness approach as an entry requirement into our training programs for about a year and one-half,” said Nathan Kubicek, of the Crossland Academy Education Department. “It lets us know where a candidate or trainee scores before they even come through the door, so it helps us customize their training plan,” he added. Barton County becomes the third Missouri county in the JRP area to become officially recognized as Work Ready Certified. Barton’s team, led by the City of Lamar, Community Development, County, Chamber of Commerce and school systems, completed all requirements in late 2015. The county was officially designated by the state Department of Economic Development Director Mike Downing on April 1, 2016.
Certified County In Process Pending
“There’s no better way of saying Barton County has a dedicated workforce that’s ready to work right now than by having this CWRC certification in hand,” said Astra Ferris, executive director of the Barton County Chamber of Commerce. “We want to make sure employers understand the highquality and agility of our workforce.” The Certified Work Ready certification is a key part of the Joplin Regional Partnership’s comprehensive workforce development effort (see EarnMore article in this issue). “Our partner communities know very well that city, county and state boundaries don’t matter to the people in our workforce; they go where they find a job that they want. The Work Ready Certification process is giving our region a common platform to discuss more ways to improve our workforce, which benefits our companies and our residents;” noted Mark Turnbull, JRP’s director of regional strategies.
Supporting Employers, Narrowing the Skills Gap EarnMore.BIZ
Among the primary goals of the Joplin Regional Partnership is to identify opportunities to enhance the skills of the current workforce and increase the labor force overall. With an existing workforce of more than 150,000 in the seven-county JRP area, plus more than 90,000 in the surrounding counties, there is already a well-established base companies can draw from; the key is ensuring they have good skills. The JRP has launched the Earn More campaign, with the first effort aimed at encouraging those already in the workforce to improve their skills. The campaign is focused on our core sectors of advanced manufacturing, health care services, transportation and distribution, professional services and construction. The new website, EarnMore.Biz, shows people the opportunities for better jobs and the key educational resources to obtain the skills needed for those jobs. The campaign is supported by a number of electronic and print media partners who are promoting that website to their audiences. The primary work group tasked with further developing the campaign to reach both their own students and high school students is JRP’s higher education workforce group consisting of professionals from Missouri Southern State University, Pittsburg State University, Coffeyville Community College, Crowder College, Labette Community College and Northeast Oklahoma A & M.
Spec Buildings Are Back The Joplin Region has two new speculative buildings underway, offering area firms an opportunity to expand and new firms a quick and easy location to start up in the region. For more information on both, contact Kevin Welch, Director of Business Attraction, Joplin Regional Partnership, at 417.624.4150 or via email at kwelch@joplinregionalpartnership.com.
Miami, Oklahoma
Joplin, Missouri
54,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing/warehouse facility under construction now in the city’s Progress Industrial Park. Pre-engineered steel building with architectural facade. 200 ft. x 270 ft. dimensions, with 30 ft. sidewalls. Four loading doors in the basic plan. On 10+ acres. All city utilities. Located near Interstate 44.
48,000-sq.-ft. office/warehouse/manufacturing facility nearing completion in the Crossroads Business Park. Single or multi-tenant; lease or buy. Pre-engineered steel building with architectural facade and sides. 120 ft. x 400 ft. dimensions with 24-27 ft. clear height. Sixteen loading docks in basic plan. On 5+ acres. All utilities. Located near Interstates 44 & 49.
Joplin Regional Partnership Mark Turnbull, Director of Regional Strategies 417.624.4150 (O) | 417.437.8322 (C) | 320 East 4th Street | Joplin, MO 64801 mturnbull@joplinregionalpartnership.com | JoplinRegionalPartnership.com