Kansas Guide 2024 | SiteSelection

2024

K AN S A S : T HE N E W GOL D S TA ND A R D

EC ONOMI C DE V EL OP MEN T GU IDE

THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

COMMERCE

2024 Economic Development Guide

5 Interview with the Governor

26 Workforce Development

How do you follow up winning two consecutive Governor’s Cup awards? By pressing for more.

10 Business Climate Overview

One of the most highly educated labor pools in America is ready to go to work for you.

32 Talent Recruitment

By various metrics, Kansas is excelling at economic development, job creation and talent attraction.

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From Kansas Cit y to Dodge Cit y, recruiting top notch talent is job one. Here’s how Kansas is winning.

36

Interview with the Secretary of Higher Education and Community

Commerce

Colleges Lieutenant Governor David Toland leaves no stone unturned in his quest to build Kansas into a worldclass economy.

18 Statistical Profile An overview of Kansas’ performance by the numbers.

22 Headquarters From Topeka to Lawrence to Wichita, companies increasingly are looking to make their home in Kansas.

24 Certified Site Development Shovel-ready sites are now available statewide for prospective investors and developers.

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

The many colleges and universities of Kansas serve as the No. 1 talent factory for expanding companies throughout the state.

40 Incubators and Accelerators From GROWKS to the Kansas Innovation & Technology Enterprise, Kansas knows how to fertilize and accelerate innovation.

42 Broadband Kansas is investing nearly half a billion dollars over five years to expand broadband connectivit y to every pocket of the state.

INDUSTRY PROFILES

44 Energy and Utilities Already a Top 5 state for wind power, Kansas has its sights set on creating even more jobs in clean energy.

48 EV Batteries and Microelectronics Panasonic, Integra and their many suppliers are building new plants in Kansas. The new Chip Rush Era is on.

51 Advanced Manufacturing Advanced manufacturing is alive and well in Kansas.

54 Aerospace and Defense Expansions abound in the aerospace sector in Kansas, with Wichita leading the way.

56 Animal Health The KC Animal Health Corridor continues to serve as a magnet for new business investment.

59 Biotech Life science investment is flowing into everything from biomarkers to cell culture media production in Kansas.

64 Distribution, Logistics and

QUALITY OF LIFE

82 Tourism What do spaceships and Dwight D. Eisenhower have in common? You can find monuments to both in Kansas.

86 Small Town Strength POLICOM and Site Selection magazine rankings reveal a hidden advantage in Kansas: its small towns.

88 Community Development Programs Building the best communities for residents and businesses alike is a primary goal of state and local leaders.

92 Art Havens and Creative Communities

The creative instinct runs deep in Kansas. Art havens around the state are testament to that.

94 Quality of Life Kansas offers an affordable lifest yle with all the amenities your workforce will want.

98 Photo Gallery Fields of Dreams

Transportation

From Overland Park to Southwest Kansas, investment in new logistics facilities picks up.

68 Ag Tech New investments at K-State are extending the horizon of ag tech throughout the Sunflower State.

INVESTMENT PROFILES

71 Agriculture and Food Processing From Schwan’s to Walmart, new food-processing jobs are popping up all over the Sunflower State.

74 Reshoring Kansas is setting all kinds of records in landing reshoring plants and jobs.

76 Professional and Technical Services

20 Investment Profile: City of Russell 30 Investment Profile: McPherson

TreviPay is expanding in Overland Park while Coffey Count y lands a new chip maker.

78 Innovative Technologies If you did not know of the many innovations springing from the Sunflower State, look again.

104 Ad Index K A N SAS: T H E N E W G O L D S TA N DA R D

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O N L I N E

E D I T I O N

Publisher/Director LAURA LYNE Executive Vice President RONALD J. STARNER Editor in Chief ADAM BRUNS Editor Emeritus MARK AREND Senior Editor GARY DAUGHTERS Associate Editor ALEXIS ELMORE Assistant Custom Content Editor LINDSAY LOPP Art Director NEGIN MOMTAZ Production Coordinator/Designer BOB GRAVLEE Lead Designers SEAN SCANTLAND RICHARD NENOFF Designer ASHLEIGH PORTER Data Services Manager KAREN MEDERNACH Senior Research Associate BRIAN ESPINOZA Research Associate McKENZIE WRIGHT GLOBAL SALES & MARKETING Vice President of Sales CHARLES FITZGIBBON Regional Director — Northeast U.S. MIKE GLENNON Regional Director — Midwest U.S. CATHY McFARLAND Regional Director — Southeast U.S. MICHELE RABALAIS

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

Q & A :

G O V .

L A U R A

K E L L Y

Meet the Leader Who Carries The Kansas Banner Globally

by R O N S TA R N E R

K A N SAS: T H E N E W G O L D S TA N DA R D

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A

state does not win back-to-back Governor’s Cup awards from Site Selection magazine overnight.

Competing at the highest level of economic development requires years of patience and groundwork involving legislation, trade missions, marketing and good old-fashioned shoe leather.

No one understands this better than Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. When she picked up those two silver trophies from Site Selection, honoring Kansas for besting every other state in the nation in projects won per capita, she was collecting the rewards from many years of hard work and thoughtful planning by a lot of folks in the Sunflower State.

In the following interview, Governor Kelly outlines her approach to economic development and trade and sheds further light on her plans for the future.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly told plenty of corporate leaders in Germany recently that the Sunflower State is wide open for business.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Department of Commerce

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You recently went on a trade mission to Germany along with a delegation from the Kansas City area. What did you learn while you were there, and how will Kansas benefit from this mission?

GOV. KELLY: It was exciting to visit Germany and share our strengths when it comes to locating and growing a business in Kansas. It

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

truly is a great time to invest in our state as we experience historic economic development and job growth.

I found that companies in Germany know that logistically, Kansas is an ideal place to get products to market quickly and efficiently.

Kansas is in the center of the United States, and Kansas City is the nation’s most centrally located major metropolitan area — with 55 million people within a day’s drive, and both coasts within a three-hour flight.

I learned more about our fruitful relationship with Germany, a longstanding leader in international job growth in our state and one of our top three source countries for foreign direct investment. As of last year, Germany is our sixth-largest export market for goods produced in Kansas, with exports totaling $529 million.

Several German companies have chosen Kansas. For example, Millipore Sigma, the American life science business of Merck KGaA, brought a $25 million expansion to Lenexa; Reifenhauser opened a new $20 million manufacturing plant in Maize to produce plastics manufacturing equipment and technology; and Deutsche Telekom is well established on T-Mobile’s campus, which employs thousands of people in the Kansas City area.

While in Germany, I had the opportunity

to help grow our relationship with German businesses as part of the “Why KC” business recruitment program. Our Department of Commerce is setting up a team in Germany to represent Kansas and engage with German companies interested has established a presence in the United States.

What are the biggest challenges facing rural communities in Kansas, and what are some measures your administration is taking to address them?

GOV. KELLY: Knowing our rural residents often weren’t being heard, we created the Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP) in 2019 to give rural Kansans a voice. During statewide ORP

listening sessions, access to affordable housing and childcare were among the significant challenges rural Kansans cited.

Information gathered during the listening sessions is leading to new programs and services to better support rural Kansas, such as the new Rural by Choice Champions program.

Funding for Rural Champions supports specific projects identified by local residents, ranging from housing incentive programs to support for childcare providers, worker training and beautification programs. The program will drive success in rural communities that until now did not have the essential resources to complete these critical projects.

Healthcare is another top focus. With rural hospitals struggling, we are pushing for Medicaid expansion to bring more money to hospitals to pay their bills, hire doctors and nurses, keep healthcare affordable and accessible, and foster economic growth.

What’s been your biggest economic development success as Governor of Kansas?

“

We have put Kansas back on track.

After years of budget shortfalls before we took office, we now have money in the bank and robust, record-setting economic growth.

— Laura Kelly, Governor of Kansas

Main street in Marysville.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Department of Commerce

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

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GOV. KELLY: Kansas is experiencing recordsetting private-sector investment and outstanding job growth. More than $18 billion has been invested in Kansas since we took office, with more than 65,000 jobs created or retained. Our impressive surge led to backto-back Governor’s Cup Awards (Kansas had never earned a Governor’s Cup before) and a Gold Shovel Award three-peat, also a first for Kansas. We’re proud to see Kansas become a model among states for sensible, effective efforts to drive pragmatic, long-lasting economic growth.

One key initiative to help supercharge our economic success came in the Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion (APEX) Act, which I signed into law in 2022. The law addresses the unique needs of for-profit companies within targeted industry sectors that invest $1 billion or more to expand their operations or to relocate their headquarters anywhere in our great state. Kansas has since attracted two blockbuster APEX projects: First was a $4 billion, 4,000-job facility in De Soto from Panasonic Energy, the global leader in electric vehicle (EV) battery production.

The project will transform the Kansas economy, providing high-quality, high-tech jobs while also bringing a new industry to the state with an additional 4,000 indirect jobs for suppliers and other related businesses.

Groundbreaking and rendering of the new Panasonic EV battery manufacturing plant in De Soto.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Department of Commerce

The Panasonic announcement was followed

by Kansas-based Integra Technologies, a provider of outsourced testing and packaging services to the semiconductor industry, announcing a $1.8 billion investment with nearly 2,000 new jobs — that’s more high-tech opportunities that will strengthen our economy.

What have you learned about Kansans during your time as Governor?

GOV. KELLY: Kansans want strong public schools, economic growth and balanced budgets. They appreciate sensible, Kansasspecific strategies to grow and sustain their communities, with strong schools, access to healthcare and economic growth that builds a strong foundation for the future.

Kansans are responsible and embrace common sense in their own lives, so naturally they expect the same of their elected officials in civil and bipartisan cooperation and problem-solving.

What do you want your legacy to be once your tenure as Governor has concluded?

GOV. KELLY: I believe my legacy will be in our thoughtful approach to putting Kansas back on the path to prosperity. From day one, my goal has been to make Kansas the best place in the nation to live, work and raise a family. I’ve emphasized fiscal responsibility, strong schools, affordable healthcare and strategic economic growth.

We have put Kansas back on track. After years of budget shortfalls before we took office, we now have money in the bank and robust, record-setting economic growth. We restored state services crippled by the reckless tax policies of the previous administration.

We even attracted historic private investment during the pandemic because we were strategic in selling our state’s strengths.

I expect my legacy to be one of governing in a bipartisan manner, which moved our state forward in the face of unprecedented challenges. By working from the middle, we will continue to get things done with this common-sense approach.

What do you plan to do in your career following your term as Governor?

GOV. KELLY: I plan to be as involved as possible in continued efforts to make Kansas an even better place to do business and raise a family.

I’m also looking forward to dedicating more of my time to being a grandmother.

K A N SAS: T H E N E W G O L D S TA N DA R D

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B U S I N E S S

C L I M A T E

O V E R V I E W

Governor Laura Kelly speaks at a press event announcing that Kansas has won its second straight Governor’s Cup award from Site Selection magazine.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Governor’s Office and Kansas Department of Commerce

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How Kansas Built an Economic Development Dynasty Fiscal responsibility and a new incentive program played vital roles.

by R O N S TA R N E R

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

ack-to-back championships in the Site Selection Governor’s Cup race confirm that Kansas competes at an elite level for meaningful economic development wins.

This Central Plains state of just 3 million people garnered 139 corporate facility investment projects in 2021, and then followed up that performance by snagging another 138 deals in 2022 — good for consecutive victories in the per-capita Governor’s Cup sweepstakes.

In each year, the Sunflower State landed a signature project win. First, Kansas notched a $4 billion factory deal by Panasonic to make electric vehicle batteries in De Soto. A year later, Kansas laid claim to a $1.8 billion investment from Integra, which will construct a giant semiconductor complex in Bel Aire in the Wichita region.

Kansas did not stop there, however.

Throughout 2023, Kansas kept its foot on the gas pedal, securing major investments from Walmart, Michelin, Infinity Windows and High Plains Ponderosa Dairy. Walmart announced it would build a $257 million, 330,000-sq.ft. distribution center in Olathe in Johnson County and hire 667 new workers. Michelin

North America Inc. and Camso USA Inc. jointly announced a $100 million expansion of a tire factory in Junction City, while Infinity Windows Inc. pledged to spend $76 million and hire 585 employees at a new 600,000-sq.-ft. facility in Kansas City, Kansas. Finally, High Plains said it would hire 95 workers and invest $168 million to add 2.2 million sq. ft. of new space in Plains in Meade County.

Investment deals from a wide variety of industries flowed like milk and honey into all corners of Kansas in all 12 months of 2023, from Salina and Pittsburg to Shawnee and La Crosse and everywhere in between. Big names and small dotted the roster of investors – from Pure Imagination Studios and Hill’s Pet Nutrition to Redguard LLC and QuickStep Technologies.

When the dust settled, Kansas had racked up three straight years of record-setting performance in economic development. Some would call that a dynasty.

AN APEX PREDATOR IS BORN A new state incentive program called APEX facilitated the biggest wins of the past two

“

Kansas has never been in better fiscal shape than we are right now. Over the past four years and continuing now, we’ve been able to have balanced budgets every year that also left very healthy ending balances. We’re on very safe and secure ground, which has allowed us to provide tax credits and some tax cuts. Good things are going on right now that will continue to keep Kansas on an upward trajectory.

— Laura Kelly, Governor of Kansas

”

years: Panasonic Energy and Integra. APEX stands for Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion. Governor Laura Kelly helped pass the APEX Act in early 2022 and has since used it to lure $6 billion in new investment to the state. In the case of Integra, this semiconductor

Klixge Ratphout, Miscelaph, Icn

K A N SAS: T H E N E W G O L D S TA N DA R D

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Governor Laura Kelly frequently visits construction sites around Kansas. This time, she did so to proudly claim her second consecutive victory in the Site Selection Governor’s Cup competition.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Governor’s Office and Kansas Department of Commerce

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plant project that was announced in early 2023 qualified for $304 million in state incentives through the APEX program and is awaiting confirmation of federal incentives through the CHIPS and Science Act. Collectively, these funds will help bring more than 2,500 high-wage jobs in the wafer fab sector to Greater Wichita.

Why does Kansas keep winning? For starters, Kansas excels at making things.

Look at the 10 largest employment sectors in Kansas today. Most require specialized higher education and unique skill sets.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing is the fifth largest sector in Kansas, accounting for over 170,000 jobs statewide. The other top five sectors, in order, are trade, transportation and utilities; government services; education and healthcare; and professional and business services.

According to U.S. News, more than 44% of adults in Kansas have at least a college education. That’s one of the highest rates in the nation. Kansas also ranks No. 7 in infrastructure and No. 10 in opportunity.

Numbers like that produce economic growth. The Bureau of Economic Analysis recently published a report showing that last year Kansas placed fourth in personal income

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

growth (8.4%) and seventh in state GDP growth (6.0%).

READY FOR RAINY DAYS AND MORE Kansans also tend to be highly responsible.

“Kansas has never been in better fiscal shape than we are right now,” Governor Laura Kelly told Site Selection’s Mark Arend after picking up her second straight Governor’s Cup trophy.

“Over the past four years and continuing now, we’ve been able to have balanced budgets every year that also left very healthy ending balances.

We’re on very safe and secure ground, which has allowed us to provide tax credits and some tax cuts. Good things are going on right now that will continue to keep Kansas on an upward trajectory.”

That rainy day fund, by the way, now stands at more than $1 billion. Prudent fiscal management currently has the state on track to add another $500 million or more to the reserves.

Kelly has repeatedly told Site Selection over the years that she is an economic development governor. With $18 billion in new capital investment and more than 65,000 jobs created and retained since the start of her administration, she does more than talk about it. She delivers.

Q & A :

L I E U T E N A N T

G O V E R N O R

D A V I D

T O L A N D

Victories Achieved, Lessons Learned Sow Seeds for Future Success

by R O N S TA R N E R

Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland speaks at an event announcing a $1.8 billion, 2,000-job semiconductor facility in the Wichita area.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Department of Commerce

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

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here won’t be any resting on laurels if Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland has anything to do with it.

Coming off three record-setting years of economic development performance, from 2021 through 2023, the leader of the Kansas Department of Commerce knows that past success is no guarantee of future rewards.

That is why the Commerce Department will continue to push the envelope when it comes to outworking the opposition, says Toland. In the following interview, he explains how.

What were the three biggest economic development project wins of 2023 for Kansas?

TOLAND: As of the date of this interview, our Top 3 in 2023 reflect the diversity in economic development successes throughout our state.

Walmart announced plans for a $257 million investment in a beef packaging facility in Olathe with nearly 700 new jobs.

High Plains Ponderosa Dairy, LLC, has a $168 million investment in the works in Plains (95 jobs).

Camso Manufacturing is investing $114 million in an agricultural track manufacturing facility in Junction City (193 jobs retained, 181 new jobs).

There are bigger project wins such as EMP Shield and Integra Technologies ($1.9 billion and $1.8 billion respectively), but those will not be finalized until the federal government approves their CHIPS Act funding proposals.

What will be the three biggest priorities for the Kansas Department of Commerce in 2024?

TOLAND: We’re extremely proud of the recordbreaking economic development success that’s taken place since Governor Kelly took office.

Since then, Kansas has logged more than 1,000 new economic development projects generating more than $18 billion in capital investment and over 65,000 new or retained jobs.

Even as we ride this unprecedented wave, we won’t be complacent. In 2024, we will continue to: • Emphasize recruitment of cutting-edge businesses that are making Kansas the innovation hub of the Midwest. Plans for the new Panasonic Energy EV battery manufacturing plant represent an important first step in transforming and modernizing our economy statewide. The ripple effect in opportunities for suppliers and other related businesses will be significant.

• Enhance the focus on additional growth in the EV battery manufacturing industry, as well as other growing key sectors: animal health, cybersecurity, bioscience, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, logistics and transportation, and many others.

• Train and retrain workers needed to meet companies’ evolving needs. That means

cultivating the skills and readiness of the Kansas workforce through individualized service to jobseekers, additional apprenticeship offerings and new training opportunities statewide.

When companies choose to invest in Kansas, it’s just the start of a mutually beneficial relationship. Our team, the State of Kansas and our community partners will continue to support those companies for years to come, making sure they have the tools and resources necessary to thrive in 2024 — and beyond.

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When companies choose to invest in Kansas, it’s just the start of a mutually beneficial relationship.

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— Kansas Lieutenant Governor David Toland

What lessons did Kansas learn from the Panasonic and Integra wins that can be applied to corporate recruitment moving forward?

TOLAND: As impressive as they were, our first two megaprojects in Panasonic and Integra didn’t signal the culmination of our economic development efforts. Just the opposite. While those successes did prove we are all-in when it comes to powerful economic development initiatives, we also consider the projects to be strong first steps, and critical building blocks, when it comes to building a truly futureproof economy in Kansas. We take a holistic approach to economic development, knowing it takes partnerships at all levels to succeed.

We had local communities, state agencies, utility partners, higher education institutions, workforce groups and local economic development organizations at the table early on with both megaprojects.

The megaprojects also reflected our comprehensive approach in recruiting from the outside — as with Panasonic — while also looking to existing Kansas companies interested in growing here — as with Integra.

With competition fierce in both situations, the two megaprojects and overall record-setting growth in Kansas prove our state has unique appeal to companies and projects of all sizes.

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What are you doing to encourage talent retention and attraction in Kansas?

TOLAND: Job and career opportunities are growing exponentially as more and more companies locate to Kansas or expand their operations in our state. We’re working on numerous fronts to fortify talent retention and attraction.

The new Office of Registered Apprenticeship is equipping students with skills and on-the-job training they need to achieve successful careers and further develop the state’s workforce. We will continue to invest in apprenticeships, covering opportunities ranging from teaching to skilled trades as we help more people get good jobs and contribute to the economy.

In one year since the Office of Registered Apprenticeship was created, Kansas has seen a nearly 40% increase in registered apprenticeships. As Kansas continues to attract and create jobs by the thousands, registered apprenticeships are helping to fill our state’s most in-demand and high-wage occupations.

Governor Kelly’s decision to establish the Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship is paying great dividends across the state.

This past legislative session, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle approved a $2 million investment in a talent recruitment campaign. Currently, Kansas exports thousands of graduates from our universities, community colleges and technical schools to other states every year. Our campaign will target those who left to pursue careers that weren’t available in Kansas. Now that we’re attracting so many high-tech companies to invest in our state, we now can legitimately attract these former Kansans back. The campaign will launch in early 2024.

Workforce development is the biggest challenge facing most hightech employers today in America.

How is Kansas addressing that?

TOLAND: As Kansas continues to attract transformative economic development projects, our state’s talent pipeline has to have the best possible training to build out skillsets needed in these targeted sectors. We work closely with partners at universities, community colleges and technical schools to meet the education/ workforce needs of private sector employers.

Earlier this year, nearly $10 million was awarded to 26 recipients for training and 16

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

workforce development initiatives in highdemand, high-wage industries. Applicants to our new Delivering Residents and Workforce (DRAW) program requested investments in a wide array of areas, such as mobile workforce training providers, healthcare providers, education providers, technologybased businesses and employers working with disabled persons. Additional applications were accepted by employers hiring high-demand and high-wage positions, such as accountants, welders, sales managers and computer systems analysts.

To meet manufacturers’ needs, our Career Technical Education program has the state covering costs for high school students who want to participate in technical training opportunities. We also have the University Engineering Initiative, with the state providing matching funds to our top three universities to increase the number of students pursuing engineering degrees. These powerful programs have helped create a strong pipeline of workers for businesses in Kansas.

A lot of folks don’t know that Kansas is a major manufacturing state. What can you share with them to change their mind?

TOLAND: Whether it’s Panasonic Energy’s $4 billion plan to build one of the nation’s largest electric vehicle battery manufacturing facilities in De Soto — the biggest economic development project in our state’s history — or the many other announcements made during our record-setting surge, there’s a common thread. All manufacturing operations across the board understandably are embracing our excellent workforce, effective business incentives, central location and outstanding quality of life for their employees.

While our agriculture strength is known worldwide, we are seeing the most significant economic growth in other industries, including advanced manufacturing. This trend is in large part due to corporate investments in aviation manufacturing and design, automotive production, semiconductors and EV battery production.

Kansas is on track to have higher fiveyear employment growth than peer states and the nation as a whole in all major advanced manufacturing subsectors: aerospace, distribution, transportation and e-commerce, food and agriculture. Some of the finest products in the world are made right here in

“

Kansas is at the top of its game, and we aren’t slowing down.

– Kansas Lieutenant Governor David Toland

Kansas, and our recently launched Made in Kansas program is showcasing these manufacturers to customers worldwide. The Kansas economy is booming in part because we have so many innovative manufacturing enterprises in our state.

What is your best two-minute pitch to a CEO in another state about why they should expand in Kansas?

TOLAND: We’re not messing around here in Kansas. We’re a competitive force in economic development, thanks to our highly skilled workforce, central location, solid infrastructure, great schools, superior qualityof-life amenities and other advantages. We’ve also strengthened our incentive toolkit to make our state even more appealing to your business.

Naturally, your company wants to know where the talent you need will come from, and we work to closely align the strengths of our higher education system with what businesses

”

need. In Kansas, educational partnerships are invaluable and plentiful. We are ready to tailor these education and training resources to meet your needs. We do not believe in cookie-cutter solutions.

Our modern, visionary approach to economic development is working. Kansas is on a roll, with our trophy case showcasing two straight Governor’s Cups for the most private investment per capita in the nation, and three consecutive Gold Shovels for attracting high-value investment projects that create a significant number of new jobs in the state. Companies are flocking to our state and bringing new investment and new jobs with them.

Kansas is at the top of its game, and we aren’t slowing down. When we talk about Kansas being the best state in the nation to live, work and raise a family, we know it is possible because of great companies like yours driving success in our communities.

Let’s discuss how you can move your business forward in Kansas.

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S T A T I S T I C A L

P R O F I L E

Kansas by the Numbers Employment Statistics

$68,925

1,275,689

35.6%

1,175,294

62.5%

8.6%

382,603

75,057

Median Household Income

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Employment Rate

Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

Projects By Type

Total Housing Units

Total Households

Without Health Care Coverage

Total Employer Establishments

Projects By Sector 25 % MACH.

44 % MFG.

15 % CHEM.

29 % DW

Type Manufacturing Distribution (Warehouse) Office Headquarters Research & Development Source: Conway Data Analytics

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

Projects 30 20 12 4 2

Sector Projects Machinery, Equip. & Const.

15 Chemicals & Plastics 9 Food & Beverage 8 IT & Comm.

4 Business & Financial Services 4 Transport & Logistics 3 Aerospace 3 Paper, Printing & Packaging 3 Electronics 3 Other 7

Demographic Overview

2.9M

36.7

181,453

20%

21%

2.52

Population

Median Age

Millenial

Veterans

Persons per Household

Gen-Z

Kansas vs. Its Neighbors

Kansas vs. USA

FDI Jobs as a % of Total Employment

FDI Jobs as a % of Total Employment

7.0%

4.3% 5.0%

6.5% 6.0%

6.4%

5.4%

5.5% 5.0%

4.4%

4.5% 2014

2015

2016

U.S. Average

2017

2018

2019

Kansas

Kansas now beats the national average in the number of jobs supported by international investment Kansas Jobs Quality Jobs

Manufacturing

76,100 workers in Kansas 27,900 workers in Kansas — are employed as a result of 37% of all FDI jobs in the state international investment.

— are in the manufacturing sector.

Globally Connected

Many Employers

Among all international employers, those from Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom support the largest number of jobs in Kansas.

Nearly 590 international employers have operations in Kansas.

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I N V E S T M E N T

P R O F I L E

R U S S E L L ,

K A N S A S

Photos courtesy of Cit y of Russell

Photo by Nichole Dinkel

A Heartland Haven for Growth

by R O N S TA R N E R

How Russell turns pluck and small-town charm into business opportunity.

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how me a place in the geographic center of the country with as much spunk and grit as Russell, Kansas, and I will show you an economic powerhouse in the making.

No one understands this better than Andrea Krauss, controller for John O. Farmer Inc., one of the top oil producers in the state of Kansas with over 200 leases and 350 wells. Krauss says Farmer has been thriving in Central Kansas longer than most Americans have been alive.

Founded by John O. Farmer in 1946 in salt-of-the-earth Russell, the company displays the same tenacity its founder did when he left home and hitchhiked to Missouri to attend college with only 50 dollars in his pocket. Eight decades later, the company that bears his name is the reason Russell blossomed into a regional center of commerce and quality-of-life haven for thousands of workers and their families.

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

“I have been here for 20 years, and only one person has left JOF in that time,” says Krauss.

“People come here to work and live because of the friendliness and welcoming nature of the people. The second biggest reason is the value you receive for the money spent. Russell has a very reasonable cost of living. Real estate prices are very affordable; and people can live here on a modest income.”

A city of 4,400 residents in a county of 6,700, Russell is the county seat and is at the intersection of Interstate 70 and Highway 281, about 240 miles west of Kansas City and 360 miles east of Denver. Oil and agriculture are its biggest industries. One of its largest employers is Purefield Industries, which is planning a $300 million expansion to increase wheat protein production. The firm is already the biggest producer of wheat protein in the country.

“Being on I-70 is the big benefit for businesses here,” says Krauss. “You can be at either end of the state in less than three hours.

Our proximity to other communities is a huge benefit. You can get to Salina in 55 minutes and to Hays in 25.”

With more than 29,000 trucks annually entering and leaving the city’s industrial park, Russell is a logistics magnet. City Manager Jon Quinday says other business benefits include the fact that Russell is a public power community with 41 megawatts of accredited capacity including wind and hydroelectric power. The town is adding another 15 megawatts over the next few years.

“The community is invested in future growth with the recent expansion of its wastewater system, rehabilitation of both water treatment facilities, securing a 50year sustainable water supply, a new tie into the regional transmission grid and a complete rebuild of its electric distribution system in the next few years,” says Quinday.

Deputy City Manager Kayla Schneider adds that the local industrial park has shovel-ready sites available for other end-users right now.

“Our goal is to attract more logistics users to the community,” she notes.

Quality of life also serves as a magnet, locals say. From Wilson State Park and the Wilson Wildlife Area to the popular Switchgrass Trail for mountain bikers, Russell draws outdoor enthusiasts from all over the country.

“Lake Wilson is a huge tourist attraction,” says Krauss. “The Switchgrass Trail is ranked as one of the 10 best mountain bike trails in the U.S. And we are reinvesting in our downtown. We’re working on a development

project to build loft-style apartments for young professionals. It will give an urban sense of living in a small, walkable downtown by the end of 2024. We’re also putting in a maker space. It will offer large-format equipment, a commercial kitchen and a place where entrepreneurs can fabricate their inventions and try out their ideas.”

“

People come here to work and live because of the friendliness and welcoming nature of the people. The second biggest reason is the value you receive for the money spent.

— Andrea Krauss, Controller, John O. Farmer Inc.

”

Schneider says folks also need to know that “Russell is a place where people genuinely care for each other, look out for each other’s kids and take pride in where they live. The quality of life you can enjoy in Russell is unmatched in the Midwest,” she says.

If that’s not enough, consider the grit. In early 2023, civic leaders rallied the town to send calls, emails and letters to Buc-ee’s in an appeal to bring one of the chain’s beloved stores to town. In two weeks, over 500 people in the community contacted the Texas-based retail giant.

Though the friendly beaver eventually said no, he reported back that he was duly impressed with the determination of the people of Russell — a feat that will be remembered the next time they recruit a national brand.

As Schneider likes to say, “Even though we are small, we are mighty.”

This Investment Profile was prepared under the auspices of the City of Russell. For more information, contact City Manager Jon Quinday at 785-483-6311 or quinday@russellcity.org.

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H E A D Q U A R T E R S

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers boasts 500 locations in 36 states across America.

Photo: Gett y Images

From Burger Joint to National Franchise Wichita-based Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers set to reach 800 locations by 2026.

O

by L I N D S AY L O P P

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

ne of the fastest growing franchises in the U.S. wouldn’t be where it is today without its humble beginnings in Kansas. Founded in 2002, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers originally opened its doors as a family-owned burger joint based in Wichita, with many of the menu’s classics based off meals co-founder and World War II veteran Fredrick “Freddy” L. Simon served his family.

The restaurant’s “All-American” style and post-war atmosphere attracted a large fan base instantaneously, so much so that the company was able to open it’s first franchise in Hutchinson in 2004. Some 22 years later,

Companies Headquartered in Kansas COMPANY

CITY

AMC Theatres

Leawood

Black & Veatch

Overland Park

Dairy Farmers America

Kansas City

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Wichita

Garmin

Olathe

Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Overland Park

Hostess Brands

Lenexa

Koch Industries

Wichita

PBI-Gordon

Shawnee

Spirit AeroSystems

Wichita

Freddy’s is one of America’s leading fast-food chains, with hundreds of locations across 36 states. In October 2023, Freddy’s celebrated the grand opening of its 500th location.

“Reaching 500 locations was made possible first and foremost through the commitment of our passionate franchise partners, which we believe are the best group of franchisees in the country,” said Freddy’s President and CEO Chris Dull. “Over the years we have had thousands of devoted team members that have contributed greatly to Freddy’s success, and we have enjoyed the support of our valued guests who have become part of the Freddy’s family.”

This milestone is soon to be surpassed, as the franchise anticipates adding more than 60 new locations across the country, as well as over 70 additional development commitments that are currently in the pipeline. With this widespread growth, Freddy’s aims to reach its goal of operating 800 sites by 2026. And its hometown headquarters is set to play a major role in making sure this massive expansion runs smoothly.

In August, the company announced that it was establishing a 23,000-sq.-ft. national training and innovation center for all Freddy’s restaurants throughout the United States and Canada. Located at the Cypress Business Center in northeast Wichita, this new facility will be the company’s first offsite

training facility.

In the announcement, Dull stated that the site will feature “cutting-edge equipment and technology, dedicated classrooms and collaboration spaces with a simulated Freddy’s restaurant for expanded innovation capabilities and hands-on training.”

“

When looking at the culture of Freddy’s, so much of what makes Freddy’s special, and the brand that it is, has to do with Wichita.

”

— Chris Dull, President & CEO, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.

Alongside this exciting news, the company also revealed that it was expanding its executive offices in Fort Worth, Texas, but has no plans for its headquarters to leave Kansas.

“When looking at the culture of Freddy’s, so much of what makes Freddy’s special, and the brand that it is, has to do with Wichita,” Dull told Wichita Business Journal. “And so, as we thought about where we wanted to put our training and innovation center, it was an easy decision for us to decide to stay, because it’s really what makes us special and unique.”

“Without the city of Wichita behind it in its early days, we don’t think we would have the brand that we have, so we’re excited to continue supporting the Wichita market,” he added.

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C E R T I F I E D

S I T E

D E V E L O P M E N T

Ready to Build?

KANSAS HAS

Paola Industrial Park North and South are both certified sites. Combined, they have about 30 developable acres.

Courtesy of Kansas Department of Commerce

Finding a certified, shovel-ready tract in the Sunflower State has never been easier.

A

by R O N S TA R N E R

Kansas Certified Site designation makes gaining occupancy and achieving speed-to-market a whole lot easier and faster. Here’s how it works.

When you are in the market for a developable site, choosing a Kansas Certified Site takes all the guesswork out of the equation. By selecting a shovel-ready, certified site, the buyer knows that all key questions about the property have already been answered. These include questions about property ownership, environmental and cultural status, property access and community information, and details on all utilities.

Kansas currently has an inventory of 12 certified sites, with more on the way. These

24

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

shovel-ready sites are in places like Independence, Wichita, Iola, Liberal, Dodge City and other business-friendly communities.

“It showcases our ability to partner with the private sector. We have two partner programs that we work with: Sunflower Electric and BNSF. They have different tools and requirements,” says Corrie Ann Campbell, program manager for certified sites at the Kansas Department of Commerce. “Sites can receive dual certification.

The environment in Kansas is to work together for the good of us all. The application process has five components. It is an extensive process. We focus on land that is at least 10 acres in size.”

Paola Industrial Park South, at 13.63 acres, is the smallest parcel. The largest is New Century

YOUR SITE

S

“

It showcases our ability to partner with the private sector. We have two partner programs that we work with: Sunflower Electric and BNSF. — Corrie Ann Campbell, Program Manager for Certified Sites, Kansas Department of Commerce

AirCenter East, near Kansas City, at 525 acres.

Most of the other tracts range from 80 to 250 acres.

“Certification does not guarantee that the property owner’s site is going to be quickly purchased and developed. What we do intend is to get you to a point where your site can be developed and then shorten that time,” says Campbell. “Our 11 sites are all over Kansas. Some of our sites are small.

Our largest site is the 525-acre New Century AirCenter East, offered by the Southwest Johnson County EDC. We also have a 244-acre site in Dodge City, and another 329-acre site is close to certification.”

”

Matching funds are available to help smaller and rural communities go through the process of applying for site certification, Campbell notes. “Property owners must partner with their local community. The local EDO is the actual applicant. It is helpful to have one person spearhead it. They can then bring in multiple partners. The 101-acre Paddock Industrial Park site in Wichita is our best example. It is a privately owned site. They worked with the local EDO to go through the application process.”

For more information on Kansas Certified Sites, go to www. kansascommerce.gov or scan the QR code on this page.

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W O R K F O R C E

D E V E L O P M E N T

Train With Us, Stay With Us

by A L E X I S E L M O R E

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

D

eliberate and intentional are two words that hold significant weight when it comes to workforce development in Kansas.

It’s an all hands-on-deck initiative in the state — bridging the gap between industry needs and available training opportunities — that is constantly evolving in line with the demand and growth experienced by Kansas businesses.

A great example of this focus can be seen in the Kansas Training and Retention Aligned with Industry Need (KTRAIN) program. Rebranded from the Kansas Workforce Aligned with Industry Demand program, KTRAIN is designed to be a shortterm, customizable training programs designed to attract and develop vital talent, while bringing together education and industry.

“Here in Kansas our little secret, or the secret sauce as I call it, is our community and technical college system,” says Kansas Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary Mike Beene. “They’ve been very adaptive to industry needs and have been instrumental in some of our recruitment projects as they align training with new industry. They’re great partners in our economic development world and are obviously great partners within our workforce world.”

The rebranding was based on industry feedback that aimed to streamline the application and overall training process for employers. In other words, allowing employers to design training programs that fit to their tight timelines.

Beene says a fitting instance of this need was seen in Kansas City, where a consortium of manufacturers needed industrial maintenance technicians but did not have the time to wait on a one- to two-year program. Kansas City Kansas Community College was able to work with these employers to create a training program that would produce talent ready to hit the ground running.

Industries seeking the most support are within manufacturing and commercial truck driving and are connecting to local institutions to build new programs. The Kansas Department of Commerce works with employers to reimburse training costs up to $2,000 per employee. In addition, students going through a program are employed by the respective company, meaning that they are receiving wages for the entire duration.

When considering moving to or expanding within Kansas there are a variety of workforce development services that will help your company find the ideal candidate to fill an open role.

Kansas City Kansas Community College is a key partner in helping companies achieve workforce development goals.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Cit y Kansas Communit y College

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“It’s a program that will continue to grow,” says Beene.

“It is a program that aligns with industry training needs and helps to retain their employees, while building capacity within our community and technical college system to train for specific skills.”

“

It’s a program that will continue to grow. It’s a program that aligns with industry training needs and helps to retain their employees, while building capacity within our community and technical college system to train for specific skills.

”

— Mike Beene, Assistant Secretary, Kansas Department of Commerce

FINDING THE RIGHT ROLE Talent retention remains top of mind in Kansas. This means that opportunities must exist within reach at any given moment for its workforce, and the ability to have access to hands-on experience with companies has proved to be valuable in doing so.

In 2022, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly established the Office of Registered Apprenticeship within the Kansas Department of Commerce in signing Executive Order #22-07. In doing so, the state moved to modernize its approach to apprenticeship programs for both traditional and non-traditional occupations.

To date, the Office of Registered Apprenticeship has supported over 4,000 apprentices in 172 occupations, supporting a 92% employment retention rate at an average starting salary of $75,000.

Governor Kelly announced over $528,000 in registered apprenticeship funding in September 2023, distributed to eight entities in the state. Upon receiving 16 applications that requested a total of $3.3 million in 28

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

funding, eight of those received up to $100,000 for various projects.

The awardees included Dodge City Economic Development Council ($45,000); Greater Kansas City Laborers Training ($36,000); Ironworkers Joint Apprenticeship & Training Trust ($29,956); Kansas Farm Bureau ($90,000); Kansas State Council of SHRM ($62,160); Plumber and Pipefitters Training of Kansas ($100,000); Topeka Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee ($66,885) and Wichita Electrical Industry Training Fund ($98,476).

While most of the recipients will use funding for business outreach, others will use it to support equipment and personnel costs.

As new apprenticeship opportunities arise, the Office of Registered Apprenticeship is prepared to help workers and employers secure the right program that fits their needs. From on-site training, mentorship and technical instruction offerings, there is an avenue to excel in many industries throughout the state.

NEW TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES In 2023, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced $30 million in funding to support its Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funding Training (ALOFT) and Delivering Residents and Workforce (DRAW) grant programs.

Made possible through the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas Executive Committee, these programs target economically significant sectors like aviation, healthcare, education and technology in Kansas. These workforce programs touch the entire state, as it prepares the workforce to be equipped to handle industry needs. Over the next two years, program awardees must use all funding to build targeted training programs.

ALOFT was provided with

the majority of grant funding for aviation and aerospace manufacturers, supply chain providers and local airports to create initiatives for training and workforce development. In June 2023, funds totaling $20 million were distributed to entities with three Kansas cities: Wichita, Olathe and Salina. Wichita awardees saw the most funding at over $12.4 million, specifically to Learjet Inc., Metal Finishing Company, Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc., Textron Aviation Inc. and Wichita Airport Authority.

With this grant, awardees may use the funding to aid in construction costs for on-site training facilities, vendor training for equipment, training salaries and marketing to boost youth interest in aviation and aerospace.

Meanwhile, the DRAW program spans a broader array of high-demand industries in the state. Healthcare providers, educational centers and institutions, technology-based companies and employers focused on training those with disabilities were among the recipients of the $10 million in grant funding.

“As Kansas continues to

attract transformative economic development projects,” said Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland, “it is vital our state’s talent pipeline receives the right training to build out the skillsets needed to enjoy successful careers in these targeted sectors.

The DRAW program is laserfocused on the state’s most critical positions.”

Out of 50 applicants for DRAW funding, 26 were awarded. The highest amount of funding granted was $740,000, which was landed by each of the following: AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, Dodge City Community College, Envision Foundation, Independence Community College, National Logistics Training Center, Paragon Energy Solutions and TECHS Inc. entities that each serve a different city throughout Kansas.

With a variety of programs now in place in Kansas, both employees and employers have access to training opportunities around every corner. As the state continues to invest in both its workforce and businesses, there is no better time to connect the two in the Sunflower State.

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I N V E S T M E N T

P R O F I L E

M C P H E R S O N ,

K A N S A S

by ALE XIS ELMORE alexis .elmore@ siteselec tion .com

McPherson Powers Profitability Photo courtesy of MickFly Aerial

Manufacturers can produce more for less in Central Kansas.

W

hen it comes to powering success, anticipating the future needs of your customers is a key opportunity to establish a competitive edge.

This approach has enabled the McPherson Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to remain a top asset to companies looking to establish roots in Kansas. So much so that the American Public Power Association awarded the McPherson BPU a “Certificate of Excellence in Reliability” in 2022.

“Our electrical rates are our competitive advantage,” says McPherson BPU General Manager Josh Bedel. “The McPherson BPU is the top reason companies choose McPherson for relocation and expansion.”

Across three metrics — System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), System Average Interruption 30

Frequency Index (SAIFI) and Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) — McPherson BPU performed well above regional and national averages. In terms of SAIDI, the average length of time a BPU customer’s power was interrupted was only 8.2 minutes, compared to a regional average of 98.7 minutes and a national average of 115.7 minutes.

“The reliable electricity BPU provides to Pfizer is essential in delivering lifesaving medications to our patients around the world. Once started, most all of our processes must finish without any interruption,” says Pfizer Engineering Operations Senior Manager Kyle Ratzlaff. “With the confidence we have in BPU, we are rarely concerned for our business continuity. For example, in February 2021, much of the area experienced interruptions to their utility services due

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

to the abnormally low temperatures.

BPU worked with Pfizer and there was not even a momentary interruption in service.”

For the board, this recognition reinforces the peace of mind the company can offer customers while supporting substantial cost savings.

As of 2023, the BPU supports 8,944 total electric customers, 1,538 of which represent commercial and industrial customers. For industrial users, electric rates fall 35% lower than the national average, saving companies millions per year at an average of five cents per kilowatt-hour.

Staying at the top is no simple task. But with prime industrial space readily available, proximity to an extensive talent pool and utility rates worth writing home about, McPherson is prepared to help companies reach new levels.

“ LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! The county’s central location and positioning along Interstate 135 in Kansas was a powerful pull for manufacturers such as CertainTeed (Saint-Gobain), Johns Manville (Berkshire Hathaway), Westlake Pipe & Fittings, Pfizer and Viega during their site selection processes.

Plastics, energy, equipment manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and data centers are key industries for the region and for good reason. Operations for these industries can be energyintensive as these companies seek to meet rising production demands. That’s a sizeable cost consideration when setting up shop in many U.S. states, so the 35% lower rates get noticed.

In addition to overall savings, for companies seeking renewable energy sources about 40% of the BPU’s energy supply comes from wind produced in the state and provided through partnership with Evergy.

“In recent years, the state of Kansas has had some major economic development wins,” says McPherson Industrial Development Company Executive Director, Kasi Morales.

“Kansas now shows how it can be a global economic player and overcome the negative ‘it’s just a flyover state’ rhetoric. This has significantly increased the number of mega projects considering Kansas. If these projects are part of an electric-intensive industry looking to be out of a major metropolitan area, McPherson will win every time.”

The McPherson Industrial Development Company currently has more than 75 acres of prime industrial

Our current manufacturers all benefit from low electrical and other utility expenses. This is the major reason McPherson has grown into an advanced manufacturing location.

—McPherson BPU General Manager Josh Bedel

sites located in the county. Paired with access to talent across 13 community colleges and four universities within 60 miles, it’s not hard to understand why leading manufacturers have chosen to invest and expand their presence in the middle of America’s breadbasket.

Industrial Average (Cent per kWh) McPherson BPU

5.3

West South Central

6.4

East South Central

6.9

South Atlantic

7.6

West North Central

7.7

Mountain

7.8

East North Central

8.1

Middle Atlantic

8.1

Pacific Contiguous

12.5

New England

15.7

Source: EIA Table 5.6B Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers

by End-Use Sector Industrial. July 2023 YTD

FORWARD THINKING Interruption of any kind is a challenge McPherson BPU intends to … well … interrupt.

In June 2023, the McPherson BPU broke ground on a new $33 million water treatment plant. McPherson Mayor Thomas Brown says it’s a project the organization pursued “by not only thinking about what is good for McPherson today but also what McPherson will need tomorrow.”

Known as the South Well Field Project, this infrastructure aims to address declines associated with the Equus Beds Aquifer, which has long served as the county’s water source.

“We take this to heart. It is the

”

reason McPherson Board of Public Utilities was created,” says McPherson Industrial Development Company Director Kasi Morales. “We have continued on with that trend in making significant infrastructure upgrades over our 54 years of existence.”

Pfizer’s Kyle Ratzlaff notes that “water is an essential component in Pfizer’s manufacturing of pharmaceuticals.” This investment serves as reminder to the company that BPU continues to embark on utility infrastructure upgrades with a goal of increasing its reliability.

Growth begets growth. As restrictions put in place by the state’s Division of Water Resources prevented additional water rights development due to impending declines, McPherson BPU and local stakeholders knew they needed to invest in a long-term solution. By 2024, years of planning will come to fruition as the county will introduce three new public water supply wells, about 20 miles of new water transmission piping and the water treatment facility.

“As finite resources become more finite, we have access to a new water supply with a superior recharge rate that should help us not only sustain what we have, but to grow at least over the next 50 years,” says Morales.

This Investment Profile was prepared under the auspices of the McPherson Industrial Development Company. For more information, contact Kasi Morales at kasim@mcphersonpower.com or 620-245-2521. On the web, go to www.mcphersonindustry.com.

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T A L E N T

R E C R U I T M E N T

Talent, Consider Your Resources

T

by A L E X I S E L M O R E

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KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

o build and retain skilled talent, there must be ample support behind the scenes, guiding every step of the way to nurture a reliable talent pool.

This train of thought has helped the State of Kansas and its regional organizations formulate unique and targeted programs that span every region and are fit for any age, occupation or skill level. Many of these programs target the state’s key industries, such as advanced manufacturing, aerospace, bioscience, animal health and renewable energy production. For these industries to succeed, they are dependent on a skilled, reliable workforce.

Kansas has a history of

recruiting top global companies within those industries. That fact in itself provides a pull for talent to consider staying or moving into the state.

Leading companies such as Hill’s Pet Nutrition, MilliporeSigma, Michelin and Orizon Aerostructures invested nearly a billion dollars ($999.3 million combined) in 2023 alone to expand in the state, introducing hundreds of new, in-demand jobs.

The Wichita State University Center for Economic Development and Business Research’s “2024 Kansas Employment Forecast” projected the state would add 25,000 jobs by the end of 2023, a growth rate of 1.8% from 2022.

“

It’s clear that providing more Kansans the opportunity to get on-the-job training is a win-win for employers and for our workforce.

”

— Governor Laura Kelly at a National Apprenticeship Week event in November 2023

“The labor market remains a significant pillar of Kansas’s economic strength,” the report states. “With the unemployment rate expected to hover around 3.1% in 2024 and 2025, the state continues to offer a robust labor environment.”

Much of the anticipated growth comes from recent investments secured by Kansas.

The production industry in its entirety will grow by nearly 1%, specifically in durables manufacturing, which is due to increase by 4.1% in line with semiconductor and EV battery projects currently in the midst of development.

To fill these anticipated roles, the state’s leadership, local organizations, businesses and institutions are working together to showcase the career possibilities available to draw in out-of-state talent and keep local workforces intact.

WE’VE GOT OPTIONS Access to resources is typically the largest hurdle faced by talent around the nation. Kansas plans on leaving no stone unturned.

Whatever resources talent is looking for, from open roles and on-the-job training to reskilling to entrepreneurial support, aid is just around the corner.

Over the past year, a significant focus for the state has been on scaling registered apprenticeships.

The establishment of the Office of Registered Apprenticeship within the Kansas Department of Commerce in September 2022 was a vital tool for the future of workforce development to Governor Laura Kelly. Today, there has been a 40% increase in residents utilizing this direct training route. In connecting talent directly to companies, guesswork is diminished for both parties, getting on-site training done faster and securing full-time employment opportunities.

“Kansas is all in on Registered Apprenticeships,” said Governor Kelly at a National Apprenticeship Week event in November 2023.

“A year after I created the Office of Registered Apprenticeship, it’s clear that providing more Kansans the opportunity to get on-thejob training is a win-win for employers and for our workforce.

We will continue to invest in apprenticeships, including for teachers and for those wanting to enter the skilled trades, so that more people have the skills necessary to get a job and contribute to our economy.”

Aside from apprenticeships, the state offers a number of workforce programs that cater to specific obstacles talent might be facing in terms of polishing their skills or landing a high-quality, highpaying role.

Disabilities should not deter one from the right to gain K A N SAS: T H E N E W G O L D S TA N DA R D

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vital resources and achieve self-sufficiency. Kansas offers programs like Ticket To Work, which provides support for career development at no cost for talent aged 18 to 24. RETAINWORKS is another no-cost program for those facing illness, injury or health problems that have kept them from working. This program offers support and training opportunities that aid in getting the employee back to work.

In addition, Kansas has deployed its KANSASWORKS Workforce Centers around the state with doors open to its workforce and employers. For those seeking job opportunities, when visiting a Workforce Center, talent can work one-on-one with staff to build professional skills like interviewing techniques or creating a resume to begin applying for open roles.

Building upon basic needs, these locations regularly host job fairs, workshops and skills training programs that cement a pathway for talent to network with local employers.

At the end of the day, matching employers to the perfect candidate is the goal. Working alongside jobseekers throughout the entire process ensures that these candidates meet the critical needs of the state’s industries and feel confident in their capabilities once the job begins. KANSASWORKS currently shows over 51,000 openings on its online database; from entry-level to management, a new career is within reach at any time.

KANSASWORKS currently shows over 51,000 openings on its online database, from entry-level to management.

FOR THE YOUTH From primary school to college graduation, Kansas leadership wants students to know about the abundant career opportunities that can be found while preparing to 34

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

enter the workforce.

Within the state’s key industries, many employers are looking to recruit talent with a background in STEM. Kansas institutions are creating STEM programs in and out of the classroom to accommodate the growing demand. A national goal to boost interest and participation in this field has led to an influx of federal support from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), which Kansas plans to use through the Kansas State University College of Education’s Rural Education Center.

In collaboration with the DoD, the university created Project LEAPES. The program stands for Learning, Exploration and Application for Prospective Engineering Students. It uses a nearly $2.7 million grant to reach students from seventh to 12th grade to mentor and promote obtaining a degree in STEM. The hope is that by the end of 2023, 500 middle and high school students and 53 educators will be impacted by this program.

These programs aim to reach rural students and bring awareness to careers in computer science, aerospace, robotics and AI, curriculum not typically offered at every school in the state. Middle and high school students can participate in virtual camps or in-person workshops that provide different activities for students to choose and explore whatever piques their interest.

The ability to get a feel for what working in any of these industries is like allows these students to prepare better for what career path to pursue upon graduation, in addition to which state university or college can best support that decision. The state houses six state universities, 19 community colleges and six technical colleges, many of which are actively collaborating with local industry to keep curriculum up-to-date based on industry needs.

Kansas State University remains a top choice for many Kansans, and for good reason.

Aside from working on programs for middle to high school students, the university is a go-to for local industry to collaborate with students.

“Through the Technology Development Institute, innovators and small manufacturers get access to leading-edge prototyping and manufacturing technologies, and students get hands-on experience with disruptive ideas and technologies,” says Kansas State University Technology Development Institute Director Jeffery Tucker.

Of the three campuses the university has in the state, its main Manhattan campus holds the Technology Development Institute.

Here, students close textbooks and are able to help companies and

entrepreneurs formulate ideas and work to bring them to life. These experiences help students not only network themselves but also build essential skills they can apply immediately.

“Our students are employed as paid interns and work directly with our full-time engineering staff on development projects,” says Tucker. “We have had several students that have gone on to work for the companies whose projects they worked on while they were here.”

Talented individuals want to be where they can shine. Workforce tools and resources in Kansas are made to be easy to find and connect with, regardless of age or current employment status. With thousands of jobs available now and thousands more expected to hit, now is the best time to find that dream role.

H I G H E R

E D U C A T I O N

Kansas Universities Capture Investors’ Attention Million-dollar investments are a reoccurring theme in Kansas’ higher education system.

P

The University of Kansas’ main campus in Lawrence.

Photo courtesy of Universit y of Kansas

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ure Imagination Studios’ portfolio infrastructure — the upcoming facility, dubbed of projects features many of the Kansas Advanced Immersive Research Hollywood’s most recognizable for Emerging Systems (K-AIRES), will span names: DreamWorks, Disney, FOX, 58,000 sq. ft. and feature advanced equipment The LEGO Group, Marvel Entertainment, and immersive technologies for education and Warner Bros. and Netflix, to name a few. Yet research. Pure Imagination and its partners the award-winning independent studio’s most aim to transform the learning experience for recent undertaking goes outside various industries, including

by L I N D S AY L O P P its usual pursuits. aerospace, manufacturing, “We are establishing the entertainment and defense. world’s first-of-its-kind spatial computing This project is set to create 100 new jobs studio and training facility. It is an innovation in the area and act as a catalyst for further job hub at the forefront of the fourth industrial creation, aiming to entice corporations seeking revolution,” said Pure Imagination Founder the pipeline of skilled workers generated by Joshua Wexler in a press release. this resource.

The studio has partnered with the State of “Our mission is to ignite visionary Kansas, Kansas State University Salina and the storytellers spanning diverse sectors. Together, Salina Airport Authority for this project, which we aspire to reshape the narrative of human will be located on the university’s campus. progress, leaving an indelible legacy of positive change. This transformative technology is set Backed by a $41 million investment — to revolutionize every facet of industry, from the largest ever allocated in K-State Salina’s

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

education and storytelling to public safety,” said Wexler. “The choice to anchor the studio at K-State Salina stems from the institution’s thriving ecosystem and the state’s resolute commitment to challenging the status quo. This partnership stands as an investment in the local community and economy with the potential to propel Kansas to the forefront of the spatial computing industry.”

Robotics lab at Wichita State University Photo courtesy of Wichita State Universit y

INNOVATIONS THAT MAKE AN IMPACT This level of interest from investors isn’t new to Kansas’ higher education system.

While most know the University of Kansas for its basketball prowess, its researchers boast an equally impressive resume of wins. With nearly $300 million in research expenditures, KU is at the forefront of technological innovation, inciting advancements in a variety of industries.

In April, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office awarded KU’s Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC) a $1.3 million grant. In collaboration with the Idaho National Laboratory and First Solar Inc., KU researchers will utilize this funding to develop new

processes to remove the outer layers of solar panels once they no longer work. The system created will be able to divide out the valuable recyclable materials using methods that maximize the quantity and quality of recovered materials.

“Efficient recycling of solar panels will be essential as the industry grows, to ensure the availability of critical materials, minimize waste and limit costs,” said Bala Subramaniam, CEBC director and KU’s Dan F. Servey Distinguished Professor of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering.

“Solving this problem now is essential to avoid the type and scale of pollution that we currently face with waste plastics. This project is an example of the forward-thinking research that the KU CEBC and its collaborators undertake to promote the sustainability of our planet.”

Through one of its latest ventures, Research Rising, KU is expanding it’s efforts to combat global challenges. The five-year initiative is investing more than $12 million in interdisciplinary projects that address critical issues under five research themes: Development Across the Lifespan, Earth, Energy + Environment, Human Experience in the Digital Age, Molecules + Medicines and Safety + Security.

In June 2022, four projects were selected to participate: Securing Our Worlds: Physical, Digital, Social focuses on solving problems related to safety and security; Big Data for Drug Discovery works to integrate biotechnologies that collect large amounts of data to better understand diseases; Growing KU’s Interdisciplinary Strengths in Genomics intends to uncover the secrets in genomes for health innovation and sustainable development purposes; and Advancing Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research at KU strives to enhance the university’s internally renown intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) research programs.

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“

This transformative technology is set to revolutionize every facet of industry, from education and storytelling to public safety.

WSU TAKES OFF Located about an hour south of Salina, Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), among 14 other recipients, was awarded a $50 million grant from NASA in March 2023.

The funding stems from NASA’s Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project, which strives to increase the production rate of composite structures within the U.S., contributing to the country’s goal to reduce carbon emissions in aviation.

This project concentrates on three key manufacturing concepts: next-generation thermosets, resin-infused composites and thermoplastic composites. The newly awarded funds will support the assessment and development of these concepts on a smaller scale, encompassing experiments in material processing, assembly techniques, inspection methods and structural performance.

WSU has received several awards from NASA over the last

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”

— Joshua Wexler, Founder, Pure Imagination Studios

few years, the most recent being in November. WSU was selected as one of three university-led teams to receive funding for a two-year research term exploring aviation maintenance challenges related to NASA’s strategic vision for aeronautics.

The awardees, including Clemson University and University of California, Davis, will research new maintenance techniques and procedures and discover how aviation maintenance programs at technical schools could alter and expand their curriculum to include these new practices.

According to the National Science Foundation’s most recent Higher Education Research and Development Survey, which displays data from FY2021, WSU ranked among the top 20 universities in the U.S. in engineering research and development funding. In total aerospace R&D expenditures, WSU ranked third with $153 million and first in industryfunded aerospace R&D with a total of $75 million.

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RESOURCES FOR GROWING BUSINESSES FAST

by M A R K A R E N D

T The 30,000-sq.-ft. Hays MicroFactory will house up to six small manufacturers at a time.

Image courtesy of Grow Hays

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he U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded Tech Hubs designations in October to 31 entities around the U.S., making them eligible to apply for Tech Hubs Phase 2 Notice of Funding Opportunity grants worth $40

million to $70 million across several projects. Among them is the Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub (KC BioHub) operated

by BioNexus KC. The designation adds credence to the region’s strength in human and animal healthcare and biomanufacturing.

Startups hoping to join that industry cluster and others in Kansas have no shortage of resources to help them get going. The Kansas Innovation & Technology Enterprise (KITE), for example, has several resources for helping entrepreneurs find access to capital and facilitate commercialization. A Proof of Concept incentive fills the funding gap between federal research grants and venture funding. It helps establish entrepreneurial ventures and commercialize innovations developed at public universities in Kansas.

Twelve Small Business Development Centers in Kansas help businesses with fewer than 500 employees with advisory services in such areas as registration and business plans. More than 250,000 small businesses operate in the state.

The Kansas Department of Commerce administers the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit Program that facilitates equity investment in the early stages of product development.

It requires a business applying for the tax credit to be involved in developing an innovative or proprietary product or service.

HIGHER EDUCATION CONNECTIONS Small Business R&D Acceleration Grants, approved by the Kansas Legislature in 2022, help small businesses on the road to commercialization. They can help a small business modify a product to enter a new market.

“It partners smaller businesses with Kansas public higher education institutions who will support the business through engagement and mutual benefit,” the Department of Commerce explains. “Prospective grant recipients who work with a public

higher education institution to conduct research and development can receive a 50/50 matching grant up to $25,000 for research and development cost at the public institution.”

Meanwhile, Kansas was one of five states to receive State Small Business Credit Initiative funding from the federal government in 2022.

The Sunflower State was awarded more than $69 million for its GROWKS Loan Fund and the GROWKS Angel Capital Support Program that make capital more available in underserved areas. GROWKS loan programs match funding from financial institutions and target minority, women-led and economically disadvantaged businesses among other borrowers. GROWKS is administered by the Department of Commerce and NetWork Kansas, a non-profit agency that connects startups and existing businesses to growth resources.

In October, ground broke in Hays for the Grow Hays MicroFactory, a 30,000-sq-ft. incubator for manufacturers.

It’s one of 35 projects funded by the Department of Commerce’s $100 million Building a Stronger Economy (BASE) grant program. The MicroFactory will be a launch pad for small manufacturers to get their businesses up and running before moving to their own premises.

“The facility will be designed specifically to meet the need of manufacturers with various amounts of space allocated to tenants as needed,” said Doug Williams, executive director of Grow Hays Inc., at the event.

“Rental rates for the space will be well below market rates to ensure businesses have every opportunity to succeed and grow.”

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B R O A D B A N D

How Kansas Is Bridging the Digital Divide

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by M A R K A R E N D

ore than 150,000 Kansans do not have access to high-speed internet, according to the Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD), an agency created by Governor Laura Kelly in 2020 that resides in the state’s Department of Commerce. Lack of access is due mainly to unserved or underserved Broadband Serviceable Locations, low enrollment in the state’s Affordable Connectivity Program and residents without access to internetready devices.

“Access to reliable high-speed internet is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity for education, healthcare, economic growth and overall quality of life,” said Governor Kelly in August when KOBD submitted its Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Five-Year Action Plan (FYAP) to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). “This plan moves us toward achieving universal broadband availability in Kansas, ensuring everyone from business owners to students can succeed in today’s digital age.”

NTIA has allocated $451 million to Kansas to support the state’s broadband initiatives; it requires a five-year action plan outlining how the state will use the funds.

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“

We are empowering communities with high-speed broadband infrastructure, unlocking greater economic growth, increased access to telemedicine and expanded educational opportunities.

”

— Laura Kelly, Governor of Kansas

ACTION PLAN OBJECTIVES KOBD’s BEAD plan has four main objectives, each of which has specific goals and metrics for achieving them. The first is ensuring broadband coverage to all of the state’s businesses, homes, farms and community anchor institutions. Second is to apply what it calls future-proof technologies for broadband accessibility and use. The third is to evolve Kansas’ digital economy with broadband certifications, training programs and career pathways. Fourth is to enable residents to work or learn from any location in the state.

When fully implemented, BEAD will benefit education with digital learning, transportation with smart traffic systems and connected vehicles, commerce in terms of business development and remote working, healthcare through remote diagnostics and telehealth, and agriculture with smart farming and Internet-enabled equipment, among other broadband applications.

“The BEAD FYAP outlines a strategic approach to leverage existing programs, partnerships and resources toward the goal of universal broadband access,” said Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland in the BEAD announcement. “By combining public and private efforts, we can maximize the impact of our investments and create a robust broadband infrastructure that supports economic growth and innovation for decades to come.”

RESOURCES FOR STATEWIDE BROADBAND In May, Governor Kelly established the Lasting Infrastructure and Network Connectivity (LINC) program that makes $30 million available for initiatives that build infrastructure for delivering broadband to homes and businesses throughout Kansas.

LINC is designed to lower internet costs and improve performance and availability.

Funding is intended to support three types of infrastructure: broadband that enables internet access at 100/20 Mbps or higher speeds, internet exchange points and middle-mile broadband infrastructure. Service providers bring matching funds to the program, boosting overall funds to nearly $34 million.

In November, 12 broadband infrastructure providers in locations across Kansas were granted LINC awards worth $28.5 million.

More than 2,300 premises, or customers of the service providers, will benefit from the grants.

“LINC is another step forward in our promise to connect all Kansans, including in rural areas, to high-speed internet,” said Governor Laura Kelly in a statement. “We are empowering communities with highspeed broadband infrastructure, unlocking greater economic growth, increased access to telemedicine and expanded educational opportunities.”

In June, Kansas launched the Broadband Acceleration Grant Program 3.0 with $5 million from the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program to bridge the state’s digital divide. The application period took place during the summer, and applicants included a variety of authorized broadband service providers. The program is designed to deliver high-speed internet to areas with insufficient broadband access and economically challenged areas.

“We recognize the urgent need to bridge the digital divide so households and businesses across Kansas can succeed now and in the future,” said Lieutenant Governor Toland at the grant program announcement. “With the wide range of entities that are eligible for these funds, we are encouraging collaboration and innovative approaches to getting more Kansans and communities connected.”

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How Kansas Supports the Climate and the Business Climate All At Once

by A D A M B R U N S

Boehringer Ingelheim in 2021 signed a 10-year contract with Evergy to buy energy generated at Cimarron Bend Wind Farm in Clark County for its 1,000-employee animal vaccine manufacturing site in nearby St. Joseph, Missouri.

Photo courtesy of Boehringer Ingelheim

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live-action model of the clean energy economy’s circularity can be found in Kansas, where commonsense, middle-of-the-road policy and costs complement the state’s middle-of-the-country location and sensibility. They also complement the goals of a $4 billion megaproject.

Kansas is around the middle of the pack nationally when it comes to industrial power costs, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Industrial customers paid an average rate of 8.3 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2022, making the state the 30th lowest by cost. A settlement agreement in the rate case submitted by major utility Evergy and approved by the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) in November 2023 shows a state that will go to the mat for economic development and consumers in the clean tech sector and beyond. The agreement includes a 4.53% rate decrease in Evergy Kansas Metro territory, which includes Lenexa, Overland Park, LaCygne, Ottawa and other communities near the Kansas City metro area — including the community of De Soto, where Panasonic is investing $4 billion and creating up to

Source: U.S. Department of Energy

4,000 new jobs at a new EV battery plant whose energy requirement, noted the Kansas Recorder, “Evergy likened to a small city.”

Evergy in September 2023 was named a 2023 Top Utility of Year in economic development by Site Selection magazine. In filing the utility’s long-term resource plans in June, David Campbell, Evergy’s president and CEO, said, “Our service area is experiencing some of its most robust electricity demand growth in decades, including very large projects like the Panasonic electric vehicle battery manufacturing factory and the Meta datacenter, as well as broad-based economic development in both Kansas and Missouri.

Aided by well-coordinated efforts by state and local organizations, these projects are successfully bringing in investment and jobs across our region.”

“This now-approved settlement is a strong result for our Kansas customers,” said Campbell in November, noting that Kansas customers’ average rates will have increased by only 1% in the last five years — well below inflation and electric rate increases in neighboring states over the same time period.

“This decision also allows Evergy to recover

investments made to strengthen the electric grid and provide reliable, affordable and sustainable service to our customers across the region.”

Evergy says Kansas customers have “shared in the more than $1 billion in operating cost savings” since the Westar/KCP&L merger.

“Despite record U.S. inflation of more than 20% since 2017, Evergy’s Kansas rates have remained well under inflation and steady over the same period, increasing only 1% since 2017,” Evergy said in announcing the rate case agreement. “That is in contrast with neighboring states, where during the same period regional rates increased 12.7%.”

The average annual solar energy falling on one square mile in central Kansas is about four billion KWh or 15 trillion Btu — the equivalent of 2.5 million barrels of oil.

Map courtesy of Kansas Corporation Commission

WIND IN THEIR SAILS In spring 2023 the Kansas Legislature passed a new law that requires public utilities to assess regional rate competitiveness and the impact current and proposed rates have on economic development. Its passage was backed by the Kansas Industrial Consumers Group and the Kansas Chamber. The industrial sector accounts for nearly two-fifths of the state’s total energy use, according to the EIA. In testimony about the bill, Chuck Caisley, K A N SAS: T H E N E W G O L D S TA N DA R D

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Photo: Gett y Images

What Kansas Stands to Gain from the Inflation Reduction Act

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ccording to a White House document, these are among the clean energy benefits available to the Sunflower State economy as a results of the Inflation Reduction Act:

• “In 2021, there were already 23,821 Kansas workers employed in clean energy jobs. The Inflation Reduction Act will expand these opportunities, bringing an estimated $10.6 billion of investment in large-scale clean power generation and storage to Kansas between now and 2030. It provides a historic set of tax credits that will create jobs across solar, wind, storage and other clean energy industries.”

• “Manufacturers employ 160,400 workers in Kansas, and the Inflation Reduction Act will help us make the technologies of the future at home — supporting local economies and strengthening supply chains. The Inflation Reduction Act will boost U.S. manufacturing of clean energy and transportation technologies, as well as investments for a new Advanced Industrial Facilities Deployment Program to position America to lead the growing global market for clean steel, aluminum, cement and more.”

• “The Inflation Reduction Act supports climate-smart agriculture practices, which will help Kansas’s 58,600 farms lead on climate solutions and reward their stewardship.

Electric cooperatives, which serve about 300,000 homes, businesses, and other customers in Kansas, will for the first time be eligible for direct-pay clean energy tax credits.

And this legislation dedicates investments for rural electric cooperatives to boost resiliency, reliability, and affordability, including through clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades.”

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senior vice president of public affairs for Evergy, brought historical perspective to the reasons behind the transmission delivery charge (TDC), noting that TDC legislation was originally adopted to address concerns in Kansas about the lack of new investment in transmission as well as the reliability of the transmission system.

“Those investments have benefited the state of Kansas by enabling the development of a major new multi-billion-dollar industry in wind generation and to begin the refresh of the aging backbone of Kansas’ electric grid, some of which has been in place and serving Kansans since World War II,” he told the Kansas Senate Committee on Utilities.

“More directly, customers throughout Kansas have benefited from not only better reliability, but investments that have made it possible for large businesses, universities and residential customers to benefit from Kansas wind.”

Kansas ranks in the top five states in the U.S. for wind power, generating enough renewable energy in 2022 to power about 3.2 million households.

Kansas wind power grew in September 2023 when Ørsted started operations at Sunflower Wind, a wind farm located in Marion County with capacity to power more than 70,000 homes. Ørsted said then it had “pioneered a landmark supply chain decarbonization effort to deliver renewable energy access and bundled renewable energy credits from Sunflower Wind, working with Schneider Electric to enter into power purchase agreements with Amcor, PepsiCo, Stryker, Citizens and Walmart’s Project Gigaton cohort, which includes Amy’s Kitchen, Great Lakes Cheese, The J.M. Smucker Co., Levi Strauss & Co. and Valvoline Global Operations.

Wind has been the largest source of electricity generation in Kansas since 2019, when it surpassed coal’s contribution. “That trend continued in 2022,” the EIA says, “when wind accounted for 47% of the state’s total net generation.” Meanwhile, the same sun that helps Kansas lead the nation in wheat and sorghum production is helping the state grow its clean energy profile too.

Among the 10 sunniest states in the country, Kansas “has a small but growing amount of utility-scale (1 megawatt or larger capacity) solar generation, which was six times larger in 2022 than in 2019,” says the EIA.

Battery storage, among other technologies, is expected to help renewable power generation address concerns about intermittent availability. But it’s the transmission system that provides the bedrock for growth of all kinds — including within the utility workforce itself. Analysis

by E2 of clean energy job growth in the United States between 2021 and 2022 found that Kansas was No. 8 in the nation in the rate of clean energy job growth at 51% when traditional transmission and distribution jobs are included.

By 2035, Evergy plans to add more than 3,300 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy and retire more than 1,900 MW of coal-based fossil generation, while investing in approximately 1,300 MW of hydrogen-capable advanced combined cycle generation. To date, Evergy has retired 2,200 MW of fossil-fueled generation and compiled a wind portfolio of more than 4,400 MW. Today, Evergy’s carbon-free generation resources produce the equivalent of about half of its retail customers’ energy needs, the utility reported last summer.

Quick Kansas Facts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration •

A snapshot in June 2023 showed Kansas had the 17th lowest residential retail electricity prices in the nation.

•

In 2022, Kansas accounted for about 1% of both U.S. proved crude oil reserves and U.S. total oil production. The state’s three petroleum refineries provide 2% of U.S. refining capacity and can process a combined 404,000 barrels of crude oil per calendar day.

•

Kansas is the eighth-largest ethanol-producing state, and its 12 ethanol plants have a combined production capacity of about 601 million gallons a year.

•

In 2022, wind energy accounted for 47% of Kansas’s electricity net generation, which was the third-highest share of wind power for any state after Iowa and South Dakota.

•

The City of Conway is a major hydrocarbon gas liquid products storage and pricing hub for propane and ethane.

•

Kansas consumes about twice as much natural gas as it produces, and the state has 16 natural gas underground storage fields that can hold 283 billion cubic feet of natural gas, equal to about 3% of U.S. storage capacity.

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A $4 billion, 4,000-job lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant from Panasonic Energy continues to go vertical in De Soto.

Rendering courtesy of Panasonic

by A D A M B R U N S

Advanced Electro-Mobility Manufacturing Keeps Breaking Its Own Records 48

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

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here’s an entire electromobility ecosystem rapidly taking shape in the United States. Kansas is central to that system in more ways than one.

The Semiconductor Association of America documented over 50 projects, more than $210 billion in proposed investment and more than 44,000 affiliated jobs announced between May 2020 and April 2023. Three of those projects are in the Sunflower State cities of Manhattan (home to Kansas State University), Wichita (home to

Wichita State University) and ….

Burlington?

That community, tucked between Coffey County Lake and John Redmond Reservoir at the halfway point between Kansas City and Wichita just south of I-35, is positioned to receive the biggest chip-related investment in Kansas thus far: a $1.9 billion, 1,200-job manufacturing facility from EMP Shield, pending support from the federal Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act. EMP Shield, known for protecting electronic devices from destructive magnetic pulses, plans to build a secure campus on a 300-acre site where it will be joined by six out-of-state suppliers bringing another 1,000 jobs to Coffey County.

“Bringing economic prosperity to every corner of the state — particularly rural Kansas — has been a priority since my very first day in office,” Governor Laura Kelly said in February 2023. She cited the passage of new federal incentives that strengthen rural America. “We achieve that with this project, creating thousands of high-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree and proving that every Kansas community is ripe for investment and growth.”

Even with federal funding hanging in the balance, the project broke ground in September 2023.

The announcement instantly became the second-largest private investment in Kansas history after Panasonic Energy’s March 2022 commitment of $4 billion toward a new 4,000-job lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in De Soto on the outskirts of Kansas City. Yet another project held that “second largest” crown for a whole eighteen days before the EMP Shield news: Employee-owned Integra Technologies on February 2, 2023, announced plans to invest $1.8 billion and create nearly 2,000 new jobs at an average salary of $51,000

at a new integrated semiconductor manufacturing complex in Wichita.

“The semiconductors we work on are in multiple space applications, such as the Mars Rover and Hubble Telescope; more than 100 Department of Defense programs of record; as well as commercial applications that power everyday life,” said Integra Technologies President and CEO Brett Robinson.

“On behalf of our employeeowners, we are especially grateful for Governor Kelly, Lieutenant Governor Toland, and Kansas legislative leadership on the State Finance Council for supporting Integra with its premier economic development program, positioning us to transform domestic outsourced semiconductor assembly and test services while expanding in our home state.”

‘WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS ALREADY IN PLACE’ The successful effort with EMP Shield in Coffey County includes addressing the CHIPS Act’s requirement of privatepublic partnerships as well as the involvement of higher education institutions. The company has been working with area partners such as Flint Hills Technical College; Allen County Community College; Pittsburg State University; the University of Kansas; Heartland

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EMP Shield leaders and state leaders in February 2023 announced the company would invest $1.9 billion and create 1,200 jobs at a new manufacturing facility in Burlington, in Coffey County.

Photo courtesy of the office of Governor Laura Kelly

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Black Chamber of Commerce; Wichita Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and Unified School Districts 243, 244 and 245.

Bus routes will even be established to transport workers from larger metro areas to the Burlington site, where the average wage of those 1,200 jobs was projected to be $66,000.

“There are workforce development programs already in place that will enable high school graduates and those with two-year degrees to train up and get very high-paying jobs,” EMP Shield Founder and Lead Engineer Tim Carty said at the announcement. “This will allow those who grow up here to stay in Kansas, enjoy our quality of life, and not have to go to San Francisco.”

When Site Selection magazine’s Mark Arend interviewed Governor Kelly after the state won the publication’s 2022 Governor’s Cup for most private sector investment per capita, she gave credit to the Kansas

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

Legislature for passing in February 2022 the Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion (APEX) Act designed to land megaprojects.

After Panasonic’s investment, she said, there were nine megaproject companies “knocking on our door.” Integra qualified for APEX designation.

The APEX program provides tax incentives to qualified firms who agree to invest at least $1 billion in Kansas within a five-year period and to no more than five of the qualified firm’s qualified suppliers.

Meanwhile, the first recipient of APEX incentives — that $4 billion project from Panasonic Energy in De Soto — proceeds apace. The company in March 2023 selected Turner Construction Company and Yates Construction to build the advanced manufacturing facility. The first steel went vertical in April. The plant is expected to begin production by the end of March 2025 and will eventually reach approximately 30 GWh of annual production capacity.

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M A N U F A C T U R I N G

Made with Brains and Muscle

by G A R Y D A U G H T E R S

Manufacturers seek the Kansas advantage.

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n the year since Panasonic Energy broke ground on its $4 billion lithium-ion battery facility near Kansas City — the biggest economic development project in Kansas history — the state’s manufacturing sector has continued to build momentum. It’s growth atop a solid foundation. Kansas is home to more

than 2,500 manufacturers employing an estimated 165,000 workers, more than 11% of the state’s workforce. Panasonic is joining a roster of global heavyweights that include General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Johnson Controls, Pfizer, Newell Rubbermaid and Honeywell that have chosen to locate manufacturing operations in Kansas.

GM’s Fairfax Assembly & Stamping plant will be retooled for EV production.

Photo courtesy of General Motors

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“

With the most central location in the U.S., available real estate options and access to more than 190,000 skilled industrial workers, KC continues to stake its claim in the attraction of industrial innovation.

— Chris Gutierrez, President, KC SmartPort

In November, news of another major EV investment emerged. Negotiations that served to end the 46-day United Auto Workers strike produced an agreement by GM to pump nearly $400 million into its Fairfax Assembly & Stamping plant near Kansas City to retool it for an unnamed electric vehicle, widely reported to be a new Chevy Bolt. The plant, which currently produces the Chevrolet Malibu and Cadillac XT4, ranks No. 4 on the Kansas City Business Journal’s list of area manufacturers, based on 2,229 local full-time-equivalent employees.

The UAW agreement also contained a pledge from Ford to invest $1 billion in its Kansas City Assembly plant in nearby Claycomo, Missouri. Both investments underscore the manner in which manufacturers that locate in the region tend to expand there.

Another example: Johnson Controls announced plans in November to hire an additional 600 workers to produce heat pumps at its plant in Wichita.

ATTRACTION AND RETENTION Recent repeat investors include manufacturers both domestic and foreign that make products ranging from foods and beverages, chemicals and plastics, heavy machinery and avionics to semiconductors and other electronics. Michelin, which operates two manufacturing locations in Emporia, recently announced plans to expand its other Kansas

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”

facility in Junction City, an hour west of Topeka. The $100 million investment illustrates the powerful synergy between the state’s signature manufacturing and agricultural sectors; it’s to support increased production of rubber tracks for heavy farm equipment.

An estimated 200 new positions at Michelin’s Junction City plant will more than double the facility’s workforce by 2026, the company says.

“As a thriving hub for manufacturing and logistics, the Kansas City region is a highly attractive choice for innovative companies to locate their operations,” said Chris Gutierrez, president of KC SmartPort, which facilitates major industrial projects. “With the most central location in the U.S., available real estate options and access to more than 190,000 skilled industrial workers, KC continues to stake its claim in the attraction of industrial innovation,” Gutierrez said.

Developed by surrounding Johnson County in partnership with VanTrust Real Estate, New Century Commerce Center is one of many examples of how logistics providers support manufacturing across Kansas, leveraging the state’s position at the geographic heart of the United States. Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company, a top manufacturer of cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings, cited the state’s strategic location in announcing plans to build an $80 million manufacturing facility in the town of Maize in suburban Wichita.

“Maize is ideally located in the center of the

country to help us better serve our customers.

It is also a fast-growing, business-friendly community with an excellent workforce we can draw from to staff our new plant,” said Hooper Hardison, CEO of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry.

A STATE THAT SUPPORTS Governor Laura Kelly, in an interview with Site Selection magazine’s Ron Starner, identified workforce development as one of her top three priorities related to business attraction and retention. Launched in 2023 under the direction of the Kansas Department of Commerce, the ALOFT (Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training) program already is providing support to the state’s workhorse aviation and aerospace industries.

“Training upskilled Kansans to better align with emerging technologies in this sector is critical,” said Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland.

“ALOFT funding is designed to maintain our best-in-class status.”

Kansas is currently home to more than 450 aviation companies that generate a whopping 4% of the state’s gross domestic product.

ALOFT funding can be put toward uses that include construction of on-site training facilities, training equipment, trainers’ salaries and youth training services.

Also supported by the Department of Commerce, the new Made in Kansas initiative

is designed to promote Kansas manufacturers to potential customers around the world. An initial 12 manufacturers were admitted into the program in November from across the state, including in small and medium-sized communities like Baldwin City, Garden Plain, Ellsworth and Paola. Certified manufacturers have access to an exclusive Made in Kansas seal to feature on packaging, products and promotional materials.

“Having a Made in Kansas logo on products lets customers know they are purchasing excellence, reliability and consistency,” Program Manager Corrie Ann Campbell said. “Our manufacturers embody the Kansas work ethic, which is honed by more than 160 years of pioneering spirit and commitment to workmanship.”

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A E R O S P A C E

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How Kansas Keeps Its Aviation Industry Aloft

I The Beechcraft King Air 360ER is manufactured at Textron Aviation’s East Campus in Wichita.

Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation, Inc.

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t would be virtually impossible to live sector’s economic output in 2021 was more in the Wichita region and not know than $24 billion; it contributed 5.36% of the people who work in the aerospace state’s total GDP. industry. Kansas’ biggest metro, with Not all aerospace companies in Kansas nearly 400,000 residents, are in the Wichita metro. is home to Boeing, Spirit In October 2022, Pinnacle

by M A R K A R E N D Aerosystems, Textron Aerospace, LLC, announced Aviation (producer of a $14.7 million plant in Cessna, Hawker and Beechcraft aircraft), Wellington, 30 miles south of Wichita and Airbus and Bombardier Learjet. Those are just close enough to take advantage of its industry cluster assets. The project will create 155 the big names. The Air Capital of the World is new jobs. Scott Brown, president of Pinnacle also home to more than 450 suppliers. These Aerospace, credited the area’s in-place include LMI Aerospace, Collins Aerospace workforce as the main location driver. and Cadence Aerospace.

Back in Wichita, Mid-Continent According to the Aerospace Industries Instruments and Avionics will expand its Association (AIA), aerospace and defense headquarters by 28,000 sq. ft. at Jabara companies in Kansas employed 65,152 in 2021 Airport, a general aviation airport northeast — 34,423 in direct employment and 30,729 of the city. in supply chain employment. AIA says the

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

“We invest heavily in research and development to propel our industry forward,” said Todd Winter, president and CEO of Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics, at the announcement.

“Expanding our company allows us to grow our manufacturing facilities, in-house design, testing capabilities and engineering department. This will attract new talent and add well-paying aviation jobs in the Air Capital.”

Quickstep, an Australian maker of aerospace composites, has picked Wichita as the location for its first U.S. manufacturing and engineering facility. “The state government offered a compelling investment case to choose Kansas as a competitive, high-quality location for aerospace business operations with a depth of technical capability, potential partners and market opportunities,” explained Quickstep Managing Director Mark Burgess in a release.

AVIATION CLUSTER ASSETS Wichita has one of the highest concentrations of engineers in the U.S. at roughly 11,000. That’s a huge draw for aerospace companies like Airbus, which in 2017 opened its Airbus Americas Engineering Center on Wichita State University’s (WSU) Innovation Campus. Textron Aviation and Spirit Aerosystems are among other aerospacerelated Innovation Campus partners.

Also in Wichita is the National Center for Aviation Training on the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology. WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) can also be found on the WSU Tech’s campus and at other locations in Wichita. It employs 1,400 and occupies 12 million sq. ft. of office and lab space. NIAR areas of expertise include aerodynamics, composites and advanced materials, flight simulation, structural testing and wind tunnel testing, among others.

In addition to Jabara Airport, where Embraer and Cessna operate service centers, Wichita’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport is the metro’s commercial airport. It’s also Textron Aviation’s headquarters and the location of one of its major general aviation MRO facilities. In October, the Kansas Department of Commerce officially recognized Textron’s two-year Maintenance and Paint Apprenticeship programs as state registered.

“Textron Aviation has long been committed to building educational and community collaborations that benefit our employees, company, region and the State of Kansas, particularly in developing a skilled workforce that maintains our advantage in a competitive, global market,” said Maggie Topping, senior vice president, Human Resources and Communications, in Textron Aviation’s news release. “These apprenticeships are another way we provide employees a solid foundation for success and ongoing support throughout their careers. Participants not only gain valuable education and training, but they also receive a salary and benefits while they learn.”

Five Wichita aerospace entities, the Salina Airport Authority and an Olathe-based aerostructures manufacturer were awarded nearly $20 million cumulatively in June for aviation workforce development programs through the Department of Commerce’s Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) program.

It’s another example of how Kansas is investing in its aerospace and defense workforce to keep Kansas at the forefront of this critical and globally competitive industry.

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A N I M A L

H E A L T H

INNOVATION

UNLEASHED Photo: Gett y Images

From treats to treatments, Kansas keeps bowls and bellies full worldwide.

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o you ever wonder where your pet’s food, treats and medications come from?

Most likely, they come from the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor.

Encompassing a 250-mile stretch from Manhattan, Kansas, to Columbia, Missouri, there are more than 300 animal healthrelated companies, including many of the industry’s most trusted brands. Household names such as Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Merck Animal Health, Simmons Pet Food, Big Heart Pet Brands and Sparhawk Laboratories run operations throughout the corridor.

This network of researchers, veterinarians, engineers, scientists and manufacturers is home to the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world, employing more than 14,000

people and accounting for 56% of global animal health, diagnostics and pet food sales.

A FEAST FOR FIDO For 75 years, Hill’s Pet Nutrition has reaped the benefits of basing its operations in Kansas.

The global pioneer in scienceled pet nutrition runs multiple locations throughout the corridor, including two new facilities that opened in 2023.

At the beginning of the year, Hill’s relocated its global and U.S. headquarters to Aspiria in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park. The company extensively searched the Midwest region to find the perfect place for this project. Key attributes such as its centralized location, major metro and proximity to Kansas City International Airport marked Overland Park as the top contender

“

The pet food industry has been looking for a better source for the highest quality, traceable and reliable nutritional ingredients for their products, and we are thrilled to be able to deliver for the industry and for ‘pet parents’ with this new facility in Tonganoxie.

— Dimitri de Vreeze, Co-CEO, DSM

for the company’s new home.

In addition to this move, Hill’s celebrated the grand opening of yet another manufacturing site in the Sunflower State last October.

The company already operates its Pet Nutrition Center in Topeka, a 170-acre research and development campus in North Topeka, and a plant in Emporia. Hill’s new facility in Tonganoxie, though, is designed differently than its predecessors.

“It’s only appropriate that as we celebrate Hill’s 75th anniversary, we are able to unveil the next chapter of smart manufacturing innovation in the pet food industry,” said John Hazlin, president and CEO of Hill’s Pet Nutrition. “The Hill’s Tonganoxie plant helps set the stage for the continued growth of our scienceled nutrition, increasing our capacity and our ability to better serve the evolving needs of pets and pet owners in the United States and around the world.”

Located on more than 80 acres at the Tonganoxie Business Park, the 365,000-sq.-ft. plant has been dubbed a “smart factory” due to its high-tech features such as enhanced food safety systems, automation and robotic devices, artificial intelligence to power a digital food safety vigilance

”

system, and end-to-end digital process/safety monitoring.

“Hill’s will utilize technology to work alongside Hill’s staff and a new state-of-the-art mission control center to provide unprecedented visibility and monitoring through every aspect of pet food making from ingredient intake to final packaging,” said Chad Sharp, director of manufacturing for the Tonganoxie plant. “The production process is an entirely enclosed system from ingredient mixing to cooking and container filling — designed to prevent food exposure to environmental contaminants.”

With this new technology, Hill’s aims to shorten the production cycle and improve speed to market for more than 170 varieties of wet pet food.

Since its opening, the plant received a LEED Gold certification, making it the first site to achieve that standard within the Colgate-Palmolive company, and it created 100 jobs in Leavenworth County. Tonganoxie’s access to a diverse talent pool was among the many reasons Hill’s chose to expand in the city. The company also listed its excellent location, strong community and proximity to distributors and suppliers as influencing factors.

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On October 16, 2023, Hill’s Pet Nutrition held a ribbon cutting at its new smart factory in Tonganoxie.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Department of Commerce

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JOIN THE PACK Hill’s expanding presence and the growing horde of industry giants in the region continue to draw companies to the corridor. This ecosystem of innovation, commercialization, research, manufacturing, distribution and logistics has created a network that corporations across the animal health industry want to join.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s newest neighbor at the Tonganoxie Business Park, DSM, is among the latest companies to join the cluster. The Netherlands-based company broke ground in July on a 70,000-sq.-ft. nutritional premix plant at the park, which will supply animal health companies with high-quality premixes for use in branded pet food.

DSM chose this site due to the plethora

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

of leading pet food manufacturers nearby, enabling the company to attract business and reduce supply-chain risks and logistics expenses.

Like all North American DSM facilities, this plant will operate on 100% renewable electricity. Its automated mixing vessels will also reduce waste by decreasing the flushes necessary for sequencing.

Additionally, the plant will feature innovative precision microbatching capabilities, allowing for precise automated micro-additions of ingredients in a traceable method.

This technology will support a broader range of ingredients while improving accuracy and automated weight verification.

“The pet food industry has been looking for a better source for the highest quality, traceable and reliable nutritional ingredients for their products, and we are thrilled to be able to deliver for the industry and for ‘pet parents’ with this new facility in Tonganoxie,” said DSM Co-CEO Dimitri de Vreeze. “We appreciate the support of Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, the Kansas Department of Commerce, the Leavenworth County Development Corporation, the City of Tonganoxie, Evergy and the Animal Health Corridor in making this state-ofthe-art facility a reality.”

B I O S C I E N C E

WSU President Rick Muma believes that the Wichita Biomedical Campus will be nothing short of transformational for Wichita and the entire state in healthcare and healthcare education.

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Photo courtesy of Wichita State Universit y

his year has been quite exciting for Kansas’ burgeoning biotech cluster. KCAS Bioanalytical and Biomarker Services opened a $28 million laboratory in Olathe (creating 175 new jobs), MilliporeSigma invested $25 million to establish a location in Lenexa (creating 60 jobs) and Eurofins Viracor also expanded its operations in Lenexa (creating 235 new jobs).

Yet these investments are only the tip of the iceberg.

Research institutions throughout the state have embarked on ambitious projects to establish high-tech resources, expand skills training and make room for more life sciences companies. Anchored by their efforts, this industry is exploding.

Research Universities Establish Room and Resources for Expanding Companies

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A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH Together, Wichita State University, WSU Tech and the University of Kansas are constructing a 471,000-sq.-ft. health sciences center in the heart of downtown Wichita. The trio has already raised $205 million of the necessary $300 million for this endeavor and expects construction to begin in early 2024, with completed slated for fall 2026.

“

By empowering our biomedical researchers and facilitating their journey from lab to market, we’re not only fostering innovation but also driving economic growth and improving healthcare outcomes.

”

— Tricia Bergman, Associate Vice Chancellor for Economic Development, University of Kansas

The University of Kansas Medical Center has campuses in Kansas City, Salina and Wichita, with nearly 3,700 students enrolled.

Photo Courtesy: KU Medical Center

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This new facility will feature stateof- the-art simulation centers, shared spaces for advanced laboratories, clinical research and technology, standardized patient exam rooms and modern learning facilities.

WSU President Rick Muma believes that the Wichita Biomedical Campus will be nothing short of transformational for Wichita and the entire state in healthcare and healthcare education.

“Our commitment to downtown is no

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

accident,” said Muma in a press release.

“If you look at other health science centers in the country, they are almost always located downtown. The central location for the biomedical campus will create a healthcare corridor that will strengthen collaboration and support interprofessional healthcare learning, partnerships and research. It will benefit our entire community.”

With this expansion, WSU’s College of Health Professions, WSU Tech’s Health Professions program and the Wichita campuses of KU School of Medicine and KU School of Pharmacy will be brought together under one location, initially housing around 3,000 students and 200 faculty and staff, with opportunities for growth in existing and new programs.

“This new facility, along with the combined strengths of the KU and Wichita State University professional health programs, means that future students will benefit from the latest technologies and teaching modalities,” said Robert D. Simari, M.D., executive vice chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center. “And as students from multiple health programs learn to interact with each other, it improves the effectiveness of interprofessional medical teams and, ultimately, improves the health of the patient.”

KU INNOVATION PARK In 2022, the University of Kansas kicked off a 15-year plan to develop a bioscience and high-technology business park at its campus in Lawrence. By 2036, the KU Innovation Park will house 10 buildings totaling 800,000 sq. ft. of workspace for startups private companies and government agencies looking to gain access to university facilities, intellectual property and an ever-flowing pool of students and graduates.

As of June 2023, 66,672 sq. ft. of space is already rented and nearly 430 jobs have been created. Based on KU Innovation Park’s historical growth and the current prospect pipeline, there is enough projected demand to fill an additional 116,242 sq. ft. by 2028.

Contiuum Educational Technologies PBC, a private firm based at the KU Innovation Park, is already exploring the unique opportunities this strategic

location offers. The company has partnered with KU researchers on a three-year project focused on growing biomedical startups. The initiative, which has been dubbed Smart Tools to Accelerate Research Translation by Uplifting Participants for the Central IDeA State Region (STARTUP Central), is supported by a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s IDeA Regional Entrepreneurship Development program.

As of October 2023, the STARTUP Central team is working to develop an online educational curriculum to teach academic researchers how to commercialize their innovations. They plan to launch the platform through two pilot programs based at public higher education intuitions in North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma and later solicit proposals from faculty, staff and student researchers.

“This project has the potential to be a game-changer for universities and their surrounding communities, including KU,” said Tricia Bergman, associate vice chancellor for economic development at KU, who is serving as assistant director of STARTUP Central. “By empowering our biomedical researchers and facilitating their journey from lab to market, we’re not only fostering innovation but also driving economic growth and improving healthcare outcomes.”

With Phases III nearing completion, the Park is currently gearing up to begin Phases IV and V. Phase IV will focus on growing the parks Cybersecurity & Defense cluster and Phase V will center around the Biomedical & Life Sciences and Sustainable Engineering cluster. Collectively, these phases will add 160,000 sq. ft. of wet labs, dry labs and highsecurity office infrastructure to the campus and bring more than 450 jobs to the area.

The university estimates that once the entire project is completed, 4,032 new jobs will be created.

KU Medical Center’s Health Education Building (HEB) in Kansas City, Kansas Photo courtesy of KU Medical Center

The Quest for a Cure

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rom laboratory studies to clinical trials, the KU Cancer Center’s team of almost 350 researchers and 150 diseasespecific oncologists are dedicated to finding a cure and providing lifesaving care. After nearly 20 years of determination and hard work, it finally received its NCI designation in 2022, as well as a five-year $13.8 million grant. It is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated comprehensive cancer center in the state.

In support of this mission, the Sunderland Foundation gifted the center $100 million to help build a new cancer research facility. This gift is both the largest ever given by the Sunderland Foundation and the largest ever received by the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas Health System.

This project is also supported by a $43 million federal investment secured by Senator Jerry Moran in the FY2023 Appropriations Package.

Currently, the KU Cancer Center’s labs and researchers are spread

across multiple campuses in Kansas City, Kansas, and Lawrence. This funding will help the center bring its operations under one roof in Kansas City.

“Our vision is for The University of Kansas Cancer Center to be a beacon of hope and a global destination for both those with cancer and for scientists and clinicians seeking to cure cancer,” said Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center, in June.

“This building will be a hub that brings together leading-edge patient care and innovation as we seek to transform both cancer care and cancer research in our quest to cure cancer — together.

Patients treated at NCI-designated cancer centers have a 25% greater chance of survival compared to other cancer centers because of the enhanced relationship between patient care and research. This building will advance our goals even further, serving as a catalyst for breakthroughs that will change cancer care on the national level.”

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D I S T R I B U T I O N ,

L O G I S T I C S

&

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

Logistics Investment Takes Many Shapes In a Top State for Goods Movement

These two women are part of a workforce slated to reach 2,000 at URBN’s new omnichannel fulfillment center in Kansas City, Kansas.

Photo courtesy of URBN

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by A D A M B R U N S

total of 73 logistics facility investments from January 2021 through November 2023 meant the bi-state Kansas City metro area was No. 14 in the nation for warehouse, distribution and e-commerce projects over that span, according to Site Selection magazine’s Conway Projects Database. That means the region is nipping at the heels of such national logistics stalwarts as Greater Philadelphia; Columbus, Ohio; and California’s Inland Empire.

That total is a 28% jump up from 57 major projects the publication qualified for its database during the previous three-year period, when the region ranked No. 18 in the nation.

Moreover, 41 of those 73 projects (56%) are on the Kansas side of the state line, attracted to ready infrastructure, supportive development policies and a ready regional workforce.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly greeted some of those workers in October 2022 when she helped cut the ribbon at a new $403 million, 1.5-million-sq.-ft. omni-channel fulfillment center in Kansas City, Kansas, from URBN, best known for iconic brands Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. The facility is URBN’s largest and most automated facility and

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is considered the company’s “North Star Showcase for North America.”

“We thought Kansas City was the best position for reaching customers in the shortest amount of time,” said URBN Chief Development Officer Dave Ziel, just months before the company announced another, smaller fulfillment center project on the Missouri side of the metro area in Raymore. “The state, including Governor Kelly and Lieutenant Governor Toland, really put their best foot forward. The relationship got off to a great start because of their pro-business perspective.”

“URBN is a company that strives to put people first and that always stays on the cutting edge of not only style trends, but also logistics and distribution best practices,” Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “They are exactly the type of partner and employer the Kelly Administration envisioned recruiting when we prioritized logistics and distribution in the Kansas Framework for Growth.”

In the past five years, according to the Kansas City Area Development Council, the Kansas City area has successfully attracted e-commerce companies pledging to create more

85% of the U.S. population can be reached from a KC-area location in two days or less. than 10,650 jobs, invest $1.9 billion and occupy 17.8 million sq. ft.

“We are fortunate to have Urban Outfitters in Wyandotte County,” said Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council. “Their interest from the outset to be a part of the community from their focus on providing transit, a commitment to hiring local, to working with local firms and their socially conscious efforts are to be commended.”

The company’s forward thinking is demonstrated in its facilities, too. URBN has stated the KCK facility will feature some of the most advanced infrastructure in the company’s supply chain, including automated material handling equipment that features energy-saving automatic shutdowns for unused components and energy management active recovery systems.

Among other projects in the Greater KC area, Chick-fil-A Supply, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chick-fil-A, Inc., and distribution service provider of the chain’s restaurants, announced plans in March 2023 to establish a $31 million, 60-plus-job market distribution center at Lone Elm Commerce Center in Olathe, developed by Frontier Real Estate Investment, formerly Heise-Meyer. The project comes just three years after Chick-fil-A Supply opened its first full-scale distribution center, which employs approximately 200 people with the capacity to serve up to 300 restaurants.

Since then, the company has opened distribution centers in Mebane, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; and Cleveland, Ohio. It has four more on the way in the Carolinas and Texas.

The KCK facility is projected to operate at full scale in early 2024. Chick-fil-A in November 2023 opened its 3,000th restaurant nationwide.

“With 12.6 million sq. ft. of new industrial space under construction in the KC market at the end of last year, our KC

SmartPort team is focused on elevating our region’s comprehensive strengths to attract manufacturing and distribution businesses from around the world,” said Tim Cowden, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council, at the Chick-fil-A announcement.

“The Kansas City area is a prime location to invest in our business, create jobs and grow our supply chain operation,” said Josh Grote, executive director, Chick-fil-A Supply. “The region has a deep pool of skilled talent that we know will excel in serving the franchise operators, licensees and team members delivering an authentic Chick-fil-A experience at each of our locations.”

RADIATING IN ALL DIRECTIONS Not all logistics activity takes place in vast warehouses. Some of it takes place in the quick, agile minds and systems of the brokers and technology providers helping goods get from one place to another. Quick and agile personnel and real estate moves help too.

In August, on the heels of the announced bankruptcy of national truck and freight company Yellow, Washington-based Radiant Logistics announced its wholly owned subsidiary and U.S. brokerage platform Radiant Road and Rail, Inc. was opening a new operating location in Overland Park. It’s led by former Yellow Logistics leaders and it’s located at the same Aspiria campus where YRC Enterprise Services, a Yellow subsidiary, had recently expanded to new digs. The transition occurred in about two weeks, as repurposed leaders and re-repurposed real estate (Aspiria is the name of the former Sprint headquarters property) got busy.

“We called this initiative ‘Project Charger’ because we believe this is going to super-charge the growth in our over-the-road brokerage capabilities,” said Radiant Founder and CEO Bohn Crain. “Now it is time to go to work and prove just that.”

In a November earnings call about the K A N SAS: T H E N E W G O L D S TA N DA R D

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KANSAS-SIDE KC LOGISTICS

Selected Kansas City Area Logistics Projects in Kansas, 2022-2023 Company URBN Walmart Inc. The Clorox Company The Gatorade Company Amazon.com, Inc. Simmons Pet Food, Inc. Smithfield Foods, Inc. Chick-Fil-A Supply, LLC Equipmentshare.com Inc Bungii LLC Arrowhead Intermodal Services LLC Tvh Parts Co. Crosscountry Courier, Inc. Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Company LLC

City Kansas City Olathe Olathe Edgerton Lenexa Edgerton Olathe Olathe Shawnee Overland Park Edgerton Olathe Kansas City Olathe

County Investment (US$M) Wyandotte 403 Johnson 257 Johnson 22 Johnson Johnson 35 Johnson 54 Johnson 110 Johnson 31 Johnson 2 Johnson 0.5 Johnson 10.3 Johnson 44.1 Wyandotte 15.5 Johnson 300

Jobs 2000 600 250 200 175 175 127 60 50 42 20 10

source: Conway Projects Database

company’s Q3 performance, Crain gave “a bit of shout-out to the progress we’re making in Kansas City with the truck brokerage team we were able to onboard there.” He said the ramp-up is “far exceeding expectations in terms of their growth and trajectory and path to profitability with the team we put in place there.” As other acquisition opportunities come along in a consolidating marketplace, he went on to say, the office stand-up in Overland Park will serve as a model for onboarding a team and supporting customers.

“We’ve got a strong core team in Overland Park that we have positioned to scale in terms of headcount as the business grows,” says Christopher Brach, senior vice president and general manager of brokerage for Radiant. “As we began to explore standing up the operation we were amazed at the density of brokerages in Kansas City and particularly Overland Park.

We feel it is a great, competitive market for us to have a growing brokerage location in.”

RAILROAD LEADERSHIP HELPED BY UPGRADES Just as not every logistics operation involves a warehouse, not every Kansas logisticsfocused investment involves the KC area or roads. In fact, the Kansas Department of Transportation notes, “the 4,216-mile rail system in Kansas plays an essential freight transportation role both within the state and nationally. Kansas’ location and position on principal rail corridors provides rail access to every region of the U.S., as well as to Canada and Mexico.”

The state ranks in the top 10 in the nation 66

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

in the following categories: total miles of rail (6th), rail tons carried (6th), and rail carloads carried (8th) and farm products originating by state (6th).

In April 2023, Governor Kelly attended a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate upcoming improvements to the Cimarron Valley Railroad in southwest Kansas from Dodge City to Hugoton. The railway was awarded nearly $15 million from both private and public sources, including the federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) fund and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), to complete the Southwest Kansas Infrastructure Upgrade Project.

“These upgrades are not just an investment in our infrastructure, but an investment in our agriculture industry — and our economy as a whole,” said Governor Kelly. “By rehabilitating over 85 miles of an essential rail line in southwest Kansas, this project will make it easier and more efficient for local businesses to transport biodiesel and other agricultural products.”

“The Cimarron Valley Railroad has been committed to transporting Kansas-grown goods across the country and the world in a safe, environmentally friendly and cost-efficient way for over two decades. These funds will help us continue to do that,” said Nathan Champion, president of the Cimarron Valley Railroad.

“We are thankful for the partnerships — both public and private — that have helped make these upgrades happen to ensure uninterrupted transportation of essential goods throughout local, national and international markets.”

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K-State is Stepping Up

by G A R Y D A U G H T E R S

Innovation Initiative to forge new paths in agricultural technology.

Photo: Gett y Images/metamorworks

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recent study found that the nation’s agricultural colleges need infrastructure upgrades totaling in the neighborhood of $11 billion.

Kansas State University is rising to the challenge through a newly launched Agriculture Innovation Initiative, a project that’s primed to deliver more than $200 million of physical improvements to the university’s College of Agriculture, already ranked No. 6 in the nation by niche.com.

“It’s pretty widely accepted,” says Ernie Minton, the agriculture college’s dean, “that food security is national security, and that’s 68

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

part of the background of the Agriculture Innovation Initiative.”

Minton says that by the end of 2024, construction will have begun in earnest on the three major physical components of the initiative: K-State’s new Agronomy Reseach and Innovation Center, Animal Science Arena and Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation. The new facilities, officials say, are part of a broader effort to expand collaboration among university scientists and to engage more deeply with industry partners and even the public.

Kansas State President Richard Linton,

the College of Agriculture’s Dean’s Advisory Council.

“When President Linton came, he really made it an initiative to work with the College of Ag, work with the State of Kansas and really work with us as an alumni base to get this moving forward. Here on campus,” said Anderson in a statement, “we’ve got a nice, shiny new business building, a nice, shiny architectural building, and a nice, shiny new engineering building. We need that in the College of Agriculture.”

“

says Minton, has been a driving force behind the Agriculture Innovation Initiative. At about the time Linton took office in early 2022, the Kansas Legislature made available $25 million for what would, in fairly short order, become a project to transform the KSU College of Agriculture.

A fast-to-order fundraising campaign seized commitments totaling $75 million under an imposing deadline and thus leveraged an additional $25 million in state support, seeding the nascent project with

$125 million.

“The response among donors,” says Minton, “has been exceptional. Folks have been extraordinarily generous with their resources.”

Colorado-based Ardent Mills, a world leading flour milling and ingredient company, is among those that have stepped up, having pledged $3.5 million to the initiative in November. Troy Anderson, the company’s vice president of operations, is a K-State graduate and has served for more than a decade on

... food security is national security.

”

— Ernie Minton, Dean, Kansas State University College of Agriculture

THE INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH In an age where technology rules — where complex math, for example, meets agriculture — collaboration across boundaries is all the rage in academia, at least in concept. K-State’s Agriculture Innovation Initiative enshrines it in numbers. Within the Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation, says Minton, up to 30% of the new space must be dedicated to “interdisciplinary” research.

“What it means,” he explains, “is we’ll have to have faculty that are from other colleges,” including, he says, Engineering, Arts and Sciences and others, “that come over and physically occupy that space to really force interdisciplinary solutions to problems.

The complex problems that are facing the Food and Ag system are going to require that breadth of thinking. That’s one thing that’s going to be unique about this building.”

In addition, says Minton, President Linton has set a mandate for 10% of the space to be available to publicprivate partnerships. Minton uses Hill’s Pet Food, with facilities across Kansas, as an example.

“Pet food is bigger than I even imagined before we started working with them,” says Minton, “So, if K A N SAS: T H E N E W G O L D S TA N DA R D

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The planned Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation at K-State.

Courtesy of Kansas State Universit y

a Hill’s wants to come in, or some other company, and again work shoulder to shoulder with us, we now have space that’s dedicated for them to have laboratory space and even office space to accommodate that.”

Minton also believes that K-State, founded in 1863 as one of the nation’s first land grant universities, is uniquely positioned to partner with food and agriculture companies.

“Land grant universities,” he says, “have the special role of extension and engagement that brings new science out into the real world.”

NEW DIRECTIONS IN AGRICULTURE The K-State College of Agriculture’s interdisciplinary Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics sets the stage for K-State to be a national leader in digital agriculture. Conceived as a “peoplecentered interdisciplinary collective” employing digital technologies in the service of agriculture, the institute is to focus on developing analytical methods and digital technologies, including sensors, automation and robots, to enhance food production and inform decision-making for sustainable and resilient systems.

“A next-generation land grant university is an innovative university, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with our new Institute for 70

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics,” says President Linton. “Through this new institute, Kansas State University is working across disciplines to solve global agricultural problems and build the economic prosperity of Kansas and one of our state’s key industries.”

K-State also has been at the forefront of efforts to help sustain the Ogallala Aquifer. The nation’s largest such source of underground water, the aquifer stretches more than 175,000 square miles and sustains farms throughout western Kansas. According to a recent report by two Kansas State University agricultural economists, it adds some $3.8 billion to western Kansas land values.

“It’s a large, substantial number, and it provides evidence of just how valuable irrigation is in western Kansas,” said Gabe Simpson, an associate professor in K-State’s Department of Agricultural Economics.

K-State’s College of Agriculture, in addition to being a partner in the state’s Water Innovation Systems and Education (WISE) program, recently hired Daran Rudnick, a highly respected academic, as the school’s director of sustainable irrigation.

“K State,” says Minton, “is ready to plant and actually has planted a flag in the ground that says we’re going to be an absolute leader in terms of innovation when it comes to water.”

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P R O C E S S I N G

Serious Business Beef bolsters a muscular agriculture industry.

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or generations, agriculture has been one of the largest industries, economic drivers and employers in Kansas. The Kansas Department of Agriculture, in its annual survey released in August, reported that 72 agriculture and agriculture-related sectors directly contribute $57 billion in output and 140,055 jobs to the Kansas economy. Including indirect and induced effects, the report states, agriculture and agriculture-related sectors have a total impact of $81.2 billion in output, 253,614 jobs and 14% of the total Gross Regional Product (GRP).

Kansas consistently ranks at or near the top for production of wheat and sorghum and is a top 10 producer of corn. The dairy sector, with more than 250 dairy farms, is rapidly expanding. But in Kansas, beef is king. It’s the state’s single largest agricultural sector, accounting for close to half of all agricultural cash receipts.

by G A R Y D A U G H T E R S

In August, Governor Laura Kelly announced that agricultural exports reached $5.5 billion in 2022, the state’s highest export total in decades. As a measure of the sector’s growth, agricultural exports from Kansas totaled $3.8 billion in 2019. At $2.1 billion, red meat again led the way, accounting for nearly 40% of agricultural exports. Cereals, including wheat, sorghum and corn, were second, followed by oil seeds, primarily soybeans. The top three destinations for Kansas food products were Mexico, Japan and Canada.

“We are shattering records to grow our economy and strengthen our ag industry,” Governor Kelly said in a statement, adding that her administration is “building relationships with international trading partners to ensure

More than 10% of America’s beef comes from Kansas.

Photo by Jacqueline Nix/Gett y Images

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KSU’s Global Center for Food and Grain Innovation.

Rendering courtesy of Kansas State Universit y

Kansas farmers and ranchers can continue to feed the world.”

Originally named Kansas State Agricultural College, Kansas State University was ranked No. 6 in the country by Niche.com in its annual survey of Best Colleges for Agricultural Sciences, released in September. KSU recently broke ground on a new Agronomy Research and Innovation Center, marking the official kickoff of more than $125 million in agricultural infrastructure improvements planned through 2026. Planned projects also include a Global Center for Food and Grain Innovation.

PAMPERING PETS More than 100 million dogs and cats warm the homes of America, and Kansas is doing more than its share to keep them fat and happy. Among producers of pet food, Kansas ranks only behind its neighbor Missouri as tops in the nation in an industry whose sales exceeded $100 billion in 2022. According to a report released in July by the American Feed Industry Association, Kansas produced pet food revenues of $10.5 billion in 2022, also ranking second among states for value added ($4.3 billion), jobs (27,358) and labor income ($1.93 billion).

Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which is moving its headquarters from Topeka to the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, is the nation’s third-largest pet food producer. In October, the company cut the ribbon on a $425 million 72

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production facility that’s bringing more than 100 jobs to the city of Tonganoxie in Leavenworth County. Producing 170 varieties of wet food, it’s one of the most advanced pet food plants in the world, complete with autonomous robots that shuttle ingredients and other advanced technologies.

“To ensure food safety and quality to Hill’s exacting standards, the plant is using

“

We will continue investing in our science, innovation and manufacturing hubs in Topeka.

”

— John Hazlin, President and CEO, Hill’s Pet Nutrition

artificial intelligence to power a digital food safety vigilance system,” said Chad Sharp, the plant’s director of manufacturing. “It will work alongside Hill’s staff and a new state-of-theart Mission Control Center that provides us with unprecedented visibility and monitoring through every aspect of pet food making, from ingredient intake to final packaging.”

Overland Park’s burgeoning Aspiria Campus, a 207-acre master planned complex being developed by Wichita-based Occidental Management, is home to the pet food maker’s new $34 million headquarters.

Hill’s is retaining its presence in Topeka, which includes a sprawling Pet Nutrition Center and the Small Paws Innovation Center, a $30 million facility that opened in 2021.

The company also has a production center in Emporia.

“We will continue investing in our science, innovation and manufacturing hubs in Topeka — while expanding our footprint with the creation of a new hub for our Global and U.S. headquarters in the Greater Kansas City area,” said John Hazlin, president and CEO of Hill’s Pet Nutrition. “This marks an important step in our global growth as we work to meet the growing demand for our science-led pet nutrition.”

A FIRST FOR WALMART Among its numerous agricultural sectors, beef production and processing stand out as cornerstones of Kansas agriculture. With vast expanses of fertile land, a favorable climate and a tradition of ranching, Kansas has long been a leading force in the beef industry. Beef cattle ranches and farms yielded an economic output of $10 billion in 2022, according to a report by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Beef processing counts for even more; a little more than 10% of the nation’s processed beef comes from Kansas.

In June, Walmart announced plans to locate the company’s first fully owned and operated “case-ready” beef plant in the Kansas City area. The $257 million facility is to create 667 new jobs in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe. Construction of the plant, scheduled for operation in 2025, is expected to employ another 1,000 workers.

The new Walmart plant will take big cuts of beef from company-owned slaughterhouses and package sale-ready steaks, essentially doing the work traditionally handled by grocery store butchers. The closed-loop process will help

drive Walmart toward its goal to create an endto-end supply chain for Angus beef, “ensuring our customers have access to the high-quality meats they expect at the everyday low prices they rely on,” said Senior Vice President of Deli, Meat and Seafood David Baskin.

“This is such great news,” Olathe Mayor John Bacon said of Walmart’s plans. “We’re thrilled that Walmart chose Olathe for its innovative facility. This huge capital investment will help create more jobs that will greatly benefit the City of Olathe and our entire region.”

Photo by Ahirao/Adobe Stock Images

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R E S H O R I N G

The Case For Reshoring Away From the Shores

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by M A R K A R E N D

he most active industries reshoring operations to the U.S., according to the Reshoring Initiative’s 2020 Data Report, include transportation equipment, computer and electronic products, electrical equipment and medical equipment and supplies. Companies in these and many other industries are finding the right U.S. location for these operations in Kansas.

From reshoring international companies like Kyodo Yushi and Siemens to U.S. companies like Mars and Wichita-based Spirit AeroSystems, Kansas is delivering the labor, central U.S. location, reduced supply chain costs and business climate they require.

It’s about producing goods closer to where the market and suppliers are, which can lower logistics costs significantly.

To that point, Kansas has air, rail and Interstate ideal assets for bringing supplies in and distributing goods after manufacturing. An abundance of skilled workers enhance the case for reshoring to the Sunflower State.

A recent example of bringing manufacturing close to where the end product is to be used is Michelin’s June announcement that it will invest $100 million at its Junction City facility to increase production of its Camso rubber tracks used in agricultural equipment.

The expansion will create 200 new jobs.

Two additional Michelin plants in Emporia also produce rubber tracks and wheels for agricultural equipment.

“At Michelin, we are proud to partner with

our customers who are meeting the challenge of feeding the world more efficiently while protecting the environment,” said Michelin North America President and CEO Alexis Garcin at the expansion announcement. “This investment in agricultural tracks capacity is further evidence of our commitment to bring Michelin’s all-sustainable strategy to life in North America, positioning the company as a leader in this fast-growing market segment and creating careers that will benefit 200 families in the community.”

A BANNER YEAR FOR EXPORTS Meanwhile, Kansas is exporting at a record level with 2022 exports reaching almost $14 billion, up $1.4 billion, or 11%, from the previous year.

The value of the top 10 exported commodities increased 11% in 2022 and accounted for 76% of total exports.

The top five destinations for Kansas exports are Mexico, Canada, Japan, China and South Korea.

What’s being exported? The top five commodity exports in 2022 were aircraft and parts, meat and edible meat offal, industrial machinery, cereals and electric machinery.

Exports to three markets – Canada, Mexico, and France – increased by $590 million, $369 million, and $88 million respectively. The increase is exports to Mexico was primarily in dairy products and industrial machinery.

Vehicles and parts increased to Canada. France saw increased exports in aircraft and parts, vehicles and parts and industrial and electric machinery.

An abundance of skilled workers enhances the case for reshoring to the Sunflower State.

Illustration by Bob Gravlee

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P R O F E S S I O N A L

A N D

T E C H N I C A L

S E R V I C E S

A Place to Call Home

A brainy workforce supports a growing cluster of services companies.

D TreviPay, a financial services company, relocated its global headquarters to the Aspiria Campus in Overland Park.

Rendering courtesy of Hoefer Welker

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by G A R Y D A U G H T E R S

riven by a highly educated workforce, Kansas has emerged as a leader for professional and technical service companies, including businesses involved in supporting fi nance, accounting, information technology, data analytics, customer care and engineering. Ninety-one percent of Kansas adults have at least a high school diploma, ranking Kansas among the top 20 in the nation. More than one-third boast a four-year college degree, and in parts of the Kansas City area, the college-educated workforce climbs to over 50%, according to the Kansas Department of Commerce.

CarMax is but one of numerous companies to have successfully tapped into that supple talent pipeline to boost its customer services operations. After a nationwide search, the Fortune 500 auto dealer cited the Kansas City region’s “top talent” in its selection of the Kansas City suburb of Olathe for a 300-employee

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

Customer Experience Center that serves clients across the country.

“The Kansas City region is the perfect location for CarMax,” said Tim Cowden, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council. “Our region’s real estate and workforce offer a high-quality location for customer support services.”

Similarly, Quest Analytics, a cloudbased service provider to health plans and insurance regulatory agencies, cited the region’s tech talent in its decision to relocate its home base from Wisconsin to Orchard Park, also near Kansas City. A Place for Mom, the largest senior care referral service in North America, chose Overland Park for an office that employs more than 600 staffers including managerial talent, fi nance and human resources professionals, engineers and customer service associates.

Even when companies go through tough business cycles, the talent sticks around. That’s what has happened in the

wake of downsizing at Cerner Corp. after ASPIRIA HAS IT ALL its acquisition by Oracle Corp. Among the Overland Park’s growing Aspiria Campus, services firms reported to be welcoming developed by Wichita-based Occidental former Cerner talent is U.K.-based Clarivate Management, is now home base to TreviPay, a Analytics, which as of fall 2023 had grown to global B2B payments and invoicing network. nearly 60 people as it opened a new office in TreviPay christened its new 73,000-sq.-ft.

Overland Park. global headquarters at Aspiria in December Another services firm growing in Overland 2022. The company facilitates some $6 billion Park is Netsmart Technologies, a provider of in transactions per year in 18 currencies and software-as-a-service healthcare technology more than two dozen countries. solutions for human “Our mission is to services, post-acute make B2B payments and specialty practices easier, faster and providers. Among smarter and the new the company’s latest TreviPay Global innovations is development Headquarters gives of an artificial intelligence our employees options (AI) data lab built on on where and how Kansans employed in corporate they best want to Amazon Web Services (AWS) to advance AI for work while on-site,” and professional services community-based care said Brandon Spear, providers.

CEO of TreviPay. In the neighboring “We are proud to call community of Prairie Kansas City home for Village, NSPJ Architects our nearly 400 area in October leased the top employees and we are floor of the Meadowbrook so pleased to be able Office Building for to welcome everyone New professional services the relocation of its to this reinvigorated, headquarters, in the same team-designed space.” graduates each year building as the Kansas The $750 Source: Kansas Department of Commerce City Ballet and other million, 207-acre tenants. The building “is a key component Aspiria campus, the former Sprint World of the Meadowbrook Village mixed-use Headquarters, is the largest multi-tenant renovation, re-positioning and development by campus office in the Kansas City metro.

The R.H. Johnson Company,” says a release Being developed in multiple phases, the from NSPJ, which will occupy the new space development is to include a whopping 3.8 in June 2024 after completing a full remodel million sq. ft. of Class A office space, dining and build-out of the premises. options, workout and recreational facilities “This move allows us to accommodate and abundant green space. The initial phase the continued growth of our firm, as well also includes plans for an indoor gaming as create a new and dynamic environment venue and a 400-unit apartment complex. for our valued clients and associates,” said A growing roster of tenants includes Apria Clint Evans, co-president of NSPJ Architects.

Healthcare Group, CenterWell Home “The space also provides access to adjacent Health, ChangePath Advisors, Ericcson, walkable restaurants, childcare and the Trustmark Health, EML Payments, KeyBank expansive Meadowbrook Park.” Founded in Real Estate Captial, Parker Hannifin and 1961, NSPJ has provided site planning and T-Mobile US. architectural design services for more than “We’re excited to have TreviPay as part of 6,500 projects the Aspiria campus and congratulate them on “NSPJ Architects, as the largest and their beautiful new space,” said Chad Stafford, newest tenant in the building, is confirmation president of Occidental Management. of the quality and appeal of this mixed“TreviPay’s leadership recognizes the added use development that is positioned at an synergy and collaboration that comes with a unparalleled infill location and just minutes modernized workspace and how that can not from I-435,” said Eric Gonsher of The R.H. only help recruit but also maintain and grow a Johnson Company. talented workforce.”

60,000

7,000+

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I N N O V A T I V E

T E C H N O L O G I E S

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES:

Reasons to Put Trust in Kansas

by A L E X I S E L M O R E

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n Kansas, whether you’re a company or entrepreneur looking to bring a new idea to life, there’s a good chance that your greatest resource in achieving new goals is housed at Kansas State University’s Technology Development Institute (TDI).

For economic development professionals, patent attorneys and manufacturing clients in the state, the university’s resources have aided in building a network centered around the institute’s support services for the past 30 years.

Kansas State’s Technology Development Institute works with companies and entrepreneurs to bring innovative ideas to life.

Photo courtesy of Kansas State Universit y Technology Development Institute

“The overwhelming majority of projects come to us from outside of the university and we use the technical expertise of K-State to add value to the project and help move it toward commercialization. We also assist in moving university technologies into the marketplace as well,” says K-State Technology Development Institute Executive Director Jeffrey Tucker.

Since 2004, K-State has been designated within the University Center program by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

This recognition represents U.S. institutions and higher education that are critical assets in the development of thriving economic ecosystems.

In this way, being identified as a University Center has opened the door for both state and federal funding which allows TDI to remove barriers for small companies to gain access to expertise and equipment, advance regional technology-based economic development and ensure TDI has the most up-to-date technology on hand to support these processes.

At any given time, TDI has about 20 to 30 projects in development, some ranging from idea conceptualization to commercialization assistance in a number of leading industries.

TDI students are employed as paid interns

and are able to work directly with full-time engineering staff on development projects.

This opportunity allows students to immerse themselves in the entire process from concept generation to patent application and prototyping. More often than not, this system has created a direct path for students to secure employment with the respective companies they work with.

“It benefits both the company and the student,” says Tucker, “in that the student is already knowledgeable about the company and product line and the company is able to hire a new employee that can hit the ground running.”

In 2023 alone, TDI has helped produced innovative technology such as a 3-D wire scanning system for railways, seat belt “convincer” devices for Kansas Highway Patrol, a sanitation conveyer system for organic produce operations and custom automation equipment for a life sciences entrepreneur, just to name a few.

By playing an essential role in the state’s innovative ecosystem, TDI is a key asset in not only boosting regional entrepreneurs and companies, but in aiding talent retention. In creating a sort of one-stop-shop for the entire scope of resources one would need, Kansas K A N SAS: T H E N E W G O L D S TA N DA R D

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Students and companies work together on advancing new technology, creating new job opportunities for graduates through this collaboration.

Photos courtesy of Kansas State Universit y Technology Development Institute

has cemented itself as a profitable tech hub, creating high-skilled and high-quality jobs.

“Kansas is a great place to live. The majority of the students that we have here would love to stay in Kansas if there are employment opportunities for them,” says Tucker. “We become excited when we can help a small company develop a new product line that allows them to add people and create opportunities to allow our students to stay in Kansas and help to grow and expand those companies.”

A HUB FOR BIOMANUFACTURING Academia plays a vital role in advancing innovative technology through its R&D capabilities. Moving forward, collaborating with local organizations on a greater level 80

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works to create an abundance of opportunity for all players involved.

October 2023 brought the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s announcement potentially designating the Kansas City region as the new Kansas City Inclusive Biologics and Biomanufacturing Tech Hub or KC BioHub. Out of 198 applicants, the region was one of the 31 inaugural Tech Hubs selected due to potential for rapid growth in key technology sectors.

The Tech Hubs Program was made possible through authorization from the CHIPS and Science Act, aiming to create globally competitive innovation centers, create jobs and strengthen U.S. economic and national security.

With this designation in the initial phase of the

“

The KC region is poised for long-term growth in technology innovation. Along with strengthening our economy, Tech Hubs designation will accelerate our mission to be a global leader in biomanufacturing.

— Dennis Ridenour, President and CEO of BioNexus KC

program, KC BioHub will move toward phase two in applying for a maximum of $75 million in federal funding.

Human and animal health have been an innovative focus here that has drawn in over 300 life science companies, representing the highest industry concentration anywhere in the world. A growing number of industry leaders like Pfizer, MilliporeSigma, Johnson & Johnson, Altasciences and Quest Diagnostics have experience operating in the region, proving to be a strategic location decision.

“Tech Hub designation validates our intentional focus on collaboration and innovation in the KC region and builds upon our strong foundation of excellence in life sciences over the past two decades,” said Dennis Ridenour, president and CEO of BioNexus KC. “With our robust ecosystem, assets and inclusive approach, the KC region is poised for long-term growth in technology innovation. Along with strengthening our economy, Tech Hub designation will accelerate our mission to be a global leader in biomanufacturing.”

Leveraging the biomanufacturing and life sciences ecosystem that both Kansas and Missouri have spent two decades building in the KC region, BioNexus KC was selected to lead over 60 partnering organizations in increasing vaccine production and advancing other preventative technologies.

Among the partner organizations is BioKansas, which represents the region’s largest group of contract research organizations (CRO) and contract manufacturing organizations (CMO). This long-standing network is bolstered by industrial and academic partnerships in the state, which will work alongside the KC BioHub to shape a comprehensive and sustainable workforce to address current and future needs within the

”

domestic bioscience ecosystem.

“BioKansas is thrilled with the recent Tech Hub designation for the Kansas City region and the future of R&D in Kansas since this will undoubtedly strengthen the entire bioscience ecosystem in the region,” says BioKansas Assistant Director of Communications and Government Affairs Janae Bell. “Our organization has consistently endeavored to nurture a skilled and diverse workforce equipped to tackle the challenges of the ever-evolving life sciences industry. This recognition will only serve to attract more attention, talent and investment to the region, fostering collaboration and innovation in bioscience R&D.” For BioKansas, this announcement was a long-awaited move in line with the organization’s strategic goals and objectives in cultivating a robust, modernized bioscience enterprise. The organization has long called for support in establishing key infrastructure for companies, community and policymaker involvement for scientific outreach programs and investment in new or existing companies in the space. This designation puts those needs in perspective and allows the region to exercise and advance its industrial expertise.

“We look forward to working with partners within the region to bridge the gap between academia and industry by supporting earlystage bioscience startups. Providing funding, mentorship and resources to help translate academic research into commercial products will be critical for growth in the region,” says Bell. “Additionally, cluster development or innovation hubs where academia, industry and government organizations can collaborate, share knowledge and provide support networks can be considered to enhance translating this knowledge into the commercial marketplace.”

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T O U R I S M

Kayaking on the Kaw River, Pottawatomie County.

Cowboys and horses.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Expect the Unexpected in Kansas

by R O N S TA R N E R

From presidential history to outer space, the Sunflower State never disappoints.

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Lindsborg is often referred to as Little Sweden USA by the many travelers who frequent it for the annual Swedish Festival and other gatherings.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Coronado Heights Castle, Lindsborg.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

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ooking for a good place to learn about World War II, UFO sightings or the World’s Largest Belt Buckle? You’ve come to the right place. Kansas offers all of that and more in a plethora of tourist attractions sure to satisfy almost any taste.

Kansas Tourism Director Bridgette Jobe says to expect the unexpected when you visit her home state.

From Topeka to Wichita and

everywhere in between, the Sunflower State blooms brightly with attractions you won’t find anyplace else. Take Abilene and Lindsborg, for example. Both were named recently to the exclusive list of the top 14 “Best Small Towns to Visit in the USA” by TravelAwaits. Abilene, a town of 6,500 people in Dickinson County, ranked first for the third straight year, while McPherson County’s Lindsborg, with 3,500 residents, came in at No. 5.

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Eisenhower Statue, Abilene.

Photos courtesy of Kansas Tourism

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“I was not surprised,” says Jobe. “Abilene is known as the home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. It is one of my favorite places to visit. Abilene is also home to the World’s Largest Belt Buckle. You walk up these stairs and then stand behind the belt buckle like you are wearing it. We constantly have people visiting here to take their photo with it.”

Lindsborg, meanwhile, continually reinvents itself, says Jobe. “They are always adding something new,” she says.

“Lindsborg is a hidden little gem.

It is called Little Sweden USA. They have an annual Swedish Festival. It is just beautiful country, and they have a great arts scene.”

Abilene, Lindsborg and a whole bunch of other places combined to deliver record-setting years for

tourism in Kansas since 2020.

According to the most recent data on visitor traffic, total visitor spending in 2022 surpassed preCOVID levels, says Jobe. “People are spending more than they did before the pandemic.”

Kansas attracted 36.4 million visitors in 2022, marking an increase of 2.7 million tourists from 2021. “Meanwhile, 2021 was a record year for our state parks,” notes Jobe. “We are seeing those trends continue. People are still looking for wide-open spaces, and they are finding them in Kansas.”

The Kansas Tourism report quantifies the total economic impact of tourism in Kansas at $12.5 billion in 2022. The sector accounted for 88,509 jobs and generated $777 million in state and local revenue that year too, according to the study. Visitor spending was up $717 million to $7.7 billion.

“ Even more visitor spending could be on the way soon, thanks to $30 million in tourism grants approved by Governor Laura Kelly and awarded to 18 recipients who will use the funds to develop and improve tourism sites statewide.

In many ways, says Jobe, the visitor appeal of Kansas is the state’s best-kept secret. “We have wonderful breweries, wineries and steakhouses all around Kansas.

And whoever would have expected to find the UFO Capital of Kansas in the Geneseo City Museum?”

Where else are you going to find dog hair from Venus, a

People are still looking for wide-open spaces, and they are finding them in Kansas.

— Bridgette Jobe, Director, Kansas Tourism

”

Saturn laboratory spacecraft, or a gentleman who tells tales of a UFO experience he had in 1972?

Drive 90 minutes northwest of Wichita, and you will find that in this quirky museum in 200-resident Geneseo in Rice County. With any luck, local author and historian Jim Gray, dressed in full cowboy garb and 10-gallon hat, will greet you at the door and give you the guided tour.

And if you happen to be an interplanetary traveler, don’t worry. A welcome sign in town politely says, “Spaceships Welcome.”

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S M A L L - T O W N

S T R E N G T H

‘Even Though We Are Small,

We Are Mighty’ Rural communities flex economic muscle across the Sunflower State.

W Downtown Fort Scott.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Department of Commerce

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hen Katharine Lee Bates wrote “America the Beautiful” and penned the lines “amber waves of grain,” “spacious skies” and “the fruited plain,” she could have been describing almost any rural vista in Kansas.

The Sunflower State is not just representative of America at its most beautiful and scenic. It is America.

No one knows this better than the state’s 2.9 million residents, 1.6 million of whom live in smaller communities. These are the places where the fruit is planted, the grain is grown and the skies are the brightest shades of blue.

They are also the places where industry is happening at a level not seen before in Kansas.

Looking for wide open spaces for your growing business? Look no further than one of the 600

KANSAS: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD

by R O N S TA R N E R

small towns in Kansas. As Russell Deputy City Manager Kayla Schneider likes to say, “Even though we are small, we are mighty.”

Russell, located in Central Kansas at the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 281, may have just 4,416 residents, but it’s big enough to support growing companies like John O. Farmer Inc. and PureField Ingredients, which recently announced a $300 million expansion to beef up its wheat protein business in the center of the country.

They’ve got plenty of company. Kansas is coming off back-to-back Governor’s Cup wins in Site Selection magazine’s annual tally of corporate expansion activity by state. In 2021 and 2022, Kansas landed more private capital investment projects per capita than any other state in the nation. A huge chunk of these plant investments went to small towns.

TWO CASES IN POINT: • Michelin Tire/Camso is investing $100 million to increase production capacity for rubber tracks for farm equipment in Junction City.

• Pure Imagination Studios will spend $41 million and add 101 new workers as part of a 58,000-sq.-ft. expansion project in Salina.

Success like this propelled seven micropolitan areas in Kansas to be ranked among the top 100 small towns in the country in project performance during calendar year 2022, according to Site Selection magazine. McPherson ranked the highest, tied for ninth, with seven qualifying projects. The other small towns to make this list included Hutchinson, Salina, Winfield, Dodge City, Emporia and Pittsburg.

To be counted as a micropolitan area by the U.S. Census Bureau, a community must have an urbanized area of at least 10,000 people but less than 50,000 and include at least one county. By that definition, America has 543 micro areas.

Every year, Dr. William Fruth, founder of POLICOM.com, evaluates every single one of them on 24 categories of economic performance and growth and measures each community’s overall performance against every other.

Based upon his findings, five small towns in Kansas rank among the top third of all micros in the country. The state’s highest-performing micro, per POLICOM, is Ottawa, which places No. 51 in 2023, up a remarkable 144 places from its No. 196 ranking in 2020. Dodge City checks in at No. 70, followed by Salina (127), McPherson (152) and Garden City (184). Ottawa is also the fastest-rising small town in the state and one of the quickest gainers in the whole country.

GRANTS THAT KEEP GIVING One reason Kansas’ small towns perform so well is because the state regularly invests a bevy of resources into them. Two of the more wellknown programs are the Kansas Rural Opportunity Zones (ROZ) and Kansas Murals.

Under the ROZ program, Kansas has designated 95 counties as Rural Opportunity Zones, qualifying them for significant added benefits.

Designated counties are able to offer the following financial incentives to new full-time residents: a 100% state income tax credit and/or student loan repayment assistance.

Kansas Murals began in 2022 and by mid-2023 some 35 murals had been completed across 24 Kansas communities. All were beneficiaries of the Office of Rural Prosperity’s (ORP) Rural Mural and Public Art Grant Program. The grants help towns of less than 10,000 people create new murals and other works of public art that beautify and enhance public gathering places Lawrence. and serve to draw new visitors.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Department of Commerce Over the past two years, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission has added 14 artists to its Mural and Public Art Roster.

“These beautiful, creative and artistic murals help personalize the communities where they were created,” Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said.

“Kansas is such a special place and as our Rural Mural program continues to grow, I look forward to how it will showcase the uniqueness that each community brings to our state.”

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C O M M U N I T Y

D E V E L O P M E N T

P R O G R A M S

A Renovation Renaissance Rural Communities Benefit from CDBG Program.

Local economies receive support for improvement projects.

by L I N D S AY L O P P

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rom bustling cities to small towns, communities across Kansas are reaping the benefits that coincide with a booming economy. Every corner of the state is buzzing with activity, inspired not only by corporate expansion but an array of community development initiatives.

With the support of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, Kansas’ rural communities are receiving the resources they need to strengthen multiple facets of their economies. This program

provides federal funds to local governments, investing in revitalization projects that address housing, public facility and economic needs.

In July, Governor Laura Kelly awarded 24 communities in rural counties a share of close to $7.9 million in federal grants. These awards will also be matched with local funding, allowing for around $17 million to be utilized for improvement projects.

As stated in the press release, CDBG awards cover five program areas:

walking path around Morland City Park and the addition of new curbs, gutters, and ADAaccessible parking.

• Sidewalks & Trails: funds projects that connect community members to services, community centers, schools, and recreational areas. Wathena will use this funding to construct a wide sidewalk, retaining wall, utility modifications, pavement marking and surface restorations in their community.

• Community Centers, Parks & Libraries: funds projects to increase community engagement, health, connectedness, and vibrancy in communities. Morland, for example, was one of the 13 award recipients. The city has proposed a project to construct a looped trail/

• Childcare Facilities: funds projects to address the childcare shortage in Kansas.

These grants help fund the construction of facilities and cannot be used for operations.

Hillsboro will use these funds to renovate a building that will provide childcare to 99 children in the community.

Cowley County’s Arkansas City is one of the 48 places that has received a grant from the Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) program.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

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These revitalization projects will help improve the overall business and residential appeal of these communities.

— David Toland, Kansas Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce

• Youth Job Training: funds projects to address the needs of at-risk youth in workforce training and development.

Sumner County will use this funding to assist low- to moderate-income high school students in attending classes at a local community college.

Classes will focus on trade and technical skills to address workforce needs identified in their community.

• ADA Improvements: fund projects that increase access to essential goods and services in downtown or Main Street districts and other nonresidential buildings in the community. Cottonwood Falls will use its funding to remove barriers for nine businesses, including installing ramps and door openers and increasing door widths to improve ADA access for community members.

“These revitalization projects will help improve the overall business and residential appeal of these communities,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said in July. “Investing in these specific assets will help spur further economic development in areas of need throughout the state.”

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”

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW Thanks to the Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) program, new life is being breathed into previously vacant and dilapidated downtown buildings throughout Kansas.

Led by the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Patterson Family Foundation, this program aims to transform rundown buildings into economic assets, inviting opportunities for new and expanding businesses, housing, arts and cultural centers, civic engagement, childcare and entrepreneurial ventures to set up shop in every region.

In June, the program announced that out of 30 applicants, 17 were selected to receive funding from its third round, totaling nearly $918,000 in matching grant funds.

A restaurant, boutique hotel, coffee shop and bakery, brewery and childcare center, were among the projects supported during this cycle.

“Through multiple rounds of the HEAL program, it has been rewarding to see how different rural communities work collaboratively to display their own unique sense of place and pride,” said Patterson Family Foundation President Lindsey Patterson Smith in a press release.

“We have enjoyed working with the Department of Commerce and

its partners on a program that is creating meaningful opportunities through revitalization. It will be exciting to see these projects get implemented.”

Since the program was launched in 2021, 63 projects in 48 counties have received funding, totaling $3.5 million in awards.

These projects are not only reshaping communities, but the lives of Kansans across the state.

Christina Beringer, owner of Nesting, a popular baby and maternity boutique in Colby, described receiving a grant from the HEAL program as an “opportunity to make all of our dreams come true — faster and better.” Beringer was among the program’s first round of awardees, receiving $65,000 to restore a building in Colby’s downtown district and relocate her business there. The renovated multi-use property is now also home to another of Beringer’s entrepreneurial pursuits, Beringer Consultations, which specializes in public relations, fundraising, event planning and grant writing.

“I hope that it is a sign to other people that there are good projects that can be done in small towns, in downtowns, and there are resources available to see success and do the same in their town. One or two good projects in a town can really change the dynamic immediately,” said GW Weld, another grant recipient, in a testimonial from the Kansas Department of Commerce.

With the support of a HEAL grant, the CDBG program and Kansas State Historic Preservation Office tax credits, Weld and his wife, Kathy, were able to restore a building in downtown Eudora that was originally built in 1860. Now, two new businesses thrive in the revitalized space.

For the upcoming fourth round, HEAL funds have increased to $1.5 million. By raising the maximum award to $100,000, extending the application period and requiring formal bids from licensed contractors, the HEAL program’s administrators hope to set up grant recipients for even greater success.

A R T

H A V E N S

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C R E A T I V E

C O M M U N I T I E S

Artistic Havens: A Kansan Escape

by A L E X I S E L M O R E

I Cottonwood Falls.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Matfield Green Photo courtesy of Bill McBride

Kansas State Fair Mural, Hutchinson.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Folk Art in Lucas.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

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t may surprise you to know that within the confines of the Sunflower State there is an array of serene getaways tucked away within the tallgrass prairie, bluffs and rolling hills of the Smoky Valley and beyond.

Art and culture have found their respective grooves and have lasted here for generations, transcending time and taking one back to a place where nature serves as the greatest escape.

If you happen to find yourself looking for a new experience outside of city lights, Kansas has the ideal locations to explore.

MATFIELD GREEN Located an hour northeast of Wichita, within Chase County, the city of Matfield Green was established as an agricultural community dating back to 1867.

Today, life in Kansas’ Flint Hills remains picturesque with just over 50 residents who call this tallgrass prairie home. Communities like Matfield Green are few and far between in an increasingly urban world, making a staycation here one of pure relaxation.

The most commotion one will experience can be heard from the BNSF train that runs through town every few hours. While agriculture holds its roots, the community is made up of much more than farmers. Creatives such as artists, photographers, journalists and graphic designers nurtured a growing arts community. Take it

from resident Bill McBride, who left the bustling city of Chicago, Illinois, and his architectural firm to pursue his dreams of becoming a sculptor within the state’s prairieland. “I became a prairie enthusiast when I was in Chicago,” says McBride. “So, I decided to retire early from architecture and spend more time doing sculptures inspired by the prairie. I have this path that I take care of and when I’m doing chores, I find things that inspire me and make my art out of what I find.”

McBride and his wife, Jill, along with two friends, soon purchased 47 acres of prairieland once used to transport cattle by rail and house workers. Known today as Matfield Station, visitors can stay at the on-site bunkhouse to explore the outdoor landscape and take in McBride’s art along the four-mile PrairyArt Path.

In this small community sustainability is a key focus to preserving the innate beauty of the town, which means any new development is intentional.

Drawing visitors does not mean an influx of retail, but rather an avenue to enjoy the environment. “We’re located on the National Scenic Byway and there’s just no place to stop. Matfield Green Works is looking to welcome people here, so we’re building a park with public restrooms, a picnic shelter, a bike repair stand and bike racks and things of that nature,” says McBride.

A day or weekend spent in

Matfield Green will help you tap into your creative self. Stop by Matfield Green Works to take in locally produced art and connect to the community. Round out the day with a stay at Matfield Station, or simply take a walk down the PrairyArt Path to catch a glimpse of the natural beauty the environment provides. Who knows?

You might be inspired yourself.

STRAWBERRY HILL, KANSAS CITY Named after strawberry vines that adorned the community’s hillside, Strawberry Hill was a refuge for immigrants coming from Europe in the early 1900s. Located in Kansas City, Kansas, the bluffs region overlooks the beauty of the Kansas and Missouri rivers forming together as one.

It can be hard to put Strawberry Hill’s history into words, especially as decades have come and gone. The best way to know is to be immersed in it firsthand. That is why one can easily spend time in the city and take off on Kansas City’s Legacy Trail, which takes visitors on a trip through the rich history and culture that made the region what it is today. Eastern European, Latino, Black and Indigenous Peoples’ cultures intertwine throughout the murals, art, museums and historical sites surrounding the community that share moments of the diverse legacy that lives on.

If you find yourself in town from May to October, local art studio Epic Arts hosts an Art Walk every third Friday that takes residents and visitors around Strawberry Hill to delve into the arts scene. Here, local artists and businesses gather to share their creativity and celebrate with music, food and most importantly art to bring the community together.

With that in mind, the diverse food scene in both Strawberry Hill and Kansas City brings artistry to new levels. Forget the chain franchise: From tender barbeque to handmade tortillas and more, there are flavors bound to meet the needs of the whole crew.

Don’t forget to wash it down with a trip to Rowe Ridge Vineyard and Winery or Range 23 Brewing.

TOPEKA One of the state’s most populous cities and capital, Topeka is home to quite the creative community. On the city’s north side, the NOTO Arts and Entertainment District houses a multitude of art from murals, sculptures, performance art to standalone projects. The best way to see it all? By partaking in the NOTO Art Health Walk. The art scattered throughout the entire district is clustered in a way that allows for a perfect excuse to explore by foot and interact with new and old pieces, while getting in a healthy dose of exercise fit for any age.

Colorful and intricate murals can be found around every corner and are bound to captivate visitors who can transport themselves through time to gain knowledge on the region’s history. A perfect example can be found at the United Methodist Church, a wrap-around mural created in 2014 by artists January Keifer, Norbert Kampsen and Tom Lynn. This piece encapsulates a message of healing, compassion, forgiveness and setting aside differences, connecting Native American history to every level of life found in Kansas.

Elevate this tour by stopping in at local retail and dining establishments in the district. From handmade jewelry, ceramics and glass-blown art it’s easy to make and bring home your own unique piece of the community.

Every season provides a reason for celebration, making NOTO the ideal location to bring the family together for a new experience. To kick off the spring season, the Redbud Festival celebrates the arrival of renewed life in nature and its impact on the generations of art from April to May. From May to September, on every third Friday, gather in the district’s Redbud Park for a free concert series to listen to an array of acclaimed to emerging local artists. Who knows, you might find a favorite new band or artist.

Round out the year with Celebrations of Winter in November and December to see holiday lights adorn town and view everything NOTO Arts District has to offer by carriage.

Matfield Green Photo courtesy of Bill McBride

Lindsborg Wild Dala Horses.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Downtown Salina Sculpture Tour.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Noto District Photo courtesy of NOTO Arts District

Horizontes, Beachner Grain Elevator, Wichita Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

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Q U A L I T Y

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L I F E

There’s No Place Like Kansas

by L I N D S AY L O P P

The Switchgrass Mountain Bike Trail at Wilson State Park.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

W

hether it’s housing, utilities, transportation or groceries, in today’s economic climate, the prices of life’s essentials can be high. Luckily for Kansans, the Sunflower State is on the brighter side of this national issue.

Ranked by Forbes as the second Cheapest

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State to Live in 2023, Kansas simultaneously boasts affordable housing, a low cost of living and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

With its economy soaring to new heights and thousands of new jobs opening across the state, Kansas is a place where affordability continues to reign supreme.

HOME SWEET HOME While housing costs have skyrocketed everywhere else in America, in Kansas it sits at 27.4% below the national average.

Topeka, the state capital, is the No.1 emerging affordable housing market, according to The Wall Street Journal and Relator.com’s Emerging Housing Markets Index.

The index reached this verdict by comparing 300 of the largest metropolitans in the U.S., ranking the areas based on the housing market, cost of living and if the local economy is thriving. With multiple large employers in government, healthcare, and manufacturing, as well as a variety of dining and entertainment options located in the area,

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Topeka is a hub of opportunity for both work and play.

In a similar vein, sitting on the state border, Overland Park, one of the largest suburbs of Kansas City, was listed among the top five best cities to live in in the U.S.

by Livability. Home to a diverse selection of restaurants, parks, art museums and locally owned boutiques, Overland Park is bustling with young professionals, drawn in by the vibrant job market the region presents.

Wilson State Park boasts opportunities to hike, bike, sail, swim, kayak, water-ski and more.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYMENT For the last two consecutive years, Kansas has received the most private investment projects per capita, winning Site Selection Magazine’s Governor’s Cup. This ever-growing list of expansion projects has impacted the state’s unemployment rate, which dropped from 6.2% in 2020 to 2.9% as of 2022.

Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

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According to a report released by Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research, by the end of 2023, Kansas was projected to add over 25,000 jobs, a 1.8% growth rate.

This success is only expected to increase as we enter 2024. With the state securing a handful of major investments in semiconductor and electric battery production, its durable manufacturing industry is projected to grow by 4.1% in the coming year. The report also stated that with demand increasing for IT consulting, system integration and cybersecurity, Kansas’ professional and business services sector is expected to grow by 1.2%.

As job opportunities in a variety of industries and skillsets continue to become increasingly available, those located or looking to relocate to the Sunflower State can rest easy when it comes to employment. Not only are people able to find jobs, but the life the landscape offers allows them to make the most out of their money.

PREPARE TO BE ENTERTAINED Kansas’ rolling plains hold more than houses and office buildings. With 25 state parks, spanning 32,000 acres of land, 500 miles of trail, 10,000 campsites and access to more than 130,000 surface acres of water, many come to the Sunflower State to engage in outdoor adventure.

From biking and hiking to canoeing and sailing, there are a variety of ways to explore Kansas’ diverse landscape. Some even choose to do it on horseback. With more than 300 miles of equestrian trails, guests can gallop through woodlands, open prairie, on shorelines and across streams at locations such as Perry Lake State Park, El Dorado State Park and Eisenhower State Park, to name a few.

If hooves aren’t your forte, at Wilson State Park’s Switchgrass Mountain Bike Trail, visitors can race down more than 20 miles of scenic paths, featuring towering red rock formations, native wildlife and breathtaking views. This park is a far cry from the thick fields Kansas is known for.

Outdoor enthusiasts come to this oasis not only to bike, but to sail, water-ski

The region is famous for its finger-licking-good Kansas City BBQ. Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

and kayak along the rocky shoreline and shallow canyons.

Beyond the great outdoors, cities throughout Kansas boast lively options for entertainment. Wichita, Kansas City, Overland Park, Olathe, Topeka, Salina, Lawrence and so many more are all brimming with live-music venues, museums, annual festivals, breweries and of course, Kansas City BBQ, with every city and small town offering a taste of what the region is famous for.

Much like the state’s economic climate, it’s a flavor you won’t find anywhere else.

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P H O T O

G A L L E R Y

FIELDS Of DREAMS

Fields of golden sunflowers follow the sunrise in eastern Kansas.

Photo: Gett y Images

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Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Iola Trail Bridge.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

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Apple picking in Williamsburg Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

The Keeper of the Plains, Wichita

Kansas State Capitol, Topeka

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

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Monument Rocks (also Chalk Pyramids), a series of large chalk formations in Gove County.

Photo: Gett y Images

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Columbus Hot Air Balloon Festival Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Brown v. Board Mural was a project directed by Kansas City Artist Michael Toombs, a team of artists and community members in Topeka.

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

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Fishing sunset

Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism

Museum at Prairiefire, Overland Park Photo courtesy of Visit KC

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Advertiser

A D V E R T I S E R S

Page

City of Merriam | Merriam Visitors Bureau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.merriam.org/business City of Parsons Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53, 85 www.growparsons.com City of Russell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 www.russellcity.org Dodge City / Ford County Development Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 www.dodgedev.org EDC of Lawrence & Douglas County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 www.edclawrence.com Emporia Regional Dev. Assoc. of East Central KS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 www.emporiarda.org GoTopeka Economic Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC-1 www.gotopeka.com Great Bend Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 www.gbedinc.com Greater Hutchinson Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 www.greaterhutch.com Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC www.jcgced.com Kansas Department of Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC www.kansascommerce.gov Kansas State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 www.k-state.edu/allthingskansas Kansas State University K-105 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 www.k-state.edu/105 Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60-61 www.manhattan.org McPherson Board of Public Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31 www.mcphersonpower.com Overland Park Chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 www.opchamber.org Sherman County Community Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 www.thetopsideofkansas.org Sunflower Electric Power Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 https://sunflower.net Wyandotte Economic Development Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 www.wyedc.org

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