ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Increases in economic development have been a major goal for local officials, and in 2024, the Seward County Development Corporation made some big strides with that in 2024.
“Looking back on 2024, there were several big wins and a lot of great projects that are still in motion. One of the kickers with economic development is working to keep companies from saying ‘No’ to you, and sometimes that can stretch out for years due to whatever circumstances are going on,” SCDC Director Eli Svaty said. “Overall, we’re in a very good position at the end of 2024, much better than we have been before, at least in the time I’ve been involved with economic development.”
Svaty said there are many projects he and the SCDC staff are proud of that happened in 2024.
“Looking back on 2024 and on things going on now that weren’t going on before, one of the bigger projects was SAFFiRE coming in and partnering with Conestoga for a pilot plant that will help create renewable jet fuel,” Svaty said. “That is a phenomenal beginning and a potential industry changer in this region because not only is it going to be a state-of-the-art research and development facility, there’s also potential for future growth and recognition of how that project happened right in Seward County and its role in helping shape the airline industry. Another big project is Apex Clean Energy and the work we’ve started with them for a new green hydrogen production facility – they’ve all signed the agreement for Apex to buy the effluent wastewater, and we’re working with Apex to site some locations for renewable energy generation. This is a multi-year project, and there are so many pieces that have to fall into place, and that’s another great win for this region. As we approached the end of 2024, we presented to the Liberal City Commission a purchase and sale agreement for some airport industrial property land for a manufacturing facility, and that happened at the commission’s Christmas Eve meeting, and we’ll be discussing it in more detail at the commission’s first meeting in January. On the manufacturing and industrial side of everything, between all of those projects, they’re really great and we’re excited to bring them to life.”
Among all the successes, however, Svaty admitted there were some challenges to be faced along the way.
“Time is strange when it comes to economic development – even with the presentation that happened Christmas Eve, those discussions have been going on for more than a year, and everything takes a long time,” Svaty said. “But, you have to make sure the contracts are written just so and so all the involved parties get what they need. We wanted to have those announcements a little while ago, but that’s just how circumstances worked out with that. With the Dairy Queen project, we brought that to the commission several months ago and we’re still working on finalizing some parts of that deal, so people shouldn’t worry about that not happening. There are a lot of nuances to these projects, and especially with our geography, floodplains especially are an issue, which seems weird given how we don’t see a lot of rain. But when you’re looking at maps and everything else, you have to make sure there’s proper drainage and everything else, and that takes some time to sort out. There are also some projects in the works on the industrial side and on the retail side that we’ve been talking about for a while. They’re really exciting because there’s a lot of potential, but there are also a lot of moving parts to consider.”
With all the successes and work seen in 2024, Svaty said he has high expectations for 2025.
“We’re connectors on a lot of levels between the City of Liberal, Seward County, developers, and multiple others, so one of the other things we’re excited about is all the housing currently in the works,” Svaty said. “If you look at the all the new jobs coming in with the manufacturing plants being set up, all of those employees have to have somewhere to live, so it’s great to see all the work the City of Liberal and Seward County have done to ensure we get all of that going. It’s great to drive on the north end of town and see housing going up as well as on the south side of town. If you look at previous years, we maybe had 12 starts for new homes in the span of an entire year, but you can’t sustain a city of Liberal’s size with those types of numbers. If you look at what we have in development now and projected development for the next couple years, it’s 150 to 200 houses going up, which is just such a huge difference. We’ve also seen quite a bit of local small business growth, and Raquel Arellano with the entrepreneurship side of our office has done remarkable work in helping launch and grow all of those new businesses, and it’s been great seeing that work happening as well.”
Svaty added there are no plans to really slow down going into the new year.
“We’ll have that aforementioned announcement at the first Liberal City Commission meeting in January for that purchase agreement, and hopefully everything goes smoothly with that, and then we’ll jump into that project in terms of site preparation and all of that. SAFFiRE will also be getting to the point of construction on that pilot plant, so that should be really exciting for the community since it’ll be such a phenomenal facility,” Svaty said. “If you’re a hotel owner or restaurant owner, the construction crews will be coming in in full force, and that’ll be great for local businesses as well. We have some other developers that will be converting the former Ranch Motel into housing, which is also a neat project that will be going on. There are also some potential projects that could include discussion of STAR Bonds and other funding like that. With all of that going on, it’ll be great to get feedback from the community and let them know what we’re dreaming of for Liberal.”
Svaty also offered encouragement for people in the community to keep an eye on what the SCDC office is doing.
“It’s really a matter of being connected. I’ve heard so many people say ‘I didn’t hear/know about X’ but then it turns out they weren’t following any of the major outlets sharing such information,” Svaty said. “We’re fortunate in Liberal to have wonderful radio and newspaper outlets, and we also have a presence on social media – so the information is getting out there, but people have to be sure they’re actually paying attention properly. I know the ‘Mondays with the Mayors’ show on the Leader & Times’ Facebook page has a lot of viewership, so that’s definitely a way people can keep up. The SCDC also has a Facebook page people can follow, and we share information about our upcoming events and programs, and the Chamber of Commerce also does a lot of work in town with ribbon-cuttings and other events like that. So there are ways to keep up, but people have to actually pay attention to them. I know it might be hard to see right now, but there is a lot that will be going on in 2025. The construction hasn’t started yet, but I promise it will be happening. If you’re not engaged with what’s going on in town with all of that going on, reach out and talk to us, and we’ll be happy to talk. It’s a really exciting time to be in Liberal and Seward County, and we’re more than happy to help you with your business needs and help with that community engagement.”
Overall, Svaty said, there is a lot of excitement for 2025.
“We hope 2025 will be bigger. We really want to make sure, on the industrial side, that these projects we’ve been working on for several months can be brought to the public,” Svaty said. “Another big thing is more construction – with economic development, I don’t really trust anything until I see shovels in the ground and see everything starting, and I’m looking forward to seeing everything. We also expect to see more small business growth – I know a lot of people talk about interest rates and the economy and when the right time to start a business is, but that’s always a guessing game. If you’ve been sitting on an idea for a business or service, at least come to the SCDC office and talk to us about it, because we can help you work through the process and see if it’s something you truly want to do. We’re also bringing on a new hire for the SCDC office, and he’ll focus more on the financial side of businesses and be more geared towards existing businesses and expanding businesses, not necessarily those start-ups. What we’ve discovered is there has to be a balance between the skills and drive you have to open a business versus the time and resources it takes to properly manage cash flow and make sure you can maximize your profits along the way, and that’s what our new staff member will be doing.”
