ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Much progress was made in Liberal and Seward County in terms of economic development in 2025, but as Seward County Development Corporation (SCDC) Executive Director Eli Svaty tells it, the road was not always smooth.
“2025 was a roller coaster. We had three projects basically ready to go at this point a year ago, and that included announced projects with Air Products and Gardner Cryogenics at the time, we had SAFFiRE Renewables had already done their groundbreaking at the Conestoga site, and then we had a large retail project pretty close to announcement,” Svaty said. “Then there were some changes, both on the geopolitical level and just changes within industries, those all collapsed within about a two-week period in the early part of the year. So at this time a year ago, in 2024 going into 2025, we had all these hopes and really exciting projects, and then all of a sudden, they just fell apart, it seemed like. So it was a pretty tough spring for the Seward County Development Corporation along with the city and the county.”
However, not all ended up being lost, Svaty continued.
“What was exciting was the growth then that took place after that. Coming back to now, Conestoga Energy was able to acquire SAFFiRE Renewables, so that project is back online, and so they'll begin construction out there, so that new technology and new industry will be very much part of our county and our community,” Svaty said. “And it's exciting how Conestoga not only saw the value in that, but also the value in investing in that here. It was really exciting to see that kind of come back to life, and we can't wait to see construction begin on that. The Air Products project is still very much a part of our community as well, and even though that particular project is still paused indefinitely, the relationship is still very strong, and Gardner Cryogenics is great, so maybe in the next couple of years, we'll see that project come back. Over the course of the last year, at least on the industrial side, we have had the opportunity to be working with a company out of Taiwan called Apogee Energy, Inc. – they actually have been in town five or six times over the past year, and they have a contract out on the building, so they will be bringing part of their manufacturing line from Taiwan to the U.S. That is really exciting that they have selected Liberal as that location, and we can't wait to help kind of finalize any of the remodel that needs to take place and should have operations going by, I would say middle of 2026.”
Svaty said 2025 has seen a smoother ending than beginning.
“The first half was just kind of gut shot and we lost a lot, and I think across the country, people saw that too. There was just this kind of shock, because so much was changing so quickly,” Svaty said. “A lot of companies just did a full stop on everything and said, essentially, 'We're not going to reinvest.' Now that markets have stabilized and are growing again, and manufacturing is expanding, we're going to see some benefits from that. We have had other really promising site visits from companies as well who see value in where we are in the country and our access to not only the resources we have around us, but other logistical details, because we can get anywhere in the U.S. very quickly with our products. We’ve had more site visits over the last couple of months because of that, which is exciting too, but really Apogee is going to be, hopefully, an open door to what comes next, and that is more opportunities with their partners in Taiwan and industries over there that are looking to onshore for a couple of reasons. A major factor is, the tariff challenge is real – these companies, like any companies in the U.S., operate on a very tight margin, and when those margins are threatened because of additional costs, they have to do something. Part of that is who they support and the industries they provide for, and a big portion of that is the Department of Defense. In order to support those industries, they need to be American made, so they have to bring some of that manufacturing over. Another factor is the geopolitical challenges between Taiwan and China and making sure that they have some of those operations, at least in the U.S., where they're more protected.”
Svaty added there has been a lot of local economic development efforts as well.
“One thing we do is help with loan programs through Network Kansas funds to help launch businesses that need that support. We do also have new business incubator grants we provide to new brick-and-mortar businesses. I don't have those numbers at top of my head in terms of people who have come in and sat down and kind of started to talk that process, but it's typically, on average, anywhere from 20 to 30 new businesses a year that come through and get support, which is a lot when you think about it in terms of 12 months in a year,” Svaty said. “And it's an ongoing journey for all of them – it's not a situation where they come in once and they get assistance, it's a whole process of, how do we establish you as a business? Oftentimes, people look at a community, and they see businesses open and close, and they just assume, if a business closes it's because of poor local economy. And sometimes that is the case, but oftentimes it might just be a different season of life – people get into their business, they have their business for a few years, and then circumstances change, and they realize maybe this isn't what they really want to be doing. So they make those decisions to close that. Sometimes it is because of management challenges or it is because of the local economy, but oftentimes those decisions are very personal. It's important as a community to recognize it's a constant ebb and flow of opening and closing, and we're just here to try to support in whatever capacity we can. We have seen a significant number over the last couple of years of business ownership changing, where we have well established businesses, where that person or that season of life is just ready to sell and ready to move on. And what's been really exciting is we've been able to help a lot of younger entrepreneurs come in and purchase those businesses outright, so the continuity of service doesn't change at all. There have been a lot of those across the community over the last year, so it's fun to think that one the person that built and established that business, can sell it and pass it on and move on with their life and retire. We were able to help them do that so they can buy that and have that dream of owning a business. And it's great to be able to see that continuity.”
And those local efforts will continue, Svaty said.
“There are many people who want to try to get their services out to the world. There are always people who come in and think 'We had no idea this was here.' And so it's just that constant reminder of what's available here,” Svaty said. “This is this is all free, this is all just part of our role in the community and in economic development and how we can support those entrepreneurs. If you have ideas, or if you've always wanted to do something, whether that's starting a business or buying a business or selling a business, we have either the resources here or the connections with those who have access to those resources so we can then help them through that process. We are here to help you, and whether that becomes a long-term back-and-forth project where we work you through the whole process, or whether that's just a short meeting where you realize kind of how your idea maybe isn't what you thought it was going to be, we're happy to help be that sounding board.”
Svaty said Liberal and Seward County will also continue looking into joining more of the energy sector.
“We've been waiting for more than a decade on wind development, and it's exciting how there's already been the permits submitted now, and it’s been exciting seeing the public opinion. With that, we’ve had a fairly even divide between people in support and in opposition. It's exciting to see we're finally going to participate in that economy as well,” Svaty said. “If you look at where economic development is headed in the next five years, it's all driven by energy, and if your region, if your community, can provide energy, you can participate in that next round of really cool economic development and growth. Part of it is making sure we, as a community and as a county, embrace what we've already planned for. We had the zoning in place already and that's what we're really what I'm excited about. Because we have a history of being an energy county already, we have a potential, especially with energy, to kind of expand what we're already doing really well, and then welcome new industries because of that.”
Svaty said he hopes to see entrepreneurs continuing to use services and resources available through the SCDC offices.
“Today is always the best day to test out your dream. What we talk to a lot of entrepreneurs about is how we want you to at least vocalize your idea and speak it into existence,” Svaty said. “What we hate to see is someone who has always had an idea, who has always had a dream, and then they look back at the end of their life and realize they never acted on it because maybe they were too scared. We are not here to judge and put down those ideas, we are here to help solidify what it is you really want to do, and see if we can help you bring that to life. There is no harm in just coming in and talking, and no one's trying to steal ideas. Our job here is to support what's going on, whether that's an existing business or a new business idea. If you've been in business and you think there should be a better system for how to keep track of things, or there should be a way to expand a certain market or another. We are here to help you think through that process and then find the resources to make that happen. I want people to recognize we have a lot of really good things happening. There's a lot of really good business growth, both on the industrial side and on the small business side, so if we can change our focus from the negative to the positive, I think it changes everyone's perspective. As we move into 2026, I would love to see this kind of community shift focus to the positive. Do we have challenges? Do we have some struggles? Absolutely, but at the same time, we have some great new businesses coming in, some great new industries coming in, and we as a community have a history of really successful companies and really successful economic development. The more we can focus and talk and gossip about the great things going on, I think the better it's going to be for everybody.”
