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March 29th, 2024

kansas state sealELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

The State of Kansas has been seeing economic development progress throughout the past several months, and late last week saw a couple more announcements in that vein. 

The first of these announcements came Thursday when Gov. Laura Kelly announced that since  January 2019, more than $7 billion new business dollars have been invested in the state of Kansas and more than 29,000 new jobs have been created.

“This announcement means more jobs, more money in Kansans’ pockets, and a stronger economy for all of us,” Gov. Kelly noted in a release from the State of Kansas. “Since day one, my administration has been laser-focused on building an economy where families and businesses want to call home. Surpassing the $7 billion mark in new business dollars invested in our state is proof that our efforts are working – and we’re not slowing down any time soon. We’ll continue to invest our schools, roads and bridges, high-speed internet, and our essential services to keep Kansas open for business. This announcement comes after a series of economic development wins achieved by this administration, including recently being ranked in the top twenty states for doing business for the first time ever. Additionally, this year Kansas received Area Development Magazine’s prestigious Gold Shovel Award for 2021, was recognized by Site Selection Magazine as having the top business climate in the West North Central region of the United States in 2021, and is one of three top states reporting higher employment in rural communities.”

Gov. Kelly also recently announced Kansas surpassed $6 billion in new capital investment in June 2021, according to the State of Kansas release, meaning Kansas has secured an additional $1 billion in new business investment in only a four-month period. 

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“The state has secured nearly $3.2 billion in new business investments so far in 2021,” the State of Kansas release noted. “In 2020 - Kansas’ most successful economic development year ever – the Kelly Administration secured $2.5 billion in new investment, meaning Kansas has already surpassed the all-time record in 2021.”

“Under Governor Kelly’s leadership, Kansas is riding a record-breaking upward trajectory in economic development,” Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland noted in the State of Kansas release. “Since 2019 we’ve reached new heights with historic levels of business investment in all parts of Kansas. Governor Kelly’s visionary, innovative approach to economic growth is delivering good jobs and capital investment that are fueling a brighter future for Kansans statewide.”

In addition to the major business investments, the 495 economic development projects completed during the Kelly administration have created more than 29,000 new jobs.

Top investments in 2021 under the Kelly administration include: Medline Industries, Inc – totaling $77.5 million new business dollars invested, creating 100 new jobs in Bonner Springs; TriRx Pharmaceutical Services, LLC – totaling $70 million new business dollars invested, creating 250 new jobs in Shawnee; Torch Research, LLC – totaling $55 million new business dollars invested, creating 490 new jobs in Leawood; TTEC Services Corporation – totaling $9.2 million new business dollars invested, creating 450 new jobs in Overland Park; and Hilmar Cheese Company – totaling $450 million new business dollars invested, creating 247 jobs in Dodge City. 

Last week also saw Gov. Kelly announced the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration awarded Kansas $1 million to accelerate economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and build up local economies.

“My administration set the stage for economic growth early on – and despite the challenges of the pandemic, we’ve achieved one business recruitment victory after another, experienced record-breaking investment, and earned national recognition for our successes,” Gov. Kelly noted in a State of Kansas release. “These dollars will allow us to keep up that momentum, and support our efforts to build a better, more resilient economy for future generations of Kansans. I want to thank our federal partners for their investment in our communities. The EDA awarded $24 million in grants to states and territories across the nation for statewide planning efforts to boost economic development, enhance U.S. competitiveness, combat the climate crisis, and recover from the pandemic. These are the first EDA American Rescue Plan grants announced. All states and territories have been invited to apply for a $1 million grant through EDA’s Statewide Planning program, which is one of six programs EDA developed to equitably distribute its $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funding. 24 grants were awarded, with the remainder being disbursed in the coming weeks and months.”

For more about EDA’s Statewide Planning grant and other American Rescue Plan programs, please visit: https://www.eda.gov/arpa/.

 

About the Kansas Department of Commerce

As the state’s lead economic development agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. Commerce accomplishes its mission by developing relationships with corporations, site location consultants and stakeholders in Kansas, the nation and world. Our strong partnerships allow us to help create an environment for existing Kansas businesses to grow and foster an innovative, competitive landscape for new businesses. Through Commerce’s project successes, Kansas in 2021 was awarded Area Development Magazine’s prestigious Gold Shovel award and was named Site Selection Magazine’s Best Business Climate in the West North Central region of the United States. Find the Department's strategic plan for economic growth here: Kansas Framework for Growth.

 

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov

The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.