Stay connected to Kansas City's economic pulse with our newsletter, highlighting the people, projects, and progress driving our city forward. | |
KC IS WINNING NATIONAL ATTENTION | |
“We don't doubt this city's crescendo will earn it a lot of new fans.” - Lonely Planet
If you haven’t seen the news lately, we’re happy to share that Kansas City, Missouri has been named a top destination by Lonely Planet, The New York Times and the only city listed as a top 10 destination by The Wall Street Journal.
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With such great momentum in KC right now, we’d be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to celebrate this international spotlight. Way to go, KC!
The Momentum Doesn't Stop There
What makes Kansas City a great place to live and visit, is also what makes it a great place to work. And it’s not just sports fans taking notice, businesses are too. Here are a few recent announcements:
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Hart, Inc. - Originally founded in 2012 in Orange County, CA, Hart, Inc., will locate its new national headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. The innovative health care data transformation company helps to access and unify information for health care service providers and clients. Hart serves major industry companies that include Oracle Health, Netsmart and Baptist Health.
The new headquarters, located in the River Market, will create 35 high-paying jobs representing more than $3 million in annual payroll.
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McKesson - McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc., a medical products and health care resources distributor, will officially be expanding operations in Kansas City, Missouri.
The organization has received final approval from the Kansas City, Missouri City Council to receive financial support to move their existing local operations from 1405 N. Chouteau Trafficway, to a 306,000 square foot facility at the Hunt Midwest Logistics Park (Logistics VII). The organization will undergo a $108M capital expenditure to complete the move ($48M for machinery and equipment, and $60M for construction and tenant improvements).
194 jobs will be retained with the move and 35 new jobs will be created.
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Highlights from 2023:
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LEADER Worldwide - A prominent leader in the ground transportation industry, LEADER Worldwide announced its expansion at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport. Over the next six years, the organization will undergo a 3.2M capital investment to renovate and expand its existing headquarters, as well as add to its diverse fleet of luxury vehicles. In addition, LEADER plans to create 59 new jobs with an average wage of $51,000.
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Ace Hardware - Ace Hardware is building a new 1.5 million square foot Retail Support Center at the KCI 29 Logistics Park in KCMO that will bring 100 construction jobs and over 350 employment opportunities once it is operational in mid-2025.
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Veeva Systems - a global leader in cloud software for the life sciences industry, is growing operations in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The company is creating 124 jobs in its 10,000 square foot hub in the heart of the city.
Several other projects to be announced soon!
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Meet our Business Development Team | |
Steven Anthony, Vice President of Business Development, has been leading the team since 2021. Since starting at EDCKC, he has led the strategic outreach to attract new businesses to Kansas City, and has strengthened local relationships to help local businesses grow.
In addition to several other Board appointments, he was recently appointed to Chair the Central City Economic Development (CCED) Board. Congratulations to Steven! The other hardworking members of the team include these Business Development Officers:
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Daymeond Hord
Industry specialties: Manufacturing + Supply Chain Logistics
Focus areas: Industrial Crescent + Eastside
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Brandon Haggard
Industry specialties: Architecture + Engineering + Professional Services
Focus areas: South Kansas City
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Nathan Vanice
Industry specialty: Health Sciences
Focus area: Platte County
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Kyana Bowers
Industry specialties: Financial Services + Arts + Nonprofits
Focus area: Clay County
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Helping keep the team on track is Administrative Assistant, Dona Mathieu, | |
Thriving Together: Unveiling the Dynamic Landscape of the KC Economy | EDCKC's Business Development Officer, Brandon Haggard, shares his take on the 8 reasons why KC is emerging as a beacon of growth, collaboration and innovation for the region and beyond. Check it out >> | |
Rock Island Bridge & West Bottoms Momentum | |
Members of the EDCKC’s Business Development team recently visited the Rock Island Bridge. This historic bridge is being turned into a first-of-its-kind entertainment district featuring dining venues, coffee shops, programming, a reservable event space, and more.
The grand opening is planned for this summer.
Just blocks away, in the West Bottoms, the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority (PIEA) voted in October of 2023 to approve $64.3 million in incentives for a New York developer to build 1,102 apartments, 40 hotel rooms, 137,923 square feet of retail space and 122,794 square feet of office space over more than 17 acres in the central West Bottoms.
Stay tuned as we’re excited about the progress and projects bringing economic development to this area.
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Small Business is Big Business | |
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EDCKC is excited to be a new Kiva hub for Kansas City, Missouri. Kiva is an international non-profit offering crowdfunded microloans between $1,000 - $15,000 with 0% interest and no fees.
Established in 2005 as the world's first personal micro-lending website, Kiva enables everyday people to pool lending contributions as little as $25 to provide financial access to entrepreneurs
If you’re an entrepreneur or small business, contact Regina Sosa, Capital Access Manager, at kansascity@local.kiva.org or visit kiva.org/borrow.
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Progress at 63rd and Prospect | |
This month, EDCKC was proud to support the teams behind the groundbreaking of SouthPointe @ 63rd (E. 61st St. & Prospect Ave.). The property that has been in flux for many years is slated for new development that will bring welcomed economic activity to the area. Congratulations to all those involved. | | | | |
