“Land in Kansas” is a new statewide economic development initiative that launched in July with the goal of attracting investment and promoting business expansion.
Key components of the initiative, according to a Kansas Department of Commerce press release, include a new state marketing campaign, a review of economic development programs in the state, and a pilot program to enable communities across the state to better target specific areas for economic growth.
North Central Kansas is represented in the new strategic planning process. CloudCorp Executive Director Ashley Hutchinson, Concordia, KS, has been named co-chair to lead a full evaluation of Kansas’ economic development strategy. Economic Development Director for the City of Lenexa, Blake Schreck, also serves as co-chair.
According to Hutchinson, her role is to create a Request for Proposal (RFP) to analyze and audit the Kansas Department of Commerce Development programs and incentives. Three different stakeholder groups—including economic development professionals, business and industry leaders, and legislators—will be consulted to determine what to include in the RFP.
“Our ultimate goal is to take a look at the programs we have now and see what is working and what isn’t. We are also interested in looking at successes in other states and seeing if those are a good fit for us and our industries,” Hutchinson said. “The completed report will create a guide for policy makers as we all work to Land in Kansas and Grow in Kansas.”
Hutchinson views this strategic process as a positive step toward growing the state.
“I am excited about this initiative because it’s a chance for us to really look at the whole picture instead of piecing together solutions,” Hutchinson said. “I am very excited to be representing rural communities. Our needs are sometimes much different than our counterparts in urban parts of the state and my co-chairman position is a signal that the Governor, along with the Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture, are taking rural economic development very seriously.”
Contact Ashley at 785-243-2010 if you would like to provide input.
This column appeared in the September 2018 NCRPC Newsletter.
