Consider Kansas City
 By Mark ForsytheThe Kansas City Post In a post yesterday on my blog My Town, My Take, I wondered aloud why Kansas City is not aggressively pursuing new businesses. Especially light manufacturing. I think people may have gotten hung up on the company I was talking about, XsunX who is in the business of solar energy. Even though my own personal desire would be to have several hi-tech sustainable energy companies in Kansas City, our focus doesn't have to be exclusively green. The bigger picture is to have an economic development policy that includes aggressively pursuing new business opportunities. XsunX fits my criteria because they are creating something. I'm not advocating some panicked hand-wringing reaction to a Kansas City company threatening to move across the state line. I'm certainly not proposing that we provide incentives for a company to move from one part of town to another and call it "growth." XsunX is going to build a new manufacturing facility where none existed before. They're not closing a factory somewhere or consolidating several locations into one. We're talking "in addition to." Economics 101. This is called job creation. The opportunities exist. With the growing influx of venture capital into Silicon Valley, once again facilities costs will begin to skyrocket and companies will look outside of California for more cost-effective locations. They will look for locations that are centrally located, have easy access to rail and trucking hubs, have a major airport with the capacity to handle freight, have a smaller airport conveniently located adjacent to the urban core for executive travel, have a low cost of living compared to other metropolitan areas and have a motivated workforce. Know any places like that? I do! I'm just a concerned citizen with a news aggregator who sees these types of opportunities flash across my desktop. If I had the formal capacity to contact these companies and make a sales pitch to them I would. Instead I have to hope our elected officials and economic development officials are making these calls. Are they? Or are they content to wait for the next local company to threaten to leave, give them incentives and call it economic growth? |
posted by Mark at 9:24 AM
Comments on "Consider Kansas City"
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KC Sponge said ... (12:14 PM) :
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Mark said ... (2:30 PM) :
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KC Sponge said ... (3:10 PM) :
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Anonymous said ... (10:13 AM) :
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Chris Lengquist said ... (6:23 PM) :
post a commentWhose job is that, Mark? Who do we need to bombard with emails about possible targets? We have a new cast of characters downtown today, unfortunately dominated by people who are more concerned today with the party on Friday night than where the future of our city lies . . .
Kansas City should be a first choice among many of these companies who are looking around the country to see where they should locate. Our history and sustainability rely on our very location. Our cost of living is remarkable, we are one of the top creative centers in the country, Missouri has development tools and incentives virtually unmatched by many other states, our weather doesn't totally suck (It pains me to say that - because I hate it - but comparatively . . . ), our entertainment possibilities keep growing, we have a strong young professional population, we are diverse and tolerant, and there is true community here. In no big city can you find the affordability, community, parcel availability, government accessibilty, or midwest hospitality - and in no small town can you find the vibrancy, the acceleration of development, the available work force, or the unique history of innovation - that we have here in Kansas City, MO. We ARE the heart of the country. Pump it up, damnit!
Sponge,
I was going to make it my job but unfortunately for me on March 27 about 10,000 people thought otherwise!
All joking aside I believe the responsibility falls with the EDC. Unfortunately they seem to be more focused on retention than attracting new companies.
I haven't run across any elected officials past or present that have the sales and marketing mentality I believe we need to lure these companies.
Thank God the marketing that's used for elections is not the same that works in the real world! Horrible color schemes and glossy dorky pictures with bullet points galore - no wonder people don't vote. . .
But there has to be a position within the EDC or City Hall itself that is dedicated to bringing new development here, right? I mean I know the answer to that, but really, is there anyone who even made it to the council that really cares about this issue. I'm concerned that TIF was such a central point of discussion during the election that there will be trepidation to even mention any kind of incentives (besides the natural ones) for these companies. Heck - our Convention and Visitor's Bureau does such a lackluster job trying to get people just to visit . . . how do we get people to move here without some concerted effort - at least a dedicated job title - to bringing in these new companies.
Just keep it up, Mark . . . Kansas City will one day get a clue, and when they do - you will have had a lot to do with it. Thanks again for your optimism, your spirit and your unending dedication to this city.
What you're proposing sounds proactive. Our EDC and convention bureau has never heard of that word.
A Council of Unified Governments like they have in DC to attract businesses would be great. But what am I talking about. The Kansas suburbs and KCMO go out of their ways to annoy each other.