Kansas invests over $5B in economic development

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Kansas will participate in Economic Development Week, also announcing that since 2019, the state has pumped over $5 billion into new capital investment.

“Over the last two years, we’ve rebuilt the Department of Commerce and reinvested in critical services like education, transportation, broadband, and health care,” Kelly said. “With over $5 billion in new capital investment, our efforts are paying off in real-time. We’ll continue to reinvest in our foundation and recruitment tools to keep Kansas open for business.”

Since Governor Kelly took office, Kansas has experienced historic economic development success – recently surpassing over $5 billion in new capital investment by businesses since 2019. Of the $5 billion brought to the state, $2.5 billion was invested in 2020 alone, making 2020 the most successful economic development year in Kansas history.

Selected investments since the beginning of the Kelly administration include:

• Schwan’s Company, Inc. – building a new 400,000-square-foot expansion at its pizza-manufacturing facility in Salina, totaling $600 million in capital investment;
• Hilmar Cheese Company – building a new production facility in Dodge City, totaling $460 million investment;
• Urban Outfitters, Inc. – building a new 880,000-square-foot omnichannel distribution center in Wyandotte County, totaling more than $400 million in capital investment;
• Amazon – two new fulfillment centers in Kansas City and Park City, totaling $210 million in capital investment;
• Merck Animal Health – new facility expansion/enhancement in DeSoto, totaling $100 million in capital investment;
• Pretzels, LLC – building a 146,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the Lawrence Venture Park, totaling $88 million in capital investment;
• Great Plains Manufacturing (Kubota) – new manufacturing facility in Salina, totaling $43 million in capital investment.