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The
Kansans Are Coming, The Kansans Are Coming! |
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Be sure to mark January 10 on your calendars. That’s
when economic development professionals from Olathe
and Lenexa, Kansas will participate in a panel
discussion at the Lee’s Summit Economic Development
(LSEDC) Quarterly Investor Meeting at 11:45- 1:10 at
Truman Medical Center, Lakewood. Tim Cowden, Senior
Vice President of the Kansas City Area Development
Council (KCADC) will moderate the panel.
The session
promises to be lively and frank. We’ll hear about
what Kansas communities do to attract industry,
their incentive programs and some of the
developments in their community pipelines. Space is
limited, so make your reservations early by
contacting Shannan Cunniffe at
scunniffe@leessummit.com. |
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Paradise Park Honored with Missouri Chamber
Fast Track Award |
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Kids aren’t the only ones playing on a fast track at
Paradise Park.
Congratulations go to Jon Ellis, President & CEO of Paradise
Park and Vice Chairman of LSEDC for receiving the 2006 Fast
Track Award from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce at its
November 16 meeting in St. Louis. The award is given to some
of the state’s fastest growing companies.
Paradise Park is Kansas City's Premier Family Destination,
offering Family Fun & Adventure, unique attractions,
educational and discovery play, and
professional development
opportunities in a wholesome, safe, clean and friendly
environment! Congratulation to Jon and his enthusiastic
staff. |
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Lee’s
Summit and KC to Get Jefferson City Bank Headquarters |
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Exchange National Bancshares Inc.
of Jefferson City has announced plans to move its
headquarters temporarily to Lee's Summit, where it will be
housed at
Citizens Union State Bank, located in
New
Longview. LSEDC Advisory Board Member, Jeffrey Smith,
Senior Vice President and son of the bank’s chairman, James
E. Smith, operates the Lee’s Summit bank. The company (Nasdaq:
EXJF) plans to consolidate four banks into a single charter
and eventually find a headquarters location in downtown
Kansas City. Expected to combine are Exchange National Bank
of Jefferson City; Bank 10 of Belton; Citizens Union State
Bank of Clinton; and Osage Valley Bank of Warsaw. A common
brand name is to be announced in the first quarter. Exchange
National, which operates 26 offices in Missouri, wants to
continue growing in metropolitan areas throughout the state.
This relocation demonstrates
the wisdom in the KCADC’s strategic initiative to attract
headquarters from the adjoining states to the Kansas City
Metro Area. |
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Eastern Jackson County
Development Alliance Annual Golf Invitational
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Over 100
regional developers, brokers, community
leaders and economic development allies
teed off at Adams Dairy Farm Golf Club
in September for another successful golf
outing. Participants enjoyed the
opportunity for relaxed, one-on-one time
to enjoy the outdoors and discuss the
emergence of Eastern Jackson County as a
prime economic development region.
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Todd Harris, Vice President and
Relationship Manager of Bank of
the West, LSEDC Advisory Board
Member.
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Lou Seronne of Seronne Real
Estate; Mark Martin, President
of Space Center, Inc; John
Davidson of Davidson Brown
Architects and Roger Meyer,
President of Meyer Companies &
LSEDC Secretary.
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Eastern Jackson County By the Numbers
Updated and Online |
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All the critical economic
development facts about Eastern Jackson County have been
consolidated in the newly updated publication,
Eastern Jackson County by the Numbers.
Following the same format as
Lee’s Summit By the Numbers, the publication
details city-by-city demographic, employment, geographic
and other statistics to assist developers in their
planning decisions. Bottom line: Eastern Jackson County
is booming and THE place to invest. Click the active
links above for the electronic version of these
documents. |
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LSEDC Honored In Chicago For Business
Retention Efforts |
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On November 6 in Chicago, the LSEDC was
recognized for its efforts to retain existing employers
in the community. The LSEDC took top honors among over
450 economic development organizations in the U.S. and
Canada participating in the Annual Synchronist Users’
Forum, hosted by Blane Canada Ltd. in Chicago. LSEDC
Vice President, Teresa Evans, received the award on
behalf of LSEDC.
"Existing
employers generate between 74 percent and 86 percent of
the new jobs and capital investment by businesses in
their home communities," said Eric P. Canada, Principal,
Blane Canada, Ltd. "This award acknowledges the superior
job the LSEDC is doing to retain and increase the number
of jobs generated by employers in Lee’s Summit."
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In announcing the award, Blane Canada
said, "...global business pressures have never been
greater. Without aggressive, proactive work to support
your existing local businesses, jobs can easily be lost.
The LSEDC’s proactive efforts on behalf of existing
businesses show how communities must work to maximize
their homegrown economic future."
Utilizing proprietary Synchronist
software developed by Blane Canada Ltd, and purchased by
LSEDC with the help of Aquila, the LSEDC interviews
local businesses. The software synthesizes the
interviews into a comprehensive executive summary report
which provides a snapshot of companies’ perspectives on
the local, national and international business climate.
Click
HERE to download the 2004 Business Retention and
Expansion Report. The 2006 report will be published in
June 2007.
LSEDC’s bankers’ brigade is out knocking
on doors in the community. Some interesting findings are
starting to come in with 37 firms contacted in the last
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Ten firms are
considering expansions totaling over 500,000 sf.
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Lee’s Summit business
climate is good to excellent.
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78 percent of the
firms are planning new products in the near future.
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40 percent of the
firms are considering hiring more employees in the
next 2-3 years.
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81 percent of the
firms state that company sales are increasing.
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LSEDC’s President to Chair Regional
Business Retention Efforts |
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LSEDC has received a $15,000
grant from the
Missouri Department of Economic
Development and the
Full Employment Council (FEC)
to take business retention to the next level.
LSEDC President & CEO Jim Devine and John
Engleman of Aquila have been elected Co-
Chairman of the Regional Business Retention
Council, which will meet monthly to assist the
FEC to call on local businesses, save jobs, and
increase productivity and wage rates by
introducing employers to the Full Employment
Council’s range of services. Participating in
the Business Retention Council efforts are 10
economic development professionals from Blue
Springs; Cass, Platte and Clay Counties;
Independence; Grandview; Richmond and KCMO.
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Senator Bond Announces Funding for
Lee’s
Summit’s GE Energy Systems
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On Tuesday, November 21,
U.S. Senator Kit Bond visited the GE Energy plant in
Lee’s Summit to see first-hand the work of local
researchers who are developing cutting-edge
chemical/biological protection suits for America’s
soldiers and first responders. Senator Bond secured
$1.95 million in the 2007 Defense Appropriations bill
for GE Energy Systems to research and develop
critically-needed new chemical/biological protection
suits designed to self-decontaminate. Pictured here is
Senator Bond with Cordell Benton, Engineering Program
Manager.
Our Congressional
delegation is a vital ally in assisting local companies
to secure federal funding for mission critical products
and helping the City of Lee’s Summit secure federal
funds for infrastructure such as the Strother Road
Interchange.
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LSEDC Assisting City on Office and Industrial Master
Plan |
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With
residential, retail and downtown development well in
hand, office and industrial development deserves a
holistic look, too. The City has asked LSEDC to develop
a draft Request for Qualifications and Scope of Services
to solicit interested parties to help the City maximize
office and industrial potential. City staff will review
the RFQ and draft scope of services, submit to City Council for review and possible
approval, and advertise to interested consultants
sometime early in 2007. The study comes as the next
logical step to work over the last few years in which
LSEDC reviewed our competitive position in the
metro area and compared our product to the competition.
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Recent Survey of Economic Development
Professionals |
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A recent poll of 200 economic
development practitioners by Angelou Economics of
Austin, Texas found the following industries as their
Top 10 Industry Targets.
Top 10 Industry Targets
1. High-tech (including IT and
semiconductors)
2. Biotech/Life sciences
3. Logistics/Distribution
4. Light Manufacturing
5. Aerospace/Aviation
6. Automotive
7. Professional Services
8. (tie) Plastics / Food Processing
9. Tourism/Hospitality
10. Retail
From Lee's Summit’s perspective, many of
the targets are in our sights as well. The Summit Tech
Campus continues to be a magnet for IT companies, Lee's
Summit has two very fast growing bio/life science
companies (Acceleration and ViraCor), the plastics
industry is well represented by FabTech, Polytainers,
and R&D Tool, and retail is hot with RED's Summit Fair
and Greenpoint Development's City Walk. Professional
services are on the rise with medical and local
entrepreneurs seeking an Eastern Jackson County location
as an alternative to commutes to Johnson County and
KCMO.
The survey respondents' community
challenges included: high costs for housing and land,
high taxes, lack of a skilled and educated workforce,
lack of incentives, lack of transportation
infrastructure, lack of support from the state level or
poor attitudes at the local level, and a negative
attitude from local elected officials and the lack of an
entrepreneurial environment. The study concludes that
marketing to the outside cannot be successful without
internal support, so changing attitudes at home is of
tremendous significance. Fortunately, Lee's Summit has a
"can do" attitude at all levels of the economic
development public/private partnership. Our schools,
city staff and elected officials, allies and real estate
professionals all demonstrate a positive attitude and
problem solving approach to any potential road blocks to
the development process. |
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Eastern Jackson County Commercial Realtors Exchange |
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The Lee's
Summit Commercial Realtors Roundtable and the
Independence Realtors Exchange met twice in the past
year for a joint session with over 30 real estate
professionals in attendance. The Eastern Jackson
County Development Alliance has decided to take that
synergy and extend an invitation to all its
participating communities: Blue Springs, Grain
Valley, Grandview, Independence, Lee's Summit, Oak
Grove and Sugar Creek.
The
Eastern Jackson County Commercial Realtors Exchange
(EJCCRE) will hold its first meeting on January 18,
7:45 - 9 a.m., at the
Chapel Ridge Banquet Center. LSEDC Advisory
Board member Mike Atcheson,
CEAH Realtors/Chapel Ridge Development, has
generously provided the site for this meeting and
will kick off the meeting with an update on the
Chapel Ridge project. More details on the full
program will be available later this month. Any
commercial broker or agent in the eastern Jackson
County area is welcome to attend.
In 2007,
additional meetings of the EJCCRE are also planned
for April 19 in Independence and October 18 in Blue
Springs. The meetings will convene at 8 a.m. with
registration beginning at 7:45 a.m.
The Lee's
Summit Commercial Realtors Roundtable (LSCRR) began
in 2002 through the combined efforts of Jim Devine;
Chamber of Commerce officer Connie Smith; and the
late Carter Douglas, Reece & Nichols broker. The
LSCRR will continue to meet at 8:30 a.m. on the
third Thursday of each month with the exception of
the months of January, April and October. Any
commercial broker or agent with listings in Lee's
Summit is welcome to attend.
For more
information regarding the EJC Commercial Realtors
Exchange or the Lee's Summit Commercial Realtors
Roundtable, contact Teresa Evans at 525-6617 or
tdevans@leessummit.org.
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Investor Focus
Community Involvement
Boosts Realty Trust Group |
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Each
quarter we highlight an LSEDC Investor company in our E-Newsletter. If
you would like to be featured, attend our Quarterly Investor Meeting and
drop your business card in the box. If your card is drawn, you will be
featured in an upcoming e-newsletter.
For more than 20 years,
Bernell Rice and his associates at
Realty Trust Group have been earning the trust of
area developers through quality service and involvement
in the community.
"We like to establish
long-term relationships with our clients," Rice said.
"We have actively been involved with many of our clients
for over 20 years. We are members of the LSEDC, the
Chamber, and a member of the Kansas City Regional
Association of Realtors. This involvement has given us
ongoing interaction with businesses, community leaders
and stakeholders in Lee’s Summit."
Realty Trust Group is a
full-service operation.
"We provide our clients
professional real estate service in the selling, leasing
and management of commercial land, developments, retail
space, office space and industrial facilities," Rice
said. "We provide strong market presence with the
investor community through on-site advertising, web
exposure and networking with brokers. We believe in
honest, professional and responsible consultation in the
best interests of our clients."
Why did you join the
LSEDC?
We want to provide input
and be a part of the dialogue about what is good for our
community. The LSEDC is at the center of these
discussions. Our involvement in the LSEDC has given us
ongoing interaction with the major players in the city,
county and region.
Where are you currently
involved in Lee’s Summit?
We have been involved in
several office developments such as Tudor Square
Executive Business Park, Arborwalk Business Park,
Victoria Park, Windsor Commons and Executive Lakes to
name a few. Currently we are developing Hillside at
Deerbrook, Colbern & Rice Center and Langsford Plaza,
all in Lee’s Summit and Eastland Parkway Business Center
and Eastland Business Center North located at M-291 and
Highway 40 in Independence. |
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Paradise Park Honored |
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LS and KC to Get Bank HQ |
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EJack Golf Tourney |
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Eastern Jackson County By the
Numbers Updated |
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LSEDC Honored |
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LSEDC President to Chair Biz Retention Efforts |
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Senator Bond Announces
Funding |
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LSEDC Assisting City on
Office and Industrial MP |
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Recent Survey of ED Professionals |
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E Jack Commercial Realtors |
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Investor
Focus: Realty Trust Group |
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The following list includes
our newest investors since September 2006. |
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Welcome New
Investors
Benefactors - $2,500 - $4,999
Enterprise Bank & Trust -
Taylor Miller
Investors - $750 - $1,499
Colliers Turley Martin Tucker -
Suzanne Dimmel |
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For a
complete listing of ALL of our Investors, click
here. |
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FAST
FACTS |
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Nationally,
39 percent of employers said that recent high school graduates
are unprepared for entry-level positions. |
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One
half say high school graduates lack skills to read complicated
materials, think critically, and problem solve. |
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Two thirds of new jobs nationally require some college
education. |
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By
2010, jobs requiring at least a bachelor’s degree will grow by
22 percent, and jobs requiring at least an associate’s degree by
32 percent. |
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The implications are clear:
our schools need to think globally and act locally.
Fortunately,
Blue Springs
R-4,
Lee’s Summit R-7 and
Longview Community College routinely
win regional and national awards demonstrating a commitment to
educating our kids for jobs of the future. Examples include: Summit Technology Academy, Coursework in International Studies,
and cultural exchanges with students in Japan and China, to
name a few. |
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