E-NEWS FROM THE LEE'S SUMMIT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL June 2003. Volume 2, Edition 2

LSEDC Concern Over Effect From State Education Cuts

Missouri’s Senior Senator Christopher S. Bond, will be our featured speaker at the August 13th Annual Meeting Quarterly Investor Luncheon.  The Senator will bring us up to date on national and regional economic development issues, as well as other matters of concern.  His presentation culminates our year of thinking locally and acting regionally in which we have sought speakers from throughout the metro and statewide area.  The August 13th luncheon will be at Truman Medical Center-Lakewood beginning at 11:45.  Call Teresa at 816-525-6617 or email tdevans@leessummit.org to RSVP.

During our June 4 Board meeting, Mayor Karen Messerli put it all into perspective: “Never in my 9 years as Mayor has there been so much economic development activity at the same time.”  LSEDC’s project activity is up. Several retention and expansion projects are in play representing over 900 jobs to retain or expand in our community. In addition, our model home, the Summit Technology Campus, continues to attract serious inquiries with substantial job producing possibilities. Our partner, the Kansas City Area Development Council, (KCADC) provides the national exposure for this unique and infrastructure rich building and its surrounding campus.

In addition, retail interest remains high. The success of RED’s SummitWoods Crossing has set the pace and proven Lee’s Summit as a retail mega location serving eastern Jackson County and even south Kansas City. To learn more about the community’s local attributes, check “Lee’s Summit by the Numbers” on our web site. This is the “ go to” resource on Lee’s Summit.

Our second round of postcards to over 1600 area opinion makers, decision makers, real estate and development professionals is underway.  Sets of the six cards will be distributed at our Annual Meeting/ Quarterly Investor Luncheon.  This campaign features the people and places that make Lee’s Summit a “Surprising” place to do business.  Check our website at www.leessummit.org each month to see which card is in the pipeline.

It is an axiom in the economic development profession that good schools are necessary to create a trained workforce and to attract quality industry. Dr Richard Florida reiterated the need for talent in his three “t’s” for economic development: technology, talent and tolerance during last years KCADC Annual Meeting. Area Development Magazine evaluates community educational credentials as part of the site selection process. School Match is a national data service for relocating families and companies. Their data strives to compare community educational achievements.  These fixtures in economic development lead one to question how all the cut backs in state funding for education will impact our community competitiveness. To learn more about the impacts on the R7 school district click here: R-7.

Thanks to a grant from Aquila (and our partner Mark Dawson) we have the customized “Synchronist”  software package. Using “Synchronist”, your LSEDC will be surveying local industry over the next six months to better understand their needs and plans to stay and potentially expand in the Lee’s Summit area.  The vast majority of jobs in our area are created by existing companies so it is vital that the LSEDC stay abreast of those issues that may affect a company’s decision to “stay or go.”  A report of our findings will be issued early next year.

The goals and accomplishments of the year just passed are catalogued in the newly published 2002/2003 LSEDC Annual Report.  Copies will be available at the August 13th Investor Luncheon and on-line. Just click on the word Annual Report above to link it.

The August 13th annual meeting/quarterly investor luncheon will also be the occasion to recognize outgoing chairman G. David Gale, President of Gale Communities,  and welcome our new Chairman for 2003/2004, John L. Jacobson, President and CEO of Lee’s Summit Hospital.  New to our Executive Committee will be Mike Atcheson, Managing Partner of Chapel Ridge. New to our Board will be Michael Dodig, attorney of Dodig, Arbuckle and Carey, along with re-elected board members Ted Murray, President  of the Grubb & Ellis/The Winbury Group and Mike Mandicina, Vice President of Mechanical Breakdown Protection Inc. In addition we have four new Advisory Board members: Gary Bromley, President of ABI, Inc.; Steve Curd, Publisher of the Lee's Summit Journal; Kurt Pycior, President of Froelich Pycior Companies; and Diane Seif, President of RxCCI.

We would like to say a special thank you to our outgoing Advisory Board members.  The following five people have generously donated their time and energy in serving as Advisory Board members and helped make 2002-2003 one of the most successful years yet for LSEDC:  Steve Begshaw, Director – Missouri Governmental Affairs of the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City; Berry Jennings, Owner/Agent of Berry Jennings State Farm Insurance; Gerry McReynolds, former Director of Customer Operations of Aquila; Rick Miles, President of Government Employees Hospital Association; and Jon Plaas, President of Plaas Associates, Inc.

This is our ninth electronic newsletter. If you like it pass it along. Our goal is to provide you with useful information in a useful format. Have we succeeded? Do you have suggestions? Do you want to be dropped from our distribution list? Please let me know at jdevine@leessummit.org. That’s it for now. 

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