We braved the chill today and watched as the final beam was lifted at the new Cerner building just 14 miles outside of Lee’s Summit.

“Today’s topping ceremony physically confirms Cerner’s place as one of Kansas City’s greatest business stories,” Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James said. “This building and this entire campus will be both a symbol of the Kansas City spirit of innovation and a great place to work.”

Governor Jay Nixon calls the $4.45 billion project the largest economic development project in Missouri’s history. “As the largest economic development project in Missouri history, we are extremely proud to join Cerner and our local partners to celebrate this tremendous milestone for the company and the Greater Kansas City area,” said Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon. “With the more than 4,000 construction jobs that will be created, we are already seeing the economic benefits of this project. Once complete, this campus will further accommodate Cerner’s growth and bring up to 16,000 new jobs to the area, strengthening Missouri’s position as a top destination for growing tech companies.”

So what does this mean for Lee’s Summit? We couldn’t be happier! Not only should we see the possibility for more jobs through the construction phase, but we are likely to reap some benefit after completion with an increase in population. Cerner is known for high-quality, young talent and that will fit nicely with our downtown brew district, New Longview area and soon to be developed areas like Paragon Star.

See more local announcements about this at Fox4News, The Kansas City Star or Cerner’s web page.