WKREDA News

Communities are the heart of Kansas. So, when it comes to growing the economy, community development is central to our approach. One of the first priorities companies consider when deciding where to locate is whether their employees will be able to live happily and comfortably. When it comes to Kansas, w...Continue Reading

Barrel House Liquor in Topeka saw an increase in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, said its manager Karla Rettig. But not everybody in the alcohol sector can say the same. While bars and restaurants incapacitated by virus restrictions helped drive traffic toward liquor stores, it's still affected parts of Barrel House's business, too. "We sell to the...Continue Reading

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) visited Garden City on Friday. During his visit, Marshall toured the Garden City Regional Airport, which received CARES Act funding in 2020 and will begin construction of a new terminal later this year. Marshall said the new terminal is an incredible thing for southwest Kansas. "1959 is whe...Continue Reading

TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland today announced the addition of two new key hires at the Kansas Department of Commerce to better serve and respond to the needs of Kansas businesses. Ryan Wills has been named Manager of Constituent Services and Hospitality Industry Liaison in the Office o...Continue Reading

Wichita, Kan. - NetWork Kansas’ Entrepreneurship (E-) Community Partnership announces the conclusion of the 2020-2021 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) Series. During the 2020-2021 academic year, 898 students from 46 Kansas communities participated in 44 local entrepreneurship competitions. The YEC Series consists of local-level youth entrepreneurship competitions hosted by volunteers. Local YEC Series event...Continue Reading

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today visited Lenexa’s KANSASWORKS center to celebrate the relaunch of Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment Program (RESEA) and the return of in-person consultations in order to better serve the specific needs of Kansans looking for work.  “Kansans are getting back to school and back to work. Just las...Continue Reading

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced the Kansas Tourism Division will officially be part of the Kansas Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Executive Reorganization Order (ERO) Governor Kelly submitted to the Kansas Legislature on Jan. 25 of this year. The 60 calendar day period has expired without action by either th...Continue Reading

Making Time for Self-Care as an Entrepreneur is Extremely for Your Health and Success If you’re a small business owner trying to do it all, it’s important to beware of the dangers of entrepreneurial burnout. Harvard Business Review explains that entrepreneurs who are especially passionate about their businesses are more likely to bur...Continue Reading

Kansas, the nation’s breadbasket, is rapidly becoming a leader in food processing, with one major announcement following another in this growth sector in the state. Empirical Foods recently broke ground on a new ground beef facility in Garden City, KS. The plant will bring 250 new jobs and more than $25...Continue Reading

The pandemic brought many surprises last year. Quite a few were unwanted, but some were pleasant. The Kansas Department of Agriculture's From the Land of Kansas website saw an unprecedented increase in sales, with the money going to local producers. More than 850 2020 holiday gift boxes were sent out. This was a 30% increase from November and December sale...Continue Reading

TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland today announced that Office of Broadband Development Director Stanley Adams is the Department of Commerce’s Employee of the Year for 2020. Adams was promoted to lead Governor Laura Kelly’s newly established Office of Broadband Development (OBD) at Commerce in October of last year...Continue Reading

TOPEKA — Critically needed broadband will soon be available to more than a dozen Kansas communities after the first-round recipients of a state grant program were announced. The Broadband Acceleration Grant Program, created in fall 2020, aims to increase broadband access across the state through a 10-year, $85 million investment. Th...Continue Reading

Kansas had the most dramatic jump in economic development success of any state in the country in 2020, according to Site Selection magazine. With 70 projects meeting the magazine’s criteria, Kansas ranked 10th in the nation in economic development projects per capita in 2020. The new ranking increased from 2019 whe...Continue Reading

Less than one year after launching a comprehensive online entrepreneurship fair and business competition plan software for Kansans, NetWork Kansas announces the software's national expansion. VentureDash is on track to host 50 competitions across the country, including competitions of seven colleges and universities. "I know that we are definitely excited to work wit...Continue Reading

When she was elected, Governor Kelly promised to be “the education Governor.” Since the start of her administration, she’s made good on that commitment by increasing funding for public schools and working to align education with business needs. On January 24, 2019, Governor Kelly issued Executive Order 19-03 creating the Governor’s Council o...Continue Reading

When she was elected, Governor Kelly promised to be “the education Governor.” Since the start of her administration, she’s made good on that commitment by increasing funding for public schools and working to align education with business needs. On January 24, 2019, Governor Kelly issued Executive Order 19-03 creating the Governor’s Council o...Continue Reading

Governor Laura Kelly announced that applications are currently being accepted for the Community Service Tax Credit Program (CSP). “The Community Service Tax Program helps local nonprofit and healthcare organizations improve the health and economic wellbeing of their communities by streamlining their fundraising efforts,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “This program will encourag...Continue Reading

Dodge City commissioners created a Community Improvement District project for Harbor Freight Tools to come into Dodge City in a portion of the old Alco building in Comanche Plaza. According to Dodge City/Ford County Economic Development executive director Joan Knight, the CID will also leave 9,000 square feet of space fo...Continue Reading

Governor Laura Kelly announced the selection of Atchison, Baldwin City, and Junction City as the newest members of the Kansas Main Street program, bringing the total number of designated Main Street communities in Kansas to 28. These three communities are the first new additions to the state’s Main Street program sinc...Continue Reading

The Smithsonian Institution is helping to showcase the rural Kansas heritage. Through a series of in-person events, they are helping six Kansas communities showcase their people and culture.  The traveling Smithsonian exhibition, "Crossroads: Change in Rural America," has its next stop at the Volland Store in Alma.  Small towns are overcoming challenges through innovative solutions...Continue Reading

NetWork Kansas announced its 2021 board of directors. Joining the board, Dr. Robert Weems, Jr., the Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History at Wichita State University since Fall 2011. Before coming to WSU, he taught at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Iowa. A native of Chicago...Continue Reading

Governor Laura Kelly unveiled Kansas’ new, comprehensive economic development strategic plan, the first of its kind in more than 30 years. The Kansas Framework for Growth is an aggressive strategy to align our state’s strengths with emerging trends across the global economy, while guiding economic development at state and local level...Continue Reading

Governor Laura Kelly, Lt. Governor David Toland, and Treasurer Lynn Rogers announced the release of the Office of Rural Prosperity’s (ORP) 2020 Annual Report. The report outlines ORP’s policy priorities and the office’s ongoing projects, including rural infrastructure and broadband, childcare and early education, housing, and community and workforce development. “Th...Continue Reading

Governor Laura Kelly today announced her intent to submit an Executive Reorganization Order (ERO) to the Kansas Legislature relocating the State’s Tourism Division to the Kansas Department of Commerce. The move comes as the result of input from businesses, destination marketing organizations and other key industry partners, including the Travel Industr...Continue Reading