Local Economic Development Contacts
Contact Us
Phone: +1.314.725.0949
Toll Free: +1.877.725.0949
Fax: +1.314.725.0743
120 South Central Avenue, Suite 1535
Saint Louis, MO 63105
12200 NW Ambassador Drive, Suite 234
Kansas City, MO 64163 |
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Missouri's Kansas City Region
The Kansas City region is composed of five counties and contains Missouri’s largest city and second largest metro area. The region is famous for its barbecue and sports teams; baseball’s Royals and football’s Chiefs are both based in Kansas City. Growing industries in the region include Advanced Energy, Biosciences, Contact/Data Centers, and Manufacturing. Many major companies are headquartered in the KC region; Cerner Corporation, Commerce Bancshares, Hallmark, and H&R Block are just a few examples.
Recent Investment Projects
May 2013- Garney Construction Co., a subsidiary of employee-owned Garney Holding Co., announced it will add 40 full-time jobs to its Kansas City office.
Ford announced plans to hire 900 workers for a new shift at their Claycomo plant.
Ranpak Corp., one of the largest producers of paper-based packaging materials in the world, announced plans to invest $2.9 million and create 25 new jobs as it moves a production plant from Kansas City, Kan., to Kansas City, Mo.
April 2013- Adrian Steel, an automotive supply company that specializes in producing commercial van interiors, announced a new manufacturing facility in Kansas City, a capital investment of $4.7 million that will create 39 new jobs.
CinTech services, a Texas company that installs digital projection systems for movie theaters, has opened an operations center in Kansas City. The new network operations center was launched with an initial staff of three employees, with plans to add a total of 20 employees within the next year.
Yanfeng USA Automotive Trim Systems, an industry leader in interior component supplies, announced plans to make a $45 million capital investment expected to create 263 jobs in Riverside.
Indigo Wild, a producer of all-natural products for the body and home, announced it will be expanding its manufacturing operations in Kansas City, making a capital investment of $875,000 and creating 6 new full-time jobs.
March 2013- Decision Insight, a Kansas City marketing research firm, announced plans expand its local operations, making a capital investment of $2,050,000 and creating nine new jobs.
BrightFarms, New York-based urban farm developers, announced plans to build a 100,000-square-foot, $4 million hydroponic greenhouse in Kansas City, creating 25 full-time jobs.
February 2013- Clay and Bailey Manufacturing Company, a company that manufactures parts for aboveground and underground tanks, announced they will expand their Kansas City operations, a capital investment of $1.5 million that is expected to create 4 new full-time jobs.
December 2012- Vander Haag's inc, a truck sales and service company, announced plans to build and open a $5 million facility in Kansas City by December 2013. The project is expected to bring 20 jobs with an average $50,000 annual salary.
November 2012- Portals Hardware announced plans to move to Kansas City, taking 16 jobs there. The producer of luxury hardware and accessories for kitchens and bathrooms will make a $200,000 investment in the facility.
Logoplaste , a manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging, selected the Kansas City region for its new manufacturing operation. The company will invest $31.5 million in a 200,000-sq.-ft. facility, creating approximately 80 new jobs.
Vistar, a snack and beverage vending distributor, announced that it is moving operations and about 75 employees to Riverside. The move represents an $8.2 million investment.
October 2012- Technology deployment company Velociti announced it would relocate its headquarters from Kansas City, Kan., to Riverside in a move expected to create 97 new jobs.
September 2012- Larson Binkley, a design engineering firm, announced it is moving with its 40 employees from Overland Park to the Crossroads Arts District in downtown Kansas City. Larson Binkley’s initial investment includes $1.25 million in personal property, and the company also plans to add 26 jobs with an average salary of $66,667.
August 2012- LPG Ventures in Raytown announced they were building an additional facility in Kearney that is expected to create 20 jobs and represent a $1.9 million investment.
Sporting Innovations, a company that creates web software to enrich the experience of sports fans, including mobile applications, announced plans to expand operations in Kansas City. The company plans to make a capital investment of $20 million and create 120 new high-tech jobs over the next three years.
Freightquote, described as the nation’s largest online freight-shipping broker, announced it would move its headquarters and 1,225 jobs from Lenexa to Kansas City. The company plans to occupy 200,000 square feet of office space to be built in two phases, bringing 1,225 jobs within three years, and adding 125 jobs in the fourth year, bringing the total to 1,350.
July 2012- Marlen International, a manufacturer of food-processing equipment, announced plans to move to Riverside, Mo.
Farm to Market Bread Co., announced it is expanding its operations and moving to a new facility in Kansas City, creating three new jobs and making new capital investment of $1.3 million.
June 2012- Vintage Tech Recyclers, an asset recovery and responsible recycling company, announced that it selected a Kansas City area community, Riverside, for its newest operations center. The company expects to create up to 50 new jobs in the next three years and plans to expand its facility to 40,000 square feet.
Murphy Warehouse Co. announced they had leased industrial space in North Kansas City and were planning to expand their 50,000-square-foot facility to 135,000 square feet by the end of the year. Initially, Murphy — which handles supply-chain logistics for companies large and small — will hire 12 to manage the North Kansas City facility.
LMV Automotive Systems, a part of Magna International Inc., broke ground on a $42 million production facility in Liberty that will create 156 jobs.
May 2012- Ecto Development Corp., a company providing chemical and pesticide formulation, registration and research services for pharmaceutical and animal health companies, announced an expansion of its headquarters only six months after relocating to Blue Springs. The company expects additional projects will require hiring an additional 30-35 employees at its manufacturing partner in Pleasant Hill this year.
Workforce
| Area |
Population 2011 |
Population Projection 2030 |
Civilian Labor Force (July 2012) |
Employment (July 2012) |
Unemployment (July 2012) |
Unemployment Rate (July 2012) |
| Cass County |
100,052 |
136,933 |
51,360 |
47,621 |
3,739 |
7.30% |
| Clay County |
225,161 |
300,021 |
122,746 |
113,670 |
9,076 |
7.40% |
| Jackson County |
676,360 |
714,467 |
340,515 |
312,345 |
28,170 |
8.30% |
| Platte County |
90,903 |
114,904 |
51,249 |
47,985 |
3,264 |
6.40% |
| Ray County |
23,230 |
24,435 |
11,903 |
10,601 |
1,302 |
10.90% |
| Kansas City Summary |
1,115,706 |
1,290,760 |
577,773 |
532,222 |
45,551 |
7.90% |
Sources: MERIC and Missouri Office of Administration
Median Wages
The regional average wage was $921 per week in the 1st Quarter of 2012.
Transportation Access
Major area roads include I-29, I-35, and I-70 as well as US-40, US-50, US-69 and US-71. I-29 extends to the Canadian border in North Dakota, passing through cities such as Council Bluffs, Sioux Falls, and Fargo. I-70 runs from Maryland to Utah, providing access to St. Louis, Denver, Indianapolis, and Dayton.
Major junctions on I-35 include San Antonio, Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Minneapolis. US-71 currently extends from the Canadian border all the way to Shreveport; a large section of the highway from Kansas City south is currently being upgraded to Interstate standards as a potential extension of I-49.
The region also boasts one of only two major commercial airports in Missouri: Kansas City International airport.
Class I rail access is provided by Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and Union Pacific.
Kansas City also has a port facility on the Missouri River.
Major Cities
Kansas City (Pop: 463,202)
Independence (117,213)
Lee’s Summit (91,688)
Blue Springs (52,749)
Liberty (29,557)
Gladstone (25,784)
Raytown (29,622)
Grandview (24,555
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011
Education
Higher Education Institutions:
Avila University: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
DeVry University: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
Kansas City Art Institute: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
Metropolitan Community College: (Independence, Kansas City, Lee's Summit) 2-year, public
Park University: (Parkville) 4-year, private
Rockhurst University: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
University of Missouri-Kansas City: 4-year, public
William Jewell College: (Liberty) 4-year, private
Educational Attainment:
| Area |
High School Diploma |
Associate's Degree |
Bachelor's Degree |
Graduate Degree |
Total Degrees |
| Cass County |
23,559 |
4,742 |
9,432 |
4,219 |
41,952 |
| Clay County |
41,499 |
10,737 |
29,199 |
13,548 |
94,983 |
| Jackson County |
132,307 |
28,839 |
74,236 |
43,826 |
279,208 |
| Platte County |
14,400 |
4,493 |
14,376 |
7,092 |
40,361 |
| Ray County |
7,002 |
1,029 |
1,224 |
911 |
10,166 |
| Kansas City Summary |
230,518 |
56,097 |
132,672 |
71,122 |
490,409 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5 year estimates, 2010
Other Resources
Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute: The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute works to advance the region's life sciences research, commercialization, and workforce development.
KC STEM Alliance: The KC STEM Alliance is a collaborative network of educators, business affiliates and organizations that inspires interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers to generate a robust force of related professionals for Kansas City.
Metropolitan Community College- Penn Valley Health Science Institute: The MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute is a brand new, state-of-the-art education center that provides hands-on and interdisciplinary learning opportunities for the area's healthcare workforce.
MRIGlobal: Formerly known as the Midwest Research Institute, MRIGlobal has earned international recognition for its health research services supporting the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, veterinary medicine, agrochemical, and related industries worldwide. MRI develops and evaluates seed coating and pelletizing processes incorporating desired chemical or biological treatments.
Stowers Institute for Medical Research: The Stowers Institute conducts basic research on genes and proteins that control fundamental processes in living cells to unlock the mysteries of disease and find the keys to their causes, treatment, and prevention.
University of Missouri--Kansas City Center of Excellence in Mineralized Tissue: The Center specifically conducts research to prevent and treat diseases of mineralized tissue which includes teeth, cartilage, bone and muscle tissue. Research at the Center is applied to biomaterials, medical devices, diagnostics, imaging and veterinary medicine.
University of Missouri--Kansas City School of Biological Sciences Fungal Genetics Stock Center: The (FGSC), a National Science Foundation-supported collection of biological materials used in research. FGSC holds more than 60,000 stocks and nearly a million molecular clones for use in basic and applied research, as well as clinical and industrial research. FGSC serves biologists, chemists and high school teachers in the region, and distributes materials to researchers in 50 countries and most states within the U.S. The FGSC website averages more than 1.5 million hits per year, and is the most active website in the world for research in fungal genetics.
Quality of Life
Residents of the Kansas City region also enjoy a much lower cost of living than residents of other large metropolitan areas, with access to some of the top health care facilities in the United States, such as Children’s Mercy and Saint Luke’s Hospitals.
In addition to being home to a wide variety of professional sports teams, including the Royals (Baseball), the Chiefs (Football), and the Command (Arena Football), Kansas City offers a wide variety of recreational and cultural activities.
Museums in the region include the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the American Jazz Museum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the Truman Presidential Museum & Library. Kansas City also has amusement parks (Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun), casinos, and a zoo.
The region is widely known for its barbeque and is home to the largest barbeque contest in the world, the American Royal Barbeque Festival.
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