> What's Right with Economic Development in Topeka/Shawnee County

Topeka/Shawnee County competes with 18,000 other communities in its quest to create and retain jobs and capital investment. Much of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce/GO Topeka’s economic development efforts involve forward-thinking strategies that make the most of our valuable assets.

Assets that Set Us Apart

Topeka/Shawnee County, indeed, has valuable assets—both natural and developed—to make us a serious contender in the economic development arena:

• Our central location, equally distant from both costs and from Canada and Mexico, is at a crossroads of major highways and interstates.
• Kansas roads are rated 3rd best in the U.S.
• Cost of living is 11% lower than the national average.
• Housing costs are among the lowest in the nation, a recent study ranking us the 6th-lowest.
• Our “Knowledge Corridor” has 66,000 students attending universities within 50 miles of Topeka, and adds 15,000 graduates each year to our ready workforce.
• Our excellent quality of life is reflected in our access to healthcare, cultural and recreational opportunities, and good schools.
• Kansas Riverfront redevelopment is well on its way to enhancing our quality of life and strengthening our identity as a community.
• Hundreds of acres are available at Central Crossing Commerce Park, Forbes Field, and other mixed use and light industrial locations.
• We have solid infrastructure—roads, utilities, fiber optic cable—in place for further development.
• Our business-friendly climate offers financing, incentives, and tax credits.
Alorica: a Case Study of What We’re Doing Right
Alorica, which expects to have hired 1,000 agents and support staff for its new Topeka customer service call center by the end of the year, exemplifies a company attracted to our business-friendly climate. Here are just a few of the factors that Alorica officials say led to their decision:
• The repeal of personal property tax on new investments in business machinery and equipment
• A ready workforce to fill the 1,000-plus positions
• The Topeka/Shawnee County sales tax initiative providing up to $90,000 each year (for up to 1,000 new jobs paying a minimum of $9 an hour plus benefits) over a 10-year period
Economic Development Sales Tax Initiative Paying Off
Of all of Topeka/Shawnee County’s assets, the sales tax initiative differentiates us the most from other Midwest communities, and it can be a tie-breaker when all other factors are equal. Thanks to the taxpayers of Topeka/Shawnee County, the sales tax initiative is proving to be an excellent investment. A recent economic impact study by Dr. Paul F. Byrne of Washburn University’s School of Business shows that the 1,000 Alorica jobs will directly and indirectly bring $88.2 million a year into Topeka/Shawnee County’s economy—phenomenal return on our investment.
Making the Most of our Assets
Chamber/GO Topeka’s economic development efforts are driven by a five-year Strategic Plan. A plan for 2008 through 2012 is expected to expand GO Topeka’s efforts to be more global in scope and focus on these industry segments: warehousing and distribution, shared services (insurance, finance, customer support), value-added food manufacturing, animal and pet products, and business and professional organizations. Besides the Alorica call center, other recent successes fall into these industry segments. Here are just a few:
• Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s $100 million expansion, adding more than 100 jobs
• Reser’s Fine Foods’ $34 million expansion, adding 175 new jobs
• Security Benefit’s new se2 (service end-to-end) subsidiary, with more than 100 new associates
• VA Health Revenue Center’s expansion of its customer
service operation, adding 90 to its Topeka workforce
• Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) relocation of its headquarters to Topeka.
Partnerships and Visioning as We Move
Forward
Driving our Strategic Plan is a target market assessment of Topeka/Shawnee County completed earlier this year by an internationally renowned economic development consulting firm. The study strongly recommends partnerships among private and public entities—including the City and County—to implement a community-wide visioning effort with input from a cross-section of the community to reach consensus in issues related to strategies for the community.
Topeka/Shawnee County is laying the groundwork to start the visioning process so that we stay focused as we move forward. Already, we have raised $470,000 in mostly private funds to get the process started. With the visioning process we can seek out opinions from throughout the community and ask our citizens to determine the future of Topeka/Shawnee County. Visioning can give us a sense of direction for a master plan. Cooperation and collaboration will allow us to implement that master plan. Visioning ultimately leads to a common mission to build a better and stronger community. And, building a better and stronger community is what economic development is all about.