Greater Wichita continues to receive high marks...

8/9/11 - It seems that Wichita, KS has taken up permanent residence atop the annual Aerospace/Defense Manufacturing category in Business Facilities' Metro Rankings, but the Charleston, SC area (ranked second this year) is revving up its jet engines for a dogfight in years to come, fueled by the growth in aerospace jobs that are expected to follow Boeing’s placement of its 787 assembly facility in North Charleston.

Wichita is home to the world’s best-known aviation cluster, often referred to as the “Air Capital of the World.” For nine decades—almost as long as manned flight has existed—aircraft and aircraft components have been built in the Kansas hub.

The Wichita area hosts four aerospace OEMs (Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, Bombadier Learjet, Cessna Aircraft and Hawker Beechcraft). Wichita also is the site of the Airbus Engineering Design Center, and some of the most specialized equipment in the world for metal and composite material fabrication. The Wichita area boasts a network of more than 200 precision machine shots, tool and die shops, and other aerospace subcontract manufacturers. There are more than 40 Boeing-certified gold and silver suppliers within a 200-mile radius of the city.

South Carolina officials hailed Boeing’s decision to place its 787 plant in the Palmetto State instead of its traditional jet manufacturing hub near Seattle, WA (our 2009 Economic Development Deal of the Year Gold Award winner) as “the largest investment” in the history of the state, comparing it to BMW’s decision to site a huge assembly facility in Spartanburg, SC, which established the Palmetto state as a major player in automotive manufacturing. The project is expected to create more than 4,000 jobs.

Our third-place Aerospace Defense Manufacturing leader, Huntsville, AL, is known as the “Rocket City” for its status as the primary hub for the nation’s missile defense, space and military aerospace programs. Huntsville/

Madison County is home to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, both of which are centers of research and development.

Here are the top 10 finishers in the aerospace/defense category:

2011 METRO RANKINGS: AEROSPACE/DEFENSE MANUFACTURING

1. WICHITA, KS

2. CHARLESTON, SC

3. HUNTSVILLE, AL

4. FT. WORTH, TX

5. SEATTLE, WA

6. TUCSON, AZ

7. LOS ANGELES, CA

8. PHOENIX, AZ

9. TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG, FL

10. ORLANDO, FL

Kiplinger ranks Wichita one of Best Value Cities - 2011

Kiplinger, July 2011

(7/15/2010) - CNBC's Survey ranks Kansas among Top 10 in transportation, economy, cost of living & 11th overall. The CNBC report analyzes all 50 states by examining 40 different measures of competitiveness, which are then grouped into 10 broad categories: cost of doing business, workforce, quality of life, economy, transportation, technology and innovation, education, business friendliness, access to capital and cost of living. Of those 10 categories, Kansas finished one spot behind Georgia and one spot ahead of North Dakota. Iowa (No. 6) was the only Midwestern state ranked ahead of Kansas.

“This national ranking is another example of how Kansas has positioned itself well above the rest of the country,” said Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson. “As we continue to strengthen our economy, it is encouraging that prestigious organizations like CNBC are recognizing our state’s efforts in creating job-producing policies and promoting economic development. This ranking not only speaks volumes about the amazing workforce and businesses in our state, but also the strong schools, public infrastructure and communities that have created Kansas’ success. We remain committed to continuing this success and furthering our economic recovery.”

CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news, providing real-time financial market coverage and business information to more than 340 million homes worldwide, including more than 95 million households in the United States and Canada. The complete ranking is available at www.cnbc.com.

Today’s announcement marks the third time since May a major media outlet has recognized Kansas for business excellence. In June, Area Development magazine named Kansas the winner of the Silver Shovel Award for excellence in job creation and capital investment. In May, Kansas was named one of the nation’s 10 most competitive states for capital investment and facility development by Site Selection magazine, a leading publication for site consultants. Visit www.kansascommerce.com/newsroom for details.

In 2009, the Kansas Department of Commerce was involved in 58 successful recruitment projects in which Kansas was competing with at least one other state. Those projects totaled 11,888 new jobs and $685.2 million in capital investment. The Department was also involved in 141 expansion/retention projects with existing Kansas businesses, totaling 21,600 new or retained jobs and $1.37 billion in capital investment.

 

INTRUST BANK ARENA RANKS 17TH IN TOP 100 VENUES (7/21/2010) –

After less than 1 year in operation, INTRUST Bank Arena continued its trend of strong ticket sales ranking in Pollstar Magazine’s Top 100 Arena Venues for Worldwide Ticket Sales for the first half of the 2010 calendar year. The SMG-managed facility ranked 17th in the United States and 39th in the world.   With 135,751 concert tickets sold, INTRUST Bank Arena outsold several regional facilities including the Qwest Center Omaha (Omaha, Neb.), the Pepsi Center (Denver, Colo.), the Scottrade Center (St. Louis, Mo.) and the United Center (Chicago, Ill.).

Kansas ranked top 10 pro-business state
Kansas has been ranked amoung the top 10 pro-business states in a national survey that looks at a state's ability to attract new business and encourage existing business to expand by Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc.  Visit www.pollina.com for more information.

Site Selection magazine ranks Wichita #4 for cities with the most new and expanded facilities in 2007. Site Selection, March 2007

Forbes ranks Wichita second in BEST CITIES FOR JOBS IN 2008.
Forbes, January 2008

Bizjournals.com ranked Wichita second of the 10 MOST AFFORDABLE MARKETS TO OWN A HOME.
Bizjournals.com, March 2007

Wichita Ranked the second BEST PLACE IN AMERICA FOR RELOCATING FAMILIES.
2007 Worldwide ERC and Primary Relocation report

Derby designated as a BEST PLACE TO RETIRE.
October, 2007

Derby recognized as a TOP TEN TOWN FOR FAMILIES.
Family Circle, July 2007

Wichita ranked second out of the 10 MOST AFFORDABLE MARKETS TO OWN A HOME.
Bizjournals.com, June 2007

Wichita, Kan. – Site Selection magazine released its top 10 lists of metro areas in the nation with the most new and expanded corporate facilities in 2007. Wichita tied for fourth with Dayton, Ohio, in the tier of metro areas with populations between 200,000 and 1 million.

The full top 10 in this tier were:

Greensboro/High Point, N.C.,
Omaha/Council Bluffs, Neb./Iowa and Akron, Ohio (tied for second)
Wichita and Dayton (tied for fourth)
Syracuse, N.Y and Raleigh/Cary, N.C. (tied for sixth)
Grand Rapids/Wyoming, Mich.
Tulsa, Okla.
Lexington/Fayette Co. Ky. and Knoxville, Tenn. (tied for tenth)

Based in Atlanta, Site Selection magazine is the oldest publication in the corporate real estate and economic development field. Site Selection’s yearly analyses are regarded by corporate real estate analysts as a key industry scoreboard. The magazine has a circulation base of 44,000 executives involved in corporate site selection decisions.

For this analysis, the Conway Data Inc. New Plant Database tracks the number of new and expanded corporate projects with significant impact. New facilities and expansions included in the analyses must be corporate and meet at least one of three criteria: involve a capital investment of at least $1 million; create at least 50 new jobs; or add at least 20,000 square feet of new floor area.

Site Selection also named Ohio the recipient of its Governor’s Cup as the state with the most new and expanded corporate facilities. More information can be found at www.siteselection.com

“Wichita continues to be recognized for its growth and expansion,” said GWEDC Interim President Al Higdon. “This recognition from one of the most respected magazines in economic development will continue to help us position the Wichita community as a great place to locate and grow business."