Kansas

EDA awarded 10 grants totaling $3.6 million in the State of Kansas during FY 2012.  These grants funded construction projects that support manufacturing, diversify the agriculture sector, provide technical assistance to communities, and encourage strategic planning.  These projects are expected to create or retain 355 jobs according to grantee estimates. 

Investment Spotlight: EDA’s Infrastructure Improvements Enable Aircraft Assembly Expansion

Wichita, Kansas is an internationally recognized center for aeronautics industry research and development and aircraft production.  With companies including Beechcraft, Bombardier, Cessna, and Airbus have all located manufacturing facilities in Wichita, the aircraft assembly industry cluster, with a large number of high-skill, high-wage jobs, is a leading exporter of aircraft to customers worldwide. However, Wichita’s heavy reliance on the aircraft industry meant that the community was especially impacted by the sharp decline in aircraft orders during the global recession of 2008-2010.  At its peak, layoffs in the Wichita area impacted more than 12,000 aircraft production workers.

In 2011, Bombardier Learjet notified the Wichita Airport Authority of its need for additional space for a major expansion of its manufacturing operations to accommodate production of the new Learjet 85 aircraft, as well as a new Center of Excellence for Engineering and Information Technology.  Because Bombardier was totally landlocked, the only option for expansion was for the Airport Authority to relocate a parking structure to free up land adjacent to the Bombardier facility.   In FY 2012, EDA awarded nearly $2 million to help the airport authority for the removal of the existing parking facility and to rebuild it in a different location.  This investment, coupled with $1 million invested by both the City and Sedgwick County respectively, will leverage Bombardier’s private investment of $600 million to expand its Learjet production in Wichita. Bombardier’s expansion is expected to add 450 high-paying jobs over the next seven years.