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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
KCK planning commission to consider $12.6B data center near Kansas Speedway
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Kansas City, Kansas, planning commission is expected to discuss a proposed multi-billion-dollar data center near the Kansas Speedway Wednesday evening. The planning commission has scheduled a special session for 6 p.m. Wednesday inside commission chambers, 701 N. Seventh St. Trafficway, to discuss the plan for a $12.6 billion data center, and it's a possibility that there could be a first vote on it. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV The meeting will include a discussion about rezoning the area. So far, it's not clear who would operate the data center, but the Kansas City Business Journal reported one of the people involved had previous roles at Amazon, Microsoft and Oracle. The project site sits roughly four miles west of the Kansas Speedway and three miles from the American Royal campus and a proposed Mattel amusement park in Bonner Springs. If approved, the 548-acre project would take around seven years to complete. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Journals
23-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
These are Kansas City's 131 largest engineering firms
The largest engineering firms in Kansas City employ more than 3,173 local licensed engineers in the counties of Jackson, Ray, Platte, Cass and Clay in Missouri; and Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth in Kansas. The online version of this ranking expands beyond what appears in print; another 111 engineering firms are included in our digital rankings, in addition to the 20 featured in this week's print edition. This week's List is part of a shift in our research methodology and philosophy in 2025, one that will emphasize more data and context for readers while better coordinating the resources available to us and our 46 sister publications under the American City Business Journals flag. We anticipate this effort will identify thousands of new local records — and cumulatively, tens of thousands of new businesses across ACBJ's footprint — this year alone. Information on The List was obtained through Kansas City Business Journal research or supplied by individual firms through questionnaires that KCBJ could not independently verify. In case of ties, firms are ranked by total employment and then listed alphabetically if ties remain. Additionally, engineering firms that did not respond to employment surveys but were still included on this year's List are sorted by estimated total employment figures derived from KCBJ archives; annual filings with the U.S. Department of Labor; and other firm-specific resources. For information about this and other Kansas City Business Journal Lists, please contact Data Reporter Elizabeth Yost at eyost@ or 816-777-2202.
Business Journals
05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Panelists: Manufacturing could resurge in powerful boost for regions
Post-World War II, manufacturing employed nearly a third of U.S. workers and accounted for a similar portion of GDP. Today, those figures are near 8 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Yet Jeff Korzenik, chief economist for Fifth Third Commercial Bank, says manufacturing holds significant potential. 'Every dollar added in manufacturing creates about $3 in GDP,' he said. 'Each manufacturing job generates five to seven additional jobs in the economy. It's a powerful multiplier effect that benefits the entire economy." Boosting U.S. manufacturing by 50 percent poses a promising and even reasonable goal, and strategies employed by some manufacturers already show potential, Korzenik said. At a discussion hosted by the Kansas City Business Journal, sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, and moderated by the bank's Kansas City president, Taylor Dunn, panelists talked about why manufacturing makes such a difference in regional economies, manufacturing myths and realities, and the battle for workers — as well as efficiency. Assembling an economic boost Kansas City-based Orizon Aerostructures, which builds large complex subassemblies for the aerospace industry, opened a facility in Chanute, Kan., in 2016. It began with 30 people and a starting wage of $13 an hour. Less than a decade later, that facility employs nearly 500, with a starting wage close to $22 an hour, said Orizon President Henry Newell. Meanwhile, unemployment in the county went from 7.6 percent to less than 3 percent, he said. In addition, that facility buys many of the smaller components it uses from hundreds of suppliers — a prime example of the multiplier effect of manufacturing on an economy, Newell said. 'Our Chanute facility is a great case study,' he said. If U.S. manufacturing were to grow by 50 percent, Korzenik said, it would mean 5 million direct jobs but 30 million new jobs through the multiplier effect. 'It makes manufacturing so important to a regional economy versus, say, retail jobs, which have virtually no add-on impact,' he said. Kristie Keast, CEO of steel company BlueScope North America, said manufacturing also helps establish a strong community through tangential support services, economic resilience through good jobs, increased consumption and prosperity, and innovation. BlueScope has invested in housing, child care and support services to help bring people back to some of the rural areas in which it operates. expand Steve Sanders A big manufacturing myth Manufacturing suffers from a slew of misunderstandings, panelists said. Among the most prevalent: That it lacks career potential. 'Manufacturing has had a poor perception as quite a dark age, dirty, heavy, heavy industry, which has been a challenge to attract the younger generation,' Keast said. 'So we've done a lot of work in changing that perception, and authentically through cleaner and brighter factories, through progression with technology.' Manufacturers recognize the need to work on their branding, even educating parents and school districts about the realities of modern manufacturing. Partnerships with high schools and colleges help. Through a relationship with Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Newell said, an Orizon-branded room offers training for mechanics in aerospace and defense, without the need to attend a four-year school. The manufacturing workforce also has diversified from the stereotypical rural white man, particularly in attracting more women. 'Manufacturing pay is pretty good, and … it offers a great pathway for people for whom a four-year traditional college degree is not a good fit,' Korzenik said. Aircraft manufacturing, for example, pays better than $55 an hour. Many young people go into retail and leisure/hospitality, but that sector typically offers lower earnings potential, as well as a lower multiplier effect in terms of GDP, Korzenik said. Economies in flux Global shifts likewise have shifted the economics of manufacturing. Over the past couple of decades, manufacturing costs in other countries have risen and their workforces have shrunk. 'The bottom line is, it's not as cheap as it once was to manufacture abroad,' Korzenik said. That boosts the appeal of domestic manufacturing. Similarly, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have jolted supply chains sufficiently that geographically diversifying or reshoring — bringing manufacturing back to the United States — became important concerns for many businesses. And the United States boasts low and relatively steady energy costs, a key factor for manufacturers. However, the case for U.S. manufacturing isn't perfect, Korzenik said: a labor shortage, lag in adopting automation, significant regulatory burden, and strong dollar pose obstacles, though not insurmountable ones. Automation may lag other countries, but it's growing. Newell said that Orizon now spends its time on upfront engineering processes to create automation so production can run continuously, completely hands off. The company employs artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, a classroom with Meta-style glasses, and other technological tools to maximize efficiency. 'This has just really happened in the last two to three years,' he said. Likewise, BlueScope has implemented AI sensors for applications such as sorting or painting, algorithms that make product decisions, predictive analytics, robotics, and other measures, Keast said. 'Some of these trades, like welding, are quite a dying trade, so we have to overcome that,' she said. BlueScope also has altered its prerequisites and expanded its searches for workers, recruiting from a broader array of sectors, such as others that work in shifts — nursing, food processing, food services, the military. 'Rather than expecting people to come with a forklift or a crane certificate, we actually train that in,' Keast said. 'What we were looking for was more people that are safety focused, can problem solve, and that want to be part of a team.' Still, U.S. manufacturers need more workers, and the labor shortage is expected to worsen in the coming years, largely due to immigration policy. 'There's tremendous vulnerability to our labor shortage,' Korzenik said. 'We think that's going to start being felt.' Panelists pointed to countries such as Japan and Australia, which already have had to deal with labor shortages and have tried strategies the United States could consider. Those include encouraging more female labor force participation, facilitating reentry of retirees into the workforce, and establishing guest worker programs.
Business Journals
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Journals
KDOT targets 2026 debut for 69 Express project
By submitting your information you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and User Agreement . Join the Kansas City Business Journal to unlock even more insights! The $572 million project will add a toll lane in each direction along U.S. Highway 69 in Overland Park. Story Highlights Kansas' first express toll lane project is finishing construction. U.S. 69 will add toll lanes between 103rd and 151st Streets in Overland Park. Toll fees will be collected electronically using the KTAG system. The Kansas Department of Transportation is close to finishing work on the state's first express toll lane project in Overland Park. The U.S. 69 Corridor Modernization and Expansion project, commonly referred to as 69 Express, completely rebuilds the four-lane U.S. Highway 69 by adding a toll lane in each direction between 103rd and 151st Streets. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events Construction on the $572 million project is on track to be substantially complete by the end of the year, said 69 Express Project Director Steve Rockers. The new toll lanes are expected to be operational by January. How it works A double white line will separate the toll lane on the far left from the two existing general purpose lanes, which will remain free. 'There will be no physical separation between the express lanes and the general purpose lanes. There will be cameras out there strategically located along the corridor watching traffic,' Rockers said. Similar to the Kansas Turnpike, the 69 Express toll lanes will not have toll booths. Instead, toll fees will be collected electronically using a KTAG issued by the Kansas Turnpike Authority. Drivers will continue to access U.S. 69 as they do now and access the express lanes at dedicated entry points along the corridor. Southbound traffic can enter the express lane at 103rd Street with the option to exit at 135th Street or continue to the end of the toll lane at 151st Street. Northbound drivers will enter the toll lane just north of 151st Street with the option to exit at Blue Valley Parkway, 119th Street, College Boulevard and Interstate 435 before reaching the end of the express lane at 103rd Street. The cost will vary based on the time, how far a driver is traveling and the density of traffic, Rockers said. Prices for the toll lanes are estimated to range from about $0.50 to $1.50 a trip. 'There will be signs over the express lanes telling people what the price is going to be if they use a KTAG,' Rockers said. What's left Construction crews logged 525,000 work hours on the site in 2024, and 500,000 yards of concrete have been poured, Rockers said. In addition to widening the highway from four to six lanes, the project requires KDOT to build 25 bridges throughout the corridor. As of April 10, crews had completed work on 22 of the bridges, with three left to go. About 60% of work is complete on 11 noise walls from 119th to 151st Street, Rockers said. 'Bridge construction is more than 80% complete, and pavement is about the same,' Rockers said. The project is being built through a joint venture between Ames Construction and Emery Sapp Construction Inc. KDOT also is working with HNTB Corp. as project manager. Lenexa-based GBA is part of the lead design team. The project ranks No. 3 on the Kansas City Business Journal's List of largest area construction projects. Biggest Construction Projects in the Kansas City area Cost Rank Prior Rank Project name / Prior rank (*unranked previously) 1 1 Panasonic Electric Vehicle Battery Plant 2 2 Meta Data Center 3 3 U.S. 69 Expansion Project (69Express) View this list
