annual fall conference

ANNUAL FALL CONFERENCE

SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2021

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

9:00 a.m. KEDA Board of Directors Meeting

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Welcome / Opening Remarks

Steve Jack, KEDA President

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. General Session

Be Careful What You Wish For – Growth Brings ChallengesNow that we are in the recovery year, we have managed to leave many of those 2020 issues behind but now we face the next set - inflation, labor shortages, supply chain breakdowns. The rapid rebound was not entirely anticipated, and it is still unclear how long this consumer enthusiasm lasts. What is in store for the rest of 2021 and what can we say about 2022 at this stage?

Dr. Chris Kuehl is a Managing Director of Armada Corporate Intelligence. He provides forecasts and strategic guidance for a wide variety of corporate clients around the world. He is the chief economist for several national and international organizations.

Prior to starting Armada in 1999, he was a professor of economics and finance for 15 years – teaching in the U.S., Hungary, Russia, Estonia, Singapore and Taiwan. He holds advanced degrees in economics, Soviet studies and East Asian studies.

Chris is the writer/editor of Business Intelligence Briefs and a writer for the Black Owl Report – both publications from Armada. He is an economic analyst for the Armada Strategic Intelligence System and is responsible for the Credit Manager’s Index from NACM as well Fabrinomics from the FMA.

11:30 – 12:00 p.m. General Keynote Session

Accelerating Kansas GrowthLt. Governor Toland will provide updates from the Department of Commerce, review the Legislative Session and share information related to the SPARK process.

David Toland is the 52nd Lieutenant Governor of Kansas and also serves as Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce. Toland was appointed Secretary of Commerce by Governor Laura Kelly in January 2019 and Lieutenant Governor in January 2021.

As Secretary of Commerce, Toland has overseen sweeping changes within the agency. Under his leadership, the Department has rebuilt its in-state, domestic and international business recruitment teams; launched the state’s Office of Broadband Development; re-established a Community Development division and

DR. CHRIS KUEHLManaging Director

Armada Corporate Intelligence

DAVID TOLANDLt. Governor/Secretary of Commerce

12:15 – 1:00 p.m.

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

the Kansas Main Street Program; and launched the state’s first new economic development strategic planning process since 1986. These efforts, and more, resulted in more than $2.5 billion in new capital investment by businesses in Kansas in 2020, an increase of nearly 80% over the previous year and the highest in state history.

Prior to joining the team at Commerce, Toland was the first CEO of Thrive Allen County, a nonprofit coalition focused on improving economic conditions, healthcare access and quality of life in the small, rural Kansas county.

Prior to Thrive, Toland worked as an appointee of Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams, holding key leadership positions in the D.C. economic development and planning offices. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Kansas.

Networking Lunch

General Session

Statewide Housing Assessment UpdateAmy will provide an update on where they are at on the Statewide Housing Assessment and some key discoveries to this point in their research.

Amy Haase, AICP, is a Principal and Project Manager with the Community and Regional Planning group at RDG Planning & Design. Over her 22-year career, she has led a wide range of projects, providing comprehensive planning, housing market studies, and neighborhood and downtown revitalization studies for communities across the Midwest.

Throughout her career, Amy has been involved in dozens of housing studies from small, rural communities to multi-county regions. She’s presented on various topics including the decline of housing availability for the middle class and the importance of housing options for senior living. Amy is passionate about building better communities, and this not only shows in the communities she works in, but also those she lives in. Residing in Omaha, Nebraska, Amy has been a leader in neighborhood associations’ and she serves on the Metro Transit Authority Board.

Amy’s work is driven by a passion to work collaboratively to create places of meaning for all residents. A trusted leader in her field, Amy has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners since 2004, and she became a Certified Public Facilitator in 2011.

Housing Successes & Tools Panelist: Amy Haase, RDG Planning & Design, Alissa Ice, Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, Linda Hunsicker, Kansas Department of Commerce, Joann Knight, Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation/Community Housing Association of Dodge City

AMY HAASE, AICPPrincipal & Project Manager

Community & Regional Planning Group

RDG Planning & Design

Alissa Ice became the Director of Housing Development for the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation in December 2019. She manages the state’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit, HOME development, National Housing Trust Fund, the Private Activity Bond and the state Moderate Income Housing programs. Prior to KHRC, Alissa was with Missouri Housing Development Commission for twelve years.

Alissa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare from the University of Kansas and a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Joann Knight serves as the Executive Director of the Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation and has been with the public/private partnership for 30 years.

Knight was instrumental in creating and now also oversees the Rural Education and Workforce Alliance, Main Street Dodge City, Dodge City Festivals, and the Community Housing Association of Dodge City.

Knight currently serves on several boards including the Western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance (wKREDA) serving as the 2020 President, the Kansas Economic Development Alliance (KEDA), Team Kansas and was the class representative on the 2018 Eisenhower Women of Excellence in Public Service Series Board of Directors. Knight was recently awarded the 2019 Rural Economic Development Leadership Award from the National Rural Economic Developers Association.

Linda Hunsicker has been with the Kansas Department of Commerce, Community Development Division since July 15, 1996. She works specifically in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program as a CDBG Specialist. Her duties include monitoring’s and management of Community Improvement, Water and Sewer, Downtown Rehabilitation and Housing projects awarded statewide. She is also the environmental and housing specialist for the CDBG program. The CDBG Housing program that Linda is responsible for rehabilitates homes of owner occupied or rental properties and demolition of dilapidated homes.

She received her Associate of Applied Science Degree in Fashion Merchandising from Dodge City Community College and her Bachelor of Science in Extension work from Kansas State University.

ALISSA ICEDirector, Housing Development

Kansas Housing Resources Corporation

JOANN KNIGHTExecutive Director

Dodge City/Ford CountyDevelopment Corporation

LINDA HUNSICKERCDBG Specialist, Community

Development DivisionKansas Department of

Commerce

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

3:30 – 3:45 p.m.

3:45 – 4:30 p.m.

General Session

Thriving in a Virtual WorldAnalyzing global economic outlooks and recent trends in corporate location decision-making, this presentation will consider where we are, offer a glimpse into the future, and leave you with key takeaways to prosper in our new reality.

With years of experience attracting major capital investment to both metropolitan and rural communities, Tess Fay, Senior Consultant for Global Location Strategies (GLS) has an eye for impact. While at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, she recruited jobs and investment into the state, evaluating the long-term returns that could result from $14 billion of potential new business investment from manufacturing and industrial projects. She recommended competitive sets of tax credits and economic incentives that could be offered to business investors and supported by the community and state. She also coached communities across the state to help them advance towards investment readiness and has a passion for helping rural communities succeed.

Tess puts her experience to work for the communities we guide, helping to execute site competitiveness, readiness, and benchmarking studies; lead site identification efforts; and a multitude of other economic development services.

As a site selection consultant, Tess has a deep understanding of workforce, infrastructure, and supply chain needs within the global sectors we serve and is passionate about matching companies and communities for mutual, long-term success. She is an invaluable resource to the decision-makers GLS works within manufacturing site selection.

Before transitioning to site selection and economic development, Tess spent four years in manufacturing at the illustrious Big Ass Fan Company, makers of innovative and award-winning cooling and lighting products for industrial and residential use. Her focus there was primarily on public relations, marketing, and business development.

Hailing from Kentucky, Tess graduated from Centre College with degrees in English and French. She has an MBA from the University of West Georgia.

Break

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Leveraging Labor Intelligence to Gain a Competitive Edge “Just pay them more.” It’s a statement that you’ve likely heard tens if not hundreds of times recently in reference to the labor shortage in the United States, and on the surface, it makes sense. The economy runs on the basic laws of supply and demand, and our labor market is no exception. When the supply is low, the price goes up.

However, this surface level assessment misses the root of the problem. Increasing pay may be a short-term answer for low-skill entry level positions in the service and retail related sectors, but it does nothing to address the shortages across every sector. High paying semi- and high-skill advanced manufacturing jobs are also sitting unfilled, and low wages certainly are not the reason.

During the presentation, we’ll look beyond the “pay them more” argument, diving into the demographic, education, and socioeconomic factors fueling the current labor shortage and ways for your region to respond.

TESS FAYSenior Consultant

Global Location Strategies (GLS)

JON ROBERTSSenior Associate,

Location StrategiesMarksNelson

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Current trends fueling the labor market• Data and strategies for understanding local and regional labor markets• Strategies and best practices to leverage your location’s labor market assets• Techniques to better assist existing employers and to attract and support new

business’ labor needs

4:30 – 4:40 p.m.

Jon Roberts pulls from his experience in rural economic development and market analysis, along with his studies in urban planning, to help communities grow their economies and implement economic development projects. Jon specializes in rural economic development and federal funding.

Jon has experience in CDBG and EDA application and compliance for numerous projects; market studies to help economic development organizations and regional planning groups better understand economic, housing, and labor conditions within their regions; data management and reporting for numerous economic development organizations; economic impact studies to help public and private organizations understand the economic benefits of new investments or policy changes; and city planning within the Department of Planning & Development, City of Kansas City, MO.

Jon has a Master of Urban Planning and a B.A. Architectural Studies from the University of Kansas.

Travel in Kansas – Why it Matters! Tourism is a major economic driver for the state of Kansas and for communities of all sizes. The industry took a major hit in 2020 and is a key factor in a state-wide broader recovery. This session will help you learn more about why tourism matters, key data points, and how the Kansas Tourism office can be a supporter for your efforts.

Bridgette Jobe officially began her role as the Director of Kansas Tourism in July 2019. Before moving into her role at the State of Kansas, Bridgette served as the Executive Director with the Kansas City, KS Convention & Visitors Bureau. It was in her twenty-one years at the KCK CVB, Bridgette found her love for Tourism Management and for travel in Kansas.

While at the Kansas City, KS Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bridgette was actively involved in many state and regional tourism organizations. She is a past president of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas. She served as chairman of the Governor’s Council on Travel and Tourism. In 2019, Bridgette was presented the Hospitality Leadership Award by the Kansas City Area Hotel and Lodging Association.

As the Director of Kansas Tourism, Bridgette leads a dedicated staff of tourism professionals whose mission is to inspire travel to and throughout Kansas.

Break (change rooms)

BRIDGETTE JOBEKansas Tourism Director

4:40 – 5:20 p.m. BREAK OUT SESSIONS

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program TAA is a federal program that assists workers who have lost jobs due to foreign trade. Workers who qualify may receive two years of training with income support, relocation assistance, and help with out-of-area job search expense. Those age 50 and over can receive a wage supplement when re-employed at a lesser wage. TAA recipients across the state have received training at educational institutions, apprenticeship programs, on the job training (OJT), and customized training through companies.

TAA is administered in Kansas by the Workforce Services Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Department of Labor. Original parameters of the program were detailed in 1972 legislation and have been updated many times. Since then, recipients in our state have received many millions of dollars for retraining and help to successfully re-enter the workforce.

To qualify workers to take advantage of TAA, it is important Kansans are aware of the program and a determination can be made regarding benefits. This short presentation is designed to describe how TAA can work to the advantage of Kansas workers and employers.

Ravyn Ahart, a lifetime resident of the first city, Leavenworth, KS, is one of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Assistant Program Managers for Kansas Department of Commerce.

Ravyn began working for Kansas Department of Commerce as a Program Specialist in the Wyandotte Workforce Center providing RESEA services to unemployed workers. After several months, Ravyn was recruited to the Johnson County Workforce center to become a Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program TAA case manager. In January of 2021, Ravyn became part of the Trade Adjustment Assistant (TAA) Administrative Office. Ravyn has been employed with Kansas Department of Commerce since 2017.

NetWork Kansas - Community Resources What is Don Macke’s Development Opportunity Profile and how to use it in your community to drive strategy. Also learn about the growth of the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC), youth engagement, and the integration of VentureDash; a software application that aids in YEC logistics.

For over three years, Ciara Thyfault was a staff member in the NetWork Kansas referral center. At the end of 2015, she was hired to be the primary point person for the central region E-Communities. Ciara graduated from Wichita State University with a BS in Business Administration in Marketing and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She grew up outside of Towanda, KS but now resides in Wichita. Because she grew up in a rural community and has family members throughout the state in other rural communities, Ciara loves fostering relationships and working with her E-Communities to cultivate an entrepreneurial culture.

RAVYN AHARTAssistant TAA Program Manager

Workforce Services DivisionKansas Department of

Commerce

CIARA THYFAULTSenior Product Manager, Rural

Entrepreneurship, Central RegionNetWork Kansas

Sarah LaRosh eagerly joined NetWork Kansas in 2017 as a Product Manager of Rural Entrepreneurship, Western Region. She comes to NetWork Kansas with a degree from Tabor College in Business Administration and a concentration in Accounting and Finance. Her top strengths are Achiever, Positivity, Responsibility, Learner and Belief. Sarah is based out of rural Osborne County where the LaRosh family homesteaded in 1871 and is still deeply entrenched in agriculture. She currently serves as the board chair of the Osborne County Community Foundation and has a tremendous passion for rural Kansas, is “Rural by Choice” and a Kansas Explorer. With three young children, Sarah has devoted countless time, talent and treasure to ensuring the betterment of Kansas.

Networking Reception (sponsored by Kansas Manufacturing Solutions: LINK Resources)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

8:30 – 8:55 a.m.

8:55 – 9:10 a.m.

Membership Meeting

General Session

KEDA Legislative UpdateMitch will make brief comments about this past session and possible items for the 2022 session. Sandy will provide a brief recap of major economic development specific legislation from the 2021 session and preview into the major issues for the coming 2022 session.

Mitch Robinson is the Executive Director of the Salina Community Economic Development Organization (SCEDO). The organization is the lead economic development organization focusing on attraction of new business and industry to Salina and Saline County. The organization is sponsored by the City of Salina, Saline County, Salina Airport Authority and the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. Mitch has worked in the economic development field for over 30 years with multiple stops in his native Kentucky, Cape Girardeau, Missouri and now Salina since December of 2016. Including Salina, he has started up three economic development organizations.

Mitch has a double major in Government and Economics from Western Kentucky University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Indiana State University. He has received his Certified Economic Development status from IEDC, the international organization for economic development professionals.

MITCH ROBINSONCEcD

Executive Director Salina Community Economic Development Organization

SARAH LaROSHManager, Rural Entrepreneurship

Western Kansas NetWork Kansas

5:15 – 6:00 p.m.

9:15 – 10:15 a.m.

Sandy Braden brings more than 30 years of federal and state government relations as well as association management experience to the firm. Ten years of those were spent in the corporate environment. Sandy is focused on relationship building with legislators and regulators and providing a strategic approach to issues to ensure clients the best end- result.

Sandy received her B.S. from the University of Nebraska and M.S. from Kansas State University. She is a graduate of Leadership Missouri and the Kansas City Tomorrow Leadership program.

General Session

Talent Attraction: The New Era of Economic Development MarketingAfter years of concentrated focus on business attraction, many communities across the country find themselves with staggeringly low unemployment rates. The shift to talent attraction marketing – trying to attract workers instead of jobs – can be daunting. It requires economic developers to flex muscles they haven’t used in a decade, but it can pay off massively.

Attendees will get answers to these questions:

• Who are my target audiences for talent attraction marketing?• How do I craft the right message for my target audiences?• What are the best channels for reaching potential workers and residents?

10:15 – 10:30 a.m.

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

As a marketing strategist for Brand Acceleration, Colleen Walton oversees brand identification and marketing program implementation for communities, counties, and regions in a 17-state territory. She also travels the country to speak about creative marketing, business and talent attraction, and public relations. She’s a regular attendee at state and regional economic development conferences and an active member of the Southern Economic Development Council. Colleen is a graduate of the Basic Economic Development Course at her alma mater, Ball State University. She lives in Tampa, Florida.

Break

General Session

What’s Up? Open Topic Discussion“What’s Up Peer-to-Peer “ is a new session to the conference. We all know that networking and learning from peers is one of the most valuable benefits to attending conferences such as this. In this session, we will have discussions around questions that you have shared before and throughout the conference. This is intended to be an open, interactive, no-subject-bared discussion of current economic development and state-of-the-industry issues or simply things that you have been dealing with in your community and are looking for best practices.

Questions or topics of discussion can be submitted at the registration desk throughout the conference. These questions will be read by the session’s moderators to get the ball rolling and the group can take it from there for the sharing of experiences, recommendations and/or referrals.

COLLEEN WALTONMarketing Strategist

Brand Acceleration, Inc.

SANDY BRADENKEDA Legislative Liaison

Braden Heidner Lowe & Associates

John Engelmann, CEcD is a Lead Economic Development Manager at Evergy, an investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

John has been an economic development professional since 1988 and has worked at the regional and community levels all within the Kansas City area. In 2001, John began his career in utility economic development. John works with state, regional and community economic development organizations to both retain/expand current Evergy customers and attract new customers to the Evergy service territory.

John is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute and earned his CEcD in 1994. The Evergy Economic Development Team is one of only two utilities to have earned the Accredited Economic Development Organization designation from IEDC. John is the immediate past-chair of the Utility Economic Development Association, a national association of investor-owned utilities.

Kerri Falletti has been with Cowley First - Cowley County Economic Development Partnership, for 18 years, serving as Director since 2010. Cowley First is a countywide partnership dedicated to providing services and program creation to support local entrepreneurs and small businesses, expansion and retention of existing businesses, workforce development, attraction of new businesses and industries and building on tourism opportunities to bring visitors to Cowley County.

She earned her Business Administration Degree from Friends University, is a Certified Economic Developer, has experience as a Consultant with the Kansas Small Business Development Center as well as an adjunct Entrepreneurship Instructor for Cowley College. She serves on the Kansas Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) and Team Kansas Boards, as well as local and regional boards including Workforce Alliance and South-Central Kansas Economic Development Alliance.

11:30 – 11:45 a.m. Closing/Wrap Up

This event is recognized by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) as a professional development event that counts toward the recertification of Certified Economic Developers (CEcD).

KERRI FALLETTI CEcDDirector

Cowley First-Cowley County Economic Development Partnership

JOHN ENGELMANN CEcD

Lead Economic Development Manager

Evergy

Experts in MarketingEconomic Developmentcandid understands economic development organizations (EDOs). We build campaigns and brands that speak to:

• Site selectors and consultants • Brokers and businesses looking to expand or locate • Investors

If you want to amp up your organization’s marketing, contact us! [email protected] • 816.765.3608 • justbecandid.com

candid is a creative collective hyper-focused on brand strategy.We create and redefi ne brands that elevate businesses through compelling messaging and design.

Branding • Campaigns • Interactive and Virtual Site Tours

Questions You Need to Ask6Site Location (address, intersection or map)

Type of Operation

Peak Demand in Kilowatts (KW)

Energy Consumption in Kilowatt Hours (KWh)

Hours of Operation/Days per Week

Redundant Needs (is a dual feed required?)

WORKING WITH A PROSPECT OR A PROJECT? BRING US IN EARLY.

WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW.

Why Do We Need This Information? We Want You to Close Your Next Real Estate Deal.

Let’s meet so your team can hear from Evergy about the best way to successfully partner with you on your next project.

John Engelmann, Joe Fangman, Ebony Clemons-Ajibolade, Lisa Franklin

John Engelmann, CEcDLead Economic Development ManagerKC Metro [email protected]

Ebony Clemons-AjiboladeSenior Economic Development ManagerKansas [email protected]

evergyed.com

LINK. A tool to enhance your BRE program.

Retention

It is often more cost effective to work with existing customers than to continually cultivate new ones

Growth

Up to 80% of net new jobs and capital investment in any economy are generated by existing firms

Understanding

Learn about your existing manufacturing businesses to help you attract other similar manufacturing businesses

LINK is a business resource tool to connect you to your manufacturing community.

Scan the code here to obtain more information! www.wearekms.com/link-for-bre

Join KMS at the KEDA 2021 Annual Fall Conference happy hour on September 21st to learn more about LINK.

ADAM [email protected]

785-580-7008

JERRY [email protected]

803-379-6006

DOUG [email protected]

785-554-8785

Opportunity Funding’s primary function is to raise funds exclusively for community and economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, museums, arts, theaters, hospitals,

community, technical colleges and non-profits. Secondarily, Opportunity Funding provides strategic planning, economic development planning and organizational development.

www.opportunityfunding.net

FUELING THE VISION

OF COMMUNITIESACROSS

AMERICA

�

Contact us today to learn more about the endless possibilities!

INDUSTRIAL PARK

Great Plains Industrial Park 21101 Scott Road • Parsons, Kansas

(620) 421-1228www.greatplainsindustrialpark.com

• Large acreage tracts available• 106 miles of roads • 30 miles of rail with direct

service provided by Union Pacific

• FTZ warehousing• 95 earth-mounded magazines• Water and wastewater plant

On-site fiber optic cable• Centrally located in the U.S.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

SPEAKER SPONSORS

GENERAL SPONSORS

EXHIBITOR SPONSOR

NOTES

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annual fall conference

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