The Platte County Economic Development Council held its Annual Business Excellence Luncheon on December 9^th at the Embassy Suites KCI. Approximately three hundred people attended the event. The program began with a welcome by 2011 Chair, Yvonne Seckington. The Council’s Job Development Award presentations recognized businesses that have made a significant impact on Platte County through the development of jobs and economic growth.

The PCEDC honored area businesses nominated by their community leaders for Community Development Awards.  This award gives the Platte County EDC and the respective Platte County communities an opportunity to recognize important community business partners.  It is designed to recognize civic as well as business leadership.  2011 Secretary/Treasurer Mark VanLoh, along with First District Commissioner Kathy Dusenbery, led the presentation of these awards.

Kansas City’s Community Development Award Winner is ProAthlete

ProAthlete was nominated for the Kansas City Business Journal’s Best Places to work in 2010 and 2011. They keep their employees happy and active with in-house athletic facilities and a library of business and self-improvement books. They also give to their community: Each year the company provides up to $1,500 for each employee to donate to a charity of their choice, as well as allowing employees to take paid time off for volunteer work. Councilman Ed Ford presented the award to ProAthlete President Scott Hedrick.

Parkville’s Community Development Award Winner is eShipping

What makes eShipping special is the company’s commitment to the quality of life in Parkville. Despite a heavy travel schedule, aggressive expansion and addition of employees, eShipping’s management staff makes time to give back to the community in numerous and meaningful ways. CEO Chad Earwood, along with other team members of eShipping, represents numerous organizations in the Parkville area. Mayor Gerry Richardson presented the award to Chad Earwood, John Ratigan and Matt Weiss.

Platte City’s Community Development Award Winner is Casey’s General Store

A part of the Platte City community for 30 years, Casey’s General Store adds new improvements every year to keep their customers happy. They give back to the community by sponsoring sports teams and donating pizza, donuts and money to Platte City schools. Casey’s is also very active in the Platte City Area Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Frank Offutt presented the award to Casey’s Manager Ron Stone.

Riverside’s  Community Development Award Winner is Kendallwood Hospice

Kendallwood Hospice provides comprehensive care and support for individuals with life limiting illness, their family and friends. They’ve been a strong community partner ever since locating to Riverside in 1997. Their involvement with the city’s “Do Good” campaign, organizing “honor flights” for veterans and their active involvement with the Riverside Chamber of Commerce impacts the community far beyond providing care. Mayor Kathy Rose presented the award to CEO Mary Reichert and Community Outreach Coordinator Alicia Scott.

Weston’s Community Development Award Winner is Weston Depot

Weston Trexmart, known as the Weston Depot, sponsors and supports local Weston youth

activities, including the Weston Youth Soccer Club and Weston Sports Association. Owner Lowell Hartell has continuously improved his property and business, making the community proud. Alderman Bob Moore presented the award to owners Lowell and Cheryl Hartell.

The Platte County EDC’s Job Development Awards are given to businesses that have made a significant impact to Platte County through the development of jobs and economic growth.  This is the twenty-first addition to this honor roll of businesses that have made a significant investment in the creation and retention of jobs in Platte County. Including this year’s honorees, the PCEDC has awarded 102 Job Development Awards since 1991. This year the PCEDC honored three organizations that saw fit to invest in our community making 2011 a year to celebrate!  Presenting each of the awards were Platte County Presiding Commissioner Jason Brown and PCEDC Vice-Chair Dr. Dennis Fisher.

Blount International received the first award. Blount is a leading manufacturer of equipment, accessories and replacement parts for the forestry, lawn and garden and constructions industries. They were the first to break ground in the new KCI Intermodal BusinessCentre for their North American distribution center. Currently employing 230, they plan to add another 89 jobs in the new facility.

Johnson Controls received the next award. They are a global leader in automotive seating, overhead systems, door and instrument panels, and interior electronics. They were the first major deal for Riverside’s Horizons – a 170,000-square-foot, tax-abated project that brought 165 jobs to the region and resulted in a total investment of $20 million.

Nordic Windpower – Almost a year ago, Nordic Windpower announced the company would be relocating its corporate headquarters, assembly facility and R&D functions to Kansas City. A technology developer and manufacturer of innovative, utility-scale two-bladed wind turbines, Nordic is making its mark in the wind market. With the plan to create more than 200 skilled positions over the next six years, Nordic currently employs 40 and is looking to hire more. With assembly operations located in the overhaul base at KCI, Nordic plans to eventually move to a new building at the KCI Intermodal Business Centre.

On May 10, Riverside named a unit of Briarcliff Development Co. to develop Horizons, a 260-acre site at Interstate 635 and Missouri 9 Highway, and unveiled a plan calling for a park-like setting to be home for a projected 5,900 jobs over the next generation.

Briarcliff Development said construction would begin this year on an estimated $12 million plan, including 25 acres of lakes, three miles of tree-lined canals and land set aside for public use and recreational purposes that is projected to connect to the Missouri Riverfront Trail.

“Riverside is open for business,” declared Mayor Kathleen Rose. “In the years since the state-of-the-art Missouri River levee was built to protect hundreds of acres in our community, we focused on creating the best possible economic development initiative for land the city owns. We have that today.”

Nathaniel Hagedorn, COO of Briarcliff Development Co., said that Briarcliff Horizons LLC, a unit of Briarcliff Development, projects that 2.6 million square feet of total building area will be constructed on 260 acres of city-owned land over the next 20 years with a total estimated private investment in excess of $300 million.

“Horizons, as the name implies, is about long-range vision,” Hagedorn said. “The city challenged us to think beyond what was possible and to focus on what was extraordinary. The city pushed us to bring a new attitude, and we’re excited by both the committed partnership we’ve developed with the city and the innovative plan that Riverside has embraced.”

Rose said today’s announcement represented an evolution fostered by the 2010 update of the city’s Master Plan prepared by BNIM Architects of Kansas City. The update was fueled with input from four town hall meetings, community surveys and dozens of internal planning meetings. Five proposals to develop the Horizons site in accordance with the Master Plan’s vision were reviewed before the city chose Briarcliff Development.

“Horizons is about vision, commitment and partnership,” Rose said. “We engaged the community in this process, and Riverside residents challenged us to think about the best possible project, because our town and the entire region will live with this decision for the next 50 to 100 years. The Board of Aldermen is committed to this approach, and Briarcliff Development brought us the creative solution the community said it wanted.”

A key to the vision, Rose and Hagedorn said, is the nature of the infrastructure improvements. What is now an open field – highly visible to 75,000 passing vehicles each day on Interstate 635 and Missouri 9 Highway – will be transformed into a amenity-laden setting with water features, canals and lakes with adjoining pathways, trees, landscaping and public recreational opportunities. A community amphitheater appears in an initial concept drawing for the site, and it is hoped that Horizons can be connected in due course to the nearby Missouri Riverfront Trail.

Briarcliff Development already has been a Riverside partner through Briarcliff Professional Plaza, and the company is a neighbor through its own nearby Briarcliff office and boutique retail space as well as hundreds of residential homes, condos and apartments. Both Hagedorn and Rose said Horizons complements and extends Briarcliff’s current development by providing additional corporate office options in addition to the industrial innovation opportunities.

“Both offices and industrial innovation sites can be successful because Riverside is minutes from both Wheeler Downtown and Kansas City International airports as well as all three major interstate highways serving the Kansas City area,” Hagedorn said. Rose added that the site’s close proximity to both major airports serving Kansas City should hold special appeal for companies whose business requires easy access to air travel for executives and professional staff.

“Horizons has the potential to become the Kansas City area’s premier corporate office site,” Rose said. “This is the right vision, as citizens asked us to have, and the right plan to implement that vision.” Hagedorn said initial planning calls for 1.1 million square feet of office space and 1.5 million square feet of industrial innovation space on 260 acres of city-owned land framed primarily by Interstate 635 on the east and south and Horizons Parkway on the west.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, and Hagedorn expects to have building sites available as early as spring 2012. The flexible master plan prepared by NSPJ Architects, Prairie Village, Kan., accommodates building sites ranging from 20,000 to 500,000 square feet for buildings up to four or more stories.

The announcement followed formal approval of the development agreement by the Riverside Board of Aldermen. A groundbreaking will be held this summer.

The Roast of Pete Fullerton was a big success. Approximately 150 attendees enjoyed a humorous video clip and quips from Master of Ceremonies Mark VanLoh, Director of the Kansas City Aviation Department, as well as seven “roasters.” Click here to view a pictorial of the event.

Dr. Dennis Fisher, Park Hill School District Superintendent, was selected by the Missouri Association of School Administrators as the recipient of the annual Robert L. Pearce Award for 2011. Dr. Fisher, who earlier this year was selected as Missouri Superintendent of the Year, is only the second person in Missouri history to receive both of these prestigious awards in the same year. We extend our congratulations to Dr. Fisher. For more information about the award, visit: www.masaonline.org/vnews/display.v/ART/4da45860770d3.

May 2011 Newsletter

The Full Employment Council has been awarded a grant by the US Department of Labor for the purpose of developing credentialed healthcare workers. The target audience for the Greater Kansas City Healthcare and Healthcare Information Technology grant (GKCHHIT) is dislocated workers who may not qualify for other income based training opportunities.  There are no income requirements and the grant is offered in both Missouri and Kansas. For more information please contact Tawana Woods at 816-471-2330, ext. 429 or twoods@feckc.org.

April 2011 Newsletter

Kyle Elliott, Kansas City Planning and Development, gave a presentation before the Platte County EDC KCI Area Development Action Team on Thursday, April 7th regarding the Gashland/Nashua/KCI Area Plans and their influence on the First and Second Creek Watersheds. You may download this presentation by clicking here (3.89 MB).

April 2011 Newsletter