Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau
January 2015
15
RDA Happenings
On December 12th the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas
(RDA) Board of Directors held their annual meeting. What a difference two years makes in
economic activity and job creation.
Two years ago in November, Dolly Madison/Hostess Brands was in bankruptcy and the
judge ordered the liquidation of all assets. Over 500 workers were without a job. Thirty
or forty former workers were at the former Dolly Madison plant keeping the equipment in
working order. It was a bleak holiday season for over 500 families in our region.
Kent Heermann
President, Regional
Development Association
of East Central Kansas
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOC. of EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
The Regional Development
Association of East Central
Kansas (RDA) is the lead
economic development
organization for Lyon
County and the Emporia
area. The four members
of the RDA are the
Emporia Area Chamber
of Commerce, Emporia
Enterprises, the City
of Emporia, and Lyon
County. The RDA is located
with the Emporia Area
Chamber of Commerce
and the Convention and
Visitors Bureau at the
Trusler Business Center,
719 Commercial, Emporia,
KS 66801. Kent Heerman
RDA President, can be
contacted at 620-342-1600
ext. 16, or heermann@
emporiakschamber.org.
That, thank goodness, is in the past and Hostess Brands was purchased by two equity
groups, Apollo Global Capital and Metropoulos Group. Today the Emporia Hostess Brands
plant is the “flagship” plant with nearly 450 workers.
Simmons Pet Food had a $4.5 million expansion project in 2013 which added 30 full-time
jobs. Then in April 2014 they announced a multi-million dollar expansion project that would
add more production equipment. They added 50 full-time employees initially with 80 or more
when sales require the additional workers.
We assisted Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing with replacing their leased warehouse space
from Sunset Warehouse (the former Didde Corporation building on Graphic Arts Road)
with an 80,000 sq. ft. warehouse being constructed by Overlander Street LLC just west of
the Detroit Diesel building in Emporia. By assisting Detroit Diesel we were able to retain
those 120 jobs in Emporia. If we had not found replacement warehouse space then those
operations and jobs would have been moved to Detroit Diesel’s other operations in Ohio or
Utah.
Birch Communications acquired a new company, Cbeyond, which created an opportunity
for their existing facility in Emporia or Macon, Georgia. The additional 100 jobs were added
to the Emporia facility. By the end of 2014 there will be more than 208 full-time employees.
Dynamic Discs/Dynamic Distribution continues on an exponential growth trajectory.
Last year, bursting at the seams, at their 912 Commercial Street location, they expanded
operations into 10,000 sq. ft. of a 20,000 sq. ft. building located in west Emporia at 3601
W. 6th Avenue with a lease purchase agreement. In August, Dynamic Distribution acquired
the building and property expanding into the entire 20,000 sq. ft. building.
Fanestil Meats new 20,000 sq. ft. building on W. Highway 50 is under construction. It will
be complete in 2nd quarter 2015. Today, Fanestil employs more than 80 workers.
According to a recent Kansas Labor Force report from 2010 to 2014 for the month of
October in the Emporia Micropolitan area (Lyon and Chase County) employment grew by
1.78% and from 2013 to 2014 it grew by 5.14%. In 2010 there were 18,135 persons
employed and in 2014 there were 18,457 persons employed.
In 2013 the unemployment rate was 6.9% and in October 2014 the unemployment rate
was 3.7%. The Emporia area is headed in the right direction.
RDA Board member Scott Briggs completed his second three-year term and attended his
last board meeting.
Bryan Whitmore completed his first three-year term and due to out-of-town business
commitments was unable to serve a second term.
On behalf of the RDA Board we thank Scott Briggs and Bryan Whitmore for their service
on the Board of Directors.