Chamber Vision November and December 2017 | Page 26

26 November & December 2017
Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau
RDA Happenings
We have been quite busy this year. Activity has increased dramatically, we have had
more prospect visits this year than in the last several years combined. The RDA team has
prepared numerous proposals that have been submitted to these prospects.
One proposal included an eight page letter with over 26 pages of attachments,
documenting data requested regarding Emporia. The Emporia go, or no-go decision by the
company would be influenced by this supporting data.
Many of the prospects/businesses have specific data driven questions used in the
Kent Heermann
President, Regional
Development Association
of East Central Kansas
analysis of Emporia. We are generally working with C-Level Executives in management,
logistics, human resources, operations, and the Chief Financial Officer. Many times, the
decision is driven on the potential site by the bottom line, one-time, and on-going costs.
Quality of life generally factors into the decision after a community makes the short
list. A quality of life value judgement is made by the individual business owner and their
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 kheermann@
emporiarda.org.
management team.
The Emporia City Commission has placed the ½-Cent City Sales Tax for property tax
relief, and industrial and economic development on the November 7th ballot. In addition to
the sales tax issue, three Emporia City Commissioners out of five are running for office. The
Emporia School Board has three open positions, with four candidates running for the office.
The City Sales Tax has been in place since January 1, 1995. The tax has been approved
by the voters three times – 1994, 2000, and 2010 by more than 64% at each election.
The RDA staff has provided many detailed facts and figures to the Emporians for Growth
committee. In the interest of simplification, and not to duplicate the same information, the
following is a short summary from the past 23 years for Emporia and Lyon County.
Our major losses have been Didde Web Press, Modine Manufacturing, Dolly Madison,
and the significant downsizing of Tyson Foods. We have gained many new companies, in
fact, six of our top ten largest manufacturers and employers were not in Emporia in 1995.
Those new companies are Hostess Brands, Simmons Pet Food, Norfolk Iron & Metal,
CAMSO, Better Life Technologies, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
We have added 2,000 direct new jobs to the community.
The new tax base added by the new, and expanding industrial/manufacturing
companies have added $1,297,581 to the property taxes collected for Lyon County, USD
#253, and the City of Emporia. Several companies received a tax abatement to expand in
Emporia, which when the abatement expires will add another $1,138,634 to the tax base.
The Return on Investment to Emporia is over 2,000 direct jobs, estimated annual
payroll of $90 million, a reduction in property taxes of $1,200,000, and the growth of $2.2
million in property taxes paid by the new companies.
As mentioned earlier, there is an election on November 7th, please vote!