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Population:
172,529 (Shawnee County)
227,209 (5-County MSA)
Working Population:
137,335 (Shawnee County)
179,918 (5-County MSA)
Topeka MSA GDP by industry (2008 in millions):
All industry total: $8,630
Manufacturing: $687
Retail trade: $602
Government: $1,725
Natural resources and mining: $71
Transportation and utilities: $779
Financial activities $1,381
Professional and business services: $711
Education and health services: $930
Leisure and hospitality: $237
Private goods-producing industries $1,136
Private services-providing industries $5,769
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Dept of Commerce
Transport & Logistics:
Interstates (I-70 & I-335, Kansas Turnpike)
US Highways (US-75, US-24, US-40)
Airports (Forbes Field & Billard Airport)
Railways (BNSF & Union Pacific)
Creative piece on business opportunities in the region:
When Governor Kathleen Sebelius set the goal in 2007 that 10% of the energy in the entire state of Kansas would be produced from renewable resources by 2010—and 20% by 2020—Topeka made sure we led the way by letting the state know WE CAN DO THAT. Kansas has an opportunity to make great use of its resources, including its status as the state with the third-highest wind energy potential in the nation, to become leaders in wind, solar and advanced energy storage manufacturing, and as the capital city, Topeka is positioned to head the charge toward renewable energy throughout the state, region, and country.
Topeka’s location—in the center of the animal health corridor, within an hour’s drive from Kansas City, Manhattan and Lawrence—provides a perfect location for animal industry businesses. As part of Kansas’s knowledge corridor, with three top-flight universities in the area and superb connectivity via major interstates, the Topeka area is rich with opportunity. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a global leader in animal health research & development and pet food manufacturing has already figured this fact out, situating their corporate headquarters right in the middle of Topeka. By offering strong business and development incentives to help establish, relocate, and grow industry, and by providing a strong, dedicated workforce, Topeka remains a strong competitor in the animal health industry. If you’d like to have your animal health business set up in Topeka, we’ll show you exactly how WE CAN DO THAT.
GO Topeka, the economic development organization for Topeka and Shawnee County, housed in the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, has committed to acting on the massive potential available to the Topeka/Shawnee County area. The organization is actively pursuing companies in the alternative energy, animal and human health science, manufacturing and bioscience fields to bring them to Topeka, with a great number of resources and incentives available to those businesses.
Sector strengths:
With its centralized location, Topeka is a perfect place for transport, putting the entire country easily within reach, emphasizing fuel efficiency and the future of goods transportation. Topeka and Shawnee County provide abundant access to major interstates (I-70 and I-35) and railroad arteries that allow for inexpensive, simple shipment and delivery for business sites. But Topeka isn’t just easy to get to—we also make it an affordable place to do business. The Topeka/Shawnee County area has a cost of doing business 7% lower than the national average, with an index of 93 according to Moody’s Economy.com, and a cost of living 10% lower than the national average. And because all machinery and equipment in Topeka is exempt from personal property taxes, all these factors combine to make living and doing business in Topeka a less expensive and more productive prospect.
Key investors in the region:
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield
BNSF Railway Company
Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Frito-Lay, Inc.
Collective Brands, Inc.
Jostens Printing & Publishing
Reser’s Fine Foods
Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Security Benefit
Target
Del Monte Foods
Innovia Films, Inc.
US Food Service
Home Depot
New investments to the region (in 2009):
The Home Depot
Jobs: 300
Investment: $25 million
Frito-Lay
Investment: $60 million
U.S. Foodservice
Retained Jobs: 175
New Jobs: 24
Investment: $13 million
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Retained Jobs: 1,400
Investment: $250 million
PTMW, Inc.
New jobs: 138
Investment: $4.25 million
Totals:
Retained Jobs: 1,575
New Jobs: 463
Investment: $352.25 million
Average Wage: $50,000
Tourist attractions:
Topeka is home to several area attractions—the Kansas state capitol building, the Kansas Museum of History, the Brown v. Board of Education Historic Site & Museum and the Topeka Zoo. Heartland Park hosts several national and local NHRA races each year, and the Kansas Expocentre hosts a variety of concerts, sporting events and shows. Outdoor enthusiasts love Lake Shawnee, Gage Park and the miles of trails around Shawnee County. Recently, organizers have broken ground for the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, an interactive children’s museum, and construction will begin in 2010, with an opening date late that year.
Shops & restaurants:
Shawnee has a wide variety of shopping and dining options available, with a mix of national chains and local favorites.
House prices
Median selling price (2008): $107,218
Average selling price (2008): $121,605
Source: Topeka Area Association of Realtors
Universities:
Because of its location, the city is located in the heart of the Kansas knowledge corridor, with three universities in a 60-mile radius—The University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Washburn University. These three schools have a combined enrollment of approximately 60,000 and an average graduation rate of more than 12,000 students per year. With many of these students remaining in the area, the city’s workforce is able to exceed national trends with 89.4% of Shawnee County’s population age 25 or older having a high-school equivalent or higher education (compared to 84.5% nationally) and 36% of the population in the area holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher (compared to 27.5% nationally). Topeka is also home to the Washburn Institute of Technology, which offers a premier industrial maintenance program through its Industrial Maintenance Center of Excellence. The school also offers comprehensive education and training for many different sectors.
Topeka has the ability to offer valuable incentives to incoming companies in the alternative energy sector with the most aggressive, flexible local incentive package in the Midwest. The city and county offer multiple business sites, including the 500-acre Central Crossing Commerce Park, as well as a new 1,000-acre state-of-the-art business park and a 135-acre science and innovation park currently under development. Each of these sites provides easy access to transport via highway, rail, and air to allow for inexpensive, simple operation and growth. Topeka also offers generous and aggressive local incentives, including free land and cash awards for job creation, in addition to several state and local tax incentives for businesses.
Steve Jenkins, CEcD
Senior Vice President Economic Development
sjenkins@TopekaChamber.org
785.234.2644
