KEY QUOTE: "I’ve worked almost my entire career to make Kansas and our communities the best place in the country for business. We’ve made a lot of progress, but it’s clear that there is still more to be done. Let’s strengthen our workforce so we can continue growing together."

Helping Hutch Thrive

- Just last month Governor Laura Kelly announced that Panasonic will soon break ground on an electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant representing the largest private investment in Kansas history. Kansas is proving to be the best place in the country for business growth, yet more work must be done to continue this momentum.

- We’ve seen the benefits of our statewide growth this summer: In June, Kansas hit the lowest unemployment rate in recorded history at 2.3 percent, a full percentage point below the nation’s unemployment rate. And for the second year in a row, the Kelly Administration was given a prestigious national award for leadership in job creation and economic development – a well-deserved honor given that Kansas has attracted more investment in the past 3.5 years than in the previous eight.

- Here in Hutchinson, we’re also working to ensure businesses can grow and succeed. Last fall, Superior Boiler, one of the largest industrial boiler manufacturers in the U.S., cut the ribbon on a 73,000-square-foot expansion that employs 145 today and continues to hire. J & J Drainage, First Team Sports, and American Packaging have expanded their facilities as well. That business success is part of the reason Hutchinson has risen to 27th in the top 100 micropolitans in the U.S.

- Workforce development progress on the state level will help us here in Hutchinson as well: In May, Gov. Kelly signed a bipartisan bill that expands computer science education and helps technical students transition to employment.