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Do you know ROZ?We have been out visiting with area businesses and hear that almost everyone is needing employees. With our county unemployment rate being 1.9%, one program that you need to be aware of is the Kansas Rural Opportunity Zones (ROZ). Rural Opportunity Zones were established as a tool for communities experiencing depopulation to…

What an exceptional year for Emporia. The Simmons Pet Food expansion announcement on November 1st was huge. The ½-Cent City Sales Tax for industrial development was approved by 74% of the voters, sun-setting on December 31, 2034. Then Emporia had three high-quality recruitment projects and we made the short-list. Simmons Pet Food Expansion On November…

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…

Over the years there are certain dates that become important events in our area economy. For instance in June of 1994, we were first contacted by Menu Pet Food representatives, who was conducting a site search in eastern Kansas, southwest Missouri, or northeastern Oklahoma for a new nutrition plant. They identified this region as a…

The RDA office continuously updates the Emporia, Kansas & Lyon County data book. Some of the data is obtained from primary sources, such as surveys the RDA conducts, for instance the local major manufacturers and employers survey on total number of full-time employees. Many secondary sources are utilized such as the Kansas Statistical Abstract, the…