Kansas wins third consecutive Gold Shovel Award
Historic Economic Development
TOPEKA (KSNT) - For the third year in a row, Kansas has been recognized for economic development within the state with a Gold Shovel Award.
"This is a very prestigious award given out by Development magazine on an annual basis. They award the Gold Shovel to those states, based on population that have produced the most new capital investments. We keep working really hard to ensure that we are doing everything we can to attract new businesses and new jobs to the state of Kansas." Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.
Governor Laura Kelly announced that for the third straight year, Kansas has won Area Development magazine’s coveted Gold Shovel Award. This is the third time in three years Kansas has won the award.
"When we were able to land Panasonic, right after that, we had upwards of twelve mega-projects, businesses coming to Kansas saying, we want to explore setting up business here. We need to take advantage of that while the iron is hot." Kelly said.
“Every day, my administration works to grow the economy so there are better opportunities for Kansans,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This award shows that our work is paying off, and as a result, more Kansans have good-paying jobs with which they can support their families and contribute to their communities.”
The Gold Shovel Award is given to 5 states each year and is based on population, with Kansas at the top of the list of states with fewer than 3 million residents.
Panasonic Energy’s $4 billion electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in De Soto played ia big part in receiving the award but wasn’t the only one. There were 272 projects across the state totaling almost $7.4 billion in private-sector investment and nearly 13,400 jobs created or retained.
The Kansas Framework for Growth, unveiled by Governor Kelly in early 2021 has attracted more than $16.2 billion in private-sector investment and created or retained more than 57,000 jobs.
That plan emphasizes:
- Talent development and retention
- Working with higher education institutions on job and business creation
- Innovation as a driver of opportunity
- Community assets and regional approaches
- Long-term growth policies
- Target business sectors