Tuesday, Apr. 13, 2010
LSEDC hosts area counterparts
Miranda Wycoff, Journal Staff
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Last Wednesday members of the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council got an opportunity to hear what their counterparts around Eastern Jackson County are up to at the quarterly meeting held at Truman Medical Center – Lakewood.
Brien Starner, president of the Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation, Tom Lesnak, president of the Independence Council for Economic Development and Alan Kenyan, director of economic development for the city of Grandview were part of a panel discussing what’s new for economic development in their respective cities and the Eastern Jackson County area.
“I do believe that Eastern Jackson County has been historically overlooked,” Starner said, who before coming to Blue Springs worked with the Overland Park Economic Development Council. “Right now we have the unique opportunity to change what has been happening.”
Starner said one of the challenges Eastern Jackson County has is to find ways to “elevate our position,” in the minds of developers and corporations.
But with the current plans for Blue Springs’ Missouri Innovation Park and other developments happening in the area, the panel was optimistic about the area’s future.
“I’ve got so many things to talk about in Eastern Jackson County,” Lesnak said. “Incredible things are happening despite the economy. We’ve all seen the vision, now we just have to keep pushing forward.
Lesnak discussed the popularity of the newly opened Independence Events Center and plans to redevelop the former Independence Regional Hospital into an educational facility and “business incubator” called the Innovation Center.
Lesnak said the former operating rooms will be converted into bio-tech labs for start-up and existing businesses to house themselves there. He said he anticipates a June opening for phase one of that project.
Starner said Blue Springs should continue to focus on what it can do to sustain growth. He said the Missouri Innovation Park project, which is proposed as a public/private partnership for a 500-acre science and technology park, and the continued focus on the redevelopment of the downtown area should help do just that.
Kenyan said the city of Grandview is poised for a different type of economic development than Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and Independence.
“The mission I got when I started was to make Grandview like Overland Park with more retail,” Kenyan said. “But Grandview doesn’t jump off the chart for retail sight-seekers.
“Where it does excel is as a light industrial and warehousing center.”
Kenyan also discussed what he sees as a “game-changer” for the city. The initiative to build the world headquarters for the International House of Prayer in the city.
“We’re going to suddenly find our city with a new small college and a major tourism source,” he said. “I think its going to be really cool to see what happens in the next few years.
“One day Grandview will be like Lee’s Summit,” Kenyan added.
To reach Journal reporter Miranda Wycoff, call 816-282-7017 or e-mail mwycoff@bluespringsjournal.com.
