the skinny

the Skinny

News from the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council January 2019, Q2

SAINT LUKE'S EAST: expands facilities

Photo Courtesy: Saint Luke's East

Note from the President Happy New Year from the Lee’s Summit EDC! I am happy to report that LSEDC began 2019 on a high note after a year of exciting attraction and expansion activity. Lee’s Summit companies invested more than $126.5 million in new capital equipment and facilities in our most recent fiscal year ending in 2018.

The investment led to the creation of more than 850 new jobs, including 363 new Missouri Quality Jobs with a total annual payroll of $91.9 million. LSEDC expects the growth and expansion to continue into the second half of our current fiscal year.

Local companies that have been busy investing in facilities and equipment include GEHA, Lee’s Summit Medical Center, MC Power, National Benefits Center, Polytainers, Reinhart Foodservice, and Saint Luke’s East. New companies currently investing in our community and actively hiring include EXL Industries and Mid-States Distributing.

In the year ahead, LSEDC expects ongoing expansion of local businesses to continue at a rapid clip as companies continue to prosper in our community. Specifically, we will be keeping a close eye on the progress of several significant projects such as Paragon Star, New Longview, and Summit Orchards, as well as development around the Lee’s Summit Airport including PRI Properties’ master-planning effort of a significant parcel of land east of Highway 291.

As always, thank you for your support of LSEDC. If you have project updates or would like to engage with our team in the year ahead, please be in touch.

Yours Truly,

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the Rundown We distributed content through multiple digital channels and media outlets this quarter.

Find these stories on our website at www.leessummit.org/news - - Mid-States Distributing expands to Lee’s Summit - - Building Lee's Summit - Panelists offer winning strategies - - Longview Community Center to open December 17 - - Lee’s Summit Manufacturing Day event solves workforce pain point - - Missouri Innovation Campus racks up national, regional awards - - RideKC Lee's Summit ridership rises 29 percent in 18 months

We hosted many events: Building Lee’s Summit, Quarterly Investor Luncheon KCADC Annual Event Sponsor LSEDC/Chamber Holiday Party Hump Day Happy Hour's HR Roundtable CEO Luncheon

Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council | Page 3

Community and Business Relations LSEDC's Hamilton Wins 40 Under 40 Award in Economic Development The Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council is pleased to announce that Jessica Hamilton, LSEDC’s Director of Community and Investor Relations, has been selected as a winner in the economic development profession’s 40 Under 40 awards, the only program of its kind recognizing young talent in the economic development industry.

An independent five-member selection committee chose winners from more than 170 qualified candidates based on their accomplishments and contributions to the economic development industry. The program was managed

by Development Counsellors International (DCI), a New York-based firm that specializes in economic development marketing, and Jorgenson Consulting, a leading national executive search firm serving organizations in economic and community development industries.

“Jessica successfully re-launched LSEDC’s Business Retention and Expansion program in 2017, with a specific focus on helping local businesses solve pain points relating to workforce development,” said LSEDC President Rick McDowell. “This award recognizes Jessica’s hard work and vision.”

Since joining LSEDC two years ago, Hamilton launched several successful programs, including HR Roundtable, local National Manufacturing Day activities, and an online hiring portal to connect local businesses with potential employees and interns.

“The 40 Under 40 Award is designed to identify the economic development profession’s rising stars. These young economic development professionals represent the future of our industry,” said Julie Curtin, president of DCI’s economic development practice. “The selection committee had a challenge selecting only 40 winners, but we are delighted by the smarts, initiative and game-changing mindset represented in these finalists. Economic development is in good hands with these young leaders, and Jessica Hamilton is certainly no exception.”

“The achievements of these talented and committed professionals show that economic development has an awesome future,” said Todd Jorgenson, managing director and principal of Jorgenson Consulting, Inc. “Partnering with DCI this year to recognize these passionate young men and women has been an honor. Congratulations to each of them.”

DCI and Jorgenson officially announced the winners January 27th at an awards reception during the International Economic Development Council Leadership Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and will feature profiles of each on the awards website. For more information on the 40 Under 40 winners, visit econdev40under40.com.

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Local Stats: 2017 to NOW

231 61 100

Business Assists One on One Visits with Local Employers Education Assists

Summit Christian Academy Hosts Healthcare Roundtable

Summit Christian Academy is growing in numbers which means more talent in the pipeline for employers.

SCA recently hosted a roundtable, in coordination with the LSEDC, with students, instructors, and healthcare professionals to discuss student engagement opportunities. Healthcare providers invited to attend included: Children’s Mercy Hospital, John Knox Village, Lee’s Summit Medical, Saint Luke’s East, and Truman Medical Center. Employers had the opportunity to hear from students on their interest in the healthcare industry and the career opportunities they were seeking. SCA faculty heard from employers about their biggest hiring challenges, current programs to engage with students, and career readiness needs.

Bringing Business Around the Table

LSEDC recognizes the value in bringing business, community and education leaders together for conversations focused on "doing business" in Lee's Summit. We have seen tremendous success with our bi-annual CEO Luncheon and quarterly HR Roundtable. These initiatives were launched in 2017 to encourage strategic collaborations and conversations among Lee's Summit C-Suite executives and HR professionals.

These events are popular among participants while allowing LSEDC and city leaders the opportunity to listen in on conversations among key Lee's Summit stakeholders. Our team then uses that information to better serve the needs of the local business community through all aspects of doing business here, including workforce development and transportation initiatives.

It's not good-bye, but see ya later ......

As I reflect on my time here at the Lee’s Summit EDC, the Domino Effect seems to ring true. Defined as a “cumulative effect produced when one event initiates a succession of similar events,” I’ve seen this play out over the past two years while launching several new BR/E and workforce initiatives for LSEDC. These efforts such as CEO Luncheon, HR Roundtable, and National Manufacturing Day have seen momentous growth due to the willingness of this community’s business and civic leaders to engage and collaborate.

It has been my goal to start small and scale up with these programs, which have enabled us to really gain traction in our efforts for long-term success. As a result, LSEDC has celebrated many successes in serving as the resource for business retention/expansion efforts, employer and education connections, and career exposure opportunities for students.

Yours Truly, Jessica

Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council | Page 5

Saint Luke's East announces expanded facilities, procedures Saint Luke’s East Hospital continues to grow its presence and procedures in Lee’s Summit. After investing $10 million in a 25,000-square foot surgical department expansion in 2018, the hospital will further expand its operating room footprint and services in the year ahead.

“The initial expansion was planned with future growth in mind and included two ‘shelled out’ additional operating suites,” said Saint Luke’s East CEO Ron Baker. “Those operating rooms will be completed in 2019, building on our history of continually adding new services and investing in new equipment to meet the community’s needs.”

The 2018 expansion allowed Saint Luke’s to add bariatric procedures and included two new operating suites, triage and recovery rooms, as well as technology-driven workspaces. The next round will allow the hospital to continue to meet growing demand for state-of-the-art surgical orthopedic care, including total hip and knee replacement procedures.

“One of our top priorities is to ensure that our residents have access to the best care in the most efficient amount of time close to home. Our expansion will provide more opportunities to schedule surgical procedures sooner, which helps get our patients back to the lives they love sooner,” Baker said.

Saint Luke’s East is investing significantly to ensure the suites are on the leading edge of technological advancements while providing operational efficiencies. From the initial planning phase through construction, the construction team that included ACI Boland Architects and J.E. Dunn Construction looked at every detail down to the chairs, workstations, storage space, and technology.

Also in 2019, Saint Luke’s East plans to invest in new radiology equipment, gastroenterology instruments, dialysis bays, and emergency room renovations. The hospital also will become the first in Eastern Jackson County to provide cancer patients with access to Space OAR, an innovation that enhances prostate cancer treatment while reducing the risk of side effects.

“Saint Luke’s East Hospital was built in Lee’s Summit to fill a need in this community,” Baker said. “As the market leader in maternity, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and many other areas, we’ll continue to partner with our community to meet the growing demands as their healthcare provider of choice.”

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Photo Courtesy: Saint Luke's East Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council | Page 7

Investor News WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST INVESTORS! Advisory Board Member - $2500

David Belpedio MarksNelson, CPA & Business Advisors

Investor - $1,000

Heartland Heavy Construction

Patron - $1,500

REMAX Heritage

Investor Spotlight: Kelly Construction Group With over 25 years of experience in the Kansas City market, Kelly Construction Group has steadily grown its presence in Lee’s Summit. As Construction Manager for Summit Technology Campus, the full-service construction company has handled renovations and buildouts for numerous clients such as the U.S. Government, Cerner, and EXL Industries.

Kelly Construction Group was founded in 2011 by Scott Kelly along with partners Jason Betts and Travis Lourens. Emerging from the Great Recession, the new company combined Kelly’s healthcare expertise with Lourens’ government experience and Betts’ book of business that included retail and hospitality groups.

“Each of us had a unique group of clients,” Kelly said. “We started talking about how we could take our existing customer base, maintain those relationships and work through a difficult time with the expectation it was going to pick back up.”

In the years since, reality has exceeded those expectations. In 2018, Kelly Construction moved into a new headquarters, launched a soft rebranding and increased staff by 25 percent. The firm landed a couple of significant healthcare projects with the buildout of Cerner’s Realization Campus in south Kansas City and construction of an AdventHealth Shawnee Mission parking garage. On the retail front, the firm wrapped up the new Monarch Bar on the Country Club Plaza. Public projects of note included renovation of the Music Hall and the Bartle Hall art installation in Kansas City.

Kelly Construction expects construction activity to remain strong and will continue to pursue projects throughout the region. “Our success has been built on relationships, and our strategy for growth is to strengthen our current relationships, as well as to target those clients and projects that align with our core values,” Kelly said.

Kelly Construction bumped up its LSEDC investor in 2018 to the Benefactor Level and continues to see significant business development benefits. “We have met not only potential clients but also architects, subcontractors and suppliers who we plan to partner with in the future. We are forming long-term relationships here.”

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Industry Leader Bennett Adds $4M High-Speed Digital Press State-of-the-art equipment caps off multi-year investment for Lee's Summit-based company Bennett Packaging (dba “Bennett”), one of the largest independently-owned corrugated packaging companies in the U.S., has completed installation of its second high-speed, state-of-the-art digital printing press. The $4 million capital investment was made possible through a Chapter 100 Industrial Development Bond agreement.

“A collaborative effort between Bennett and the City of Lee’s Summit made this business investment possible,” said LSEDC President and CEO Rick McDowell. “By investing in industry leading equipment and technology, Bennett has been well positioned to take advantage of the rapidly growing e-commerce revolution and resulting supply chain growth.”

Bennett manufactures corrugated boxes and store displays and has grown from $19 million in sales in 2004 to $65 million in 2018. In 2014, the City of Lee’s Summit granted the Lee’s Summit-based company $8 million in Chapter 100 Industrial Revenue Bonds-- in two increments of $4 million each—for the purchase of two direct-to-corrugated printing presses. The Barberan Jetmaster digital presses were the first of their kind to be installed in the U.S. “Over the past two and a half years, Bennett clients have benefitted from the efficiencies from the digital process, and Bennett has seen an increase in market share,” said Kathy Bennett, Bennett Packaging CEO. Bennett purchased its first 66-inch Jetmaster in 2015, which operates during three shifts each day at its Lee’s Summit headquarters. In 2018, the company purchased a second 48-inch Jetmaster that has a smaller footprint and allows Bennett to have redundancy in the plant for digital presses.

“Bennett is the only company in North America to have two of these high-speed presses, so if one press goes down we have a backup,” said Robert Sweet, Director of Sales for Bennett. “The other application is that these presses give us flexibility to handle and accommodate a variety of projects and sizes required by the industry.”

Not all of Bennett’s print jobs are suited to digital printing, therefore the company continues to offer lithograph and flexo print services.

Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council | Page 9

Coming up....

2018-19 Board Members Machelle Riffe Chairwomen Chip Moxley Vice Chair Tim Paulson Secretary The 2019 State of the Summit will feature a panel discussion with leaders of some of Lee’s Summit’s fastest growing companies.

Join us for lunch and business insight that you can’t get anywhere else!

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE Last year's event was sold out

Larry Hillier Treasurer Keith Asel Past Chair Bill Baird Mayor Steve Arbo City Manager

~ Save the Date ~

February

Advisory Board Luncheon, Velocity @ Bridge Space Wednesday, February 6th from 11:30 - 1:00 pm Bridge Space, 210 SW Market St, Lee's Summit, MO 64063

Hump Day Happy Hour

Wednesday, February 20th from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm Llywelyn's, Downtown Lee's Summit (back room)

March All Investor Luncheon, State of the Summit

Wednesday, March 6th from 11:30 - 1:00 pm The Stanley Event Space, 25 SE 3rd St, Lee's Summit, MO 64063

Hump Day Happy Hour

Wednesday, February 20th from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm Llywelyn's, Downtown Lee's Summit (back room)

Dr. Dennis Carpenter Superintendent, LSR-7 Ron Baker Board Member Will Coates Board Member Julia Hampton Board Member Linda Harrelson Board Member Clint Haynes Board Member Todd Haynes Board Member Mike Lally Board Member Eric Mann Board Member

Lee's Summit Economic Development Council

816.525.6617 | 218 SE Main Street, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063 | leessummit.org

Loren Williamson Board Member