In Missouri, we like to say that economic development is a team sport. It takes a dedicated group of individuals throughout the state working together to attract new investment and help existing businesses expand. One person who is integral to that process is Kimberly Martin, Finance Programs Manager at Missouri Development Finance Board. Kimberly’s impressive career in economic development was recently recognized as she was named the 2022 Economic Developer of the Year by the Missouri Economic Development Council.

We sat down with Kimberly to get her take on winning the prestigious award and discussed what it’s like to work in economic development in Missouri.

Congratulations on being named Economic Developer of the Year! How does it feel to win such an award?

Thank you. Initially, I was just shocked. I had just been doing what needed to be done during a difficult time for our organization and I didn’t think anyone outside our walls had really noticed. Once it had sunk in, I was truly humbled. There are so many out there working hard and doing great things in this field that are deserving of recognition. None of the things mentioned when I won were done by me alone, I have many to thank for the successes we had in 2021.   

What first attracted you to working in the field of economic development, and how long have you been working here in Missouri?

I started with the State Department of Economic Development nearly 22 years ago, not really knowing what I was getting into. I learned so much and enjoyed that my job allowed me to be a part of something that made real and significant improvements to our State and provide great opportunities for the people here. I held a couple different positions there, that experience gave me the opportunity to join the Missouri Development Finance Board about 8 years later and I’ve been there ever since. The Board does such interesting and impactful things for our state, I’ve really enjoyed the diversity of the projects and activities. 

What is your favorite thing about working in economic development?

That the results of our work truly make a difference.  Helping to create jobs and improve the quality of life for our neighbors is something you can feel good about.

Lastly, why do you think a company planning a U.S. expansion should look at Missouri?

Because Missouri is the best! I think our location, our combination of metro and rural offerings, and low cost of doing business are great selling points. We also have great opportunities for workforce training and a wide range of growing industries within our borders. Missouri is much more advanced than I think most give us credit for. Plus, we have the best team of professionals here to help them along the way. 

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Located in northeastern Missouri, Hannibal Lakeside Technology Park is home to a 116 acre certified site, with an additional 100 adjacent acres available. The site is zoned for light industrial, is within an enhanced enterprise zone and is set in a mixed-use business park.

A certified site in Missouri requires the ground be mostly clear and level, be at least 25 acres, be intended for business use, have at least a six-inch water main, industrial capacity sanitary sewer, and three-phase 12 kilovolt electric infrastructure.

This Hannibal site has the capacity for 500,000 gallons per day (GPD) water and 7.3 million GPD of sewer treatment from the Hannibal Board of Public Works, natural gas is provided by Liberty Utilities, and 13.8 kv of electricity is also available from the Hannibal Board of Public Works, with a substation on site. Additionally, AT&T, Bluebird and Spectrum Enterprise fiber optic lines run adjacent to the property.

The site is located a quarter mile from the four-lane U.S. highway 36, designated as the Chicago-Kansas City expressway, and just three miles from interstate highway 72. Moberly Area Community College and Hannibal Regional Medical campus are directly adjacent to the site.

With its location in Northeastern Missouri, access to skilled talent, rapid access to an interstate highway, and with established utilities; this shovel ready site is perfect for your next facility.

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Peerless Products, Inc., an advanced manufacturer of commercial windows and doors, recently announced plans to invest in Nevada, Missouri. The expansion represents $3.5 million in capital investment, and is expected to create 111 new jobs in the region.

“It’s exciting to see Peerless Products growing in Nevada, and we look forward to the positive impact its success will have on the community,” said Missouri Governor Mike Parson. “Our state’s pro-growth business environment is resulting in investments that make real differences in the lives of Missourians. We’re proud to support companies like Peerless as we continue our focus on developing a strong workforce, improving critical infrastructure, and creating opportunity.”

In addition to adding 111 new jobs, the company’s expansion includes significant investment in new machinery and equipment. Renovations of Peerless’ 220,000-square-foot Nevada location are underway to update the space and ensure readiness for the company’s continued growth.

“We have expansions in the manufacturing side of things that we have to develop into and this facility is going to give that opportunity,” said Jeremiah Richards, Innovative Solutions Director for Peerless. “Western Missouri, Eastern Kansas, these are places that have hardworking people that build good quality products. I think over the course of this year, the facility, getting it back up to standards to be a manufacturing plant is the goal, and with that comes certain aspects. Right now, it’s a finished goods facility only. In the next 60 days, we hope to make it somewhat of a raw goods facility.”

“Over the next five years, Peerless plans to add over 100 jobs to Vernon County – our largest expansion for a very long time,” said Ben Vickers, Director of BUILD VC. “This project all goes back to the leadership of Peerless, and it just goes to show what a great community we have that they are willing to make that investment. The city of Nevada and Vernon County welcome this expansion wholeheartedly.”

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Ameren Missouri, an energy solutions and utilities company, recently announced plans to buy a 200-megawatt solar installation in central Missouri, known as the Huck Finn Solar Project. The new facility is expected to produce enough energy to power about 40,000 homes and will create more than 250 new jobs.

“Developing Huck Finn is good for all of our customers because it provides clean electricity, creates economic opportunity and injects millions of dollars into the community over the life of the project, which will have widespread additional benefits,” said Mark Birk, Chairman and President of Ameren Missouri.

The new facility is designed to generate more than 25 times the energy of Missouri’s largest current solar facility.

Ameren announced last week that it would accelerate its net-zero carbon emissions goal to 2045, moved up five years from an earlier goal of 2050. The company in 2020 pledged to spend about $7.5 billion to add 4,700 megawatts of renewable generation by 2040, including about $4.3 billion to add 2,800 megawatts of clean wind and solar generation by 2030.

“We’re focused on the two items customers say are most important to them: reliability and affordability,” Birk said. “The thoughtfully planned additions of renewable generation over time keeps the grid reliable and resilient while also managing costs.”

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Missouri Partnership CEO, Subash Alias, recently sat down with Business Facilities for a Q&A on why companies should invest in Missouri. Check out the full article here.

Q: Why should companies consider Missouri at this point?

A: The opportunities are endless in Missouri—from the state’s low business costs to its location in the center of North America, Missouri is extremely appealing to businesses around the world.

Workforce is top of mind for every company right now, and Missouri is first in the nation for on-the-job training and second in the U.S. for most completed apprenticeships. Businesses can operate in Missouri at a much lower cost than in other states. Additionally, Missouri has the third lowest corporate income tax index in the U.S., and real estate is available and affordable.

Missouri is often the first U.S. location for international companies expanding into the U.S. market. In fact, Missouri had the third fastest foreign direct investment employment growth in the U.S. and is home to 700+ international companies from 41 different countries.

Q: Can you share some recent success stories?

A: Missouri is celebrating exciting new investments from global companies in every corner of the state. In Missouri Northeast, Verde Resources—a commercial producer and wholesaler of regenerative compost—just announced a $5.6 million investment to establish a facility capable of processing 100 tons of organic bio-waste per day which will significantly reduce greenhouse gases produced in the dairy and livestock industries. The company uses cutting-edge technology which will bolster the state’s position as a leader in agriculture, a $94 billion industry in the state.

Deli Star just cut the ribbon on a new food facility in St. Louis, investing nearly $100 million in the region. In Kansas City, online pet retailer Chewy recently opened its $143 million distribution center.

Q: What are the new programs/initiatives geared toward economic development?

A: Missouri is prioritizing investment in broadband improvements at unprecedented levels to ensure companies and talent are connected. With remote work increasing, the state is committed to this initiative.

Workforce development remains a priority for the state. Hands-on training is crucial, and with the state ranking first in the U.S. for on-the-job training, it’s evident that Missouri’s efforts to develop and train a skilled workforce are paying off.

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Located in western Missouri, on the outskirts of Kansas City – Missouri’s second largest city and home to half a million people, the Lake City Business Center is a 1,002 acre rail-served certified site.

The site has rail infrastructure in place and is served by Union Pacific Railroad. The site is also located one mile from the four-lane U.S. highway 24, and five miles from interstate highway 70.

The site benefits from open zoning, incentives and tax-exempt real estate. The site also has the capability to become a secured site, making it highly attractive to industries in need of a secured location.

A certified site in Missouri requires the ground be mostly clear and level, be at least 25 acres, be intended for business use, have at least a six-inch water main, industrial capacity sanitary sewer, and three-phase 12 kilovolt electric infrastructure.

This Independence site meets these requirements with multiple options for water, sewer and electricity, customizable for specific project requirements. Spire provides natural gas to the site via a 3-inch main.

With its location in western Missouri, next to Kansas City, with established utilities and rail infrastructure, and with a quarter of a million people within a 20-minute drive, this shovel ready site is perfect for your next facility.

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LaunchCode, a non-profit organization that works with businesses to set up apprenticeships in technology for people who lack the traditional tech credentials, has announced a new program designed to change the trajectory of lives of individuals in prison.

In a collaboration between Missouri Eastern Correctional Center (MECC) and LaunchCode, 17 students participated in MECC’s first JustTech program graduation.

“We’re focused on equipping currently incarcerated folks with the tech skills and workforce skills that they need to be successful upon release,” said Haley Shoaf, Vice President of LaunchCode’s Justice Program in St. Louis.

The program is designed to advance those without traditional credentials, giving them tools to further their education, opening the door to transforming the tech industry, and improving life for inmates once they are rehabilitated into society.

“The ceremony marked the end of our first cohort at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center,” said Shoaf. “And it was just a really important opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the graduates and mark this milestone for all the work they’ve put in.”

Upon release, formerly incarcerated individuals many times face the same joblessness and poverty that they experienced before their sentencing. With more than 33% being unable to find employment after more than four years post-release, this problem affects numerous communities across the U.S.

LaunchCode’s program helps place those individuals in a fast-growing industry with a lot of opportunities, and equips them with marketable skills that can be the difference between finding success and returning behind bars.

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39 North, Missouri’s premier agtech innovation community, is celebrating its fifth anniversary. 39 North was announced to great fanfare, and is named after the region’s position on the 39th parallel of latitude, which covers many of the world’s top agricultural locations.

The 600-acre innovation district in St. Louis, Missouri, is anchored by the Danforth Plant Science Center, Bio-Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park, the Helix Center Biotech Incubator, Bayer CropScience, and the Yield Lab.

Since its inception in 2017, 39 North has experienced significant growth. In fact, in the past five years, more than $64 million in infrastructure investments alone have been made in 39 North.

39 North is geared toward providing the lifestyle often sought by today’s highly skilled scientific workers, with a mix of retail, residential, and office space connected by walking and biking trails.

Missouri’s agtech industry is leading the way with innovative technology and research in plant science and animal health that is transforming agriculture. Across Missouri, leading agtech organizations including the Danforth Plant Science Center, Bayer CropScience, Boehringer Ingelheim, the Missouri Botanical Garden, Yield Lab, DuPont, BASF, Bunge, and more are developing new technology that is transforming agriculture.

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Located in western Missouri, in Kansas City – Missouri’s second largest city with a population of 500,000 – with direct access to the Kansas City International Airport, KCI Intermodal Business Centre is home to a 690-acre certified site with an additional 100 adjacent available acres. The site is zoned for light industrial, is within a Foreign Trade Zone and an enhanced enterprise zone and is set in a master-planned business park.

A certified site in Missouri requires the ground be mostly clear and level, be at least 25 acres, be intended for business use, have at least a six-inch water main, industrial capacity sanitary sewer, and three-phase 12 kilovolt electric infrastructure.

This Platte County site has the capacity for 2.9 million GPD water, and 432,000 GPD sewer treatment from Kansas City Water Services. Natural gas is available via a 4-inch main from Spire, and 12.47 kv of electricity is available from Evergy.

The site has immediate access to both interstate highway 29 and interstate 435, and phase one infrastructure construction is complete.

With its location in Western Missouri, directly adjacent to the Kansas City International Airport, able to pull talent from Missouri’s second largest city, and the surrounding region, direct access to two interstate highways, and with established utilities, this shovel ready site is perfect for your next facility.

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Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, has opened a new $15 million technology center. The university says the new center is designed to help researchers advance their study of several diseases.

The center, which will be known as the Mass Spectrometry Technology Access Center (MTAC), includes advanced technology equipment that can be used to develop and analyze biomarkers related to diseases such as diabetes, breast cancer, pediatric malnutrition and Crohn’s disease.

“We are trying to be one of the best mass spectrometry centers in the nation,” said Young Ah Goo, Director of MTAC.

Jeffrey Milbrandt, Head of Washington University School of Medicine’s Department of Genetics, said the MTAC will provide researchers with the ability to access technology that helps advance research focused on personalized medicine.

“Our ultimate goal is to improve treatments for disease,” Milbrandt said. “By being able to visualize things at a single cell level, to visualize metabolizing proteins on a slide and to see that the tumor cell is acting differently than the normal cells, and being able to see that at an individual tumor-by-tumor, even cell-by-cell basis, is going to help tremendously in helping develop treatments and monitoring the response to treatments.”

Ben Major, Faculty Director of MTAC, said the new center will serve as a resource for Washington University researchers and can also be a key asset to help recruit graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to St. Louis, Missouri.

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