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| Wichita Area Development Corporation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wichita Area Development Corporation |
| Type | Nonprofit economic development organization |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Wichita, Kansas |
| Region served | Wichita metropolitan area |
| Leader title | President & CEO |
Wichita Area Development Corporation
The Wichita Area Development Corporation assists business attraction, retention, and expansion for the Wichita metropolitan area. It coordinates with local authorities, Wichita, Kansas stakeholders, and regional partners to promote industrial growth, workforce initiatives, and site development. The organization engages public-private partnerships with firms, civic institutions, and educational providers to deliver incentive packages, market analysis, and project management.
Founded in the mid-1980s, the organization emerged amid postwar shifts in the aerospace sector tied to companies such as Beechcraft Corporation, Cessna Aircraft Company, and Boeing Commercial Airplanes operations in McConnell Air Force Base's economic orbit. Early collaborations included municipal actors from City of Wichita, county commissioners from Sedgwick County, Kansas, and chambers like the Greater Wichita Chamber of Commerce. Through the 1990s and 2000s it worked alongside state entities including the Kansas Department of Commerce and regional authorities such as the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization to respond to effects from events like defense procurement cycles and airline industry consolidation exemplified by American Airlines restructuring. The organization adapted to 21st-century challenges by integrating workforce training partners such as Wichita State University, Kansas Technical Institute (Wichita), and trade associations like the National Association of Manufacturers.
The mission aligns with municipal strategies promoted by officials from City of Wichita and policy frameworks advanced in the Kansas Legislature and by governors including Sam Brownback and Laura Kelly. Governance typically involves a board drawing representatives from corporations including Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and regional banks such as Intrust Bank alongside labor stakeholders and education leaders from Wichita State University and Butler Community College. Executive leadership reports to a board that liaises with mayors, county commissioners, and state economic development commissioners to coordinate incentive approvals linked to statutes like the Kansas Industrial Training Act (similar program) and state tax credit programs administered through the Kansas Department of Revenue.
Programs emphasize site selection services for industrial parks, workforce development in partnership with Wichita State University National Institute for Aviation Research, and small business support via networks akin to the Small Business Administration regional offices. Targeted clusters include aerospace with suppliers such as Spirit AeroSystems and Garmin, advanced manufacturing tied to Textron Aviation, logistics leveraging Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, and medical technologies collaborating with institutions like Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center. The organization also offers incentive packaging involving tax increment financing modalities used in Tax Increment Financing Districts and works with utility providers like Westar Energy and Kansas Gas Service on infrastructure readiness.
Partnerships span municipal actors including City of Wichita economic development departments, county entities like Sedgwick County Commission, and regional councils such as the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and South Central Kansas Economic Development District. Collaborative ventures with academic partners such as Wichita State University, Friends University, and vocational centers like Wichita Area Technical College support apprenticeships tied to trade unions and industry groups such as the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association. Cross-jurisdictional coordination involves neighboring jurisdictions including Derby, Kansas, Hutchinson, Kansas, and Newton, Kansas to promote metropolitan-wide site competitiveness against peer regions like Tulsa, Oklahoma and Omaha, Nebraska.
Revenue streams have included municipal contributions from City of Wichita budgets, county allocations from Sedgwick County, Kansas, private sector dues from firms such as Spirit AeroSystems and Textron Aviation, and grant awards from state agencies like the Kansas Department of Commerce. The organization has historically managed incentive disbursements tied to performance agreements negotiated with corporate recipients and administered in coordination with the Kansas Development Finance Authority for bond financing and with federal grant programs overseen by agencies such as the Economic Development Administration. Financial oversight involves audits consistent with standards applied by state auditors and engagement with local banking institutions including Intrust Bank and Bank of America regional branches.
Notable engagements include site recruitment and expansion assistance for aerospace suppliers and avionics firms associated with Mid-Continent Airport (Wichita), support for brownfield redevelopment in coordination with Kansas Department of Health and Environment remediation grants, and facilitation of workforce pipelines tied to programs at Wichita State University and the National Institute for Aviation Research. The organization contributed to logistics-oriented site preparation near Interstate 135 and to public-private redevelopment projects in downtown corridors proximate to Old Town (Wichita). It has also been involved in regional branding and export assistance that connected local manufacturers to trade missions with entities such as the U.S. Department of Commerce and trade associations including the National Association of Manufacturers.
Critiques have emerged over incentive negotiations resembling disputes seen in other cities when major employers like Boeing or large aircraft suppliers consider consolidation or relocation, raising debates among City of Wichita officials, Sedgwick County representatives, and civic groups about opportunity costs. Transparency advocates have called for clearer disclosure comparable to standards argued in cases involving the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission and public records litigation involving municipal incentive agreements. Labor organizations and community groups have at times contested project terms with references to wage commitments and workforce apprenticeship provisions negotiated with employers and trade organizations.
Category:Organizations based in Wichita, Kansas Category:Economic development organizations in the United States