Latest News

Wednesday, October 09, 2019

September 2019 Successes DKEDC staff worked with the Dickinson County CEO Steering Committee and were able to reach their minimum investor commitment of 35 investors before October 1st, which allows the Dickinson County CEO Board of Directors to begin the process of scheduling training and start the process of hiring a facilitator for the program. The Kansas Department of Commerce approached DKEDC staff about an opportunity to recruit an animal protein production facility looking to move to our area of Kansas. DKEDC staff worked with the Kansas Department of Commerce to prepare and present a recruitment proposal to the company's site selectio...

US News & World Report Names York College Top Performer

Monday, September 16, 2019

US News & World Report's 2020 College Rankings has identified York College as a top performer in the new social mobility category for Colleges in the Midwest Region, based on a variety of metrics. These rankings demonstrate the ongoing success York College has had helping students with fewer economic resources to achieve their educational goals. For 35 years U.S. News & World Report has gathered research and statistics to provide students with helpful information as they search for a college or university. This year the U.S. News & World Report added a Social Mobility ranking to evaluate how well colleges serve student...

KANSAS IS THE 2019 COMEBACK STATE

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Kansas was named “The Comeback State of 2019” by CNBC! In addition to fiscal stability, they noted improvements in workforce development, infrastructure, cost of business, business friendliness and access to capital. All of this added up to a 16-point jump in their “Top States for Business” rankings—making us the most improved state in the country—and we’re not stopping now! The Kansas Department of Commerce is proud to support many of the growth areas mentioned by CNBC, which have improved the environment to live and do business in Kansas! Click here for the complete article.

New Business Signage Program Available in Dickinson County

Friday, August 30, 2019

BELOIT, KS, September 3, 2019 — A new program that is designed to assist businesses with improving or replacing signs on commercial buildings is now available in Dickinson County. The pilot project of the Dickinson County Economic Development Corporation Business Signage Program is designed to provide an affordable funding/financing option for signage on commercial buildings to improve the functionality, structural integrity and aesthetics of signs in commercial areas. The program offers a maximum loan of $2,000 at 0% interest. North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC) of Beloit, Kansas, is partnering with Dickinson County Economic Development Corporation (DKEDC) to provide the program. Th...

KANSAS IS THE 2019 COMEBACK STATE

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Kansas is America’s most improved state for business in 2019. Kansas was named “The Comeback State of 2019” by CNBC! In addition to fiscal stability, they noted improvements in workforce development, infrastructure, cost of business, business friendliness and access to capital. All of this added up to a 16-point jump in their “Top States for Business” rankings—making us the most improved state in the country—and we’re not stopping now! The Kansas Department of Commerce is proud to support many of the growth areas mentioned by CNBC, which have improved the environment to live and do business in Kansas! Read full article.

Land Pride expanding in Abilene

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

By 2020, Abilene West will be up and running, making equipment with 40 employees, said Jesse Goodman, senior plant manager for Land Pride, at the annual meeting of the Dickinson County Economic Development Corporation. Land Pride, Division of Great Plains Manufacturing, is expanding in the 350,000-square-foot building now known as Abilene West. The annual meeting of the DCEDC was held in the building, which will manufacture new equipment. Read full article.

Downtown

Monday, August 26, 2019

Easton Bartley and Cayne Taylor, along with other members of the Abilene Baseball Club, assisted Abilene Forward with the seventh week of working to spruce up Abilene’s downtown area. Read full article.

Downtown boom

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

If you need it, there’s a chance you can find it in downtown Abilene, almost everything in walking distance. You can live there, of course. Rob Hammatt has bought the west end of the “Post Office Block,” 115 NW Third. Recently it has been known as the Etherington Building, but Hammatt plans to call it the Perring Building, in keeping with its designation on the Kansas and National Register of Historic Places. His historic property sign came recently, with the Perring name. Read full article.

Kansas adds 14,000 private sector jobs in past 12 months

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Kansas economy has added more than 14,000 private sector jobs during the past year, state officials said. “Preliminary estimates for July show Kansas added 2,500 jobs over the month. Job estimates for June were revised upward by 2,100 jobs,” said Tyle Tenbrink, an economist with the Kansas Department of Labor. “Looking back over the last 12 months, Kansas has posted a notable increase of 14,200 jobs.” The latest reporting by the state labor department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated seasonally adjusted unemployment in Kansas fell to 3.3 percent during July. The June rate was 3.4 percent, but th...

Historic Abilene comes to life

Monday, August 05, 2019

Selecting subjects for a mural depicting the history of Abilene was the easy part for graffiti artist Whitney Kerr III. The difficult part was putting the scenes in the lettering, especially the “I” and the “L.” “That was the tricky part: figuring out which image to put into which letter,” he said. “It was tough to find out what to do with the ‘L.’ We fit C.L. Brown in there.” Click here for the complete article.

ANOTHER YEAR OF YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Saturday, August 03, 2019

In June, NetWork Kansas wrapped up the 2018-2019 season of the Youth Entrepreneurship (YEC) Series with our third annual YEC Summit. This was the sixth year of the program and the most successful yet! Across our state, 48 communities organized and/or sent students to compete in 40 local youth entrepreneurship competitions. A total of 865 students participated. Participation numbers have grown each year, an indication of how valuable this program is to students and communities. Out of the YEC Series have come many impressive student success stories, which you can browse here. In addition to the success of our YEC Series, thi...

Business Facilities’ 15th Annual Rankings: State Rankings Report

Friday, August 02, 2019

Our 15th annual rankings report maintains BF’s standard for credible and comprehensive results. Rankings categories may evolve over time, but our commitment to an unbiased assessment of valid metrics never wavers. The rankings ecosystem is getting crowded and, like everything else in 21st Century America, it appears to be dancing to the tune of reality TV. The competition is the show: there must be winners and losers. Don’t spoil the fun by drilling down into the minutiae of “weighted factors” that reveal the script behind the results. What counts is that your favorite business network or mainstream trade pub has declare...

The lights are much brighter downtown

Friday, August 02, 2019

Downtown Abilene is becoming more attractive to business and not just in the aesthetic sense, although it is looking spiffier with the sidewalks and alleys being cleaned up and posters in storefront windows. Several businesses have decided that downtown is the place to be. Midwest Snow Cones, for example, has decided to settle down there. Owners Emily and Cody Miller are opening Midwest Snow Cones and Creamery at 403 W. Third. They will add house-made ice cream to the snow cones they will serve all year long. Click here for the complete article.

Secretary David Toland Awards Community Service Tax Credits to Kansas Non-profits

Thursday, August 01, 2019

Topeka, Kan. – Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced the award of Community Service Tax Credits (CSP) to 17 non-profit organizations to support education, healthcare and housing projects across the state. CSP is a tool that dramatically enhances fundraising efforts, providing a 70% tax credit to qualified donors in rural communities of less than 15,000 population and 50% in larger communities. For example, a donor making a $100 gift in a rural community receives a $70 tax credit when they file their state taxes, making the net cost to the donor only $30. Read full article.

Dickinson County Housing Assessment

Friday, May 24, 2019

The Dickinson County Housing Assessment is available to view as a PDF. The report reviews local trends in housing since 2010, discusses opportunities and challenges in our communities, recommends a path for future success and showcases case studies of success stories from similar communities. View the assessment here.

Free Employer Roundtable Set for May 2

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Join us Thursday, May 2, for a free roundtable to discuss workforce solutions with local employers and training providers. The event will run 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center, 201 NW 2nd St. Lunch is provided. Please RSVP by April 26. To RSVP or for questions, contact Karin Moon, OCCK Workforce Solutions, at (785) 827-9383 ext. 223 or kmoon@occk.com. Sponsored by OCCK Workforce Solutions, Dickinson County Economic Development Corporation and the Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce.

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