Domestic Business Recruitment

Alicia Hutchings
Business Recruitment Project Manager
Business Development - Mid-Central States Office

• Phone: (913) 205-8521
• Email: Alicia.Hutchings@ks.gov

Alicia manages site location and business recruitment projects in the central and southeast United States. She has a broad range of economic development experience working in both the state of Texas and the state of Kansas. Successful projects include The Coleman Company, Generali and the headquarter relocations of BATS Trading, and Specialty Fertilizer Products.

Alicia holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas, and is a graduate of Leadership Lawrence and the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. She has prior experience in business park management and was the co-creator and vice president of sales for the EcoDev Tracker.

Holly Campbell
Regional Business Recruitment Project Manager
Business Development - Great Lakes Office

• Phone: (785) 559-0105
•Email: Holly.Campbell@ks.gov 

Holly manages site location and business recruitment projects in the great lakes region of the United States. Holly’s diverse interdisciplinary background brings a new perspective and skill set to business recruitment projects generating from Illinois and the Great Lakes region.

Her expertise in communications, marketing as well as being a former internet radio host add new levels of outreach potential to our efforts. 

For several years, Holly worked for a Southland Chicago Economic Development organization and was well-known for her strong commitment to inter-governmental issues with a focus on improving the local economy, manufacturing expansion, workforce development and business retention efforts. Prior to that, she worked with various nonprofit organizations for over 20 years helping to build awareness for communities to gain economic empowerment.

Holly has a B.A. degree in Communications and Radio Broadcasting from Columbia College in Chicago and a M.A.in Human Service and Non-Profit administration from Spertus College of Judaica.

Barbara Hake, CEcD
Business Development Consultant

• Phone: (913) 909-0999
• Email: Barbara.Hake@ks.gov

Barbara manages business recruitment and expansion in the Kansas City area. She has worked in the Kansas economic development industry for over 20 years. She has worked with major site consultants across the U.S. locating new business in Kansas for key companies such as Teva, Black and Veatch, AIG, Dairy Farmers of America, Bayer, JP Morgan, Spirit Aerosystems, AMC Theaters, Sara Lee, General Motors, Farmers Insurance, Kiewit, and Quintiles.

Barbara is a Certified Economic Developer and an Economic Development Finance Professional. She is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and Washburn University with a bachelor's and master's degree in business and management.

Jose Romano
Business Development Consultant for the East Coast Region

• Phone: (917) 756-9601
• Email: Jose.Romano@ks.gov

Jose Romano is the Business Development Consultant for the East Coast Region. Based in New York City, he serves the State of Kansas and its local economic development partners in their efforts to promote the state as a prime business destination.  

Jose has more than a decade of experience in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining the Department of Commerce, he served as a site selection consultant with the global firm of Hickey & Associates. Romano also served at the pleasure of three Governors in the states of Florida and Texas. During his time working as the Director of Business Development for the Texas Governor’s Office, he fostered 27,000 committed new jobs and over $32 billion in pledged capital investment.

A native to the state of Florida, he attended Florida State University where he majored in International Affairs. In 2017, Romano was recognized for his leadership within the economic development industry and received the 40 Under 40 Award from Development Counsellors International (DCI). 

International Business Recruitment

Randi Tveitaraas Jack
International Business Recruitment Manager

• Phone: (785) 296-7868
• Fax: (785) 296-3490
• Email: Randi.TveitaraasJack@ks.gov

Randi Tveitaraas Jack manages the Department’s international recruitment program, oversees trade activities and serves as the renewable energy contact for the Agency. In her 26 years with the state, she has worked with companies in Europe, Asia and Canada in key industry sectors including wind energy, aviation, and bioscience. Successful site location projects include Siemens Wind Energy (Germany), CEVA Biomune (France), IdentiGEN (Ireland), Sonaca NMF (Belgium), and Gunze (Japan).

Prior to joining Commerce, Randi worked in international marketing at Storage Technology Corporation, a computer peripherals manufacturer based in Colorado. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Colorado State University and a Master of International Business Administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and has also studied at the University of Madrid in Spain.

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