Kansas Brings Home the Gold — For the Fourth Straight Year

Kansas continues to set a new economic standard — and it’s pure gold! By bringing home yet another Gold Shovel, the Sunflower State is turning heads and attracting high-impact companies to invest in the state.

For a fourth consecutive year, Kansas has been awarded the prestigious Gold Shovel Award from Area Development Magazine for its efforts in attracting high-value investments and creating hundreds of new jobs throughout every region of the state.

To keep our state on the gold trajectory, Kansas continues to bring a new competitive spirit and tremendous strengths to the game.

Here are just a few of the moments from across the state that led Kansas back to “the podium” in 2023:

• Building Material Manufacturing, North America’s largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, invested more than $300 million in Newton to develop a new shingle plant. The company’s investment is bringing more than 130 high-skilled manufacturing jobs in engineering, management and operations. These new jobs are great opportunities for fresh Kansas graduates to put their skills to work here in our state.
• In Olathe, Walmart is building its first-ever fully owned and operated case-ready beef facility, investing $257 million and creating 667 new jobs. This project will leverage advanced technology to help the company create an end-to-end Angus beef supply chain.
• H&T was yet another large investment that Kansas saw in 2023. H&T Recharge is one of the largest battery component manufacturers in the world and was chosen by Panasonic Energy as its strategic supplier for cylindrical battery cans. H&T invested $110 million in Kansas for its new EV battery facility and is creating 180 new jobs in De Soto. The project demonstrates the ongoing impact of the largest economic development investment in Kansas history, Panasonic’s De Soto plant, as suppliers and other businesses ramp up operations in advance of the facility’s highly anticipated opening in spring 2025.
• In Lenexa, Kiewit Corporation is working to expand its presence in the Kansas City area by adding a fourth building. Their investment, totaling to $120 million, will bring more than 700 jobs to the area. The company’s investment will provide many more options for well-paying and good quality job opportunities in engineering and more.
• Camso Manufacturing announced their company’s expansion, investing $100 million into its Junction City operations, while creating 200 new jobs for Geary County and surrounding communities. Camso, a brand under the Michelin Group, will increase its output of agricultural rubber tracks to meet new demand. Kansas features prominently in Michelin’s growth strategy, with three facilities currently located in the state — specializing in the unique mobility needs of agricultural applications, including rubber tracks and wheels, for the off-highway market. Each of these Kansas-based facilities has seen new investment in recent years.

The eyes of the world are on Kansas. Businesses are seeing great success in our state — proving that we’re making huge strides and making ourselves known as the best place for business investment and success. And we’ll continue carrying the torch into this new era of Kansas growth.