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Governor Kelly Celebrates Grand Opening of Panasonic EV Battery Manufacturing Facility in De Soto July 14, 2025 Governor Kelly Announces Grand Opening of Heartland Coca-Cola Olathe Production Campus June 10, 2025 Merck Animal Health Investing $895M in De Soto Plant Expansion May 08, 2025 Governor Kelly Announces Fiserv to Open Strategic Fintech Hub in Kansas; Create 2,000 Jobs April 21, 2025 View All

Business in Kansas

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‘Hire a Veteran Day’ Virtual Job Fair Focuses on Transitioning Servicemembers Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland encourages jobseekers and employers searching for available talent to take part in the upcoming “Hire a Veteran Day” virtual job fair, hosted by KANSASWORKS, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 25. Commerce Announces Awardees to Implement Innovative ACCEL-KS Program Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced the department’s Office of Innovation has selected two partner organizations to implement the Proof-of-Concept portion of its Accelerating Concept to Commercialization in Kansas (ACCEL-KS) program. Governor Kelly Celebrates Grand Opening of Panasonic EV Battery Manufacturing Facility in De Soto Governor Laura Kelly and Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland along with many federal and state dignitaries today celebrated with Panasonic Energy the grand opening of the largest electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing plant in the United States. Kansas Arts Commission Awards $1M for Arts and Culture Projects Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced 108 grant recipients will share $1 million in total funding from the Kansas Arts Commission (KAC). View All

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Kansas Community Empowerment

Kansas Community Empowerment

Stronger communities start here.

The Kansas Community Empowerment Program supports volunteer-led efforts to revitalize, inspire, strengthen, and elevate communities across Kansas. Backed by the Kansas Department of Commerce, this program provides tools, training, and funding that help local leaders turn great ideas into lasting impact. Whether it’s downtown beautification, civic engagement, or leadership development, we’re here to help your community move from intention to action—and from action to transformation.

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Upcoming Events in Kansas

We’re excited to meet you and start building strong relationships with all currently enrolled communities. To kick things off, we’re hosting two informal virtual Meet & Greets via Zoom—an opportunity to connect with the Commerce team, ask questions, and hear what’s ahead for KCE in a relaxed, conversational setting. Whether you’re a long-time participant or newly enrolled, we’d love to see you there! These sessions are just the beginning. Explore a diverse range of events happening year-round—designed to support community growth, networking, education, and innovation. We’ve also highlighted some key opportunities to help you connect with resources and like-minded doers.

KCE Board Meeting | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., July 25
July 3

KCE Board Meeting | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., July 25

 Virtual Meet & Greet | 3 p.m., July 15
July 3

Virtual Meet & Greet | 3 p.m., July 15

 Virtual Meet & Greet | 10 a.m., July 15
July 3

Virtual Meet & Greet | 10 a.m., July 15

 To The Stars: Kansas Business Awards Headed to Pittsburg – Nominate A Business Today
July 2

To The Stars: Kansas Business Awards Headed to Pittsburg – Nominate A Business Today

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2025 Kansas Pride, Inc. Board of Directors

Sponsor Reps

REPLACEMENT: Filling term held by previous representative.

Michael Billinger
Midwest Energy
PO Box 898
Hays, KS 67601 [email protected]
Sponsor Rep 1 (Term Concludes in 2026) REPLACEMENT

Jada Ackerman – Past Chair
Networks Plus – Blue Valley Network of Companies
1559 Pony Express Hwy.
Home, KS 66438 [email protected]
Past Chair
Sponsor Rep 2 (Term concludes 2026)

OPEN
Sponsor Rep 3 (Term concludes)

Doug Helmke – Chair Elect
Kansas Rural Water Association
6847 SE 29th St. Tecumseh, KS 66542-9571
(785) 640-4701 [email protected]
Sponsor Rep 4 (Term concludes 2024 – REPLACEMENT)

OPEN
Sponsor Rep 5 (Term concludes)

Craig Freeman – Chairperson
Wilson Communications
[email protected]
Sponsor Rep 6 (Term concludes 2027)

Dylan Cox
Evergy [email protected]
Sponsor Rep 7 (Term concludes 2025 – 2nd Term)

Cindy Wegener
Nex-Tech
145 N Main St, Lenora, KS 67645
[email protected]
Sponsor Rep 8 (Term concludes 2025 REPLACEMENT)

Amy Bickel
IdeaTek
[email protected]
Sponsor Rep 9 (Term concludes 2027)

Community Reps

OPEN
Community Rep 1 (Term concludes)

Tress Jacobson and Deb Schreiner
Friends of Vermillion
[email protected]; [email protected]
Community Rep 2 (Term Concludes 2026)

OPEN
Community Rep 3 (Term concludes)

Marcia Davis and Donna Houser
Iola PRIDE
2 W Jackson Iola, KS 66749
[email protected]; [email protected]
Community Rep 4 (Term concludes 2027)

Laura Musil
Blue Rapids Community Action Team
[email protected]
Community Rep 5 (Term concludes 2027)

OPEN
Community Rep 6 (Term concludes)

Greg Howard

Lecompton PRIDE
[email protected]
Community Rep 7 (Term concludes 2025)

Denise Gillespie
Grainfield, KS 67737
[email protected]
Community Rep 8 (Term concludes 2025)

Alexander Leslie
Moreland, KS
Masons Community Representative
[email protected]
Community Rep 9 (Term concludes 2027)

Organization Reps

Bruce Chladny
Kansas Association of Counties Rep
[email protected]
(Term concludes 2026)

Kerry Pancoast
League of Kansas Municipalities
[email protected]
(Term Concludes 2026)

Rick Peterson and Deborah Kohl
K-State Research & Extension
Kansas State University
101 Umberger Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
[email protected]; [email protected]

Kayla Savage
Director of Community Engagement
Kansas Department of Commerce
1000 S.W. Jackson St., Suite 100
Topeka, KS 66612-1354
(785) 213-7056
[email protected]

KCE Communities

Sponsors

CONTACT

Sara Bloom, Quality Places Manager

(785) 506-9278

[email protected]

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