‘’What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it!” Alexander Graham Bell.
The State of Kansas received some very welcome news on Wednesday when it was announced that Topeka and Shawnee County would be the site for the first Mars Chocolate of North America manufacturing plant built in the U.S. in more than 30 years.
The plant is expected to cost around $250 million to build and is expected to create 974 well-paying jobs in its construction and operation. Mars produces M&Ms, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, and Snickers.
The deal has been in the works for sometime and was finalized just recently. I think it is commendable of this administration and the Department of Commerce to keep the lid on this achievement until the deal was done. The private business friendly atmosphere of the Department of Commerce apparently was the key in making the new plant a reality.
Business want to relocate to a place that welcomes them has the space and infrastructure available and of course has the benefit of a strong workforce. Kansas has all that and more.
The 350,000-square-foot plant will be located just south of Topeka, and will partly be powered by wind-energy. The plant is expected to have a $500 million-plus payroll once production comes on-line sometime in 2013.
Butler Community College hosted the 2011 Kansas Cavalry Encampment on June 28th. The Kansas Cavalry is an organization comprised of volunteer business, education and economic development professionals who use their knowledge and credentials to promote Kansas as an attractive location for business. These efforts include the active recruitment of business to Kansas.
These business “Ambassadors” share a common goal-to effectively promote economic development in the State of Kansas. The Kansas Cavalry accomplishes its mission in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, exemplifying private business and government coming together to form a partnership that results in real success.
The Kansas Business Hall of Fame inducted, KU grad Alan Mulally into the Hall of Fame. Alan is the former chief engineer on the Boeing 777, who after spending almost 36 years at Boeing was hired to lead Ford Motor Company. The success and turn-around of Ford since his arrival is remarkable and he took time to relate some of his leadership techniques.
One highlight was a small private reception I attended that included area Ford Dealer’s Les Eck and Mel Hambelton as well as Secretary of Commerce Pat George, College President Jackie Vietti, BCC Foundation President Ed Gard, Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Greg Joyce and Governor Brownback.
We were privileged to hear first-hand accounts of how Alan turned the operation of Ford around and how they were working through the recession without any government bailout funding. Alan is a very intelligent businessman, he has a great personality and he “gets it”. The Governor asked for suggestions of how to improve the business atmosphere in our state and Alan was not shy in his response.
Alan has a simple philosophy, 1. Manage your debt, 2. Live and operate within your means, 3. Focus on what you do well and then work very hard to do it. Sounds simple enough and since that is what he does and it works, I believe we all should listen to him.
Many of you may know that Alan is married to and El Dorado Girl, Nikki Connell the daughter of O.J. and Mary Kay Connell and sister of local attorneys Ray and Tim Connell. We really are fortunate to have a man of his stature come to our community and share his story.
Don Jordan, the former Kansas Secretary of SRS under Govs. Sebelius and Parkinson has been hired as interim City Manager for Osawatomie. He is the former Osawatomie State Hospital superintendent and now has a consulting firm.
As you may know, each year the Kansas Legislature appropriates moneys from the State General Fund to pay costs incurred by Legal Services for Prisoners, Inc. in providing legal assistance to indigent inmates in Kansas Correctional institutions. This is a not-for-profit private entity that receives the fund from the Board of Indigent Defense.
As a condition of receiving this money, Legal Services Inc. must provide our Legislative Division of Post Audit and the Division of the Budget an annual statement of actual expenses incurred.
We have received the audited statement of expenditures for fiscal year 2010. The budget is not a large one however if we find inconsistencies then we ask for clarification and explanation.
This FY 2010 budget includes expenses for salaries and wages, Contractual services, Commodities and Capital Outlay totaled $289,091. The actual expenses were $274,886. In reviewing the report we found several instances that may not be consistent with generally accepted accounting standards. We noticed many small errors which, if corrected, would not materially change the report overall.
Because of the possible inconsistencies with auditing standards and the number of the errors, we have become concerned about the overall quality of the audit. There will be some investigation conducted by the Kansas Board of Accountancy about the qualifications of the contract audit firm.
Hope all are having a great summer, stay safe. I consider it an honor and privilege to be your Representative in Topeka and I want to know what you think.
Back to Updates
