Kansas City Area Development Council Creates Spin-Off

KANSAS CITY, MO-The Kansas City Area Development Council has created a New Economy Council, which will try to to attract technology-related companies to the local economy. In recent years, several area business leaders have been working to set the stage for Kansas City to become the Silicon Prairie and this is another push in that direction.

The goal is to create a plug-and-play type space that has abundant power, that is heavily wired and that has broadband access. Tenants could include those who stay for as little as a day. Some of the incentives being considered include providing liberal tax credits to local technology companies involved in research and development. There is also the possibility of providing tax exemptions in production related fields such as the creation of telecommunications switch sites. Several Downtown buildings have been proposed for these operations, including the old Jones Store, which has been vacant since closing in the mid 1990s.

Providing in-kind support to the New Economy Council will be KCCatalyst, which is sponsored by the Kauffman Center for Entrpreneurial Leadership. The New Economy Council will be sharing space on KCCatalyst’s Web site starting next month. In September, KCCatalyst was named successor to the Silicon Prairie Technology Association.