Holly Campbell grew up in Illinois, lives in Chicago, and as of six months ago, had never set foot in Kansas.
However, since being hired by the Kansas Department of Commerce as part of a business recruitment team in April, she has immersed herself in the sunflower state, including a border-to-border car ride, in which she paid visits to all 72 community economic development directors in Kansas.
Tuesdays visit was in Allen County, where she was hosted by Bill Maness, economic development director through Thrive Allen County. The visit included a citywide tour of available industrial properties, most notably, the old Herff Jones building, and a roundtable discussion of the local business climate.
The discussion included Sid Fleming and Cole Herder, city administrators of Iola and Humboldt, respectively, Allen County Commissioner John Brocker, John McRae and Jim Gilpin of Iola Industries and Barbara Anderson, a recruitment project manager with KDOC and former director of the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce.
Campbells tour of the state has been illuminating, she admitted.
Had I known about Kansas 15 years ago, Id definitely have raised my kids here, she said.
Prior to joining the Department of Commerce, Campbell worked for a Southland Chicago Economic Development organization and was responsible for handling 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 non-profit organizations for more than 20 years to help build awareness for communities to gain economic empowerment.
People sometimes dont understand that economic development is a slow process, she said. If you want to see results right now, you just wont get it.
Thats why visits to places like Iola are so vital, she continued, as she networks with potential employers.
Now I can say, Ive seen this property, and this is why you should choose Kansas, Campbell said.
TUESDAYS roundtable featured a local history lesson from Gilpin, who noted southeast Kansass industrial heritage was rooted in the deep pockets of limestone, natural gas, coal, lead and zinc. The areas most vibrant growth came at the onset of the Industrial Revolution.
The resulting booms and busts have come and gone, he said, with southeast Kansas retaining, for the most part, its industrial base.
This corner of the state is more industrial than the whole state, and Kansas is more industrial than much of the rest of the United States, Gilpin noted.
For the past 63 years, Iola Industries has played a leading role in getting Iolas largest employers into town, he continued, such as Gates Corporation and Russell Stover Candies today, as well as others like Herff Jones, Haldex Brake and Morans Klein Tools plant, all of which were major employers in their time, but for one reason or another have since shut their doors and moved elsewhere.
