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The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce
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by Roger Zalneraitis Jr. City of Lawrence Economic Development Coordinator/Planner
Businesses routinely rank a skilled labor force as one of their most important criteria when determining whether to build or ex-pand in a particular location. Skilled labor is often highly paid and the source of much of this nation’s entrepreneurialism.
About 500 jobs have been added to the Lawrence MSA this decade. Local college-level jobs accounted for 400 of these jobs. However, from 2000 to 2007 the num-ber of people in the Lawrence MSA labor force holding college-level jobs increased by about 2,900. Therefore, many of these new college-level jobs held by the local la-bor force are likely outside of Lawrence and Douglas County. Additionally, there are about 30,000 adults in Douglas County with a Bachelor’s Degree or more, yet only 23,000 of the jobs held by the local labor force require a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.
Survey Shows Lawrence/Douglas County has Essential Elements to Build & Grow Business
Click here to read the full article in Economic Barometer Report for first quarter 2009.
Together, this data suggests that there may be two “gaps” in the local labor force. The first is an “underemployment gap,” or the difference between the number of people with college degrees and the number of jobs held that require college degrees. The sec-ond is a “commuter gap,” which represents the difference between the number of jobs held by the labor force that require college degrees, and the number of college degree jobs available locally.
The above chart shows how large these two gaps might be. Lawrence and Douglas County have about 13,000 high skill jobs locally requiring a four-year degree or more. However, almost 23,000 people in the local labor force hold a job requiring a college degree. This suggests a “commuter gap” of about 10,000 jobs. Furthermore, there are almost 30,000 adults in Douglas County with a four-year degree or higher. Thus up to 7,000 people may be able to work in a higher-skilled job than they currently hold. In total, this suggests that the Lawrence la-bor force could accommodate up to 17,000 new high skilled jobs locally.
July2009
July2009
Lawrence Kansas Chamber of Commerce • 734 Vermont, Ste. 101 • Lawrence, KS 66044
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pays property taxes. Jobs and job creation is the bedrock of a sustainable community.
Roger’s recent report on tax abatements and cash incentives used by communities in northeast Kan-sas is eye opening as it statistically shows how tax abatements and cash incentives are used by liter-ally every county in northeastern Kansas includ-ing Johnson County. I know that there has been a great deal of debate in Lawrence about the use of tax abatements and cash incentives to attract busi-ness or to retain an existing business, and I don’t want to get into that debate again. However, you cannot dispute the fact that literally every govern-mental jurisdiction in northeastern Kansas utilizes them. Not surprisingly, the report indicates that Lawrence/Douglas County has the lowest amount of these programs in place.
So, what does this tell us? I believe it quantifies what many people already knew. We are not grow-ing jobs in Lawrence/Douglas County, and we are not using the economic development tools that our surrounding communities are using to the same degree.
Obviously this is an issue that we, as a community, have to address. That is why the Chamber along with the City of Lawrence and Douglas County will be sponsoring a series of community forums on job growth this fall. The purpose of these fo-rums will be to educate the community about the importance of job growth and to solicit their in-put on what they see that limits Lawrence’s abil-ity to grow jobs and prosper. Forum participants will also be asked to help develop solutions to the roadblocks that limit job growth.
These community forums will be the first step in Lawrence/Douglas County development of a job growth strategy that assures us of the community prosperity that we will need to continue to be a great place to live, work and raise a family.
You will be hearing more about these community forums in the months to come.
T H E P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E
Over the next few weeks you will begin to see a number of reports coming out of the City Man-ager’s Office that compare Lawrence/Douglas County to similar communities as it relates to job growth and to incentives provided to attract new businesses and assist existing businesses to grow and expand.
These reports are the work of Roger Zalneraitis who is the City’s Economic Development Coordi-nator/Planner. Roger has an extensive background in economic development data collection and his expertise has added a level of sophistication that should assist the community greatly in the years to come.
Two of Roger’s latest reports verify some things that many in the business community have been saying for a number of years. First, that there has been no real job growth in Lawrence/Douglas County for a number years, and secondly, that the majority of cities and counties in northeastern Kansas actively use tax abatements and cash incentives to both at-tract and retain businesses.
A recent report on job growth compared Lawrence/Douglas County to 16 other comparable communi-ties such as Columbia, Mo., Norman, Okla., Ames, Iowa. In every job growth category Lawrence was below the mean, which indicates that we are not doing a very good job in attracting or retain-ing jobs in any business size category. This issue should be a big red flag for everyone in Lawrence/Douglas County. Without job growth communi-ties cannot continue to prosper. Jobs create wages that are spent in a community. Wages create taxes for state and local governments. Wage earners are the people who donate to community non-profit organizations, and wages are what buys homes and
Tom Kern President&
CEO
2009
785.865.4411 • lawrencechamber.com
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E VENTS
July
Come Spread Your Name the Artful Way!
The Spencer Museum of Art will host the Chamber’s Busi-ness After Hours Mixer in July. The museum will highlight the exhibition “Friends and Neighbors.” To create this ex-hibition, the Spencer’s four curators invited four Lawrence community members to each select an object for display from the Museum’s collection. The conversations that took place within the pairings of community and Museum cu-rators identified issues and objects that had meaning for each guest curator. Our goal was to focus on just one or two works in each collaborating pair. The neighborhood curator took the lead and set the tone for object selection. In response to this, each Museum curator chose an object that connects in some way to the work of art and theme suggested by the community curator.
One of the many interesting results of these exchanges is that the themes that developed are surprisingly interrelated, even though none of the community curators consulted with each other directly. The topics that emerged from these dia-logues are listed below, along with the names of the guest and staff curators. This event is free of charge.
Themes identified by the collaborating pairs of neighbor-hood and Museum curators:
SATIRE & SURVIVAL Joni Murphy, Professor of English, Haskell Indian Nations University Nancy Mahaney, Curator of the Arts & Cultures of Africa, Native America, & Oceania
POLITICAL ACTIVISM & RACIAL DISCRIMINATION Lynne Green, Executive Director, Van Go Mobile Arts Susan Earle, Curator of European & American Art
ISOLATION & CONNECTEDNESS Molly Murphy, Lawrence artist and freelance curator Kris Imants Ercums, Curator of Asian Art
REPETITION & PATTERN Reid Harrison, artist and junior at Lawrence High School Stephen Goddard, Senior Curator and Curator of Prints & Drawings
Thursday, July 23, 5-7 p.m., Spencer Museum of Art, 1301 Mississippi
Upcoming Business After Hours Mixers
• August 19, 5–7 p.m., Continental Title, 4104 W. 6th St. • September 9, 5:30–7:30 p.m., “Taste of Lawrence” Fall Mixer, Meadowbrook Apartment Grounds, Bob Billings Parkway & Crestline Dr. • October 7, 5–7 p.m., TherapyWorks, 1311 Wakarusa Dr., Ste. 1000 • November 18, 5–7 p.m., Emprise Bank, 1121 Wakarusa • December 16, 5–7 p.m., Brandon Woods, 1501 Inverness
FOOD FESTIVAL
& FIREWORKS
Family–FriendlyLive Music
Beer & Wine
3-10 P.M.SATURDAY
JULY 4WATSON PARK
7th St. btwn. Kentucky & Tennessee
For more information, go to www.lawrenceoriginals.com www.lawrencegiveback.com
NATIONAL CONGRESSIONAL SERIES
Congressman Todd Tiahrt Luncheon Thursday, August 13, 12 p.m. Maceli’s, 1031 New Hampshire St. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE
Congressman Dennis Moore Luncheon Tuesday, August 25, 12 p.m., Maceli’s, 1031 New Hampshire St. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE
Congressman Jerry Moran Breakfast Tuesday, September 8, 7:30 a.m. Maceli’s, 1031 New Hampshire St. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE
COME CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY
WITH JAYCEES FIREWORKS & THE LAWRENCE
ORIGINALS: LAWRENCE’S INDEPENDENT AND
LOCALLY-OWNED RESTAURANTS!
Lawrence Kansas Chamber of Commerce • 734 Vermont, Ste. 101 • Lawrence, KS 66044
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BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS
From more than 2,500 nominated projects, Westar Lawrence Operating Center has been selected as a Green Building of America Award and will be fea-tured in the upcoming special Midwest Green Suc-cess Stories edition of the annual Real Estate & Construction Review.
The success story will be highlighted in a case study featuring the project’s developers, consultants, ar-chitects and contractors to explain how the team worked together to design and build one of the re-gion’s most important, innovative or unique facility.
Westar––Green Building of America
Two Lawrence eateries––Free State Brewing Com-pany, 636 Mass., and WheatFields Bakery and Cafe, 904 Vermont, have been named among the “8 Won-ders of Kansas Cuisine.”
The contest was sponsored by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, which promotes Kansas culture and tourism. The winners were selected from among 24 finalists during online and mail-in voting. More than 14,000 votes were cast, which came from all 50 states and several foreign countries.
Free State Brewing Co. and Wheat-Fields––Wonders of Kansas Cuisine
The Lawrence Public Library, in partnership with the KU Small Business Development Center and the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, is considering the creation of a Business Resource Center at the library to better serve the needs of local entrepreneurs and small business owners. In order to ensure that the proposed Business Center’s programs and services meet your needs, we are asking you to answer this very short online survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=whd_2fyB93zvsWQK8Y3e_2fPnQ_3d_3d
Thank you for your time!
Business Resource Center to Open at the Public Library
The Lied Center’s Free Outdoor Concert and Family Arts Festival will take place on Friday, August 21. Local organizations are invited to participate free of charge in the information fair before the concert. The event will feature Amanda Shaw, a classically trained violinist with a creole flavor and pop-influ-enced style.
The Family Arts Festival will feature organizations from around Lawrence and the surrounding area and will give patrons an opportunity to see what both the university and the community have to of-fer. The Lied Center will provide tables, chairs and power supply.
The festival will begin at 6 p.m. and continue until the concert starts on the northeast lawn of the Lied Center at 7 p.m. This is a great opportunity for busi-nesses to be recognized by the Lawrence commu-nity. To reserve a place, call 785-864-2779 or email [email protected].
Free Opportunity to ShowcaseYour Business at Family Arts Festival
Counselor magazine, a publication for the promo-tional products industry, revealed the top ten fastest-growing promotional product distributors in its June issue. Lawrence-based company Absorbent, Ink. ranked eighth with a growth increase of 63 percent between 2006 and 2008. This is their second year in a row to receive the Spirit Award from Counselor magazine.
Absorbent Ink. Among Top Ten Distributors in the Industry
If you would like to submit important news about your business, please mail to Natasha Buller, 734 Vermont, Ste. 101 or email to [email protected].
785.865.4411 • lawrencechamber.com
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2009
C YPN
July
The 5th Annual Chamber Young Profes-sionals Network (CYPN) Putt-Putt Pub Crawl took place on Friday, June 12. More than 80 young professionals par-ticipated in the event. The participants visited six downtown Lawrence estab-lishments, including Fatso’s, Sandbar, The Eldridge, Jo Shmo’s, Barrel House and Johnny’s.
If you are interested in joining CYPN, please contact Adam Handshy at 785-865-4427 or email him at [email protected].
U P C O M I N G R I B B O N C U T T I N G S
PEDIATRICS & ADOLESCENT MEDICINE Thursday, July 2, 4:30 p.m. 4824 Quail Crest Place
PAPA JOHNS PIZZA Tuesday, July 7, 11:30 a.m. 918 Mississippi (formerly Duds & Suds)
BENNET’S SEWING CENTER Tuesday, July 28, 11:30 a.m. 711 W. 23rd St., #11
Pub Crawl
RE-CYCLERY Thursday, July 30, 4:30 p.m. 731 New Hampshire
THE GROVE @ LAWRENCE Tuesday, Aug. 4, 11:30 a.m. 4301 W. 24th Place (apartment complex clubhouse)
ADVANCED SPECIALTY ANESTHESIA Thursday, Aug. 27, 4:30 p.m. Location TBA
CYPN Putt-Putt
Lawrence Kansas Chamber of Commerce • 734 Vermont, Ste. 101 • Lawrence, KS 66044
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RIBBON CUT TINGS
Congratulations & Welcome!
CornerBank ~ 1201 Wakarusa Dr., Bldg. B, Ste. 2 ~ May 28
Habitat Re-Store ~ 708 Connecticut ~ June 2
Landmark National Bank ~ 4621 6th St. ~ June 4 Van Go Mobile Arts, Inc. ~ 715 New Jersey ~ June 10
I Global Network ~ 10 E. 9th St., Ste. B ~ June 18 Breast Center at LMH South ~ 3500 Clinton Place ~ June 23
785.865.4411 • lawrencechamber.com
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2009
Allied Auto Body Carstar Auto Body Collision Repair 800 E. 23rd St. Lawrence, KS 66046 Phone: 785-841-3672 www.carstar.com Sean Roether [email protected]
Blue Chip Gourmet Coffee Shops 3514 Clinton Pkwy. Lawrence, KS 66047 Phone: 785-856-7370 www.bluechipgourmet.com Steven Stewart [email protected]
The Demby Group Inspections and Energy Services P.O. Box 4222 Lawrence, KS 66046 Phone: 785-979-1950 J.R. Demby [email protected]
Oce North American Document Printing Copier and Printer Sales 3214 SW 29th St. Topeka, KS 66614 Phone: 785-232-8222 www.oceusa.com Woody Davis [email protected]
Thomas A. Rainbolt, D.D.S Dentists 1425 Wakarusa Dr., Ste. A Lawrence, KS 66047 Phone: 785-841-3311 [email protected]
Advanced Specialty Anesthesia, LLC Medical Services 1201 Wakarusa, Bldg. A, Ste. 3 Lawrence, KS 66049 Phone: 785-856-6170 www.advancedspecialtyanesthesia.com Jeff Glasgow [email protected]
The Barrel House Dueling Piano Bar 729 New Hampshire St. Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: 785-856-3835 Emily Akers [email protected]
Bennett’s Sewing Center Retail Sales – Sewing Machines & Accessories 711 W. 23rd St., #11 Lawrence, KS 66046 Phone: 785-842-1060 Don Bennett [email protected]
Eileen’s Colossal Cookies Cookies 4931 W. 6th St., Ste. 124 Lawrence, KS 66049 Phone: 785-856-2253 Michael Neth [email protected]
Glass House Liquor Liquor Stores 2301 Wakarusa Dr., Ste. C Lawrence, KS 66047 Phone: 785-331-2322 George Waters [email protected]
The Grove @ Lawrence Apartments 4301 W. 24th Place Lawrence, KS 66047 Phone: 785-830-8529 www.gogrove.com Kara Clayton [email protected]
iCafe Apple Computer Sales/Service 520 W. 23rd St., Suite F Lawrence, KS 66046 Phone: 785-830-8683 www.icafelawrence.com Cindy Bracker Sturm [email protected]
Inkstergraphics Screen Printing – Apparel, Plastics & Glass 210 Tumbleweed Dr. Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: 785-842-1241 www.inkstergraphics.com Mark Hess [email protected]
Jo Shmo’s Restaurant & Bar 724 Massachusetts St. Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: 785-856-5667 www.burgersbeerbocce.com Joshua Mochel [email protected]
Just Massage Massage & Therapeutic Services 729 ½ Massachusetts St. #213 Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: 785-218-3545 www.lawrencejustmassage.com Susan Rickman [email protected]
P and D’s Home Day Care Child Care Services 2629 Kensington 2200 Harper B-15 Lawrence, KS 66046 Phone: 785-865-8994 Pauline Sanders
Sunflower Natural Pet Supplies Pet Grooming & Supplies 919 Iowa Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: 785-749-7387 Mike Bonell [email protected]
John McGrew – McGrew Real Estate Real Estate Developers & Investors 4100 W. 6th St. Lawrence, KS 66049 Phone: 785-838-8238 www.askmcgrew.com John McGrew [email protected]
MEMBERSHIP
The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce advocates for business and community prosperity as it creates diverse jobs; cultivates a successful business environment; develops active community leaders; and promotes the assets of Lawrence and Douglas County.
W E L C O M E N E W M E M B E R S
July
734 Vermont, Suite 101 Lawrence, KS 66044
Tom Kern, President & CEO [email protected]
Beth Johnson, Vice President of Economic Development [email protected]
Cathy Lewis, IOM Vice President of Membership [email protected]
Sue Hack, Executive Director Leadership Lawrence [email protected]
Hank Booth, Government & Community Affairs Director [email protected]
Natasha Buller, Marketing & Communications Manager [email protected]
Christy Bogner, Accountant/ Office Operations [email protected]
Adam Handshy, Project & Program Coordinator [email protected]
J. Taylor, Administrative Assistant [email protected]
OFFICERSChair Bonnie LowePast-Chair Jim Otten, DDSIncoming Chair Matt Hoy, Stevens & BrandTreasurer Cindy Yulich, Emprise BankSecretary & President/CEO Tom Kern
PERMANENT POSITIONSBernadette Gray-Little, KU ChancellorDr. Linda Sue Warner, Haskell Indian Nations University PresidentRick Doll, Dr., USD 497 Superintendent
BOARD MEMBERSAllison Vance Moore, Grubb & Ellis| The Winbury Group, Vice Chair of Chamber Member ServicesBill Fuerst, KU School of Business Bobbie Flory, Lawrence Home Builders Association Bradley Burnside, U.S Bank David Johnson, Bert Nash, Co-Vice Chair of Government & Community AffairsDavid Livingood, Treanor Architects Debra Vignatelli Konzem, Retired
Doug Gaumer, INTRUST Bank, Vice Chair of Chamber OperationsGary Bennett, Laird Noller Automotive, Inc. Jane Bateman, Jane Bateman, The Interiors Store, Co-Vice Chair of Government & Community AffairsJohn Ross, Laser Logic, Inc.Kathy Pryor, KU Theatre & Film, Vice Chair of Leadership Lawrence & Strategic Planning Larissa Long, Black Hills Energy, Co-Vice Chair of CommunicationsLinda Robinson, KU Center for Research on LearningMike McGrew, McGrew Real Estate, Vice Chair of Economic DevelopmentRodger Henry, Lawrence Medical PlazaShannon Frost, Hallmark Cards, Inc. Steve Brown, Berry PlasticsSteve Schwada, Meadowbrook Apartments, Venture Properties Terry Campbell, Barber Emerson, L.C., Co-Vice Chair of CommunicationsTodd Thompson, Thompson, Ramsdell & Qualseth, P.A. Trudy Rice, Rice Enterprises
Phone number: (785) 865-4411
STAFFBOARD OF DIRECTORS
