Category: News

The Greater Topeka Partnership’s and GO Topeka’s HOST Relief Program expended its funding in April 2021, after distributing more than $1 million in public and private relief to Shawnee County Small Businesses since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the program’s kickoff in late March 2020, a total of $1,247,410 was distributed to 350 small businesses through HOST private donation or public grants. HOST, or Helping Others Support Topeka, was created to provide emergency, recovery funding for local businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Throughout the pandemic, Topeka proved itself to be a survivor,” said Scott Hunsicker, lead HOST organizer and owner/president of Kansas Financial Resources, Inc. “This community… Read More

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To date, a taskforce under the Momentum 2022 strategy, “Bring Back the Boulevard,” has received $5,000 in donations from South Topeka businesses who are in support of the initiative and progress put forth by the group. Donations were made to Bring Back the Boulevard’s Keep America Beautiful 501c(3). Donor businesses include Heartland Motorsports Park; JC Entertainment, LLC; Thunder Over the Heartland, LLC; SunFlower Paving; and Vaerus Aviation, Inc. Bring Back the Boulevard is made up of local volunteers; the group meets Momentum’s strategic objective 2.3.2: “Continue to improve gateways into Topeka-Shawnee County, particularly those connecting the community to population centers.” For the entire list of strategic objectives, visit https://www.topekapartnership.com/mo22/mo22-objectives/.  “The donations we have… Read More

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The Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com released its Emerging Housing Markets Index, ranking Topeka as the number one housing market in Kansas. A collaborative effort on the part of both entities, the index ranks metro areas according to real-estate market data, economic health and quality of life. Topeka ranked in the top 20 percent of American metros, #57 of 300 evaluated. “The Wall Street Journal collaborated with Realtor.com to rank which housing markets are expected to provide both a strong return on investment—and are a nice place to live,” wrote David M Ewald, Wall Street Journal. “While other market-by-market comparisons focus only on housing metrics, the WSJ/Realtor.com Emerging Housing Markets Index also looks… Read More

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Today, the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Council and GO Topeka’s Women & Minority Business Development program announced the finalists in six award categories for the 40th Annual Small Business Awards. “These local businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofits have gone above and beyond to provide excellent service in their community,” said Dr. Amber Beckley, chair of the Small Business Council. “Although there will only be one award recipient per category, each of the nominated finalists serve as models in their own recognized categories.” The award categories and finalists are: Capital City Business of Distinction – An individual who owns 51 percent of a small business and is responsible for the principal operations… Read More

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The 2021 Top City Interns program will return for its fifth year on June 1 with a kickoff celebration at Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center. In all, 70 in-person interns and a total of 200 interns will be working throughout the summer. Presently, 18 different Topeka area companies are involved. At the June 1 kickoff event, interns will gather to socialize, learn more about Topeka, and get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Zoo from Director Brendan Wiley. With this and other Top City Intern events occurring throughout the summer, interns will be able to witness Topeka’s quality of life while also gaining professional and social experiences. “We believe internships are not only… Read More

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The Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) and GO Topeka announced today that Shawnee County small businesses may now apply for funds through the JEDO Small Business Grant Relief Program. The JEDO Small Business Grant Relief Program is a grant program of GO Topeka and JEDO to provide relief to businesses suffering financial losses due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Grants range from $5,000-$30,000 and are dependent on the small business’ employee count. “There are still a large number of our local small businesses that are deeply hurting because of the effects of the pandemic,” said Glenda Washington, senior vice president of the women & minority business development program, GO Topeka. “These grants will ensure that they… Read More

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Downtown Restaurant Week, presented by Downtown Topeka Inc. and AIM Strategies LLC, will be serving up special menu items and discounts to patrons from April 14 to 28. The purpose of this inaugural event is to help benefit Downtown Topeka restaurants who suffered financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Downtown Restaurant Week promises to be a benefit for all,” said Rhiannon Friedman, president of Downtown Topeka Inc. More people will have the opportunity to try out these fantastic downtown dining establishments and, in doing so, they’ll be able to help inject some much-needed capital into these local businesses that were severely impacted by the pandemic.” “We are ready to continue the… Read More

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TOPEKA EARNED A SPOT ON RENTCAFÉ’S LIST OF TOP 20 CITIES FOR GEN-Z RENTERS IN 2020 Topeka was ranked among the top 20 most popular cities in the U.S. for Gen Z renters in 2020,  according to a report published last week by RENTCafé, an online listing website for rental properties. Nearly 3 million renter applications were analyzed as part of this study, 22% were from applicants born after 1997 — also known as Generation Z, or Gen Z. The oldest of this demographic would have turned 23 in 2020. The Greater Topeka Partnership, the region’s leading collaborative economic development agency, sees this recognition as a testament to the benefits Topeka offers young… Read More

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Today the Greater Topeka Partnership announced the findings of the Momentum 2022 annual community survey. Titled “Back 2 Momentum” the survey conducted between August and December of 2020 assessed the community’s priorities at the halfway point of the Momentum 2022 strategy that began in 2018. Available in English and Spanish, the organization received 2,165 responses. The key recommendations from the community survey include the need to address enhancements in education, economic development, quality of life, and diversity. “Key findings include the continued focus on small business support and entrepreneurial initiatives; with regard to education, there was a desire for more career preparedness offerings,” said Michelle Cuevas-Stubblefield, senior vice president of strategy, Greater Topeka Partnership. “There was also a need for more diversity and collaboration.” Other key findings include the noted lack of… Read More

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Forge Young Talent is pleased to announce that Del-Metrius Herron, realtor with Keller Williams Realtor Partners, LLC, and Justin Moore, principal at Royal Valley USD 337, have assumed the roles of the 2021 Forge Chair and Chair-Elect, respectively. These roles support Forge’s Leadership Team, a volunteer base that leads many of Forge’s initiatives (referred to as “Herds”). “I am thrilled to have both Del-Metrius and Justin representing Forge in their new roles. I know they will elevate the organization while also helping to propel us forward in 2021 and beyond,” remarked Kelli Maydew, executive director of Forge. “The Topeka community is extremely lucky to have these two, and I am looking forward… Read More

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