Category: News

Today the Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) board approved an incentive agreement to aid in the growth and expansion of Mercury Broadband. GO Topeka confirmed that the expansion, previously referred to as “Project Gateway,” is expected to produce up to 168 new full-time jobs, with an average yearly wage of $43,000, including benefits, over the next five years. The total economic impact expected in the next 10 years is $520 million with a return on investment of 712%. “The field of technology is always growing, especially within the arena of internet service. With this incentive we hope to dramatically increase our staff and provide specialized training so that they may… Read More

Today the Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) board approved an incentive agreement to aid in the growth and expansion of J-Six Enterprises, Parent Company of Fairview Mills. GO Topeka confirmed that the expansion, previously referred to as “Project Central,” is expected to produce up to 50 new full-time jobs, with an average yearly wage of $40,000, including benefits, over the next five years. Capital investment includes building and facility expenditures and employee training programs of $9.5 million. The total economic impact expected in the next 10 years is $150 million. “I want to take a moment to thank JEDO and GO Topeka for all the support they’ve given us thus… Read More

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

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

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

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

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

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