There were a couple of basic reasons why Panasonic chose to build a new electric
vehicle battery plant in Johnson County.
That was the message that David Toland had for members of the Congressional Forum
Friday, Sept. 16.
The Forum is a division of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of
Commerce that meets monthly at Children’s Mercy Park. Toland is Lt. Governor of
Kansas and Secretary of Commerce.
Panasonic narrowed its selection process to two sites— one in the Tulsa, Okla., area,
and DeSoto in Johnson County. The company chose the DeSoto site because of the
potential workforce. Metropolitan Kansas City has more than 2 million persons and
Tulsa will a has about 500,000.
Another factor, according Toland, was the violation of confidentiality matters. Panasonic
was upset because an Oklahoma legislator spoke publicly about the plant before it was
authorized.
Estimates are that the plant will be a $4 billion investment, employing some 4,000
persons with an average annual wage of $50,000.
The 9,000-acre site included the former U.S. Army Ammunition plant which was built
during World War II. Wyandotte County was first considered for the Army site, but was
rejected because there wasn’t adequate acreage.
Toland said it is important to understand the “claw-back” provisions of state incentives
for Panasonic. If Panasonic fails to reach its potential number of employees, its
incentives will be reduced accordingly.
Toland said the Kansas Department of Commerce had not had a strategic plan since
1986. This plan, developed by Tony Redwood and Jim Crider, was effective for its time,
but is now outdated.
Toland is a native of Iola, Kansas. He has worked in economic development in Allen
County, Kansas, and Washington, D.C. He has a bachelor and master’s degree from
The University of Kansas at Lawrence.
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is a
member of Business West.