Casey's new prototype store to open in Belton

Casey’s (sans General Store) plans to open a new prototype store – the first of its kind in the Kansas City metro area – at the southwest corner of East 163rd St. and Cornerstone Dr. in Belton, Mo. on December 17, 2020.

The 6,000+ SF prototype is larger than many of the newest Casey’s and double-the-size of many existing locations. It includes a full-service kitchen with a customer view of fresh food preparation, an expanded menu, double-the-average seating capacity and new services - including a loyalty program and curbside pickup.

“As much as possible, Casey’s looks at what the community needs, the amount of space we are able to secure for a site as well as sales and operational considerations to inform store format,” said Megan Elfers, vice president of marketing and advertising for Casey’s.

The Belton location will showcase the first change in the brand in fifty years - dropping “General Store” and replacing the red and yellow barn logo with a solid red silhouette of the barn and classic rooster weathervane.

“Casey’s new location joins Cass County’s first Cracker Barrel in Belton’s Cornerstone Pointe development, which has excellent visibility from I-49. The additional traffic generated by the new Casey’s will be attractive to other businesses looking to start or expand in Belton. We appreciate Casey’s reinvestment in our community and look forward to the new offerings this brand new prototype will bring to our community," said Carolyn Yatsook, Belton economic development director.

PepsiCo joins Logistics Park Kansas City

PepsiCo Global will soon be moving into the state-of-the-art Inland Port VII building at Logistics Park Kansas City (LPKC), a 3,000-acre, master-planned distribution and warehouse development in Edgerton, Kan.

“PepsiCo chose Edgerton and LPKC because they can see the clear advantages of locating at the premiere logistics and distribution center in the Midwest,” said Edgerton Mayor Donald Roberts.

PepsiCo signed a lease for the 952,956-SF space, where the global food and beverage company plans to distribute their popular Gatorade product line.

“PepsiCo/Gatorade is an excellent addition to the Edgerton business community. LPKC is a convenient, versatile hub that can meet the needs of any company’s supply chain. Edgerton’s proximity to key services and partners is one of the main reasons businesses experience success at LPKC,” said ElevateEdgerton! president, James Oltman.

Built by Northpoint Development, the facility was the largest speculative building in the Kansas City metro and in the state of Kansas when it was completed earlier this year. JLL managing director, Kevin Wilkerson, and executive vice president, Phil Algrim, represented NorthPoint in the negotiation.

“Inland Port VII is the latest delivery in a long line of industry leading logistics products, bringing together accessibility to quality labor and cutting-edge technology in one centralized location,” Wilkerson said.

Since 2013, LPKC has amassed over 14.4 million SF of industrial space for over twenty tenants; work has already started on the next spec industrial building at LPKC.

About PepsiCo: PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $67 billion in net revenue in 2019, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

KCADC highlights impressive 2020 scorecard at annual meeting

The Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) shined light on some impressive numbers this week during its annual meeting; including attracting 13 manufacturing, eCommerce and professional services companies in the last 12 months that will invest more than $1 billion and create 3,789 jobs in the Kansas City region.

The event was streamed digitally and broadcast on TV with over 2,000 business leaders, civic partners, national site location consultants, corporate executives and individuals across the country who have an affinity to KC.

“KC placed a strategic investment several years ago in our market’s inherent strengths for manufacturing, logistics and e-commerce. This investment led to the creation of KC SmartPort, which elevates KC’s competitive advantage through consistent messaging to companies in these industries, and is paying dividends today,” said Tim Cowden, president and CEO of KCADC.

“With more than 231 million square feet of existing industrial space, ample land for new buildings, a skilled logistics workforce and robust power and fiber infrastructure, Kansas City is primed for additional growth in the industrial sector,” Cowden said.

In 2020, KCADC helped attract prominent companies, including an 880,000-square-foot distribution center for Urban Outfitters, Inc., a 1,200-person e-commerce center for Chewy, Inc., and manufacturing facilities for Dot’s Pretzels and Tuthill Corporation, among others.

“Our priorities in identifying the home for our new omni-channel distribution center focused on people, and it was the quality of the local workforce that convinced us this is the right place to be,” said Dave Ziel, chief development officer of Urban Outfitters, which plans to open its $350 million facility in 2022.

The Kansas City region ranks No. 3 in the U.S. for industrial construction activity in cities with populations between one and four million, outpacing larger markets including Denver and Seattle. KC has seen 14.8 million square feet of industrial construction in 2020.

With a stronghold for financial, shared services and tech operations, KCADC also celebrated national recognition for Kansas City for professionals and future investment, including its ranking by Business Insider as the nation’s best “work from home” city, and its status as a Top Mid-Size City for Future Projects by the Site Selectors Guild.

“With a lower cost of living, free Wi-Fi downtown, access to diverse housing options and an abundance of lifestyle amenities, Kansas City is an ideal spot for remote workers leaving larger urban areas due to the pandemic,” said Jill McCarthy, senior executive of corporate attraction, KCADC.

“And there are plenty of new jobs for skilled professionals that relocate here, McCarthy said.

There are currently 49,000 open jobs in KC, and more than 15,000 jobs are created each year. Tech and highly-skilled jobs are growing faster in KC than in Seattle, Austin, Chicago and NYC, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“During such an uncertain time, KCADC’s success this year speaks to the highest level of professionalism, customer service and emphasis on regional collaboration that continues to move KC forward,” said Lisa Ginter, CEO of CommunityAmerica Credit Union and senior co-chair of the 2021 KCADC Board of Directors.

“This community has tremendous heart, and I look forward to continuing to make a positive impact on the KC region by supporting and amplifying the ongoing efforts of KCADC,” Ginter said.

In 2021, Lisa Ginter succeeds Dave Hall, executive vice chairman at Hallmark Cards, Inc., as senior-co chair of the KCADC Board of Directors. Brett Gordon, chairman of the board at McCownGordon Construction, will join KCADC’s volunteer leadership team serving as incoming co-chair, and Brian Roberts, chief diversity officer at Lockton Companies, will serve as treasurer.

“I’m looking forward to working alongside Lisa Ginter and Brett Gordon as KCADC actively positions the KC region as a top destination for business and talent in the year ahead,” said Roberts. “I can’t wait to see what 2021 brings for KCADC and the KC region.”

New Century Business park expands, names master developer

New Century Business Park is expanding with the development of more than 845 acres on the north and east sides of the Johnson County Executive Airport.

The Johnson County Airport Commission (JCAC) recently recommended approval of a master development agreement naming VanTrust Real Estate as the master developer, with the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) subsequently approving that recommendation on October 8, 2020.

The proposed conceptual master plan contemplates having up to 6.5M SF of new vertical construction with a variety of building sizes up to 1.5M SF, along with approximately 150 acres of rail laydown yards.

Most unique about the development plan is that many of the sites have the ability to be rail-served. These proposed new facilities and improvements represent a private investment at the New Century AirCenter Business Park of $278,415,690 over the span of approximately ten years.

“Creating new economic development opportunities at the New Century AirCenter have been a long time coming,” said BOCC Chairman Ed Eilert.

“This is going to bring jobs and added revenue to Johnson County, which will help the county’s airports continue to be as self-sufficient as possible and not rely on tax dollars,” Ellert said.

As a statutory requirement, a cost benefit analysis of the proposed project was performed by the county which illustrated a positive return on investment for all taxing jurisdictions ranging from 33.3% to 387.5%. Property taxes on the new construction are projected to generate approximately $135,000,000 over the next 33 years, as compared to an estimated of up to $178,000 over the same time period under current conditions, according to a release.

According to Aaron Otto, executive director of JCAC, the benefits of this development include railyard improvements, approximately 2,675 new/permanent jobs, more than $672,813,505 in estimated payroll and an estimated 1,875 construction jobs with payroll earnings of $96,750,000 over the next ten years.

In addition to its prime location within the Southwestern Johnson County submarket, the development is the only site in the metro area that offers available land allowing laydown yards, outdoor storage, access to a major railroad via short line railroad services and access to domestic air transport via New Century AirCenter.

“We knew when we first received the RFP for this project that it represented an opportunity to partner with the Johnson County Airport Commission and the county in the execution of a long term vision that would bring lasting benefits to the residents of Johnson County,” stated Rich Muller, executive vice president of VanTrust.

“We are excited to have been selected to lead this effort and look forward to kicking off what will be a significant expansion of the Southwest Johnson County industrial submarket.”

Olsson and GBA have also been selected to assist in the development plans. Olsson will be working on the rail, infrastructure and other improvements in addition to investigative studies and helping to manage the county submittal and review process. GBA’s architectural team has been hired to provide the preliminary architectural renderings and elevations.