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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Midwest Manufacturing Eyes Lawrence, Kansas, VenturePark For Manufacturing Plant

11/24/2015
Third largest home improvement store chain in the United States by sales volume, Midwest Manufacturing, a division of Menard, Inc., plans to be the first company to establish its production plant on 90 acres in VenturePark in Lawrence, Kansas.

Midwest Manufacturing operations include truss, concrete block, countertop, steel siding and roofing and door manufacturing. According to the Kansas Department of Commerce, the company’s proposal estimates that its $25 million investment would create 100 jobs. Midwest must still complete detailed property examinations and engineering, and the project is contingent on receiving all necessary permits and approvals.

“The Department of Commerce is very excited that a nationally known and growing business is set to be located in Lawrence. Midwest Manufacturing’s move to the newly developed Lawrence VenturePark will bring an anchor tenant to the park and help attract other businesses, both large and small, to the community and region,” said Steve Kelly, Deputy Secretary of Business and Community Development for the Kansas Department of Commerce.

“This is the perfect opportunity to bring manufacturing jobs back to Lawrence,” said Brady Pollington, Vice-President of the EDC of Lawrence and Douglas County. “Menard, Inc. is a truly professional company that will continue to expand. While it’s still early in the process, we are excited the company is looking to our community for the site of its next industrial campus.”

A local assistance package of incentives will help the company break ground in Lawrence VenturePark, subject to a public approval process through the City’s Public Incentive Review Committee and pending approval by the Lawrence City Commission and the Douglas County Commission.

“The Menard, Inc. Distribution Center will be a fantastic project for the Lawrence community, generating new jobs and tax base. Additionally, as a long-standing and well-known company, the Menard, Inc. project is ideal to be the initial project and anchor tenant for the new Lawrence VenturePark business park. The City of Lawrence is very pleased that this company has interest in locating in Lawrence and is committed to the project’s success,” said Mayor Mike Amyx.

The EDC of Lawrence and Douglas County worked with a number of regional partners in attracting Midwest Manufacturing to the area, including the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, the Kansas City Area Development Council, the Kansas Department of Commerce, and the state of Kansas.

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