INDUSTRY AND SITE DEVELOPMENT Iola’s economy is anchored by major employers such as Gates, Peerless, and Russell Stover, who are helping to fuel growth in the region. Lavon highlights, “These are heavy leaders that are truly driving the manufacturing sector.” The emphasis is not only on expansion but also on retention of existing companies. “It’s about those customers that you already have, keeping them happy and then growing that investment within the community. That’s truly our strategy,” she says.“In terms of how we’re getting in front of people and how we’re pulling in those new opportunities, we focus heavily on our industrial sites. We do have incentive programs within the community that really work with those sites through Iola Industries, which is essentially our industry association that meets those efforts.” To support both existing and prospective companies, the city participates in a site readiness program in partnership with Allen County and the Kansas Department of Commerce. “We’ve identified two primary sites within the city of Iola,” outlines Lavon. “We have our own city industrial park immediately adjacent to Russell Stover. There’s been a lot of investment in utility infrastructure into that site. The second one is the area right outside the airport.” Recently installed utility infrastructure with large load capacity makes the airport site ideal for industries related to aviation, data centers, and manufacturing. “You can’t talk about Iola without talking about manufacturing,” she continues.“It’s also immediately adjacent to the highway. So in terms of logistics all those pieces are in place as well. The sky’s the limit in terms of what we might be able to situate in those spaces.” Another of Iola’s advantages is its regional airport, which boasts the longest runway in Kansas. Utilized by the National Guard, as well as aerospace company Orizon, it is conveniently located within two hours Camille Lavon | Director of Economic Development Thrive Allen County camille@thriveallencounty.org 719-629-8740 City of Matt Rehder | City Administrator matt.rehder@cityofiola.com 620-365-4900 www.cityofiola.com 158 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 11
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx