General News in the 316

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WBJ - Jay Ablah teams with son on new garage condo venture set to launch in Wichita area

Construction is expected to begin in October at 2919 N. Commerce Drive in Derby — just north of Lowe's — on the first structure of what is planned to be a five-building, 96-unit project when completed.

"This is an idea that we’re going to do on a national basis," Jay Ablah said. "That’s the goal."

Garage condo projects seek to attract individuals wanting to buy (instead of rent) long-term storage space that they can morph into a variety of uses.

According to Ablah, one area My Extra Garage is set to differentiate itself is pricing, with its units at just over $100 per square foot.

"The goal is for My Extra Garage to be something that the average guy has the chance to be part of," he said.

Units come in six sizes (ranging from 625 square feet to 1,500 square feet), but buyers can purchase more than one and combine them into a single space, as every interior wall has the option of being removed, Ablah said.

This does seem like a cheaper option than some of the others I've seen, that I believe are only available as rental options and still expensive at that if I remember correctly. It's an interesting concept that seems to be fairly popular in the area as I believe there are already three or four similar locations around the area.

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WBJ - Wichita's PROtect partners with Army on veteran employment opportunities

PROtect LLC recently announced a strategic partnership with the U.S. Army's Partnership for Your Success (PaYS) Program, an initiative that trains, equips and connects soldiers with future employers.

The leadership of the Wichita-based safety, reliability and compliance services company, said the collaboration aligned with PROtect's values and more.

"When we look at the types of critical industries we serve such as oil and gas, biofuels, power generation, food and beverage, etc., and we couple them with the types of services we perform in safety, reliability and compliance, it makes PROtect a natural fit for U.S. Army veterans reentering civilian life," PROtect CEO Nathan Vander Griend said in a news release.

Soldiers participating in the program are assured a job interview with up to five PaYS partners once they complete their training or initial term of service. Building leadership qualities, technical expertise and valuable experience are all core components of PaYS.

According to the Army's PaYS website, the program has 1,084 current partners and around 282,950 participating soldiers. PaYS launched in 2000.

I think most of us can respect a program like this and those that try to provide landing spots for those that have served.

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WBJ - D-J Engineering in Augusta applauded as NASA Artemis supplier

D-J engineering, a company that produces 16,500-pound "rings" for the space ships, and 15 other Kansas companies helped put Artemis I, with 9.2 million pounds of thrust, in the air last November. The space ship produced a maximum thrust of 8.8 million pounds, exerting more power than any rocket had before it.

Artemis II is currently in its planning stages with a launch date of late next year or early 2025. Artemis III will land on the moon, and Artemis IV will help put a mini space station on the moon. By the end of this decade, Artemis V is expected to launch.

"And all of this is going to lead up to someday going to Mars," said Doug Hurley, senior director of strategy and business development at Northrop Grumman and a former astronaut, during the event Tuesday at D-J. "We're just getting started."

Dave Dutcher, the vice president and program manager for the Space Launch System at Boeing, told the D-J Engineering employees they are all partners in this mission.

Pretty cool to have a local company involved in this.

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WBJ - The pies are coming: JTM Foods' north Wichita manufacturing facility is ready for production

On Tuesday, the Erie, Pa.-based maker of JJ's Snack Pies, which can be found at convenience and grocery stores across the U.S., held a grand opening at its 195,000 square-foot manufacturing facility at the northwest corner of 21st and Cleveland Ave., near I-135.

"I could not be more happy and proud to be in Wichita, Kan.," said Monty Pooley, JTM Foods president and CEO, at the event.

The $40-million project is anticipated to bring on 150 employees within two years, with that number rising to 200 by the end of the third year.

Pies are expected to start rolling off of the facility's first production line in September.

They mentioned they're looking for opportunities to produce more of their products in Wichita as well.

There's also a slideshow of the facility that should be viewable by all if you're interested.

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WBJ - Getting closer: The latest on Love's Travel Stops' Wichita plans

"Love’s expects to close on the Wichita location in September," the spokesperson said. "The building permit process is ongoing, but the goal is to break ground as soon as the project is fully permitted, assuming the weather allows.

"At this early stage, it’s too soon to lay out a timeline for the completion of construction or to present job numbers."

In May, the Wichita City Council approved the Oklahoma City-based company's zoning-change request for the project.

The Love's development — in addition to a convenience store and gas pumps — would include a restaurant, RV overnight parking, dog exercise area, electric vehicle charging and a semi-truck repair and wash.

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WBJ - New Wichita multifamily construction report has positive news for investors, operators

More than 1,500 new multifamily units are under construction in Wichita, according to a new market report from MMG Real Estate Advisors.

That number carries positive news for those involved in that area of real estate, said Richard Redding, senior director at the Kansas City-based multifamily investment sales brokerage firm.

"With 1,560 units currently under construction, accounting for approximately 4.3% of Wichita's existing inventory, we are well below the national average of 5.7% for the 150 largest markets," he said in an email. "This lower share of units under construction positions Wichita favorably for investors and operators, setting a more predictable landscape for operations."

1,200 of those should be available this year.

Wichita has an occupancy rate of 94.6% with an average rent of $850.

Would expect to see more in NE Wichita once Integra gets the green light for their new plant.

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WBJ - Employment opportunities in Wichita aerospace market abound

With Textron Aviation in need of 2,000 employees by the end of the year, recruiting is a high priority for one of Wichita's largest aviation employers.

But smaller aviation manufacturers are in need of workers, as well.

With help-wanted signs dotting the landscape and recruiting websites looking for both floor-level jobs and advanced engineers, some businesses are venturing outside their human resource departments for help.

I knew Textron was hiring. I didn't realize that they were seeking that many.

There are numerous companies focused on recruiting outside of the market to attract employees to Wichita

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Here's a local company I can't remember off the top of my head, but it sounds like they're headed in the right direction.

WBJ - A WICHITA STARTUP'S QUICC CHANGE

After being noticed by a global media company and a popular graphic design website, Wichita startup Quicc has impressed thousands of users and lots of investors through its captioning and video-search services.

Soon, they hope to sign a contract with a major news media company.

Quicc, which launched in 2019, has three major components. The first offers captioning services in more than 40 languages. The second makes videos searchable by content. The third service, for now, is using artificial intelligence to summarize what is in a video.
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The company provides captions in more than 40 languages in upwards of 125 countries to 20,000 users on Canva, an Australian-based graphic design and video site.

"We help video creators and teams find the 'moments that matter' in their video archives with our innovative search technology," Mathia said.

Along with being a fast-captioning service, Quicc can generate searchable material from videos, including church sermons, school board meetings, political speeches, documentaries, sports events and city council meetings. No matter the length of the video, Quicc can make the video searchable.
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Last spring, Quicc was chosen as one of 10 startups to join the third class of the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator, which had more than 900 applicants from more than 40 countries. Comcast whittled the group to 10.

Experts from Comcast, NBCUniversal, Sky, Boomtown, and SportsTech’s advisors work to improve products and services and prepare for each of the 10 startups' success with partners and the broader sports industry. NBC Sports, NASCAR, WWE, USA Cycling, the PGA Tour and U.S. Olympic sports organizations are all a part of the network.

Comcast funds and fast-tracks whom it thinks are the most innovative startups.
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Currently, Quicc's offices are in an old warehouse next to the railroad tracks in Old Town. McAndrew envisions the business staying in Wichita but growing exponentially and building a large structure, attracting visionaries to Wichita and keeping others here.

"We're looking to grow the team here," McAndrew said. "There's a lot of intrinsic excitement."

Along with bringing opportunities to Wichita, Quicc looks forward to remaining in the city.

"Quicc's win is Wichita's win," Mathia said.

The company was started by two WSU grads, one from Derby and the other Whitewater.

It will be interesting to see where this goes and how much it grows.

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It will be interesting to hear what comes from this in a few weeks.

WBJ - ICT Summit: Envisioning the downtown that's at our fingertips

But now, as you sit at a Wind Surge game or grab a spot near the Keeper for the lighting of the cauldrons, take a look at downtown and imagine the possibilities:

Once-in-a-lifetime changes along the river's east bank. Riverside development to the west. The biggest changes in Exploration Place's 24 years. And the juiciest possibility: Thousands of health-care students working, living and thriving around a downtown biomedical campus that's putting the term "game-changer" out to pasture from overuse.

It's a lot to think about, a lot to talk about. And the WBJ is putting together a day of conversation about how it can happen.

Our ICT Summit, "Downtown: A Vision for Our City's Core," will be Thursday, Sept. 21 at WSU Tech's NICHE facility downtown. It will be a day in which we look at the possibilities ahead with a healthy dose of how we got here and what we've learned from our past.

After lunch, we conclude with a look at what's ahead. What are the keys to success downtown for the rest of the decade and beyond? Panelists include Wichita State University president Rick Muma, Natalie Gosch of Cargill Protein North America, and Luis Rodriguez of Method Productions.

The day wraps up with networking and cocktails on the NICHE patio. You can find ticket information at our events page.

There's a lot to be excited and optimistic about. The Stadium district should start rolling in the near future with the parking garage, hotel, apartments, and retail along the river. One would hope that spurs more construction in that area and makes it a nice area to spend an evening. The biomedical facility will change so much about downtown and will create more apartments as well as business opportunities of all kinds in the area. Exploration Place has a leader with bold ambitions and is in the process of making things happen inside and outside of the facility.

Who knows what else will pop up as all of these things begin to take shape?

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WBJ - POET Biofuels' big Wichita expansion on track for early 2024 completion

POET, headquartered in South Dakota and the world's largest biofuels supplier, employs 185 people in Wichita. It has previously projected it will add 20 employees over the next five years, tied to the expansion, at annual wage levels higher than $70,000 per year.

"The expansion project will enable POET to foster its growth and, in addition to the positions that have already been opened and filled, we are actively seeking to fill additional accounting positions on our team," Whiteman said.

POET's Wichita team focuses on bioethanol marketing, grain procurement, energy services, renewable CO2 capture and distribution and supplying denaturant.

I like my job, but may have to consider applying once again for a position with POET.

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Eagle - Wichita's downtown ballpark to host first concert since Riverfront Stadium opened

For the first time since construction of Riverfront Stadium was completed in 2020, the downtown ballpark will host a concert.

Tribute bands for Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam will be taking the stage on Sunday, Oct. 8 for a “90’s Rock at the Park” experience, the Wichita Wind Surge announced on Wednesday morning.

Tickets begin at $30 for general admission, while a $60 VIP ticket, which includes access to the Dillon’s Picnic Patio for a buffet-style meal with water and soda, is also available. Tickets are available now at www.windsurge.com or by calling the Wind Surge ticket office at 316-221-8000.

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KSN - Exploration Place's annual Fiesta Hispana Sunday

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Exploration Place’s annual celebration of Hispanic culture returns Sunday, Sept. 10.

Fiesta Hispana is a partnership between Exploration Place and Wichita’s Spanish-language radio station, Radio Lobo, 106.5 FM. September is National Hispanic Heritage Month.

“Fiesta Hispana is always a kaleidoscope of culture and celebration,” Adam Smith, Exploration Place president and CEO, said in a news release. “It’s a great way to kick off National Hispanic Heritage Month here in Wichita.”

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WBJ - Wichita's Eisenhower National Airport in the running for title of best small airport

Online voting is currently open and is set to close on Monday, Oct. 2.

As of mid-day Thursday, Wichita sat in sixth place.

In a Wednesday news release, the city and Wichita Airport Authority encouraged residents to vote daily.

"This ranking is important in many aspects: not only does it give ICT bragging rights, but it elevates our entire region to visitors," the release said. "It also helps attract conventions, sporting events and increase tourism. Plus, it helps the airport’s relationships with airlines, knowing that they serve the best small airport in the U.S."

Wichita has finished as high as No. 3 in the annual rankings of facilities that serve less than 10 million passengers each year.

Alabama's Huntsville International Airport is currently in the top spot, followed by Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Mich., and South Carolina's Myrtle Beach International Airport.

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The saga continues

KAKE - Towne West Square again at risk of losing power over Evergy bill

Towne West Square in Wichita is again at risk of losing power if management doesn't pay its Evergy bill.

According to a letter sent to mall tenants, management, Kohan Retail Investment Group, must pay its outstanding balances to avoid service disconnection.

"Over the past several months, Evergy has attempted to work with the management of Towne West Mall to remedy the Mall's electric bill," the letter says.

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KWCH - Evergy cuts power to Towne West Square over delinquent bill

Evergy confirms that power has been cut off to Towne West Square.

It comes after the mall owner ‘Kohan Retail Investment Group’ failed to pay the electric bill.

Back in June the mall was in a similar situation when shutdown was narrowly avoided.

The only thing that can save Towne West is new ownership and a completely new vision that isn't 100% based on typical mall planning. Someone has to get creative.