Kansas commerce official says state has topped $20 billion in private commitments and about 70,000 jobs

Joshua Jefferson, deputy secretary of business development for the Kansas Department of Commerce, told a Midwestern Higher Education Compact audience that Kansas has attracted more than $20 billion in committed private investment and about 70,000 jobs since 2019, and outlined programs the state is using to translate that momentum into higher-wage opportunities.

Jefferson framed the presentation around a short video and a theme he called the "state of unexpected," saying the state has seen a spike in large projects and a growing pipeline of prospects. "We are actually across that $20,000,000,000 marker, as well as across finish line on 70,000 jobs," Jefferson said while reviewing recent results and projections.

Why it matters: Jefferson said large, headline-making capital projects can change annual investment totals but do not always produce a one-to-one increase in jobs. He described a current opportunity pipeline of roughly 266 vetted projects and about $29 billion in potential capital expenditures, and urged deeper collaboration among state agencies, higher education and communities to convert that pipeline into sustained, higher‑paying employment.

Key details

• Major projects and pipeline: Jefferson pointed to a 2022 spike driven by a major Japanese company investment (described in the presentation as the trigger for a multi-billion-dollar jump). He cited Panasonic-scale projects as examples of investments that can add billions in CapEx while producing a limited number of direct jobs relative to the dollar value of the investment.

• Sector mix: Jefferson said advanced manufacturing is the largest share of recent committed private capital, with professional services, food and agriculture and logistics showing varying shares. He noted the opportunity pipeline shows more professional-services projects and increasing logistics and aerospace activity in the near term.

• Wages and incentives: Jefferson presented a comparison showing jobs incented by Commerce pay at a premium to state averages; he said the most recent measure in his slides was about an 8.1% wage premium for incented jobs compared with the overall Kansas average.

• Strategic planning and collaboration: Jefferson said Kansas’s 2019 Kansas Framework for Growth is being updated to reflect changes since the pandemic and urged closer alignment between Commerce, the Kansas Board of Regents and university systems. He described the FORGE grant as a rapid-response initiative created to provide a "front door" for business engagement with higher education, noting the program required a quick implementation window.

• Talent and retention programs: Jefferson summarized targeted programs, including Rural Opportunity Zones (which can include student loan repayment in some counties), the Next Gen Under 30 recognition and ambassador program (about 500 award recipients over three years), and the Love Kansas campaign that enlists communities to reach out to former residents.

Audience questions and technical issues

During a question-and-answer period, an audience member identifying themselves as the "Chancellor of North Dakota" asked about Jefferson’s statement that employment is declining in some areas because of AI. Jefferson replied that the main trend he stressed was a growing disconnect between capital investment and job creation: "we're now starting to see where that disconnects a little bit," he said, pointing to large data centers and other capital‑heavy projects that require substantial power but comparatively few on‑site workers. He said Kansas is exploring supporting industries and power solutions — including small modular reactors and other generation technologies — as part of a broader strategy to build the supply chain and job base around those facilities.

On workforce development, Jefferson said training is evolving to support roles that enable AI and power infrastructure, predicting that some high‑paying jobs will increasingly be in blue‑collar occupations tied to installation and support of new technologies.

Quotes

"Welcome to Kansas. Welcome to the state of unexpected," Jefferson said during his presentation.

"We are actually across that $20,000,000,000 marker, as well as across finish line on 70,000 jobs," he said when summarizing recent results.

"Please help me put a mermaid in it," Jefferson said, using a metaphor to ask attendees to help attract a standout, headline project to the state.

What was not decided or changed

No formal actions, votes or policy adoptions occurred during the presentation. Jefferson said he would follow up with the group on data about the Love Kansas campaign and other metrics but did not announce new incentives, legislation or regulations at the session.

Next steps

Jefferson asked attendees for continued engagement from higher education and local communities and said Commerce will share follow-up data on talent campaigns. The presentation concluded after a short Q&A.