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Top 10 for Speculative Construction Growth
The Kansas City Industrial Market ranked No. 6 among the Top 10 Markets for Speculative Construction Growth by absorbing 9.2 million-sq.-ft. in 2017.
REBusinessOnline, May 2018

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#1 in Industrial Transaction Volume
The Kansas City Industrial Market ranked No. 1 based on year-over-year growth rate.
Integra, Viewpoint, January 2018

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Chris Gutierrez_Color_web

Chris Gutierrez

President | KC SmartPort
816.591.7311
Chris leads KC SmartPort business development and provides thought leadership to the supply chain industry in Kansas City.

eCommerce

In 2018, global retail eCommerce sales neared $3 trillion and are expected to reach approximately $4.8 trillion by 2021. Today, 52 percent of U.S. consumers are more likely to make a purchase online as opposed to buying the same item in-store. As the crossroads of North America, Kansas City offers a strong advantage as 85 percent of the U.S. population can be reached from a Kansas City location within two days or less.

The Kansas City region’s central location and available skilled workforce are key to a successful eCommerce strategy. These advantages have attracted eCommerce and distribution companies to create more than 6,500 jobs, invest $689 million and occupy 12.8 million square feet in the KC region in the past five years.


ecommercecompanylogos-01
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KC Manufacturing and Logistics Jobs
125,392
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018 QCEW

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KC Location Advantages

Real Estate Ready Market

The Kansas City region offers a variety of buildings and sites that are excellent opportunities. A selection of aggressively priced industrial and warehouse space options helps enable a timely facility acquisition and operational start-up.  Moreover, the KC area has seen more than 40 million square feet of industrial development since 2012, much of it speculative and market-ready. The KC industrial sector had 4.7 million square feet of absorption in 2018, making it the second strongest year on record following only the record-setting 2017. The Kansas City region is also unique in that all five of the class 1 rail lines have intermodal facilities that are significant hubs in the national network. Three of these have industrial park developments adjacent to the rail facilities. Kansas City will continue to be a key region for railroad development and growth. Explore regional real estate opportunities.


Location

Kansas City offers direct access to Midwest population centers, coastal markets and North America. Being located in the geographical center of the United States, plus the existing transportation infrastructure, makes Kansas City one of the nation’s largest hubs for warehousing, distribution and manufacturing operations. Kansas City’s central location and being at the intersection of four major US Interstate Highways (I-35, I-70, I-29, and I-49), 85% of the U.S. can be reached from a Kansas City location within in 2 days or less. The region is known as one of the nation’s top five trucking centers.


Rail Access

Kansas City is one of the largest rail centers in the U.S. by tonnage. Five of the Class 1 rail lines intersect the region (BNSF, CP, KCS, NS, UP).  Kansas City Southern (KCS) headquarters is located in Kansas City, Missouri. The rail infrastructure throughout the region includes: carload, intermodal (both domestic and international), energy sector shipments, agricultural commodities as well as the automotive industry.


Workforce Pipeline

Kansas City understands supply chain. A diligent, Midwestern work ethic and access to education are just a few reasons why the workforce in Kansas City is one of the best in the country. Currently there are several local training programs in the area focused on preparing the labor force for the current and upcoming jobs in the transportation and logistics industry. Numerous educational institutions around the Kansas City region have supply chain management programs in place. The University of Kansas is home to one of the top 25 for U.S. university supply chain management programs. As a supply chain hub, the Kansas City region is dedicated to identifying the training needs for the industry and advancing the best supply chain workforce available.


Options

With two states, 18 counties and 50 plus communities, Kansas City gives companies something all consumers crave—choice. Two state tax structures, double the incentive programs and urban and suburban location options. All offered in one market—OneKC.

Labor Snapshot

The real estate-ready market, central location, transportation infrastructure access, and skilled workforce of KC makes it attractive to eCommerce and distribution companies. Explore the labor snapshots below to better understand the KC workforce advantage.

*Click below to expand for occupational data

Logistics Occupations

Occupation   2021 Employment  2021 Median Wage 2021 KC Concentration Compared to National Average 
 TOTAL Transportation & Material Moving Occupations 95,690 $37,010  105% 

Transportation, Storage & Distribution Managers

1,020  $94,600  108%

First-Line Supervisors of Transportation & Material Moving Workers

4,130 $59,150  104%

Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers

16,440 $49,590  120%

Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers 

7,300 $42,240  101%

Industrial Truck & Tractor Operators

6,470 $38,280   118%

Cleaners of Vehicles & Equipment

3,400 $28,560   134%

Laborers & Freight, Stock & Material Movers, Hand

18,300 $32,620   93%

Packers & Packagers, Hand

3,510 $29,330   83%
Source:  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment, May 2021.
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For more information regarding eCommerce and logistics in the Kansas City region, visit KC SmartPort's website. Or reach out to us below:

chris-gutierrez_color_webCHRIS GUTIERREZ
President | KC SmartPort

m: 816.591.7311
E-mail  LinkedIn  Twitter


elli-bowen_color_webELLI BOWEN
Vice President | KC SmartPort

m: 816.579.3370
E-mail  LinkedIn  Twitter


jill_color_0730_webJILL MCCARTHY
Senior Vice President, Corporate Attraction | KCADC

m: 816.591.1834
E-mail  LinkedIn  Twitter


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