By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce held its kickoff event for the Reno Rising campaign.
The event was held to look back at the last four years of growth in the county and kick off a new five-year plan to increase that growth.
“We reflected back on how our economic performance has been over the last four and a half years,” Chamber President Debra Teufel said. “Then forecasting ahead of what we expect to be in our strategic plan.”
Teufel says one of the more noticeable numbers they’ve seen over the past four years is the number of available workers in the county. But there is still work to be done on that front.
“In 2017, there were about 27,000 people employed in Reno County and today we have about 26,800,” Teufel said. “We recognize that right now we're back to pre-pandemic unemployment levels, which are around 3%, and there’s a lot of pressure on existing employers.”
Teufel says it's also about making sure there is enough talent to fill those jobs in the area. Looking ahead to the next five years can be reflected on some of the past successes the county has experienced during the last Reno Rising campaign.
“If you look at the jobs we’ve created over the past four years, 1,600 good new jobs in the community and, as a result, $20 million in new payroll and new projects,” Teufel said. “American Packaging and First Team that are undergoing expansion, and today Superior Boiler is bringing their Richmond facility here to Hutch.”
A report from the Chamber presented during the kickoff shows that, since the campaign started, the annual median wage in the county has increased from $29,449 in 2017 to $33,310 in 2020 and hourly wages have increased.
The campaign is a fund drive for the Chamber to help fund local efforts to bring more business and industry to the area.
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