COFFEYVILLE — While oil, agriculture and aircraft manufacturing remain the bedrock of the Kansas economy, lessons learned 15 years ago are teaching lawmakers the value of diversifying the economy and training its workers.
With the country in recession, legislators are finding that the state stands out as a bright spot. While not immune to layoffs, growth continues.
November's unemployment rate in Kansas was 4 percent, compared with 5.6 nationwide. The final 2001 numbers for Kansas come out today.
"It used to be that compared to the rest of the nation, our highs weren't as high, but our lows were lower," said Sen. Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson.
The blueprint for growth during the past 15 years was drawn by Kansas University professors Tony Redwood and Charles Krider, who identified weaknesses in the state's economy and recommended changes to help build its strength.
With many of the recommendations enacted, Kansas' work force grew from 1.169 million people in 1986 to 1.388 million in 2001. During the same period, population grew by 262,000 to 2.694 million residents.
Kerr and Rep. Kenny Wilk, R-Lansing, noted the success of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. creating it was a suggestion of the Redwood-Krider report that has given millions of dollars in grants to businesses to help them expand new product lines and for research and development.
"But we are at a crossroads," Wilk said. "That report served us well, but it was based on an older model."
Earlier this month, officials unveiled "Making the Knowledge Economy Work for All Kansans," a report billed as the state's most ambitious look at economic development since the 1986 report.
Fueling the latest growth, House Speaker Kent Glasscock said, was infrastructure created as a result of the Redwood-Krider report and the eight-year, $7 billion comprehensive highway program started in 1989.
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