State offers directory for artists, growers

The Kansas Department of Commerce plans to launch an online database of Kansas artists, craftsmen and food producers July 1.

“This directory is just one example of the culture and heritage-based tourism focus currently under way in Kansas,” said Katie Bartkoski, tourism marketing coordinator with the state commerce department. “Our hope is that the more artists, craftspersons and food producers included in this directory, the better they can strategically market their products to Kansans and those travelers.”

The Kansas Small Business Development Center, Kansas Arts Commission, Kansas State Historical Society, and Association of Community Arts Agencies of Kansas also are involved in the project.

More than 5,000 surveys were sent to artisans and food producers in April. Although the deadline to return the survey was April 30, artisans and food producers are being asked to submit their information for the directory. Individuals who did not receive a survey may request one.

For more information or to request a survey, contact Katie Bartkoski at (785) 296-3810 or by e-mail at kbartkoski@kansascommerce.com.

Employment

Authors: U.S. firms rethink offshoring

The export of white-collar jobs known as “offshoring” to such lower-cost countries as India, China and Russia may be a reversible trend that ultimately could benefit U.S. workers, the authors of a new book say.

By 2015, the United States could recapture a large amount of outsourced projects, they argue. The opinion counters recent studies by technology research firms.

Roughly 830,000 U.S. service-sector jobs — ranging from telemarketers and accountants to software engineers and chief technology officers — will move abroad by the end of 2005, while 3.4 million additional jobs will leave during the next decade, forecasts Forrester Research Inc.

But Douglas Brown and Scott Wilson, authors of “The Black Book of Outsourcing,” say many executives they had interviewed were reconsidering offshoring because of the high price of fuel and airfare, management challenges, customer complaints and the increasing cost of labor in foreign technology hubs.

By 2015, Brown and Wilson say, the United States likely will rank as the No. 3 destination for outsourced work, behind only China and India.

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