Great Bend Economic Development announced today that after completing\u00a0phase one of construction on the Great Bend Innovation Center, further construction will\u00a0temporarily pause as the organization works to close the remaining funding gap to finish phase\u00a0two.<\/p>\n
The multi-million project, designed to serve as a hub for entrepreneurship, workforce\u00a0development, and innovation in central Kansas, has been funded through a combination of state\u00a0and federal grants, private contributions, and local private investment. While several expected\u00a0grant sources did not materialize due to changes in federal policy earlier in 2025 that redirected\u00a0or reduced available funding opportunities, this challenge was further compounded by the recent\u00a0government shutdown, which closed remaining federal grant programs for the year. The\u00a0organization has already taken significant steps to reduce costs and preserve progress while\u00a0maintaining the core vision of the center.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been diligent in scaling back and implementing cost-saving measures to stretch every\u00a0dollar,\u201d said Jason Kuilan, Executive Director of Great Bend Economic Development. \u201cWe\u00a0modified building designs, reduced equipment investments in the innovation kitchen, and\u00a0adjusted the fabrication lab\u2019s initial investment requirements. Unfortunately, those savings are\u00a0not enough to fully offset the funding shortfall caused by unexpected federal program cuts,\u00a0private contributions falling through, and unexpected tariffs that led to on-going increased\u00a0construction costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the temporary construction pause, Great Bend Economic Development remains\u00a0financially stable and continues to operate at full capacity. While a portion of our day-to-day\u00a0operational funding is provided through support from the City of Great Bend, projects such as\u00a0the Innovation Center are funded entirely through external sources including state and federal\u00a0grants, private foundations, and other investment partners. Our immediate focus is securing the\u00a0remaining funding through these same trusted channels to ensure the project\u2019s completion\u00a0without creating a burden on the City or local taxpayers.<\/p>\n
Kuilan emphasized that multiple funding pipelines are already in progress, including significant\u00a0proceeds from the real estate sale adjacent to the event\u2019s center and a sizable grant that has\u00a0already been awarded. The Great Bend Innovation Center remains a cornerstone investment in\u00a0the region\u2019s future, expected to drive entrepreneurship, job creation, and skills training for\u00a0decades to come. Once completed, it will serve as a collaborative space where innovators,\u00a0businesses, and educators can work together to strengthen the local economy and expand\u00a0opportunities across Barton County.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re confident construction will resume once additional funding has been secured,\u201d said\u00a0Kuilan. \u201cOur community\u2019s vision for innovation and opportunity hasn\u2019t changed. We\u2019re simply\u00a0ensuring we do it the right way, responsibly and sustainably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project represents the very best of Great Bend\u2019s spirit, collaboration, innovation, and\u00a0perseverance,\u201d Kuilan added. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful for the continued support of our partners and\u00a0community members who share our belief that the Innovation Center will be a lasting catalyst for\u00a0growth in our region.\u201d<\/p>\n
About Great Bend Economic Development<\/p>\n
Great Bend Economic Development\u2019s mission is to foster long-term economic health and quality\u00a0of life for the working families of the community. We do this by creating jobs through retention,\u00a0recruitment and expansion of businesses; strengthening workforce through recruitment,\u00a0education, and training; improving and increasing the number of living wage jobs; and\u00a0expanding the tax base through increased capital investments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Great Bend Economic Development announced today that after completing\u00a0phase one of construction on the Great Bend Innovation Center,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[64,63,99,198],"class_list":{"0":"post-280781","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-entrepreneurship"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}