KCRag Forum

The incentives for BDY were marginal at best and the reality of their situation is that the majority of their employees live in JoCo.  Being in MO was kind of a fluke in the first place.

Story says differently....

Whatever....blacklist them from designing kcmo projects   a 36 year fluke.  Weird.

LenexatoKCMO wrote: Economic development incentives are a nasty menace - but I sure don't want my town to be the one to try and unilaterally change the game. 

I agree, unitilateral action would sadly result in an economic disaster for KC and many other cities.  I don't think suburbs are ever going to change their ways on this issue unless forced.  My own preference would be federal disincentives for certain business's (like HQ operations) moving and staying in suburban locations and incentives for moving into centralized locations.  Getting business back into city centers is a necassary prerequisite for having a viable public transportation across the US that will save energy resources over the long run (despite the temporary attraction of shorter commutes that moving to the burbs facilitates). 

Jefferson Wells International Inc. will move its KC office to Overland Park

Only about 20 employees, but still, that sucks. I don't get why if their clients are scattered throughout the metro, it makes more sense to be in OP than in the center of the metro?

The article says most employees work on-site at client offices, not at HQ.  They probably commute from their homes to to client sites, so that's why the location of HQ isn't a big concern.

Mention E-Tax as well.

KCMax wrote: Only about 20 employees, but still, that sucks. I don't get why if their clients are scattered throughout the metro, it makes more sense to be in OP than in the center of the metro?

Maybe, just maybe, "most" of their clients are in OP area instead of equally distributed.

And maybe, just maybe, most of the employees are residents of OP area.

aknowledgeableperson wrote: Maybe, just maybe, "most" of their clients are in OP area instead of equally distributed.

And maybe, just maybe, most of the employees are residents of OP area.

Then that's what they should say. They shouldn't say their clients are "scattered" through the area. Just say we want to be closer to our clients, most of whom are in JoCo.

Scattered means just what it says.  It doesn't imply that clients are equally distributed just that they are scattered.

Besides, given the address once a person gets on 435 they are minutes from just about anywhere in the KC Metro.

go opks...about time they had some good news.  Way to add nothing to the region.

aknowledgeableperson wrote: Besides, given the address once a person gets on 435 they are minutes from just about anywhere in the KC Metro.

What's this '435' you speak of?

aknowledgeableperson wrote: Besides, given the address once a person gets on 435 they are minutes from just about anywhere in the KC Metro.

The ease of our highway system seems an inconvenient point to someone such as yourself who was just arguing that proximity to homes and clients dictates these decisions.  Either proximity is important or it isn't; can't have your cake and eat it too. 

You missed entirely.  One argues about being downtown because it is the center of the universe.  But with 435 you don't have to be in the center.


(Q) Why move from downtown because it is the center?

I don't get why if their clients are scattered throughout the metro, it makes more sense to be in OP than in the center of the metro?

(R) One doesn't have to be in the center but can located be by 435 and still serve scattered Metro customers just as easily and by being on College Blvd "maybe" be closer to many or most of them plus be closer to home.

In other words, I would speculate that most of their customers are around the fringe of the metro area instead of located in its center.  Besides, don't forget:

Other factors in the move from City Center Square included Kansas City’s earnings tax and employees’ travel time.

Read more: Jefferson Wells International Inc. will move its KC office to Overland Park - Kansas City Business Journal:

That old E-tax is brought up again.

hope their employees enjoy paying more total taxes.....

KCPowercat wrote: hope their employees enjoy paying more total taxes.....

They probably already live in KS so they will save on the E-tax.

aknowledgeableperson wrote: They probably already live in KS so they will save on the E-tax.

Maybe some.......not that it matters, its where the person earns the tax as to where they pay the income tax....so all employees lose.

Travel time is so bunk in this city.  Guess they only want to attract employees and customers from south portion of the 435 loop....so shortsighted.

akp, I must say I've never known a KCMO resident so excited and pleased to see our city lose tax revenue.

aknowledgeableperson wrote: You missed entirely.  One argues about being downtown because it is the center of the universe.  But with 435 you don't have to be in the center.


(Q) Why move from downtown because it is the center?(R) One doesn't have to be in the center but can located be by 435 and still serve scattered Metro customers just as easily and by being on College Blvd "maybe" be closer to many or most of them plus be closer to home.

In other words, I would speculate that most of their customers are around the fringe of the metro area instead of located in its center.  Besides, don't forget:

You are arguing that it is important to be close to where employees live in the burbs but that it isn't important to be close to customers.  You can't have it both ways - either it is easy to get around this city and proximity to both customers and employees doesn't matter or it isn't easy to get around and proximity matters.  Its the same highways, same traffic, regardless of whether you are talking about employee travel time or customer travel time. 

akp, I must say I've never known a KCMO resident so excited and pleased to see our city lose tax revenue.

1.  No longer a KCMO resident.
2.  Not excited nor pleased but do know that KCMO has its problems and crying about another company leaving doesn't really solve the issue.  Find out why they are leaving and then address the issue.

Its the same highways, same traffic, regardless of whether you are talking about employee travel time or customer travel time

You cannot see the forest becasue of the trees.  In this instance there isn't a concern about customer travel since the employee either goes to the office or to the customer.  And with 435 it doesn't really matter if you are in the center of the loop or on the loop proximity is just about the same. 

aknowledgeableperson wrote: And with 435 it doesn't really matter if you are in the center of the loop or on the loop proximity is just about the same. 

Just as for commuting employees.  Remember - you were the one who has argued its important that these companies be close to their suburban employment base.  Ease of movement is a two way street - if its easy to get anywhere in the metro, than that means its easy for the employees to get to a job anywhere else in the metro as well. 

i would bet anything that this company's move from KC to OP was based solely on one or two decisionmakers at the company wanting their office to be closer to their homes in SoJoCo.