About Us

Kansas Economic Gardening Network

Date Launched: October 2010
Number of Businesses: 28 (Pilot)

Pilot Program Results:

	Before the Pilot	Year After the Pilot	Percent Change
Annual Revenue	$87 million	$109.5 million	+25.9%
Net Full-Time Jobs	568	733	+29%
Net Part-Time Jobs	75	99	+32%

News About the Kansas Economic Gardening Network

NetWork Kansas Awards Johnson County, the City of Parsons, and the City of Wichita Community Economic Gardening Engagements to Spur Business Growth

Wichita, Kansas, March 28, 2013 --- NetWork Kansas has awarded Johnson County, the City of Parsons, and the City of Wichita with community-level economic gardening engagements through the statewide Kansas Economic Gardening Network. These community applications will support at least 16 economic gardening engagements worth more than $56,000 with second-stage businesses.

NetWork Kansas To Cohost 11th Annual National Economic Gardening Conference

News Release — Plans are underway for the 11th Annual National Economic Gardening Conference. This year’s event is being coordinated by three state Economic Gardening Programs: Business Growth Services division of Missouri Small Business Development & Technology Centers; NetWork Kansas; and Advance Iowa.

The Kansas Economic Gardening Pilot Program Perceived as A Possible Model for Other States

"The state pilot in Kansas is relevant is because it is a model that I think we could do in Utah given that there is interest," Phelps said. "A state organization in Kansas got together with the rural communities within Kansas and applied for a USDA rural development grant. They got a federal grant to specifically go out, and outreach, and do economic gardening to the rural communities."

Kansas Puts Increased Emphasis on 'Economic Gardening' as a Tool to Grow the State's Rural Economy

In Kansas, as is the case in many states, the data on job growth are clear: Most new jobs in a local economy are produced by the community's existing small businesses, rather than by startups or relocations.

Kansas Economic Gardening Network - Downloadable Files

Program Summary - Kansas Economic Gardening Network
The Kansas Economic Gardening Network was launched as a pilot program by NetWork Kansas with support from USDA Rural Development in 2010 to connect second-stage companies that have the intent and capacity to grow their business with significant sophisticated technical assistance. Selected businesses interact with an experienced national economic gardening team who deliver economic gardening services tailored to meet the needs of each business. Examples of economic gardening services include GIS, market research, SEO tools, social media monitoring, and sales lead generation.

This pilot, the first nationwide to focus exclusively on rural businesses, successfully closed in 2012 with 28 businesses completing engagements.

Economic Gardening Community Applications
In October 2012, a second phase of the Kansas Economic Gardening Network was launched to offer Kansas communities the opportunity to offer high-growth businesses in their area economic gardening assistance.

Additionally, as part of the second phase of the economic gardening program, NetWork Kansas has partnered with Mid-American Manufacturing Technology Center (MAMTC) to offer Innovation Engineering engagements to qualified businesses through the economic gardening program.

The NetWork Kansas Economic Gardening Community Application process will accept submissions from community partnerships (municipalities or countywide) that identify between 3-7 businesses that fit the criteria of the economic gardening program. Up to 9 applications will be awarded matching funds. Of these, 2 community partnerships will be provided to urban community partnerships (municipal population above 50,000).

To date, three community applications have been approved: the City of Parsons, the City of Wichita (via the Wichita Technology Corporation), and Johnson County (via Enterprise Center of Johnson County). The Johnson County partnership includes businesses in the City of Overland Park and the City of Shawnee.

The value of services available for each business is estimated at $3,500 for economic gardening services and an additional $7,000 for any business that is also participating in the optional MAMTC Innovation Engineering program. Communities with 7 participating businesses could receive a total of nearly $30,000 worth of matching funds from NetWork Kansas as part of this program.

Opportunities still exist for communities to apply and receive matching funds for economic gardening engagements.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with award rounds closing the 15th of each month.

The Economic Gardening Community Application

NetWork Kansas invites Kansas communities to apply for a new economic gardening program that would allow them to offer high-growth businesses in their area targeted economic gardening engagements as part of the Kansas Economic Gardening Network. The NetWork Kansas Economic Gardening Community Application process will accept submissions from community partnerships (municipalities or countywide) that identify between 3-7 businesses that fit the criteria of the economic gardening program. Up to 9 applications will be awarded matching funds. Of these, 2 community partnerships will be provided to urban community partnerships (municipal population above 50,000).

Additionally, NetWork Kansas has partnered with Mid-American Manufacturing Technology Center (MAMTC) to offer Innovation Engineering engagements to qualified businesses through the economic gardening program. Applications are reviewed monthly, with rounds closing on the 15th of each month.

Communities participating must provide matching funds for economic gardening services and for those wishing to enroll in MAMTC’s Innovation Engineering program.

The value of services available for each business is estimated at $3,500 for economic gardening services and an additional $7,000 for any business that is also participating in the MAMTC Innovation Engineering program. Communities with 7 participating businesses could receive a total of nearly $30,000 worth of matching funds from NetWork Kansas as part of this program.

Application Steps for the Kansas Economic Gardening Network

1. Review the Program Brochure, CEO Info Sheet, and Case Studies

2. If you are applying on behalf of a community, download and complete the Community Application

3. After you have completed your community application OR if you are a resource partner or Entrepreneurship Community applying on behalf of a business, download and complete the Business Application

4. NetWork Kansas will contact you via email to inform you of the status of the application. Further instructions will be provided in the email notification you receive from NetWork Kansas.

Not a partner? Only NetWork Kansas resource partners can access the Kansas Economic Gardening Network. Find out how to become a resource partner here.