Kansas Department of Commerce

What Kansas Department of Commerce does

The Kansas Department of Commerce (KDC, DBA; legal entity: Kansas Department of Commerce) is the State of Kansas's primary economic development agency, headquartered at 1000 S.W. Jackson St., Suite 100, Topeka, Kansas 66612-1354. Established in 2006 and operating under the executive branch with the Lieutenant Governor serving as Secretary of Commerce (currently David Toland), KDC coordinates business recruitment, workforce development, community planning, international trade, broadband infrastructure, arts funding, and tourism promotion through a single umbrella organization. Its service portfolio includes business incentive programs (High Performance Incentive Program/HPIP, Promoting Employment Across Kansas/PEAK, Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit/KAITC), workforce services (KANSASWORKS system, Kansas Industrial Training/KIT, Kansas Industrial Retraining/KIR), community development programs (Community Development Block Grant/CDBG, Kansas Main Street, Historic Economic Asset Lifeline/HEAL, Downtown Revive & Thrive, SEED, Rural Opportunity Zones/ROZ), international trade support (State Trade Expansion Program/STEP), broadband initiatives (BEAD, Digital Opportunity), the Kansas Arts Commission, and tourism promotion via the Travel Kansas brand. Additional sub-brands include Love Kansas (relocation), Kansas Main Street, Office of Rural Prosperity, Office of Broadband Development, and the Athletic Commission.

The agency's underlying technology is a government economic development web platform that hosts digital services including virtual job fairs through KANSASWORKS, online grant application workflows, a transparency database, and workforce service portals. KDC also maintains a multilingual public-facing site (English, Spanish, Japanese), is Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 A/AA compliant, and uses TLS encryption on its web properties. The agency does not offer a public or partner API and does not disclose AI-driven features.

Because KDC is a state government agency, its operating revenue comes from state government appropriations and federal grant programs (including CDBG, BEAD, STEP, and other pass-throughs) rather than from commercial sales. All services, grants, and tax incentive programs are provided to Kansas businesses, job seekers, and communities at no direct cost. Its operations are split between Topeka headquarters, a statewide network of KANSASWORKS workforce centers, and an International Division with a Mexico office supporting trade and foreign-direct-investment activity. KDC's parent is the State of Kansas, and its sole disclosed subsidiary/division is Kansas Tourism.

Name

Kansas Department of Commerce

Legal name

Kansas Department of Commerce

Website

https://www.kansascommerce.gov/

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Kansas Department of Commerce is the State of Kansas's economic development agency, coordinating business recruitment, KANSASWORKS workforce services, community development grants, broadband expansion, international trade, and tourism promotion under a single Topeka-headquartered state entity funded by appropriations and federal grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Economic Programs (926), Administration of Economic Programs (9261), Administration of General Economic Programs (92611), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Licensing & Permitting Authorities (General) (BPAIAOAB)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Workforce development programs
• Business incentive programs
• Community development grants
• Tourism marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Topeka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriations and Federal Grants: As a state government agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce is funded through state government appropriations and federal grant programs. The agency does not generate commercial revenue but administers various economic development programs funded by state and federal sources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Kansas Department of Commerce is the State of Kansas's economic development agency. It administers and delivers a portfolio of state and federally funded programs supporting business attraction and expansion (incentives, financing, site selection), workforce development (KANSASWORKS), community development (CDBG, Main Street, rural prosperity, broadband), international trade (STEP), arts and culture funding (Kansas Arts Commission), and tourism promotion (Travel Kansas). Services are offered at no direct cost to eligible businesses, communities, job seekers, and visitors.

Product overview

The Kansas Department of Commerce (KDC) is Kansas's state economic development agency that helps foster growth through business, workforce, and community development. Rather than a unified software product, KDC offers a portfolio of government programs and services including workforce development through KANSASWORKS, business incentives such as HPIP, PEAK, and ROZ, community development programs including CDBG and Kansas Main Street, international trade services through STEP, and broadband infrastructure development via the Office of Broadband Development. Additional services include arts funding through the Kansas Arts Commission, rural prosperity initiatives, housing resources, and various grant programs for historic preservation, downtown development, and startup investment such as KAITC. These programs and initiatives work together to support business recruitment, workforce training, community development, and economic growth across Kansas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Travel Kansas: Official tourism brand and travel planning resource for Kansas
• Love, Kansas
• KANSASWORKS
• Kansas Main Street
• Office of Rural Prosperity
• Office of Broadband Development

Products and services

• KANSASWORKS A statewide workforce development system that connects job seekers with employers, provides employment services, job training, and career resources through local workforce centers across Kansas.
• Kansas Office of Broadband Development A division focused on expanding high-speed broadband access across Kansas through investment programs, permitting resources, and digital equity initiatives including BEAD and Digital Opportunity programs.
• Kansas Arts Commission (KAC)

Quantifiable outcome

• #1 Most Business Investment Per Capita - Site Selection Magazine
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• KANSASWORKScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKANSASWORKS is a workforce development partnership providing job seeker services, employer services, and workforce training programs across Kansas. The partnership connects job seekers with employment opportunities and helps employers find qualified workers.
• PanasonicflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPanasonic Energy established an EV battery manufacturing facility in De Soto, Kansas with state support, representing a major economic development investment for the state.
• Kansas City ChiefsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement with Kansas City Chiefs for development of a state-of-the-art domed stadium in Kansas, representing significant sports and economic development initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC): Public-private state economic development organization widely regarded as a national leader in aggressive business attraction; runs an analogous incentive-plus-workforce-plus-international-trade stack and competes head-to-head with KDC for corporate site selection.
• Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development: State agency overseeing business recruitment, FastTrack grants, and community development — comparable incentive structure and is a regular co-bidder with KDC for automotive and advanced manufacturing projects.
• Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT): State-level economic development office covering business incentives, international trade, tourism, and workforce — same broad mandate as KDC and competes for the same Rocky Plains / Midwest business relocations.
• Missouri Department of Economic Development: Neighboring state's primary economic development agency administering business incentives, workforce programs, and community development — operates the same core functional remit as KDC across a comparable Midwestern industrial base.
• Nebraska Department of Economic Development: Adjacent Plains state's commerce agency administering site selection, workforce, and rural incentives — closely comparable geography, demographic profile, and program structure.
• Oklahoma Department of Commerce: State-level commerce agency providing business recruitment, incentive programs (e.g., Quality Jobs), workforce, and community development services — directly comparable scope and rural/statewide delivery model.
• Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA): Midwestern state economic development authority providing business incentives, workforce programs, and community development — directly comparable rural-heavy demographic and Midwestern competitor profile.

Others

• Area Development Magazine: Industry publication that administers the Gold Shovel award program (which KDC has won four consecutive years) — comparable only insofar as it sets the reputational scoring framework KDC is benchmarked against.
• Site Selection Magazine: Industry publication issuing the Governor's Cup and Impact Deal of the Year awards (won by KDC multiple times) — provides the per-capita business investment rankings that anchor KDC's national positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Office of the Governor, Economic Development & Tourism (Texas): Much larger state's economic development effort operating the same function at materially greater scale — competes with KDC for major corporate relocations and serves as a benchmark for incentive package competitiveness.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KansasCommerce
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kansasdepartmentofcommerce9393/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/KansasCommerce
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kansas-department-of-commerce
• Instagraminstagram.com/kansascommerce

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments34 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kansas Department of Commerce