Harvey County Economic Development

What Harvey County Economic Development does

Harvey County Economic Development (Harvey County EDC), legally Harvey County Economic Development Council Inc., is a nonprofit county-level economic development organization headquartered at 500 N. Main, St. 109, Newton, Kansas. Founded in 1986 and operating as a private nonprofit governed by a volunteer board of directors appointed by funding partners, the organization serves the seven communities of Harvey County — Burrton, Halstead, Hesston, Newton, North Newton, Sedgwick, and Walton. Its stated mission is to maintain the economic health of Harvey County by supporting existing business and industry while recruiting new industry.

The organization's core service offering is not a technology product but a relational and informational resource hub for businesses and site selectors. Services include site selection support, buildings and sites data, labor market intelligence, incentive navigation (including access to a designated Foreign Trade Zone), workforce development alignment, education and training connections, and a Retention Program for existing businesses. The website (harveycoedc.org) functions as a self-serve site selector portal covering demographics, labor data, transportation, major employers, and incentives. The EDC targets five core county industries — Agribusiness & Agricultural Manufacturing, Food & Beverage Processing, Industrial Products Manufacturing, Aviation & Avionics, and Transportation & Logistics — and participates in regional cluster strategies through the Blueprint for Regional Economic Growth (BREG) and membership in the Greater Wichita Partnership.

Harvey County EDC's business model is publicly funded rather than revenue-generating: funding flows from local governments, chambers of commerce, and community stakeholders, and services are provided at no direct cost to businesses. Recent flagship wins include GAF's June 2025 groundbreaking of a 130+ job shingle manufacturing facility in Newton and Shield AI's October 2025 selection of the Newton City-County Airport for a flight test facility, both co-facilitated with regional partners. The organization is led by Executive Director Beth Shelton and Retention & Expansion Specialist Jennifer Mueller, with total headcount in the 11–50 range.

Name

Harvey County Economic Development

Legal name

Harvey County Economic Development Council Inc.

Website

https://harveycoedc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harvey County Economic Development is a nonprofit economic development council serving the seven communities of Harvey County, Kansas. It supports existing businesses and recruits new industry through site selection, incentive navigation, workforce alignment, and regional cluster partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Economic Programs (9261)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

State/Provincial Housing, Urban/Regional Planning & Community Development (BPAIABAM), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Site selection support
• Business retention programs
• Workforce development
• Incentive navigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Newton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Economic Development Services: Harvey County EDC is a publicly funded economic development organization. Revenue is generated through funding partnerships with local governments, chambers of commerce, and community stakeholders. The organization does not charge businesses directly for its services; its value is realized through job creation, capital investment, and economic growth in Harvey County.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Harvey County Economic Development is a nonprofit county-level economic development organization that provides business assistance services, site selection data, labor market information, incentive navigation, workforce development support, and business retention and expansion programs to existing and prospective businesses considering Harvey County, Kansas. The organization coordinates regional industry cluster initiatives through the Blueprint for Regional Economic Growth (BREG) and the Greater Wichita Partnership, serving as a publicly funded resource hub connecting businesses with sites, buildings, incentives, and workforce data.

Product overview

Harvey County Economic Development is a county-level economic development organization that provides business assistance services, site selection support, workforce development programs, and regional industry cluster initiatives. The organization does not offer a technology product but rather serves as a resource hub connecting businesses with incentives, labor data, site selectors with buildings and sites, and regional economic growth strategies through the Blueprint for Regional Economic Growth (BREG) collaborative initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site Selection and Buildings/Sites Information Service Provides prospective businesses and site selectors with building and site inventories, videos, community data, and location information for companies considering relocation or expansion in Harvey County, Kansas.
• Business Retention and Expansion Program Retention and expansion program aimed at supporting existing businesses and industries within Harvey County, providing ongoing assistance for workforce alignment, growth, and continued local investment.
• Incentive Navigation Services Assists businesses in identifying and accessing Kansas state and local incentive programs applicable to their relocation or expansion projects in Harvey County.
• Workforce Development Support Provides workforce alignment, labor data, and education and training resources to businesses in Harvey County seeking talent pipeline and workforce development support.
• Foreign Trade Zone Information Service Provides information and access to Harvey County's Foreign Trade Zone designation for businesses engaged in international trade and import/export operations.

Named customers1 record

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• GAF (Standard Industries)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2025GAF, a Standard Industries company and North America's largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, began construction on a world-class shingle manufacturing facility in Newton, Kansas in June 2025. The project is projected to bring 130+ skilled jobs to Harvey County. A Golden Shovel groundbreaking ceremony was held with GAF leadership and local officials.
• Greater Wichita PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvey County EDC is a regional member of the Greater Wichita Partnership, an economic development organization serving the Wichita MSA and surrounding region. This membership provides cross-regional marketing, site selector referrals, and alignment with the broader Air Capital of the World ecosystem.
• Blueprint for Regional Economic Growth (BREG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvey County EDC participates in BREG, a collaborative regional initiative composing eight industry action plans across South Central Kansas. BREG identifies eight regional clusters: Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Materials, Aerospace, Agriculture, Data Services and IT, Health Care, Oil and Gas, and Transportation and Logistics.
• Shield AIflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerShield AI, a venture-backed defense-technology company, selected the Newton City-County Airport for a flight test facility in October 2025. Harvey County EDC and the Greater Wichita Partnership collaborated to facilitate this project, representing a high-profile economic development win.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Greater Wichita Partnership: Regional economic development organization serving the Wichita MSA and surrounding region; Harvey County EDC is a member. Directly comparable as an EDC, but operating at a larger regional scale and serving as an upstream partner for Harvey County's recruitment pipeline.
• Kansas Department of Commerce: State-level economic development agency administering state incentives, workforce programs, and recruitment. Comparable in mission (business attraction/retention) but at the state level rather than local/county.

Regional players

• Butler County Economic Development: County-level EDC for Butler County, Kansas, adjacent to the Wichita MSA and part of the South Central Kansas regional ecosystem. Comparable as a peer county-level EDC competing for similar industrial recruitment opportunities within the BREG region.
• Sedgwick County Economic Development: County-level economic development for Sedgwick County (Wichita), the dominant Kansas metro. Comparable in function to Harvey County EDC but serving a much larger and more urban county within the same regional ecosystem.
• Reno County Economic Development: County-level EDC for Reno County (Hutchinson), another South Central Kansas neighbor within the BREG collaborative. Directly comparable as a peer county EDC pursuing similar industrial recruitment in adjacent territory.
• Saline County Economic Development: County-level EDC serving Salina/Saline County in North Central Kansas. Comparable as a peer Kansas county-level EDC targeting manufacturing, logistics, and agribusiness.
• Junction City-Geary County Economic Development: County-level EDC serving Geary County in North Central Kansas. Comparable as a small Kansas county-level EDC with a strong military/defense industry footprint (Fort Riley), similar in scale and rural-base profile to Harvey County.
• McPherson EDC: County-level economic development for McPherson County, also part of the South Central Kansas BREG collaborative. Comparable as a peer county EDC competing for similar manufacturing and agribusiness projects.

Direct peers

• TEAM Kansas: Network of Kansas economic development professionals and organizations. Harvey County EDC participated in the TEAM Kansas Appreciation event; directly comparable as a peer EDC peer network within Kansas.

Others

• Site Selectors Guild: Industry association for professional site selection consultants. Comparable in that Harvey County EDC's site selector portal and FTZ/incentive positioning are designed to be discovered by member firms; relationship is that of economic developer to intermediary.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HarveyCountyEconomicDevelopmentCouncilInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harvey-county-economic-development-council-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Harvey County Economic Development