Wichita spends $200,000 more to spur global exports

With $200,000 in funding, the Wichita City Council embarked on year three of a five-year plan to boost business exports from Kansas.

The council renewed its economic development service agreement with Kansas Global Trade Services, which provides training, advice and networking opportunities for Kansas businesses to sell products overseas.

The money goes to fund the Wichita-South Central Kansas Regional Export Plan.

Karyn Page, Kansas Global’s chief executive, told the council that the project has helped spur $23.7 million in exports.

The city provides $200,000 for the export plan. An additional $50,000 comes from private donors.

One of the companies that has benefited is RedGuard, a Wichita-headquartered company that builds blast-resistant modular buildings for oil-field control rooms, security stations and military posts.

Ross Draney of RedGuard said the company had “virtually zero exports” four years ago.

With help from Kansas Global, the company expanded initially into Canada, he said. Then, with a $5,000 grant from Kansas Global, company officials attended a trade show in Abu Dhabi that helped open a market in several Middle Eastern countries.

Now, the company has installed about two dozen buildings in the region and has contracts for $8.5 million more, Draney said.

The council vote to continue the program was unanimous.

“We’ve still got a ways to go,” said council member Jeff Blubaugh. “But compared to other cities, we’re a step ahead.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Wichita spends $200,000 more to spur global exports."