Lt. Gov. Colyer: Kansas must nurture and grow aviation industry

Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer told the Wichita Aero Club he’s going to do all he can to help the area’s aviation industry grow and thrive.

Kansas’ presumptive next governor was the keynote speaker Tuesday at the industry group’s monthly luncheon at Crestview Country Club.

Colyer – who is expected to become governor once Gov. Sam Brownback’s nomination as U.S. ambassador for religious freedom is approved by the Senate – said the aviation industry has a $4 billion annual payroll in Kansas and a $20 billion economic impact on the state.

“Where our state is going is largely led by what’s happening in this room,” he said in his speech to about 100 Aero Club members.

The entrepreneurial spirit and tenacity of companies such as Travel Air Co. and individuals like Clyde Cessna built an industry that is “essential to our entire state,” he said.

But Wichita and its aircraft manufacturers and suppliers are in a different environment today, he said. Wichita faces stiff competition for its aviation jobs from just a state away, and the city’s manufacturers compete against global companies.

“We have to nurture and grow” the city and state’s aviation industry, Colyer said.

To do that, he said, requires the state to have a better prepared workforce, starting with public schools with curriculum that includes technical education at the high school level.

“We’ve got to move our entire skill sets up for you to compete,” Colyer said.

It also includes a state government that is more responsive to working with manufacturers, a good tax environment for companies and “a certain and stable regulatory climate,” he said.

“I want to work with you,” Colyer said. “We’re going to collaborate.”

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Lt. Gov. Colyer: Kansas must nurture and grow aviation industry."