Recently, leaders of KC SmartPort, an affiliate of KCADC, met with Midwest Real Estate News to discuss the promising future of industrial development in the Kansas City market, despite – or even because of – the changes brought about by the pandemic.

“The Kansas City industrial market has been on a strong run for the last 10 years. The pandemic has pushed the gas pedal even farther to the floor,” said Chris Gutierrez, president of Kansas City SmartPort, the Kansas City regional economic development group focused on freight-based growth.

The KC SmartPort team pointed to several notable companies developing industrial projects in Kansas City, including: Chewy, Urban Outfitters and Amazon. They noted that, although the pandemic made project negotiations more virtual, the industrial market remains strong, and clients are still attracted by the KC area’s strong workforce and ideal location.

“We continue to build out our talent pipeline. We are trying to remove any of the barriers to building out our distribution network,” said Elli Bowen, vice president of KC SmartPort. “We are also helped by our location in the United States. We can reach 85 percent of the U.S. population in a drive of two days or less.”

With 8.9 million square feet of industrial space currently under construction and more than 15 million square feet on track to be completed in 2021, the industrial market is expected to continue to thrive throughout the Kansas City region.