The recently-completed Emporia Economic Outlook Conference at Flint Hills Technical College featured several now-traditional updates and a new activity.
New to the schedule: a Society in Balance panel led by Emporia Police Chief Ed Owens and Assistant City Manager Tayler Wash. Conversations were designed to revolve around the connections between labor, well-being and economic challenges at the personal or household level, but Owens says discussions focused on the relationship between quality of life and a local economy. He also says Emporia fares well when compared to other Kansas locations.
Wash says Emporia is a place where a lot of people work towards the overall goals of improving life and growing the city. She anticipates more public information programs to let residents know about economic development.
For local economic trends, Emporia State Associate Professor of Business Administration Bekah Selby said the overall economy is improving — slowly.
Selby also says employment is holding steady at the same time inflation is prompting employers to increase wages, offsetting some of the impact from higher prices just about across the board. A major longstanding concern is housing, and specifically the lack of available homes.
The conference also featured annual updates on banking and finance, construction and real estate.
The conference is organized by Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research. Selby tells KVOE News she will lead the organization efforts for the 2025 conference in Emporia.