Two companies will be offered incentives for Topeka expansion projects

The Joint Economic Development Organization, a body of city and county elected officials, voted unanimously Wednesday to offer incentives to two companies, for which the names weren’t made public.

Those incentives, if accepted, could provide the following:

• As much as $1,590,400 for what was dubbed “Project Queen Bee,” a local manufacturing company planning to expand its business in Shawnee County. The company would make a capital investment of $47.2 million with 182 new jobs over the next five years, with an average wage ranging from $60,000 to $120,000.
• As much as $272,000 to what was dubbed “Project Oriole,” a local manufacturing company looking to expand and relocate to a new location in Topeka. Go Topeka said the company would make a capital investment of $31 million while providing 60 new jobs over the next five years.

Projects are in the ‘early incentive process’

Ashley Lehman, director of business development for GO Topeka, said the projects are in the early incentive process.

“Which is why we present them with the code name,” Lehman said. “Confidentiality is really important to these companies during this time and will remain under the code name during the whole incentive process.”