De Soto Advantage

The De Soto Advantage...

De Soto has an abundance of benefits for companies that choose to locate in our community. In 2008, the EDC partnered with the County Economic Research Institute (CERI) to complete a De Soto Advantage, a demographic, location and quality of life piece which highlights the advantages of doing business in De Soto. For a hard copy of the De Soto Advantage, please contact us.

Companies in De Soto
A wide variety of businesses call De Soto home. The major industries are:

Company	Product	Employment
Custom Foods, Inc.	Frozen bakery products	32
Engineered Air	Custom heating/ventilation and air conditioning equipment	200
Huhtamaki Americas, Inc.	Plastic injection and molding for the food industry	350
Intervet/Schering-Plough	Animal health company	166
Mr. Goodcents Franchise Systems	Corporate Headquarters/R&D	30
Rehrig Pacific Company	Plastic shipping containers	40
Hillside Village of De Soto	Assisted Living/Skilled Nursing Facility	50

Available Sites and Buildings (LOIS)Interested in finding available buildings and/or sites in De Soto? The EDC utilizes the LocationOne Information System (LOIS) which is a site and buildings database. LOIS helps you find available buildings and sites in De Soto, along with other pertinent information about our community.

Economic Development Preparations in De SotoThe City of De Soto and the De Soto Economic Development Council partnered with the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City to conduct a Community Housing Assessment Team, also known as a CHAT. The CHAT provided valuable information on our current and future housing needs and involved over 50 participants from the community, area businesses, realtors and developers.

The City of De Soto is and the De Soto Economic Development Council also completed a Targeted Industry Study to determine which types of industries would benefit from a De Soto Location. Based on the evaluation of future growth opportunities, potential synergies with existing industries, near term utility capacity and local development goals, the following industries and industry clusters were recommended as "targets":

Primary De Soto Targeted Industry List

Life Science/Life Science Support Manufacturing

(Medical Equipment and Supplies Mfg)

Logistic Services/Wholesale, Packaging and Distribution

Food Processing Equipment/Commercial Equipment Merchant Wholesalers

Administrative Service Centers/Back Office

The study also focused on existing businesses within the community and what types of industries would be beneficial to their success. The food processing equipment/commercial equipment merchant wholesalers category was chosen to compliment an existing business located in Commerce Park, Mr. Goodcents Franchise Systems. Mr. Goodcents has approximately 40 acres of land in its campus which is ready for commercial and office development. An update to the original study was conducted in early 2009.

From the CHAT and Targeted Industry Study came the Downtown De Soto Revitalization Plan which was conducted in 2006.

In addition to all of the studies and assessments above, the City and EDC conducted a Community Branding Exercise.