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A Letter of Gratitude and a Call to Keep Innovating

  • GBED
  • 3 days ago
  • 5 min read

To the community of Great Bend & Barton County, our local businesses, and everyone who

is a part of this incredible community...


I would like to start with the two words I keep coming back to since the day my wife and I

landed in Great Bend: Thank you.


When we moved to Great Bend, we were newcomers. We didn't grow up here. We hadn't

spent decades building relationships in this community. And yet, from our very first days,

you welcomed us. You embraced us. You made us feel like we belonged. That kind of

generosity cannot be manufactured; it is simply who you are.


I also want to thank you for the trust you have placed in me in this role. Leading Great Bend

Economic Development is not just a job; it is a responsibility I take seriously. Your

willingness to support this work, to ask hard questions, and to show up as partners in

building something real for this community means more than I can express.


Now, I am proud to share some great news:


We’re moving forward! Because of this community, the Innovation Center has secured the funding commitments needed to continue and complete construction.


I have seen the question asked online, sometimes cynically, sometimes genuinely, "What can one person really do?"

Here is one answer: one person can move to Great Bend, Kansas, take on a new job in a new industry, and within six months raise the funds needed to see a multi-million-dollar

community project through. One person can do a lot when the community around them is

the kind of community we are. Imagine what we can continue to accomplish together.

This project has never been about one person. Investments follow vision and energy. The

energy in this community, your energy, is what made this project possible. If you want to

see change in Barton County, create the vision, be the energy that vision needs, and

investments will follow. I have watched it happen firsthand.


Securing the construction funding was the first summit. The work to fully outfit the

Innovation Center, the tools, equipment, maker space resources, incubator kitchen,

technology infrastructure, and the programming, workforce development, education, and

community initiatives that will make this center truly transformational, that work continues. We are continuing to raise the capital needed to ensure that when the doors of

the Innovation Center open, they open to something that maximizes every square foot of

potential for this community.


Community investments in the Innovation Center remain open, starting at just $100.

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT TIERS — GREAT BEND INNOVATION CENTER

Sponsorship Levels

$100+ $500+ $1,000+ $2,500+ $5,000+ $10,000+ $25,000+ $50,000+ $100,000+ $250,000+ $500,000+ $1,000,000+


Every single donation, at every level, will earn a permanent place on the Innovation Center's

donor wall. And this will be no ordinary wall.


The donor wall will be an interactive art installation. Every contributor will have the

opportunity to come to the Innovation Center, use the equipment, and help create

something together, a community-built piece that belongs to everyone who helped build

this incredible Innovation Center. Your name, your hands, your contribution will create

a permanent part of something Central Kansas can be proud of for generations.

If you would like to invest in this project:

• Check: Made out to Great Bend Alive Inc. (3111 10th Street Great Bend, KS 67530)

• Electronic: QR Code below or reach out to Director@gbedinc.com for link


This is just the beginning for Barton County. The Innovation Center will become a

cornerstone of entrepreneurship, workforce development, and innovation in Central

Kansas. It will be a place where ideas become businesses, skills become careers, where the next generation finds the tools and the community to build something extraordinary.

We move forward together. One step at a time.


If you have questions, ideas, want to get involved, or are ready to make your investment in

the Innovation Center, we want to hear from you. This project belongs to this community,

and so do we.


With deep gratitude and genuine excitement for what comes next,


Jason Kuilan

Executive Director — Great Bend Economic Development

Great Bend Economic Development · Great Bend, Kansas · info@gbedinc.com · (620) 796-2407 ·



Opportunities to Make an Impact


Sponsorships Remaining

Spaces Available:

• Offices (4)

• Childcare Rooms (2)

• Conference Rooms (3)

• Broadcast Booth

• Green House


Equipment needed:

• General Technology (Computers, TVs, Smart Boards, Projectors, Screens, Speakers,

Other Technology Accessories)

• Makerspace Equipment (List is currently being prioritized, but think 3-D printers,

commercial printers with various functions, commercial sewing, laser engravers,

workshop equipment & tools, aviation training equipment, and so many more tools

to help bring businesses to life)

• Incubator Kitchen (Ranges, Ovens, Refrigeration units, Freezers, Sinks, Prep

Stations, Hoods/Suppression system, Other commercial equipment)

• General Furniture (Tables, Chairs, Desks, Décor, Art, etc.)


Special Thank You to our current donors who have made the completion of this

project possible:


• W.R. & Yvonne Robbins

• Farmers Bank

• First Kansas Bank

• Central Kansas Development Inc.

• Legacy Financial Solutions

• Moeder Plumbing

• Nex-Tech

• Wheatland Electric

• Millers of Claflin

• Sunflower Bank

• The Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund

• The Patterson Foundation

• The Dorthy Morrison Foundation

• The Harms Trust


To the Business Community:

The Innovation Center is actively seeking business partners who share our commitment to

building a world-class resource for our community. If your company manufactures,

supplies, or services equipment that could benefit the entrepreneurs, students, and

workforce we will serve, we want to hear from you.


We are exploring multiple partnership models, and we welcome conversations about any of

the following:


Equipment Donations & Funding — Businesses interested in donating equipment or

contributing funding toward equipment purchases will be recognized as founding partners

of the Innovation Center.


Equipment Leasing — We are interested in establishing affordable lease agreements for

equipment, similar to a commercial copier arrangement. In exchange, we will serve as a

direct referral source, connecting users who are ready to purchase or scale their own

operations directly to your business.


Maintenance & Repair Services — We are seeking qualified service providers to support

the ongoing maintenance and repair of equipment housed at the center, ensuring our resources stay operational and accessible at all times.


Training & Instruction — Whether through training our staff to operate and demonstrate

equipment, or by running hands-on sessions directly for our users, we welcome businesses

that want an active presence in the center's programming.


On-Site Business Operations — We are also exploring opportunities for businesses to

operate directly out of the Innovation Center, and are open to conversations about what

that could look like.


If any of these opportunities align with your business, we would love to connect. This is a

chance to be part of something that will serve Barton County for generations and to put

your products, services, and expertise in front of the entrepreneurs and workforce

professionals who need them most.

 
 
 
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