KANSAS CITY—Few industries got slammed harder during the recession than automobile manufacturing, and its near downfall cut deep into the economy of several Midwest metro areas. But the sector's revival did not just return employment levels in these regions to where they were in 2006. The big auto firms have poured billions into refurbishing aging plants, expanded production, and attracted a host of new auto suppliers, many of whom needed land and new facilities, both for production and distribution.
That revival has changed the industrial landscape of Kansas City.
“We saw a lot of tightening in 2009,” Ashlie Hand, vice president of the Kansas City Area Development Council, tells GlobeSt.com. Due to the diverse nature of the regional economy, “we did not necessarily see as big a drawdown as other areas, but it's taken a long time to bounce back.”
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
