Great Plains celebrates anniversary

Carbon Optimum, a biotechnology company aiming to reduce carbon dioxide, announced it is expanding to Great Plains. The company is investing $120 million at Great Plains next year, creating 120 jobs in 2023.

In 2024, the company will invest $200 million and in 2025 it will go up to $600 million.

In total, 2,000 jobs in Parsons will be created over the next four years.

In addition, representatives with Parkmyfleet, a company that moves vehicles for commercial fleets with solar energy, and Solar Earth, a solar panel company, announced the companies are collaborating and officially coming to Great Plains during Wednesday’s event.

Lt. Gov. David Toland, who spoke Wednesday, envisions a bright future for Great Plains Industrial Park. And he sees a fruitful next decade as Great Plains celebrated its 10 year anniversary Wednesday.

“On behalf of Gov. Kelly, congratulations on the first 10 years,” Toland said. “And I think it’s almost impossible to overstate the potential for Great Plains Industrial Park. Ten years from now is going to be a dramatically different location and dramatically better. And we’re proud to be a part of that. Thank you so much.”

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, also spoke at Wednesday’s event.

“The New York mayor may not think Kansas has a brand. But he ought to see what the people of Southeast Kansas have done to make this what it is today and more importantly, what it will be tomorrow,” Moran said. “Our brand is: Give us a task. We’ll roll up our sleeves and we’ll make good things happen.”