Governor Laura Kelly Announces URBN Partnership to Create Up to 2,000 Jobs and Approximately $350 Million Kansas Investment

Governor Laura Kelly today announced that Urban Outfitters’ Inc. (URBN) new 880,000-square-foot omni-channel distribution center will be located on ancillary land at Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County. The partnership between the State of Kansas and Philadelphia-based URBN will create up to 2,000 new jobs and invest approximately $350 million in Kansas over several years.

“I’m excited to announce our new partnership with URBN and to welcome them to Kansas,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This is a transformational project for our state, bringing a new, high-profile corporate partner and as many as 2,000 good-paying jobs. This was a true collaboration to generate an economic development success story that will deliver benefits in Wyandotte County and beyond in our state.”

URBN cited Kansas’ central location, transportation infrastructure and skilled workforce as key factors in choosing Kansas for its distribution operation, acknowledging the location as critical to its distribution network.

The Governor praised the efforts of the Kansas Department of Commerce in securing this move, and reiterated the importance of focusing on economic development efforts during Kansas’ growth and recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Rebuilding our economic development efforts has been one of my administration’s top priorities, and it’s good that we did,” Governor Kelly said. “Our path to economic recovery will be through the investments we make to our economic development, infrastructure, education, and health care. Our new foundation will encourage more companies like URBN to bring their business to Kansas.”

Commerce Secretary David Toland said URBN is an ideal fit for Kansas.

“This project not only reflects the type of company our state is poised to recruit, it’s also a testament to how we want to work,” Secretary David Toland said. “Like the creative folks at URBN, our team was constantly thinking outside the box, considering many angles, remaining flexible, collaborating and putting great minds together to make this work.”

“URBN is incredibly excited for the opportunity to become a part of the Kansas community,” URBN Chief Development Officer Dave Ziel said. “Our priorities in identifying the home for our new omni-channel distribution center focused on people, and it was the quality of the local workforce and the commitment of their representatives in the state that convinced us this is the right place to be. This facility will enable us to support continued digital growth at all our brands, and it will allow us to reach our digital customers faster and more efficiently than ever before. As the center of our distribution network this facility makes Kansas a home for us for the long-term, and we look forward to building relationships across the state as we grow together.”

“This decision to locate URBN’s new distribution center in Wyandotte County was months in the making, and I’m pleased they selected Kansas to be their new home,” U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said. “This partnership will bring good-paying jobs to our state and be beneficial for both URBN and the Kansas economy. I’m confident more businesses will continue to partner with our state as we work to bring more jobs and industries to Kansas.”

“I’m thrilled to welcome Urban Outfitters to Kansas, and I’m glad that they selected Wyandotte County as the location for their new distribution center,” Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) said. “Our region is strategically positioned in America’s heartland as a major transportation hub, so this decision makes all the sense in the world. This partnership will bring thousands of jobs and much needed investments to our community, and in turn benefit our entire state. I look forward to working with Urban Outfitters to ensure it is a smooth transition.”

The Department of Commerce worked closely with KC SmartPort, the Kansas City Area Development Council, the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council and Unified Government of Wyandotte County.

“We are excited to welcome URBN to Wyandotte County, reaffirming our role in attracting new development and investment to the region,” Dave Alvey, Mayor/CEO of the Wyandotte County, Kansas City, KS said. “URBN’s community-centric mission, with a continued commitment to reducing employment barriers, good wages and benefits, and local and minority hiring preferences sets them apart. While our region continues to feel the economic impact of COVID, it is new investment and economic development efforts like this that will allow our community to rebound quicker by creating new jobs, additional revenue, and future growth.”

“We have been proud to be a part of Wyandotte County and Kansas City for two decades,” Lesa Kennedy, Executive Vice Chair, NASCAR said. “We know URBN will be a great community partner and we look forward to working with their team to create an outstanding facility that will generate opportunity for years to come.”

“This is an exciting opportunity in Hillwood’s partnership with NASCAR and with URBN,” Ross Perot, Chairman of Perot Companies and Hillwood said. “Kansas’ workforce and infrastructure make it an ideal location for URBN’s new fulfillment center, and we look forward to working with them to develop their new state-of-the-art facility.”

“URBN’s selection of Kansas City is significant, and our region’s central location, robust infrastructure and access to a skilled workforce position the company for continued growth,” Tim Cowden, president and CEO, Kansas City Area Development Council said. “As a company that is socially conscious and has a mission to ‘do better every day,’ the presence of URBN will be a strong addition to our business community as we all continue to ensure KC is a welcoming, equitable and collaborative place to live and work.”