In the middle of the map, Kansas City has quietly become one of the most powerful manufacturing and logistics hubs in North America. Where coastlines often dominate the conversation, Kansas City delivers something increasingly valuable: speed, certainty and connectivity.
At the heart of this advantage is KC SmartPort, an initiative of the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) focused on industrial project attraction for KC, unifying the region’s vast industrial ecosystem.
“KC provides certainty. In a rapidly evolving world, that’s exactly what companies need to keep growing and serving their customers efficiently, even amid economic headwinds,” says Chris Gutierrez, president of KC SmartPort and KC Foreign Trade Zones.
This is where infrastructure, geography, policy and private-sector innovation converge — turning Kansas City into a true global gateway.
Overlaying it all are the KC Foreign Trade zones, two of the most active Foreign Trade zones in the country, offering companies the ability to defier, reduce or eliminate certain duties — unlocking significant cost savings.
These collective assets come together to create a system designed for speed, efficiency and scalability, leading to KC’s recent attraction of major investments from global companies such as Ace Hardware, Amazon, Americold, General Mills, Google, Meta, Panasonic Energy, URBN and Walmart.
Location as Strategy
Geography is often described as Kansas City’s greatest asset, but the way KC SmartPort packages it, it’s more accurate to call it a competitive strategy.
Located in the “Heart of North America,” Kansas City officers balanced access to both coasts, Canada and Mexico. This centrality enables companies to design distribution networks that are faster, more resilient and more cost-effective. If you ask KC SmartPort, it’s not just about where Kansas City is; it’s about what that location allows businesses to do.
Scale & Global Reach
The scale of Kansas City’s industrial footprint is substantial and growing. In the last five years, KC SmartPort has attracted projects representing $6.9 billion in capital investment, over 9,400 jobs and 14 million square feet of space to the KC region.
The region supports more than 200,000 industrial workers and ranks among the top 15 U.S. industrial markets, with continued expansion in warehousing, manufacturing and distribution. Billions of dollars in goods move through the KC region’s transportation networks and logistics infrastructure annually.
From raw materials to finished products, what moves through Kansas City reaches markets across North America and around the world.
The Next Frontier of Logistics
As global supply chains evolve, Kansas City is positioned to lead. Trends like reshoring and nearshoring are driving companies to rethink where and how they move goods. Resilience, flexibility and cost control have become top priorities. At the same time, sustainability is reshaping logistics strategies, with greater emphasis on efficient transportation modes and reduced emissions.
KC SmartPort is helping companies navigate this next chapter, leveraging KC’s central location, multimodal capabilities and trade expertise to build smarter, more adaptive supply chains.
A Global Misson, Powered by KC
At its core, SmartPort’s mission is simple: leverage the region’s unique assets to expand the industrial economy, creating lasting jobs and investment for all who call KC home. The impact is far-reaching.
By strengthening supply chains, enabling trade and connecting markets, Kansas City plays a vital role in the global economy.
As companies look for reliability in an unpredictable world, the KC region offers something increasingly rare: a logistics hub that is scalable, strategic and built for the future.
Chris Gutierrez, President
Elli Houston, Vice President
Josie Calkins, Director
