Midwest Manufacturing, a division of Menard, Inc., is planning on being the first company to locate in Lawrence VenturePark. Menard, Inc. is the third largest home improvement store chain in the United States by sales volume. Midwest Manufacturing operations include truss, concrete block, countertop, steel siding and roofing, and door manufacturing, among others. The proposal estimates that 100 jobs would be created by the project and would include a $25 million investment. The company must still complete detailed property examinations and engineering, and the project is contingent on receiving all necessary permits and approvals. The project site would encompass 90 acres in Lawrence VenturePark.

“This is the perfect opportunity to bring manufacturing jobs back to Lawrence,” said Brady Pollington, Vice-President of the EDC of Lawrence and Douglas County. “Menard, Inc. is a truly professional company that will continue to expand. While it’s still early in the process, we are excited the company is looking to our community for the site of its next industrial campus.”

Menard, Inc. recently opened a retail location in Lawrence, one of its approximately 295 locations in fourteen states. The company has over 55,000 employees nationwide. Over the past decade, the company has steadily grown in both its retail and manufacturing operations and has entered several new states, including Kansas. A local assistance package will help the company break ground in Lawrence VenturePark, subject to a public approval process through the City’s Public Incentive Review Committee and pending approval by the Lawrence City Commission and the Douglas County Commission.

“The Menard, Inc. Distribution Center will be a fantastic project for the Lawrence community, generating new jobs and tax base. Additionally, as a long-standing and well-known company, the Menard, Inc. project is ideal to be the initial project and anchor tenant for the new Lawrence VenturePark business park. The City of Lawrence is very pleased that this company has interest in locating in Lawrence and is committed to the project’s success,” said Mayor Mike Amyx.

“This project will greatly benefit Douglas County and its residents. Menard, Inc. is a growing company and we’re thankful they prefer to make a large investment here,” said Jim Flory, Chair of the Douglas County Commission.

“The Department of Commerce is very excited that a nationally known and growing business is set to be located in Lawrence. Midwest Manufacturing’s move to the newly developed Lawrence VenturePark will bring an anchor tenant to the park and help attract other businesses, both large and small, to the community and region,” said Steve Kelly, Deputy Secretary of Business and Community Development for the Kansas Department of Commerce.

The EDC of Lawrence and Douglas County worked with a number of regional partners in attracting Midwest Manufacturing to the area, including the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, the Kansas City Area Development Council, the Kansas Department of Commerce, and the state of Kansas.

About Menard, Inc./Midwest Manufacturing

Menard, Inc. is a family-owned, home improvement retail company headquartered in Eau Clair, Wisconsin. It manufactures various building materials to support its retail store network and industrial campuses throughout the midwest under its Midwest Manufacturing division.

About The EDC

The Economic Development Corporation of Lawrence & Douglas County is an allied partner of The Chamber of Lawrence, Kansas, the City of Lawrence and Douglas County, Kansas. The goal of the EDC is to encourage job retention, expansion, and creation in order to foster the industrial and commercial growth to aid in developing the region. One method the EDC focuses on to enhance the business environment is the facilitation of strategic partnerships within the community.