Wichita has set ambitious goals in job growth, but it doesn’t seem that the Visioneering program has produced results. But apparently Wichita government officials are satisfied.
One of the benchmarks of Visioneering is “Exceed the highest of the annual percentage job growth rate of the U.S., Omaha, Tulsa, Kansas City and Oklahoma City.”
In May, Suzie Ahlstrand of the Wichita Chamber of Commerce presented Wichita City Council members with the benchmark documents, but didn’t elaborate on these in her presentation.
I can understand her reluctance to focus on these numbers. They’re not good. Tremendous opportunities have been lost and wasted, and people have suffered. Yet, city leaders seem satisfied. Thrilled, even.
An interactive visualization holding job numbers for Wichita and our Visioneering peers is available at Wichita job growth and Visioneering peers. Or, watch the video below (or click here to watch at YouTube, which may work better for some people).