Jenkins Leads Efforts to Attract Businesses to Iola

Press Release

Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins sent letters to the U.S. Department of the Army and U.S. Department of the Air Force requesting they review the Historically Underutilized Business Zone Empowerment (HUBZone) program contracting policy to increase contracts made available for higher-skilled jobs that can be done remotely from rural communities. Senator Sam Brownback, Senator Pat Roberts and Representative Jerry Moran joined her in sending the letters.

"When Haldex Brake announced it was closing, I sat down with leaders from Iola and pledged to work with them to replace the 160 lost jobs," Congresswoman Jenkins said. "There is a skilled workforce in Iola, and after reviewing the HUBZone program, it showed that an insufficient number of contracts have been directed toward higher-skilled jobs that could be done in rural communities, like Iola."

The HUBZone program is intended to help create jobs and increase investment in distressed communities. According to reviews of the contract awarding process, 96 percent of contracts made available through the Department of Army were for unskilled, low-wage workers, and 99 percent of contracts made available through the Department of the Air Force were directed to unskilled, low-wage workers. For more information about the HUBZone program, click here.

Jenkins continued, "Not only does our request have potential to encourage job creation in Iola, but directing contracts to higher-skilled workers in rural communities would also reduce overhead costs for the government. I will continue working with leaders in Iola to encourage job creation and economic growth, and I am hopeful that the departments will strongly consider our request."

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