As long as transportation has been a viable industry, it’s been one of the top employers in Kansas. That idea hasn’t changed since the days when the country was expanding and needed the railroad system to explore the West, and the importance of transportation in Kansas’ economy continued when aviation became a viable way to travel.
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As the country has moved into the 21st century, Kansas has followed suit. Aviation manufacturing is still key to Kansas, but there are other options for those who live and work in the state, in which,
according to Gov. Sam Brownback, "More Kansans are working today than ever in the history of the state."
Here are five of the state’s top employers in no particular order:
Spirit AeroSystems/Cessna Aircraft
According to the Wichita Eagle, the city of Wichita ranks third in the country when it comes to advanced manufacturing jobs, in which the aerospace industry plays a significant role. And Spirit and Cessna are two of the biggest employers in the entire state. One problem for this industry, though, is that it's reportedly losing ground to international competitors. Still,
Spirit, as of January 2015, is reportedly in the process of hiring hundreds of full-time workers, according to KAKE.com.
Sprint
Like a number of multinational companies, the wireless carrier recently went through a large round of layoffs. But according to the Kansas Department of Commerce, Sprint employs the second-largest number of Kansans than anybody else in the state.
"When you walk on (the headquarters) campus you will see there’s a good vibe. People are excited. People are motivated. People want to do more," CEO Marcelo Claure told the Kansas City Star in August 2014. “That’s the kind of culture we want to build. It takes time.”
National Beef Packing/Tyson
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Kansas ranks third in the nation in cattle production and beef processing, and National Beef Packing for meat packers manufacturing and Tyson for meat product manufacturing are two of the state's largest employers. Together, these two companies combine to employ more Kansans than Sprint.
Koch Industries
This company – led by David and Charles Koch, who have become major political donors for the GOP – is headquartered in Wichita and was
named by Forbes as the second-biggest private company in the country. The corporation says it employees 60,000 people in this country, and about 2,100 of those jobs are in Kansas.
Farmers
No matter how the statewide economy is behaving, agriculture has always – and probably always will be – an important portion of the state’s lifeblood. The state ranks No. 1 in the country in wheat milling and wheat production and No. 1 in sorghum production.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture says the state grows more than 42 percent of the country's entire crop of sorghum.
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