Colorado-based Level 3 EON and Oklahoma-based Totah Communications have been awarded a combined $9,510,865 in federal Recovery Act funds for broadband Internet infrastructure improvements in south-central and southeast Kansas.

The Kansas Department of Commerce and the western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance (wKREDA) are inviting dairymen, business leaders and journalists to participate in the Southwest Kansas Dairy Tour, which is designed to showcase Kansas as a prime location for dairy farming, March 25 in Finney and Gray counties.

Updated county-level broadband coverage maps and Census block-level datasets are now available at www.ConnectKansas.org to assist Kansas service providers and organizations applying for Round 2 federal broadband infrastructure funds.

The Kansas Department of Commerce has again designated June as Kansas Business Appreciation Month and is accepting nominations for the annual Kansas Business Appreciation Awards, which serve as a statewide tribute to Kansas businesses for their contributions to our state.

Internet service providers and other organizations throughout Kansas are encouraged to apply for the second round of federal funding for rural broadband Internet projects beginning today through March 15.

Six rural Kansas communities will share $500,000 in Small Communities Improvement Program funding from the Kansas Department of Commerce, officials announced today.

The Travel & Tourism Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce will provide a combined $100,000 in Attraction Development Grant funding to four Kansas organizations to develop tourism projects.

Benefit Management Inc. (BMI), a provider of third-party administration services, will add 11 new jobs at its Great Bend facility, state and company officials announced today.

Kansas has been awarded a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to train Kansans for employment in green industries, officials announced today.

Three Kansas communities will share $1.2 million in Housing Rehabilitation grants through the federally funded Community Development Block Grant program, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced today.

The Kansas Department of Commerce is accepting nominations for the 2010 Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award, which is presented to a single Kansas business for excellence in international trade and marketing.

Kansas has been awarded a $2 million matching grant by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to fund broadband mapping and planning through the Connect Kansas initiative.

Olathe-based employees of Honeywell International who became totally or partially separated from employment beginning May 18, 2009, through Oct. 22, 2011, may be eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance through the Kansas Department of Commerce, officials announced today.

The Kansas Department of Commerce has recommended 22 state broadband projects for Recovery Act funding through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), officials announced today.

The Kansas Department of Commerce last night announced the winners of the Main Street Awards of Excellence at the annual Kansas Downtown Symposium at the Riverfront Community Center in Leavenworth.

Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Kerr today presented the Unified Government of Wyandotte County with a proposal that could bring a new Cerner office complex and a Kansas City Wizards soccer stadium to the Village West District.

Governor Mark Parkinson and Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Kerr will lead a trade mission to Taiwan from October 18-25 to advance Kansas’ business ties there, officials announced today.

The Kansas Department of Commerce will award $75,000 in Incentives Without Walls funding for eight community improvement projects in Chanute, Holton, Hutchinson, Manhattan, Phillipsburg and Seneca, officials announced today.

The Kansas Department of Commerce will host the Kansas Wind Supply Chain Workshop on Oct. 5 from 1–5 p.m. at the Ramada Inn & Convention Center in Topeka.

The Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $4.13 million in Community Service Tax Credits to 20 nonprofit organizations around the state, officials announced today.

The Kansas Department of Commerce is inviting all wind-related businesses and organizations to complete the online Kansas Supply Chain Survey.

Forty-four Kansas communities will share a total of $13,081,660 ─ including $4,370,331 in stimulus dollars ─ in federal grants through the Community Development Block Grant program, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced this week.

The State of Kansas has launched a new registration process that automatically registers Unemployment Insurance (UI) applicants for job-search services available at KANSASWORKS.com, the State’s official labor exchange job posting site.

Kansas organizations and Internet service providers are invited to apply for federal funding intended to improve broadband Internet access in rural areas, officials announced today.

The First Stop Clearinghouse Program, which is designed to serve as a one-stop resource for Kansas small-business owners and entrepreneurs, will move from the Kansas Department of Commerce to the Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship (d.b.a. NetWork Kansas), effective July 1.

Governor Mark Parkinson will announce the winner of the Governor’s Award of Excellence and the Governor’s Exporter of the Year, the two highest honors a business can receive from the State, tonight at the annual Kansas Cavalry Encampment at Johnson County Community College.

The Kansas Department of Commerce has named 28 Regional Business Excellence Award winners and 151 Merit Award winners as part of Business Appreciation Month, the Department’s annual celebration of Kansas businesses and their contributions to their communities and the state economy.

NCO Group, Inc., a leader in business process outsourcing solutions, is nearing the end of a 725-employee expansion at its Lenexa facility, where the company handles various contract inbound customer service activities, officials announced today.

The Kansas agritourism industry continues to diversify and experience growth in total revenue and visitation rates, according to a Kansas Department of Commerce online survey.

The Travel & Tourism Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce has named students from Argonia, Eureka, Hutchinson and Marysville as winners in the first My KANSAS! magazine competition, which encourages students in grades 5-12 to showcase their favorite things about Kansas by creating their own edition of KANSAS! magazine.

The Travel & Tourism Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce has unveiled five new TV commercials in 10 Midwestern markets — just in time to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week.

The Kansas Department of Commerce will award more than $90,000 in Incentives Without Walls funding for community improvement projects in Coffeyville, Holton, Leavenworth, McPherson, Ottawa, Phillipsburg, Phillipsburg, Seneca and Sterling, officials announced today.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Commerce will provide up to $14.2 million in training incentives to The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., allowing the company to make capital investments of up to $250 million at its Topeka plant and retain up to 1,400 Topeka employees for 10 years, officials announced today.

KANSAS! magazine invites all students in grades 5-12 to participate in the My KANSAS! magazine project, which encourages participants to showcase their favorite things about Kansas by creating their own edition of KANSAS! magazine and submit it to a statewide student competition.

The Kansas Department of Commerce has again designated June as Kansas Business Appreciation Month and is now accepting nominations for the annual Kansas Business Appreciation Awards, which serve as a statewide tribute to Kansas businesses for their contributions to our state.

Looking to soak up the college game day atmosphere but don’t have a ticket to the game? Then grab the spring edition of KANSAS! magazine and check out “College Hoop-la,” a three-page guide to the best places in Lawrence and Manhattan to cheer on the Jayhawks and the Wildcats.

Twelve Kansas communities will share $4,044,515 in Water and Sewer grants through the federally funded Community Development Block Grant program, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced today.

Lieutenant Governor Mark Parkinson and Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Kerr hosted a business delegation from China’s Henan Province — Kansas’ long-time sister-state partner — today in Topeka to discuss trade and investment opportunities.

Kansas’ national leadership in animal health research and industry has made it the preferred location for a $451 million federal scientific laboratory that will accelerate animal disease research to protect the American food supply and agriculture economy.

The Kansas Department of Commerce and the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the University of Kansas hosted a kickoff luncheon Nov. 17 at The Woodward in Topeka to announce Global Perspectives, a new leadership development program focusing on globalization and international business. Guests included leaders from business, government and academia throughout Kansas.