Overland Park Kansas

Posts Tagged ‘design’

Overland Park Awards

The Chrysler Group recently announced its plans to preserve one of the three most distinguished smokestacks on the former Jeep Parkway facility in Toledo. The smokestacks have been a well known part of the horizon of Toledo since 1915.

The oldest manufacturing facility in North America, Toledo’s Parkway Plant has built about 11 million vehicles in its 96-year history. In 2006, the operations at the site came to a halt after manufacturing Jeep brand products for 64 years. The Jeep brand included military vehicles for World War II. And just last year, the production of the Jeep Wrangler and the new, four-door Unlimited version of the Wrangler was transferred to the new, $2.1 billion state-of-the-art Toledo Supplier Park.

Deb Morrisssett, the Vice President for Regulatory Affairs for the Chrysler Group, commented that the site holds a rich history and is close to their heart though the Parkway facility does not anymore offer their manufacturing needs. He added that the group was invested in Toledo’s past and the city’s future so they were hoping that the preserved smokestack serves as a reminder to the constituents of Toledo of the significant role they portrayed in history.

The site became the headquarters and main manufacturing facility for the Willys-Overland Motor Company in 1909. Parkway started producing Jeep military vehicles in the early 1940s before shifting over to the Civilian Jeep (CJ) in 1945. The Kaiser Motors in 1953 acquired Willys-Overland. A decade later, Kaiser-Jeep Corporation took ownership and then sold it in 1970 to American Motors Corporation, the maker of quality American-motors oxygen sensor.

Aside from the preservation of the smokestacks, the Chrysler Group also announced its plans for bricks from the two crossed up smokestacks.

Frank Fountain, the Senior Vice President for External Affairs and Public Policy for the Chrysler Group, said that they were inviting Toledo constituents to own a piece of the Jeep history by buying the bricks from those smokestacks. He added that the proceeds of the sales will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Toledo and the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund will match the proceeds that would double the benefit to this worthy cause; thereby remaining the two stacks part of the Toledo Community. The bricks can be bought at $39.99.

In the state of Ohio, the Chrysler Group has 7,941 employees and earning $465 million in annual wages and providing more than $26 million in taxable income to the state. Nonetheless, the group’s dedication to the city of Toledo and state of Ohio is not just for business sake. Chrysler also sponsors a wide array of community programs in Toledo that include the Art Tatum Jazz Heritage Festival, the Toledo Urban League, City’s Youth Entrepreneur Program, Toledo Opera, the Toledo Museum of Art, Valentine Theatre and the Diamante Awards.

About the Author:

Zeke Gervis has a degree in Human Resource Management. He is an F1 fanatic and is a collector of racing memorabilias. At present, he enjoys working at a consulting firm in Iowa.

Source – Chrysler Commemorates Jeep Brand’s History in Toledo Community

Overland Park Teacher Wins Milken Educator Award

Overland Park Time

Question: Where can I find cheap (or free) boxes to pack up my apartment with little or no notice in Overland Park KS?

I need to pack up and move everything, and the only time I have to pack is tomorrow.

I have almost no budget to work with, and I need boxes tonight.

HELP

Answer: Liquir store always have extra boxes. Also drive behind strip malls there are often boxes in the dunpsters or by the backdoors.

A.L. Huber wind turbine in Overland Park Kansas turns for the first time

Overland Park Kansas Time

Bigger classes at public schools. A tax on nursing homes. A highway plan without any money behind it. A public pension system at the breaking point.

Another year of difficult budget decisions began Monday when some Kansas lawmakers returned to the statehouse to begin work on next year’s budget.

The recession and its effect on state revenues prompted many to predict additional budget cuts are almost certain, even as demand for critical state services goes up.

First-quarter revenue for the state came in 5 percent below pessimistic projections. Lawmakers said they may have to slash $100 million from the current year’s budget before they even begin working on next year’s deficit — projected to be around $400 million.

“If our revenue continues to drop the way it has been dropping, we’re in for drastic changes to the way government is funded,” said Rep. Kevin Yoder, an Overland Park Republican who leads the House budget committee.

Last spring, lawmakers cut hundreds of millions of dollars in state spending. In response, public schools sliced $167 million and eliminated 3,700 jobs; public universities raised tuition; and correctional facilities were consolidated.

Lawmakers who work on the budget forecast that next year’s reductions could be just as dramatic. There’s no second round of federal stimulus money to help. Many lawmakers said they won’t consider general tax increases, which would affect taxpayers at the wrong time.

Legislators on the House Appropriations Committee who reviewed the situation discussed solutions. But here’s what they’re up against:

•Enrollment at universities and technical and community colleges is up as more unemployed workers go back to school. Last session, lawmakers cut funding to those institutions by $100 million. The schools are asking for $16 million next year to cover higher energy and health insurance bills.

•Demand for Medicaid and other social services is up, too, but there’s less money available to cover benefits.

•The state is due for a new long-term highway plan, but money is not set aside for it. Just keeping up with road maintenance costs $375 million a year.

•Additional cuts to public schools — the state’s single biggest expense — would mean more teacher layoffs, bigger classes and the risk of lower student proficiency.

About the Author:

Quoting & Saving just got easier…EasyToInsureME Health Insurance

Colorado Health Insurance
Kansas Health Insurance

Source – Kansas lawmakers begin to confront decline in state revenues

KSMS Time Travel with James Joyce

Overland Park Businesses

Question: Looking for a business name in Overland Park, Ks?

I am looking for the place in Overland Park, Ks where you can volunteer for a study and get paid for it. One of them is Quintiles but I can’t think of the name of the other one. Please help!

Answer: I think it is called Cerner.

OP Business Owner Uneasy About Health Insurance