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Karan Johnson moved her office from the third floor at City Hall to the first floor when she took over her new duties Monday, Nov. 2, as the city’s new economic and business development manager.

Johnson had been working in the planning department for the last 16 months, but with recent reorganization and budget cuts in city government, she will now focus her attention on convincing developers, homebuilders and business owners that Liberty is a good place to be.

“I’m excited about it,” Johnson said. “I’ve done economic development for a long time in the Kansas City area and in California.”

Johnson said she would begin immediately putting together proposals of what incentives are available to businesses looking to expand or relocate.

“I’ll be looking at what we need to do, brainstorming, making contacts and establishing relationships,” Johnson said. “We want to make sure Liberty’s name is out there.”

By creating the new post, Mayor Greg Canuteson said the city clearly is sending a message that Liberty is serious about aggressively pursuing businesses. Johnson will be the first point of contact for business owners coming to City Hall, he said.

The mayor has particularly honed in on attracting high-tech and bioscience industry.

“We need somebody that goes to the office everyday with the single-minded focus on business development and creation,” Canuteson said. “We wanted someone who wakes up every day and thinks about how to bringing high-paying jobs here.”

Canuteson said Johnson was not duplicating but complementing the work done by Alicia Stephen, executive director of the Partnership for Community Growth and Development. The city contributes $50,000 annually toward the partnership’s operation, whose mission is to attract and retain businesses. As part of the partnership’s contract with the city, Stephens annually does a survey of at least 30 local businesses to help determine future plans and their likes and dislikes.

Canuteson said Johnson would also be working with a Science and Technology Committee that he was in the process of appointing. He said the 10-to 12-member group would be composed of stakeholders in the community such as representatives of William Jewell College, Liberty Hospital, the school district and Ford Motor Co.

Canuteson said the new committee would be different from the Light Industrial and Science and Technology task forces that recently issued their reports. Among recommendations were for the city to be proactive, develop an innovative industrial park, identify sites for development, provide more appealing tax incentives and abatements and reduce bureaucracy.

Among the suggestions the City Council has adopted is to increase tax abatements to 75 percent for new businesses that invest up to $6 million and bring 50 new jobs. Businesses could also get bonus points for using green technology, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings, architectural enhancements and adding more employees at higher paying jobs, which could bring the abatements to 90 percent.

“We’ve got a lot to offer,” Canuteson said. “We just need to let everybody know.”

Liberty Editor Angie Anaya Borgedalen can be reached at 781-4941 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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