Kansas Jobs Grow Thanks to High Costs of Business in Seattle

A Seattle-area business is picking up stakes and heading east to cash in on the lower cost of doing business in Kansas compared to Seattle. Flow, an industrial waterjet manufacturer, announced it plans to close its plant in Kent, Washington, and head for the plains, taking 110 jobs along for the ride.

“The cost of doing business in the Seattle area has changed dramatically over the last few years and the cost of manufacturing in the region continues to climb,” executive David Savage told the Seattle Times. “As we look into the future, we expect these operating challenges to continue to increase. We are taking the step now… in order to remain competitive in our marketplace.”

Flow will lay off all 110 of its employees in Kent to set up shop in Baxter Springs, Kansas. The company was founded in the 1970s and employed as many as 300 people in Kent in the 2000s. Its waterjets are used to cut Boeing 787 Dreamliner wings.

Baxter Springs is located in Cherokee County. Seattle’s loss is Baxter Springs’ gain.

• Sentinelksmo.org contributed to this report.

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