The lobby had become a conference room. Some staff members had started sharing office space. The storage space was bursting at the seams. After 23 years of success in the same location—printing business-to-business greeting cards for customers across the country—it was clear Posty Cards had finally outgrown its facility. But leaving its location was not an option for the 62-year-old business, which has made its home in the same Kansas City neighborhood for nearly a quarter-century.
“They have created a catalyst project, which we hope will encourage other businesses to invest and contribute to this revitalization effort,” said Bob Long, Development Services Specialist for the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City. “Posty Cards is such a progressive company and we’re all thrilled at the team’s level of dedication and commitment to their Kansas City home.”
Led by company president Erick Jessee, Posty Cards is a third generation family-owned business specializing in the production of promotional greeting cards and calendars designed to enhance client relationships. This $6.4 million capital investment has given Jessee the opportunity to plan for long-term growth for the business, including new product lines and the addition of 22 new employees over the next five years.
“Our need for expansion presented an opportunity to not only add square feet, but also to envision a completely different kind of facility,” Jessee said. “Given the typical 25- to 30-year lifespan for a factory building, it became apparent that a conventional structure isn’t the best long term investment. Our green building provides a much better work environment for our employees and also locks in future savings regardless of what happens with energy prices long term.”
In order to successfully add 25,000-square-feet of new space—more than doubling its original size—Posty Cards turned to the EDC in January 2009 for help in identifying the right incentive opportunities and navigating through the early financing process. With this guidance from Bob Long and Kerrie Tyndall of the EDC, Posty Cards was able to secure a layered incentive plan, including a 10-year tax abatement, enhanced enterprise zone tax credits, and other tax credits for employee recruitment and training. The company also received incentives and assistance through the New Market Tax Credits program and the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
“Kerrie, Bob and the entire team at the EDC were incredibly supportive throughout this process,” Jessee said. “Their guidance in the early finance phase was instrumental to helping our vision become attainable.”
“The EDC was one piece of a large puzzle that made these improvements possible for Posty Cards,” Tyndall said. “It’s a thrill to watch them grow and evolve—not only becoming bigger with more employees, but also making a real difference for the environment.”
Fully committed to building and maintaining an energy-efficient and sustainable facility, Posty Cards’ revitalized facility includes forward-thinking initiatives, such as wind power credits covering 100% of their electricity use, the largest solar panel installation in the Kansas City area, solar water heating, high-efficiency heating and cooling, rain water reclamation for irrigation and other plumbing needs, as well as native plant landscaping and rain gardens. With these sustainable systems in place, Posty Cards is working toward the goal of being the first manufacturing facility with a “Platinum” certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, an internationally recognized green building certification.
