Here’s what the new president of De Soto Chamber says about changes coming to city
The newly named president and CEO of the De Soto Chamber of Commerce comes to the job amid a big transformation for the city. Panasonic Energy’s electric vehicle battery facility is scheduled to open in 2025 — and it’s one of the largest economic development projects in the history of Kansas.
Tim Holverson had been vice president of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship with the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce. He also has worked as the executive vice president of the Leavenworth-Lansing area Chamber of Commerce.
Holverson started his career in government affairs, serving for the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors. Holverson has a master’s degree in public administration from East Carolina University and a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Northern Iowa. He also graduated from the Institute for Organization Management with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Institute through the University of Oklahoma.
Question: Why were you initially interested in a career in chamber of commerce organizations, and why do you continue to be interested?
Answer: I grew up in a small town in Iowa that was devastated by the crash of the farm economy in the mid-’80s. The ag and industrial manufacturers had downturns and some pulled out. Communities had to be creative and pull together to weather the storm. I’ve always felt if you can give someone an opportunity — in other words, a job — you can help them improve their lives.
Q: Certainly, the business landscape has had its changes during your career. How have chambers of commerce changed in your career?
A: If I’ve seen major change, in a word it is “workforce.” But overall, the delivery methods may change how we communicate, but what we do is still the same. It’s always been about connecting. Chambers continue to be where business, government and education could come together to solve problems.
Q: Why were you interested in your new role as president and CEO of the De Soto Chamber of Commerce?
A: The time was right for me personally to try new things. I was approached about the De Soto opportunity and had obviously followed along closely what was happening. I had always felt like De Soto sat in a unique position in the region, being situated between Lawrence and the Kansas City metro, and that it was going to have its day. And certainly that has come to fruition. I got excited about this though because I know with growth comes challenges and opportunities and wanted to be sure we could realize the great benefits this offers, but yet preserve the community’s character.
De Soto is in perhaps its largest transformation as a business community with the pending opening of the Panasonic plant since the opening and then subsequent closing of Sunflower Ammunition.
Q: What strengths do you feel DeSoto’s business community brings to this transformation?
A: The rest of the region is going to see what I’ve learned, and that is that De Soto’s a welcoming, open community that is very business friendly and understands economic development. Their cooperative spirit has been on display for the region to see throughout this process, and I’ve been impressed as I now get to witness this up close.
Q: What do you think are the biggest gains for the business community from this transformation?
A: I think there are a few outcomes that come to mind.
1. Jobs for residents and the region.
2. Regional cooperation: De Soto knows they couldn’t have done this without some great partners in both the public and private sectors. This will bear fruit on future projects.
3. Locally to De Soto, we anticipate business and residential growth and as a result more amenities available to those who live or work in De Soto.
Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges of this transformation and what will be the keys in facing those challenges?
A: Communication, whether that be keeping residents informed of road closures and whatnot, to utility partners sharing relevant and timely information. The project is on an aggressive timeline and the coordination of efforts has required all parties to step up and share information more freely.