Less than six months into production, the mayor of De Soto, Kansas, says the Panasonic battery plant is paying off.
Slumping sales in electric vehicles and shifting federal policies have put into question whether the new $4 billion plant will be able to deliver on its big promises. But for the small city in Johnson County, there’s already been some noticeable changes.
“We've already seen our benefit,” said De Soto Mayor Rick Walker. “Those projects are coming to completion, and so, of course, we want Panasonic to be successful, but we have seen benefit.”
Infrastructure upgrades for roadways, water treatment, sewer and more were necessary to accommodate the 4.7 million-square-foot battery factory, and funded by Panasonic.
“[T]he water treatment plant, that was a project we were going to have to take on ourselves, in bite sized chunks that we could have afforded to … And so now we have that all completed at once,” Walker said. “These are generational improvements that will set us up for the next 30, 40 years.”
There are also approximately 1,500 employees on site; Panasonic said it eventually hopes to employ 4,000 at full capacity.
Small businesses are also seeing an economic boost. Scott Hill, owner of JT’s Bar and Grill, said the plant brought about a 40% increase in lunch sales during the initial construction phase. Since the factory began operations business has slowed, but Hill reports sales to be 20% above average.
“You know, there's this Goliath Panasonic that you could imagine that the city would just be catering to their every whim and only paying attention to them because of the amount of revenue that is coming to the city from the Panasonic facility,” said Alex Waller, co-owner and head brewer at Forces of Nature Brewing
“But that has not been the case, and the city seems very invested, at least the city officials seem very invested, in growing the old downtown area back up and maintaining the city's character the way it is, and not just becoming a town that works for Panasonic.”
- Rick Walker, mayor, De Soto, Kansas
- Alex Waller, co-owner and head brewer, Forces of Nature Brewing
- Scott Hill, owner, JT’s Bar & Grill
