Economic Development Department

Missy Wilson serves as the City's Assistant City Administrator and Economic Development Administrator.

The office of economic development includes:

Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR): Working with local businesses to assist in their continued growth and commitment to Raytown by removing barriers to success through increased communication, problem solving and consensus building.  The cornerstone of this effort is an annual Business Retention Survey.  The purpose of the survey is to gauge anticipated economic activity in the business community and to identify any trends or potential issues that may need to be addressed to facilitate economic stability in the community.  Each year a sampling of Raytown businesses will be selected to participate in the survey.

The City also provides real estate site selection, incentive attainment and ombudsman services to existing businesses.

Business Attraction: Marketing Raytown to local/national real estate firms, developers, industry professionals and job creating business entities in pursuit of recruiting such firms to establish operations in Raytown.  When working with prospective Raytown businesses, the Office of the Economic Development Administrator serves as an advocate for independent business clearing governmental obstacles, enhancing communication and offering appropriate local and state economic development incentives.

Much of the Business Attraction effort is concentrated on marketing, real estate site selection, incentives attainment and general ombudsman services.

Entrepreneurship: The City of Raytown is committed to assisting its' small businesses and citizens interested in starting a business.  We have developed alliances to reinforce the efforts of Raytown's small business core utilizing a predictable set of resources to assist in a variety of business concerns.  Such resources include:

The Missouri Small Business Development Centers are a tremendous resource for entrepreneurs.  The SBDC's provide assistance in the development of business plans, marketing plans, finance plans and general business management training.  Many of the programs available through the SBDC are of no cost.  The nearest SBDC is located on the University of Missouri - Kansas City Campus. 

KC Source Link is among the best local resources for small business concerns ranging from business planning and financing to technical training and human resources issues.