Tenants are expected to begin moving into Great Bend’s new $6.8 million Ignite Innovation Center by November, Jason Kuilan, executive director of Great Bend Economic Development, told the Great Bend City Council in his monthly report Monday.

Kuilan said the fire marshal is scheduled to conduct a walk-through of the building in mid-September, clearing the way for GBED itself to relocate into the facility in September or October.

“Our organization is planning on moving in September or October,” Kuilan said. “We have our official first tenant with a signed lease – the Chamber of Commerce – starting on Nov. 1, and then our (Advancing Barton County Childcare) executive director will also be housed inside.”

Kuilan said GBED is in talks with a couple of additional organizations that could fill the two remaining vacant offices in the building.

Programming lineup takes shape

Several events and programs are already scheduled at the new facility this fall. A Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) 2026 fall pre-retirement seminar is set for Wednesday, Oct. 28, followed two days later by a Red Cross blood drive on Friday, Oct. 30. Network Kansas will host a fourth-quarter training session at the center as well, Kuilan said, and the Center for Rural Innovation, known as CORI, is developing a pilot program for the building that GBED plans to detail in the coming months.

On Saturday, Dec. 5, the center will host a codeathon/hackathon-style event that Kuilan said is intended to grow into a recurring pitch competition. The event will draw challenges directly from local manufacturers and employers, with teams competing to develop solutions to real problems facing the community.

GBED is also rolling out new booking and information tools tied to the building. Kuilan said the organization is implementing management software the public will be able to use to reserve available spaces, and that a new GBED website launching soon will integrate that software, allowing visitors to book rooms, view a calendar of programs and events, check makerspace membership information, and browse a catalog of available equipment.

Final Friday, car show draw big crowd

Kuilan opened his report with an update on August’s Final Friday, the monthly community event Great Bend Alive hosts downtown on the last Friday of each month. He credited musician Jadynce Jean and her band for a strong performance, and thanked the sponsors, vendors and volunteers who supported the event.

Club One Fitness also held a benefit car show down the street that evening for the Kans for Kids Fighting Cancer Foundation, drawing additional visitors downtown.

Using Placer AI data shared by economic development counterparts in Liberal, Kuilan said the two combined events brought nearly 2,500 visitors to the small downtown footprint over the course of the evening.

Looking ahead to next year, Kuilan identified three priorities for improving the events: developing a permanent shade solution near the stage to help attract top musical talent; adding permanent shade for attendees to reduce reliance on umbrellas that continue to break; and improving storage, moving away from the current setup that relies on multiple travel trailers. Kuilan said a better storage solution would lower insurance costs, simplify setup and teardown, and reduce the event’s dependence on volunteers with trucks.

Ignite competition

Kuilan closed his report with an update on GBED’s annual entrepreneurship competition, congratulating all the businesses that went through this year’s application process. Five finalists have advanced to the final round.

Kuilan said GBED will share more information about each finalist individually in the coming weeks. The final competition will be held Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Crest Theatre.