WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Update: Integra announced that its one million square foot headquarters will be constructed at the southeast corner of Kansas Highway 254 and Rock Road in Bel Aire, pending approval by the Bel Aire City Council.
Integra CEO Brett Robinson said the company will apply for CHIPS funding for an expansion that would create more than 2,500 new jobs and more than $2 billion in capital investment in the first five years.
“A site like this has a lot of complex requirements,” he said of the planned semiconductor manufacturing facility north of Wichita. “The Bel Aire site just allows us to build, not only what we will build today, but also what we will start six years from now. “It also allows our suppliers to relocate and be located next to us.”
Bel Aire residents who attended Wednesday’s press conference said Integra’s announcement is good news for their community.
“Seeing the growth that (we’re) continuing to have out there excites me. I’m really excited about it,” said Gary O’Neal, a Bel Aire resident and former mayor.
Bel Aire City Council member Tyler Dehn called the announcement “a game changer” for his city, with “the potential for growth of a bedroom community and diversity in what they offer.”
Bel Aire Police Chief Darrell Atteberry touched on the value of bringing in new jobs with housing expansion in the area.
“Now we’re going to have workers to fill those houses, to fill the space,” he said.
Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas President and CEO Keith Lawing spoke about the employment opportunities offered by Integra.
“Right now there will be high school kids, their freshman, sophomore, when they graduate, the next day they’ll have jobs at Integra. That’s what I’m really looking forward to,” Lawing said.
Integra also announced plans to lease a 100,000-square-foot space for a new training facility at the southeast corner of 37th Street North and Rock Road, promoting opportunities for students looking to launch a career with the company.
“For WSU Tech, what it does is create an entirely new area of education and training manufacturing and opportunity for the citizens of Kansas,” said Sheree Utahsh, president of WSU Tech.
Integra Technologies Inc. will announce the site for its new headquarters on Wednesday. The facility will combine the largest back-end semiconductor test and manufacturing facility in the United States, pending funding approval from CHIPS for America.
Site selection and local government support are the next step in Integra’s application for CHIPS funding, following Kansas’ approval of the state’s APEX award to Integra on February 2. Wichita City Council and Sedgwick County Commission members will be in attendance.
Integra’s expansion plans are designed to address recently identified risks in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and support the domestic semiconductor ecosystem as outlined in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS and Science Act funding.
