Orizon President Henry Newell participated in a prominent manufacturing panel discussion hosted by the Kansas City Business Journal and sponsored by Fifth Third Bank on May 5, 2025. The event focused on the powerful economic impact of manufacturing and featured insights from leading industry executives.
During the discussion, Newell highlighted Orizon’s remarkable success story at our Chanute, Kansas facility as a prime example of manufacturing’s multiplier effect on regional economies. Since opening in 2016 with 30 employees and a starting wage of $13 per hour, the facility has grown to employ nearly 500 people with starting wages approaching $22 per hour. This growth contributed to reducing local unemployment from 7.6 percent to less than 3 percent.
Key highlights from Newell’s presentation:
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Economic Impact: Our Chanute facility demonstrates the powerful multiplier effect of manufacturing, purchasing components from hundreds of suppliers and creating significant regional economic benefits
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Technology Leadership: Orizon’s investment in cutting-edge automation, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality technologies to maximize efficiency and enable continuous production
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Workforce Development: Partnership with Neosho County Community College featuring an Orizon-branded training room for aerospace and defense mechanics1
The panel discussion emphasized manufacturing’s critical role in economic growth, with each manufacturing job generating five to seven additional jobs in the economy and every manufacturing dollar creating approximately $3 in GDP.
This recognition underscores Orizon’s position as a leader in aerospace manufacturing and our commitment to driving economic growth in the communities where we operate.