FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date 10/23/03

Contact: Matt Derrick
(816) 942-8800, ext. 213

Russian Construction Professionals to Tour
Downtown Kansas City Housing Projects

A delegation of construction professionals from Russia will be taking a tour of Downtown Kansas City housing projects Oct. 27 as part of an initiative designed to provide the Russian business owners and entrepreneurs with training and expert advice in American construction practices and techniques from their industry peers.

The group will tour several Downtown Kansas City residential loft projects to see how builders and developers here have revitalized urban neighborhoods. Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Kay Barnes will address the delegation and share tips on how public and private partnerships have helped bring new housing to the downtown region.

“This is an exciting opportunity to share the lessons we have learned while bringing new residents to Downtown Kansas City,” Mayor Barnes said. “It is an honor to show how local, state and federal government and private industry have worked together to revitalize our urban core.”

The downtown housing tour is part of a three-week visit to the metropolitan region for the Russian delegation organized through the Productivity Enhancement Program administered by the Center for Citizen Initiatives, a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco. The program is designed to provide management training to Russian small businesses owners and entrepreneurs to help boost the nation’s economic production. The Kansas City trip is sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Blue Springs, Independence, Lee’s Summit and St. Joseph.

“I believe the interest the Russian delegation has shown in learning more about how Kansas City has worked to revitalize its urban core underscores the importance of a strong downtown to a metropolitan area,” said Tim Underwood, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City, which has helped organize the downtown housing tour. “I believe Kansas City can be an excellent resource for the delegation to learn more about the role of housing in urban redevelopment.”

The Russian delegation will meet with members of the Home Builders Association then tour several downtown housing locations including the new Library Lofts in the former Board of Trade Building, the Emery, Bird & Thayer Lofts and the SoHo South Lofts at the former Campbell Paint building.

The Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Kansas City is the voice of the housing industry and the source for housing information. Comprising more than 1,000 member companies, the HBA represents an industry that contributes more than 2.5 billion dollars to the Kansas City economy and supports more than 36,000 jobs in the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

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