Shopify-linked e-commerce platform adds $5M KCMO investment to its cart, delivering 46 new jobs to region

December 11, 2024  |  Startland News Staff

OpenStore's new Kansas City fulfillment center at the Executive Park Logistics Center, 3 2100 North Corrington Ave., Kansas City; courtesy photo

A 113,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Kansas City is expected to help Miami-based OpenStore provide faster and more efficient service to its growing portfolio of e-commerce brands — and bring $2 million in payroll to the region in the next five years.

Opening in March 2025, the project is expected to ultimately create 46 new jobs in Kansas City.

OpenStore is the largest operator of businesses on Shopify, with more than 100,000 SKUs and a customer base exceeding 2 million. The e-commerce company is committed to scaling its portfolio through investments in technology and innovation, improving customer support with its AI-powered tool, OpenDesk, and optimizing logistics with its new fulfillment center, OpenStore said in a press release.

“We’re a city of innovators and we’re proud to welcome an innovative company like OpenStore to Kansas City,” said Steven Anthony, vice president of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC), which was among core organizations leading the effort to bring OpenStore to Kansas City.

A top destination for e-commerce and distribution companies, Kansas City has attracted $2.2 billion in investments and 6,000 jobs to the industry over the past five years.

“No matter the industry, Missouri delivers what innovative businesses like OpenStore need to invest, grow, and thrive,” said Gov. Mike Parson, R-Missouri. “It’s always exciting to see cutting-edge companies choosing the Show-Me State due to our strategic location, superior infrastructure and talented workforce. We welcome OpenStore to Kansas City and look forward to its contributions to the area’s growing distribution sector.”

The announcement marks OpenStore’s first-ever fulfillment center in the region, noted David Reifschneider, head of supply chain at OpenStore, who said the move marks a major milestone that underscores the company’s growth and commitment to delivering world-class service to our customers.

“This expansion not only enhances our operational capabilities but also positions us to better serve our customers while implementing technology-driven fulfillment solutions,” Reifschneider said. “The future is bright and we’re excited to embark on this next chapter of growth and opportunity with the significant talent resources in the Kansas City region.”

As a North American industrial hub, Kansas City’s central location and robust transportation infrastructure enable distributors to reach 90 percent of the contiguous U.S. in two days or less by truck, according to the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC). Companies also enjoy access to a strong talent pipeline of 190,000-plus logistics and manufacturing employees.

“Kansas City continues to be a key player in industrial growth and innovation, attracting 70 million square feet of development in the past decade,” said Josie Calkins, director at KC SmartPort, a strategic affiliate of the KCADC. “The region’s unmatched location and logistics advantages are highly attractive to technologically-innovative companies like OpenStore looking to optimize their operations and expand their reach.” 

Career opportunities for the Kansas City facility are now available at OpenStore’s job openings page, with additional opportunities coming in 2025.

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

2024 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    We Create KC report, KCSourceLink

    We Create KC report: Startup investment soared to $540M in 2017

    By Tommy Felts | April 6, 2018

    A startling statistic for those who think capital merely flies over the Midwest: Kansas City saw a 69 percent increase in startup investment from 2016 to 2017, according to KCSourceLink’s We Create KC report. All told, early-stage businesses classified by KCSourceLink as startups — typically defined as those with 20 or fewer employees — nabbed…

    Neal Sharma, DEG co-founder and CEO, top talent

    IXKC: Want top talent in Kansas City? Stop talking about yesterday (Photos)

    By Tommy Felts | March 29, 2018

    Kansas City already has what it takes to recruit and keep top talent, Neal Sharma told Wednesday’s Innovation Exchange crowd. What the metro seems to lack is the confidence to boast about itself, he added. Sharma, CEO and co-founder of DEG, a full-service digital agency in Overland Park that has grown to about 300 employees,…

    Matt Motsick, Swivel Software

    Catapult International co-founder launches Swivel Software from Lenexa HQ

    By Tommy Felts | February 15, 2018

    Online shoppers can track orders the moment they’re placed, shipped and delivered. That kind of visibility along the supply chain — from a product’s beginnings in a factory to its final destination on the shelf — is vital for freight forwarders and importers to be efficient in the international shipping industry, Matt Motsick said. For…

    KC named a top ‘dark horse’ to land Amazon HQ2

    By Tommy Felts | January 5, 2018

    National media is lending credence to Kansas City’s prospects of attracting Amazon’s second headquarters. Inc. Magazine on Wednesday published a list of “5 Dark Horse Cities” to land Amazon HQ2, a prospective project that promises to create upward of 50,000 new jobs in whatever locale that nabs the online retailer’s massive new hub. While speculative,…