ECJC president to become Kansas commerce secretary

George Hansen, president and CEO of the Enterprise Center of Johnson County (ECJC), is moving on to serve the Sunflower State in a broader capacity.

George Hansen

Hansen, who was appointed to lead the ECJC in June of 2013, will serve as Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s Secretary of Commerce. The ECJC is a non-profit venture development organization and early stage company incubator in the Kansas City Metro. It provides advisory services, access to funding resources, entrepreneurial education, office space and networking connections for area companies.

“I am honored to be appointed to this position and I look forward to serving the citizens of Kansas,” Hansen said in a release. “Kansas is a great state for businesses to grow and prosper.”

In addition to numerous business and educational board positions, Hansen’s career boasts more than 35 years of management and executive experience. He served as CEO of Zave Network — a digital commerce firm — in 2011 and led its sale to Google. Prior to Zave, Hansen was a director of TGP Investments, a Kansas City-based private equity firm.

Hansen currently is a member of the Dean’s Board of Advisors with the University of Kansas School of Business and is a board member of FreightQuote.Com. Hansen was previously a board member for the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Council for Entrepreneurship at the Bloch School of Business.

“George Hansen’s entire career has prepared him to lead the Commerce Department,” Gov. Brownback said in a release. “He understands the needs of businesses and the environment that will attract them to expand and grow in our state.”

Hansen will join Commerce in mid-September and will replace Pat George who retired at the end of July. The appointment will require confirmation by the Kansas Senate with a vote.

“The Enterprise Center in Johnson County is proud to congratulate CEO George Hansen on his appointment to secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce and urges the Kansas State Senate to undertake a speedy confirmation process,” said Melissa Roberts, marketing director of the ECJC. “High-growth businesses, established and homegrown through entrepreneurial efforts will be a key to Kansas’ economic success. George’s deep, first-hand understanding of the entrepreneurial experience will ensure that these hard-working business owners will have a familiar and friendly ear.”