By Stacy Davis, Sumner County Economic Development Director — I keep a mental toolbox for economic development. Some tools are flashy—new grants, big projects, ribbon cuttings. Others are quieter but just as powerful. Our county-wide HUBZone designation is one of those quiet tools, and it took nearly four years to forge.

Back in 2021, our “tool” was a pocket-sized screwdriver: a single census tract in Wellington that qualified for the federal HUBZone program. That original designation came the way HUBZones do in Kansas—the Governor can nominate areas that meet Small Business Administration (SBA) criteria for economic distress and underutilization, the SBA evaluates the nomination, and, if approved, it lands on the HUBZone map. I learned quickly how much rides on that map. Businesses plug their addresses into the SBA’s HUBZone tool to check eligibility, and every five years the map is updated to reflect current realities. The map decides who’s in—and who’s just outside the line.

“Just outside the line” became a phrase I heard too often. I’d sit with business owners—sometimes across a folding table, sometimes at a counter with a cup of coffee—and we’d discover their office missed the boundary by a few blocks. That stung. It meant fewer bids they could chase, fewer doors opening to federal work, and fewer partnerships with primes looking for HUBZone teammates.

So, we started sharpening the tool.

At SCEDC, my team and I spent months compiling data, documenting county-wide need, and gathering letters of support. We worked the phones and the spreadsheets. We double-checked addresses on the HUBZone map tool until I could almost see those boundary lines when I closed my eyes at night. It wasn’t glamorous work. It was persistence. It was neighbors helping neighbors with paperwork. It was “try again” and “send one more file.” And we kept at it because we knew what a fully forged tool could do for Sumner County.

In January 2025, the SBA approved county-wide HUBZone status. Overnight, the screwdriver became a power drill. No more zip-code hopscotch. Every community—from Argonia to Wellington—came under the same umbrella.

Here’s why I care so much about this tool, and why you should, too. HUBZone is an SBA program designed to help small firms in historically underutilized areas compete for federal work. When you’re certified, you can access set-aside and sole-source opportunities reserved for HUBZone businesses. On many full-and-open bids, you get a 10% price evaluation preference that helps level the playing field. Large primes have incentives to team and subcontract with you to meet their goals. And certification boosts visibility—you show up in SBA and agency vendor searches, which means more inbound calls.

Qualification isn’t complicated, but it is precise: you must meet SBA size standards, your principal office must be in a HUBZone (now anywhere in Sumner County), and at least 35% of your employees must live in a HUBZone. Certification is free and renewed annually. Think of those requirements like the measurements you take before you drill—do them right, and everything fits.

For current Sumner County businesses, a county-wide status update translates into immediate, practical benefits. There are simply more bids you can chase today because your principal office likely qualifies. The combination of set-asides and the pricing preference can turn “close seconds” into wins. You also become a partner magnet—national primes looking for HUBZone capacity are more likely to knock on your door. And because local residency counts toward compliance, hiring your neighbors becomes a strategic asset, not a hurdle.

It also supercharges recruitment. When I talk with site selectors and founders, three questions always come up: talent, time to revenue, and incentives. County-wide HUBZone strengthens all three. Employers can hire across the county and still meet residency thresholds, widening the talent pool. New arrivals that certify quickly can pursue HUBZone set-asides almost immediately, shortening the runway to first contracts. And the program stacks well with Kansas incentives, utility programs, and local abatements—creating a compelling package for small manufacturers, professional services, ag-tech, logistics, and defense-adjacent firms. In other words, the tool doesn’t sit in the box. It goes right to work on day one.

If you’re wondering how to get certified, here’s the quick path I walk businesses through:

1. Confirm you meet the SBA size standard, your principal office is in Sumner County, and 35%+ of your team lives in the HUBZone.
2. Register or verify your SAM.gov and SBA profiles.
3. Apply for HUBZone certification with basic documentation—lease or utility bills for the office, and simple payroll/residency proofs.
4. Track residency and re-certify each year (remember, the HUBZone map updates every five years).

And you don’t have to do it alone. At SCEDC, we’ll pre-screen your eligibility, help assemble documents, host HUBZone 101 sessions for HR and compliance, connect you with primes seeking partners, and review upcoming opportunities that match your NAICS codes. This is the part of the job I love—standing beside a local owner, opening the toolbox, and picking the right bit for the job at hand.

When I look back at the late nights, the revisions, the waiting, and the “almost there” emails, I think about the moment the county-wide designation came through. It wasn’t confetti. It was a quiet, satisfying click—the sound of a tool locking into place. Now it’s in your hands. Let’s use it to build wins for Sumner County.