Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting

09/15/2026

Knowledge That Guides.
Decisions That Last.

At Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting, strategy is valuable when it creates results.

This week, our Founder and Principal Economist Michael Austin was invited to help open for Vice President JD Vance event at Webco Manufacturing, Inc., standing on a national stage and highlighting the people and businesses that power American manufacturing.

That moment followed months of deliberate work with our strategic partner KC NTMA : measuring the industry’s impact, sharpening its message, expanding its visibility, and putting manufacturers in front of policymakers, media, economic development leaders, and national partners.

That is what KD Economics brings to organizations.

We turn economic complexity, program outcomes, and policy risk into proof that wins support, protects resources, and drives decisions.

If your organization is creating real value but needs the strategy to make that value impossible to overlook, let’s talk.

08/12/2026

Kansas farmers are producing more with every acre, and expanding the markets available for that production matters.

A new KWCH story highlights the Kansas Corn Growers Association’s push for permanent, year-round access to E15 fuel, a blend containing 15% ethanol.

From an economic perspective, the case is straightforward: expanding access to E15 can create additional demand for American-grown corn and sorghum while giving consumers another option at the fuel pump. Just as importantly, a permanent federal policy would provide greater certainty than relying on temporary or seasonal regulatory exemptions.

Kansas agriculture is remarkably productive. Finding competitive domestic markets for that productivity strengthens the connection between our farms, energy markets, and the broader Kansas economy.

As Congress continues debating the Farm Bill, year-round E15 is one policy worth watching.

Read more from KWCH: https://www.kwch.com/2026/08/09/kansas-corn-growers-push-year-round-e-15-farm-bill-stalls-senate/

The Farm Bill includes a provision for year-round E-15 sales, which supporters say would benefit Kansas farmers and bring lower costs at the pump.

07/28/2026

Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting congratulates our founder, Michael Austin, on guest-hosting this week’s episode of The Executive Shift.

Michael interviewed leadership and recruitment expert Kim Borchers for a thoughtful conversation on leadership, talent development, public service, and professional growth.

We are proud to see Michael bring the same curiosity, strategic thinking, and commitment to meaningful dialogue that define his work at KD Economics to the host’s chair.

Be sure to tune in.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZwFq513KfKRAhk4Me2cQW?si=-TGbvEcTS4eT6EsIp0IHmA&utm_source=copy-link&fbclid=IwY2xjawTVxZ5wZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWx5a3Vac2lzRDVlS3JBeGxzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeQtflSGES-gybwU5vFg6dOeIqFGHoOEyBCimfXKSBs24-7fRUObIZGdMEuS4_aem_IsOyUcIj1hXO2DcqtMabcQ&nd=1&dlsi=9a7c13cf5ac14cf9

The Executive Shift with Kim Borchers · Episode

07/23/2026

As one of our strategic partners, KC NTMA is working to elevate the voice of precision manufacturers and show how this industry supports jobs, wages, workforce development, supply chains, and regional economic growth.

Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting took that story from inside the industry to the public stage, turning economic complexity, industry outcomes, and policy relevance into proof that wins support, protects resources, and drives decisions.

We were especially grateful to see WIBW spotlight the Kansas launch at the Topeka Center for Advanced Learning & Careers and bring visibility to an industry whose impact is often hidden in plain sight.

This is the value KD Economics brings to organizations: we clarify your impact, sharpen your message, and move your story into the rooms where decisions are made.

If your organization has a story worth proving, let us tell it.

07/21/2026

Tomorrow and Thursday, KC NTMA will officially launch Precision Drives Kansas City, a new economic impact report highlighting the role precision manufacturing plays across our region.

Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting is proud to support this work and help tell the story of an industry that drives jobs, wages, investment, supply chains, and economic growth across Kansas and Missouri.

These events are about more than presenting numbers. They are about making sure Kansas City’s precision manufacturers have a stronger voice with the policymakers, workforce leaders, educators, and economic development professionals shaping our region’s future.

A strong turnout matters.

When manufacturers show up together, it sends a clear message: precision manufacturing is essential to our economy, our workforce, and our nation’s supply chain.

Join us:

Kansas Launch Event
July 22 | TCALC Facility | Topeka, KS
2:00 PM networking | 3:00 PM presentation

Missouri Launch Event
July 23 | Sioux Chief | Kansas City, MO
2:00 PM networking | 3:00 PM presentation

Let’s show the strength of Kansas City’s precision manufacturing community.

07/21/2026

07/15/2026

You already depend on precision manufacturing every day. You just may not know it.

It is there when you start your car, board a plane, walk through the KC Parade of Hearts, pass a public memorial, or hear an F-35 roar over Arrowhead.

That is the story the National Tooling & Machining Association of Greater Kansas City KC NTMA is working to make visible through *Precision Drives Kansas City*, its inaugural regional economic impact report.

Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting is proud to have helped prepare this report and support KC-NTMA in telling the story of one of Kansas City’s quiet economic engines.

The full piece in the Kansas City Business Journal highlights the companies behind the region’s industrial strength and the upcoming report launch events: https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2026/07/15/precision-drives-kansas-city-economy-report.html

**Kansas Launch**
July 22 | Topeka Center for Advanced Learning & Careers
2:00–4:00 p.m.

**Missouri Launch**
July 23 | Sioux Chief Manufacturing
2:00–4:00 p.m.

Precision manufacturing is not hidden from Kansas City’s economy. It drives it.

This summer, KC-NTMA member Swisher Contract Manufacturing helped support the creation of Warrensburg’s first Veterans Park, dedicated during the nation’s 250th anniversary year. That is KC precision shops at their best: technical skill placed in the service of community memory.

07/06/2026

Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting, LLC is proud to announce a new strategic partnership with Kansas Corn.

This partnership reflects the heart of what KD Economics is built to do: help organizations turn complex economic and policy questions into clear strategy, stronger messaging, and practical tools for decision-making.

Across agriculture, manufacturing, workforce, education, public policy, and economic development, organizations do important work every day. But that work must be measured, explained, and communicated in ways that decision-makers, members, partners, and the public can understand and use.

Kansas Corn works every day to support growers, expand markets, and strengthen the future of corn in Kansas. KD Economics is honored to help tell that story with stronger economic insight and clearer communication.

Economic analysis should not sit on a shelf.

It should move your mission forward.

07/04/2026

Today, we celebrate 250 years of American independence.

America’s story has always been one of liberty, enterprise, sacrifice, and the belief that people are capable of building something better for the next generation.

At Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting, we are grateful to work in a country where ideas matter, businesses can grow, communities can lead, and opportunity remains worth pursuing.

Happy 250th Independence Day, America.

06/12/2026

Precision manufacturing does more than make parts.

It helps create jobs, strengthen supply chains, support local businesses, and move the Kansas City economy forward.

Knowledge & Decisions Economic Consulting was honored to join KC NTMA for a tour of Ultratech Aerospace with special guest Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.

Thank you to UltraTech Aerospace and CEO Fred Stipkovits for opening their doors and showing the skill, discipline, and innovation behind this important industry. We also appreciate Commissioner Schmidt for taking the time to engage with manufacturers and learn more about their impact.

KD Economics is proud to support KC-NTMA’s upcoming economic impact report, *Precision Drives Kansas City*, which will help put clear numbers behind the role precision manufacturers play in our region’s growth.

The full report will be released in late July, and we look forward to sharing more soon.