Kansas Commerce Secretary David Toland announced Friday that the agency has created a new position that will focus on targeting the bioscience and technology industries.
Toland said the agency had hired Trent Armbrust director of strategy for bioscience and technology starting Sept. 23.
Armbrust has worked for seven years in economic development for the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and master’s degree in plant physiology from Kansas State University.
He is a graduate from the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma.
The agency’s move is in step with Gov. Laura Kelly’s promise during the governor’s race to refocus on the biosciences after the Kansas Bioscience Authority was shut down and sold off.
Kelly said during the campaign that the KBA, which suffered from management problems, was responsible for creating a biosciences corridor from Manhattan to Columbia, Mo.
She said it was one of the reasons that the federal government decided to place the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility at Kansas State University.
Established in 2004 when Kathleen Sebelius was governor, the KBA essentially served as a venture capital firm that could foster growth in the bioscience industry.
The authority didn’t have a majority ownership in companies, but it invested in bioscience startups with money generated from Kansas income taxes generated by bioscience jobs .
The KBA was a hot spot of controversy during Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration with questions about management and whether it was appropriate for the state to be providing venture capital.
At one point, an audit found the agency’s chief executive officer had misused funds agency funds, among other things.
Eventually, the state sold off the KBA’s assets for $14 million, less than the $25 million officials hope they would fetch.
During the campaign, however, Kelly said the KBA worked for Kansas. She said creating something like that again would help the state’s economy.
“Creating an ecosystem that facilitates the growth of tech companies in Kansas is a priority for Gov. Kelly and the Department of Commerce,” Toland said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to have Trent join the Commerce team and lead the effort to reengage the state as a partner in growing knowledge jobs in Kansas,” he said.
