KCnext – The Technology Council of Greater Kansas City is changing its name, splitting from the Kansas City Area Development Council and moving into the Sprint Accelerator.  

Going forward, the organization will be known as the KC Tech Council. It’s devoted to building up the region’s technology industry. More than 68,000 people in the Kansas City area work in tech.

“Our new name and operating structure enables the Council to focus our mission and better serve our membership,” said Kevin McGinnis, president of Pinsight Media+ and the board chair of the KC Tech Council. “The goal is to win the Midwest by continuing to focus on our three strategic priorities—workforce development, policy advocacy and industry access.”

Ryan Weber will continue to serve as the organization’s president. Recruiting and retaining tech workers in Kansas City is a key priority, he said. The organization has created a website, www.chutekc.com, to attract talent to the region.

“Kansas City must step up our efforts to attract, develop and retain the highly skilled workers necessary to drive the technology industry and compete against other cities in our region and across the country,” Weber said.

“Right now, we have hundreds of regional employers trying to fill thousands of open tech jobs. We simply cannot grow the local economy if we do not make Kansas City the No. 1 regional destination for skilled technology workers.”