🌻 Wichita Weekly (01/16)

Good morning, Wichita!

I still have ice on my driveway. Last week — 95% of you did too (last week’s poll)! My driveway is kind of north-west facing, and for some reason, that means I’m the only house in the neighborhood still coated in ice!

Personal Update

I will be undergoing a fairly material surgery here in a few weeks. Still waiting on the exact date — but I’ll be under general anesthesia and then on some pretty strong pain meds for over a week. Doctors are optimistic, but the recovery is in the 6 - 8 weeks time frame, post-surgery, to get back to normal.

This will obviously impact you all — but I am not going anywhere long term. What I am thinking I will do is pre-write a couple Wichita History articles, and have those scheduled to go out on a couple Thursdays.

After that, there may still be a few weeks where you don’t see anything from me — apologies in advance! However, I am hoping to come back strong than before!

Until the surgery, nothing will change — but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up! Thank you for being subscribers — it means a lot to me!

Also, I do apologize for not having the events section of the email today — I’ve spent too much time with doctors / radiologists / inside CT, MRI and PET machines recently, meaning I’ve run out of time a bit this week. 🤷‍♂️

What about you — have you ever had a major surgery?

Shoutouts

Happy New Year, Elliott!

Want to share a shoutout? Scroll down to the golden box — all it takes is referring two locals! It helps me grow, too, so thank you!

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WOW, GOING TO GET COLD

Weather

Thursday - 01/16 - 46°/ 30° ☀️ Sunny

Friday - 01/17 - 48°/ 23° 🌤️ Mostly Sunny

Saturday - 01/18 - 25°/ 5° 🌨️ PM Flurries

Sunday - 01/19 - 13°/ -1° ⛅️ Partly Cloudy

Source: KWCH

WATERWALK, TOP 50, APPLE STORE

Local News

Wichita breaks into top 50 best-performing cities

• “Wichita has cracked the top 50 best-performing cities on the Milken Institute's latest annual index that measures the economic vitality of 403 U.S. cities.”

• “Continuing to climb out of a steep decline in recent years, Wichita landed 43rd on the ranking, which is 45 spots higher than last year and 111 spots higher than the year before.”

• “One of Wichita's highest scores was its high-tech concentration rank (18th), which looks at the presence of STEM-related industries. The city's GDP in that area has grown 11.9% between a five-year period from 2018 to 2023, the Milken Institute found.”

• “The improvement, Layton said, is indicative of Wichita's efforts to diversify its economy beyond aviation manufacturing and into technology and health care.”

• Link: Read more

Eisenhower National Airport lands additional Delta flights

• “The Wichita Airport Authority announced Monday that the airline will add flights this summer to Minneapolis and Atlanta. Both flights will utilize a 76-seat, Bombardier CRJ-900.”

• “Delta's additions come after Eisenhower National Airport, which ranked sixth in the 2024 USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice travel award vote for Best Small Airport, saw strong activity over the course of the last year.”

• “According to the most recent Wichita Airport Authority data, the airport logged 1.65 million passengers in 2024 through November, outpacing 2023 by 5%.”

• Link: Read more

What went wrong with the Wichita Waterwalk?

• “Most people probably don’t even know the difference between what is and what should have been. That was me before I dove deep to be honest. But as I dive into the history of the original plan of the Wichita Waterwalk by the Hyatt downtown, I want to ask one simple question… What went wrong with Wichita Waterwalk?”

• “Even back in 1988, Wichita knew we needed to build an east-bank waterwalk from Kellogg to Douglas.”

• “You would be hard-pressed to say the WaterWalk area lived up to the original dream of apartments, small business, upscale dinning, entertainment, and shopping.”

• Link: Read more

The latest on an Apple Store in Wichita

• “Last year, a report from Bloomberg outlined the tech company’s plan to expand their retail footprint worldwide. And with the expansion, Bradley Fair in Wichita, KS was listed as one of the 50 tentative locations listed to open in the next four years.”

• “An interesting update took place on Monday afternoon. Bloomberg had another article which was shared by Apple insider 9to5Mac.com.”

• “The article listed only three Apple Stores coming stateside: Miami, Detroit and, yet again, Bradley Fair in Wichita, KS. Bloomberg were high on both Miami and Wichita being true and listed Detroit only as a possibility.”

• “With around 275 stores in the U.S., it would make sense for an Apple store to open in the biggest city in Kansas. Currently the closest cities with a location are in Tulsa, OK, Oklahoma, OK and Leawood, KS.”

• Link: Read more

SPIRIT, FREDDYS, STOCKS

Business News

Spirit Aerosystems finds $165mm

• “On Monday, the Wichita-based aerospace supplier said it completed the deal first announced in November to offload Fiber Materials Inc. to Tex-Tech Industries Inc., headquartered in North Carolina, for $165 million.”

• “Spirit bought FMI in 2020 for $120 million. Following the purchase, Spirit leaders had touted FMI as a key part of the company's space work within its defense unit. FMI employs around 400 engineers and production personnel.”

• “Earlier that month, Spirit announced it would receive up to $350 million in advance payments from Boeing and a $107 million non-interest-bearing line of credit from Airbus. Those actions followed a Securities and Exchange Commission filing where Spirit warned about its ability to operate moving forward.”

• Link: Read more

Wichita’s public company stock performance in 2024

• “One's stock soared last year, while the other battled a tumultuous 2024 to still see its stock finish the year on the upside.”

• “Equity Bancshares (NYSE: EQBK), the holding company for Equity Bank, saw its share price leap 26% in 2024, closing at $42.42 on Dec. 31.”

• “As for Spirit (NYSE: SPR), the major aerospace supplier and Wichita's largest employer, its stock rose 8% from market open on Jan. 2, 2024, to market close on Dec. 31, when it landed at $34.08 per share.”

• “Those performances came amid an overall strong 2024 for the market, with the S&P 500 up more than 23%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average around 13% higher and the Nasdaq rising almost 29% for the year.”

• Link: Read more

Freddy’s Frozen Custard possible sale

• “The CEO of Wichita-based Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers said earlier this month the possibility of the brand being sold is "very real," according to a media report.”

• “In November, Reuters reported that Thompson Street, based out of St. Louis, was exploring the potential sale. It was also reported that Freddy's could be valued at more than $1 billion, or more than 20 times its annual core earnings.”

• “The restaurant chain founded in Wichita in 2002 has had a milestone year in 2024, reaching 535 locations as it continued rapid growth across the U.S. It also took another step across the border with plans for its second location in Canada.”

• Link: Read more

WICHITA MONOPOLY EDITION

Wichita Wildcard

I usually do a Parent’s Corner section here — given I am preparing for surgery, I am currently quarantining. The doctors don’t want me to have a respiratory infection ahead of surgery!

Given that, I haven’t gotten out much to see new places — thus, instead, I thought I would amplify a message from Wichita by E.B. that I thought was pretty neat.

Everyone loves playing Monopoly and then not talking to friends and family for the rest of the day, right?

Well, soon, you can use Wichita landmarks to generate frustration between you and your family!

That’s right (From Wichita by E.B.):

If you made it this far — thank you so much! You are the reason I write this newsletter — and it would be nothing without you.

Would you please consider sharing this newsletter?

Thanks for reading and let me know if there is anything specific you would like to see going forward!

Best,

The Wichita Weekly