(News director Andrew Pitkin at Missourinet Nevada affiliate KNEM contributed to this story)

Executives from Texas-based Frozen Food Express speak about a new $6 million transportation and logistics facility in western Missouri’s Butler, on June 9, 2021. Governor Parson listens (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

A rural western Missouri town known as the “Electric City” has landed a $6 million new transportation and logistics facility, bringing at least 60 new jobs to the community. Texas-based Frozen Food Express (FFE) Transportation Services selected Butler because of what it describes as its robust workforce and friendly business climate.

Governor Mike Parson traveled to Butler for Wednesday’s announcement, telling Missourinet Nevada affiliate KNEM that the announcement highlights his administration’s focus on infrastructure and workforce development.

“Why I came to Butler today is because these are the visions that we had when I first became governor over three years ago (in 2018) that these small communities would have just as much an opportunity to expand businesses as some of the larger ones sometimes. So, this is a perfect example of if you do the things right, things work and people invest in your communities, so it’s a great day for Butler,” Parson says.

Butler, which has about 4,100 residents, is located along Highway 71. It’s south of Kansas City.

The governor credits the work ethic of Butler and Bates County residents, for FFE’s decision.

“When you live in rural Missouri, probably the work ethic is probably the main thing that you run into here, that people know that people are hard workers here. They’re going to be loyal, they’re going to be dedicated about coming to work and taking a good job. And these companies are willing to pay the money to have good people come here,” says Parson.

Butler is called the “Electric City,” because it was one of the first cities west of the Mississippi River to have electric power.

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