In the wake of the 2007 tornado, Greensburg faced devastation — but also opportunity. Just one year later, construction began on a building that would symbolize the town’s rebirth through innovation and sustainability: the SunChips Business Incubator. Its purpose was simple yet profound — to give local entrepreneurs and displaced businesses a place to start again. The incubator offered affordable office and retail space where new ideas could take root, providing a foundation for rebuilding both livelihoods and community spirit.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program, Frito-Lay’s SunChips brand, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio — who chronicled Greensburg’s recovery through his Planet Green television series — the project quickly became a national model for sustainable design and small-town resilience.

The City of Greensburg SunChips Business Incubator earned LEED Platinum certification, the highest standard for green building. Every detail was designed for efficiency and health — from roof-mounted solar panels and a geothermal heating and cooling system, to that reduce the building’s footprint on the Plains. Reclaimed materials and a bioswale rain garden add both function and beauty. Even the paint and finishes were chosen to be free of volatile organic compounds, keeping the air inside as clean as the prairie wind outside.

The incubator now stands as a living classroom and a launchpad — where sustainability meets small business, and where Greensburg’s commitment to “building green” is more than an idea; it’s a way of life.