Economic development was the topic of a meeting held Thursday night on the campus of North Central Missouri College.
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Economic development was the topic of a meeting held Thursday night on the campus of North Central Missouri College.
The meeting was the fourth in a series of economic development “summits” designed to help develop an economic development strategy for the area. Terri Henderson, executive director of the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce, served as moderator.
A presentation on “HomeTown Competitiveness,” an economic development program designed to guide communities in utilizing the assets they already have, was given by Brookfield Economic Developer Becky Cleveland. The city of Brookfield is using the program, which focuses on four “pillars,” entrepreneurship, charitable assets, youth and leadership and involves a task force of community members who meet on a regular basis to implement the program.
Brookfield sent a team of individuals to Nebraska to learn about the program during a four-day workshop in January and another presentation is scheduled next January. It was noted that the Small Business Development Corporation office at Chillicothe is planning a “mini-presentation” of the program later this year and it was decided to send interested individuals to that presentation to determine whether or not a group should be sent to Nebraska.
Several committee reports were presented during the summit, including one from the Housing/Commercial Committee, which is looking at ways to have funds available that could be loaned out for housing or business development. Both a for-profit and not-for-profit corporation have been discussed by the committee, with investors being sought to help provide seed money for the effort. It was decided the committee would meet with the Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation to discuss their ideas and determine what the IDC could do to assist in this effort.
The Education/Training Committee presented a written report, detailing a number of activities in which it has been involved, including a review of a radiology technology degree program for North Central Missouri College. There have also been discussions of establishing weekend associate of arts degree programs for employees of local businesses as well as educational programs for employees at ConAgra and Modine. Efforts are also under way to provide CPR and first aid training at Modine and ConAgra.
Trenton Community Developer Sean Burge is developing an economic development survey, which will include questions concerning education/training needs. It is also hoped a community profile can be developed from the survey results.
The Marketing Committee reported that a grant has been applied for to develop a website brochure for the community, which would allow individuals to go to the Internet and learn about what the area has to offer. Mrs. Henderson said meetings are also planned with economic development representatives from other communities to see how they can work together to market the entire area, which she noted is key for the success of everyone.
Another meeting is planned next month, allowing other committees to have a chance to meet, with the date to be announced later.