Development conference comes to Springfield

The conference, themed “Building Communities from Within,” will be held Jan. 25-27 at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, 333 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway. Registration ends Monday.

Keynote speakers will be Jack Stack of Springfield, founder and CEO of SRC Holdings Corp.; Burt Chojnowski of Iowa-based BrainBelt Inc., an online community for rural and small-town entrepreneurs; and Lisa Trevino Cummins, who works with faith-based organizations through Virginia-based Urban Strategies LLC.

Topics of discussion could include philanthropy in small communities, regionalism, disaster recovery, entrepreneurship, the arts of economic development, strengthening Main Street and finding sources of financing for smaller communities.

The event is presented by the Missouri Community Development Society in partnership with Great Southern Bank, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership, Springfield Finance and Development Corp., Bank of America and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Cost is $110 for society members, $145 for nonmembers and $90 for students with identification. Participants can register online at www.mocds.org or by contacting Great Southern Bank at (417) 895-4628

The development society provides community professionals with opportunities for education and networking. Members include leaders in housing, economic development, extension, social work, finance, health and recreation.