Partnership meeting tackles regional issues

About 100 people converged on the club, host of the Oct. 26 Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership’s eighth annual fall meeting.

Coltrin, senior engineer with Great River Engineering of Springfield Inc., said he was reminded of the importance of working together regionally for economic development.

“What one area does to improve their economy has a ripple effect,” he said.

The mission of OREP, a program of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, is economic development through the combined efforts of 34 cities and 27 chambers of commerce in a 10-county area.

“We’re a stronger voice together than we are all separate,” said Jeff Seifried, the Springfield chamber’s manager of regional development.

Seven speakers tackled three topics: water quantity, regional cooperation and downtown revitalization.

Myles Smith, president of Ozarks Heritage Region, an economic development group comprising seven counties in south-central Missouri, spoke about Youth Biz, a program his group established last year to teach high school students about entrepreneurship and business development.

The objective of Youth Biz is to keep students in south-central Missouri and to help them eventually become small business owners.

Collins, Republic’s mayor, said he and other city officials are going to increase efforts to help existing businesses grow and find “entrepreneurs in our midst.”

“I like the idea of using the resources that we already have,” he said.

Collins also found the discussions on downtown revitalization helpful. Gayla Roten, coordinator of Missouri Main Street Connection, and Brian Fogle, vice president of community development for Great Southern Bank, spoke about tools available to aid the process.

Branson-based Missouri Main Street Connection provides training and advocacy for downtown revitalization, working with about 88 towns across the state, Roten said.

Fogle asked attendees to spread the word about Ozarks Regional Community Development Corp., a gap-financing lending program that’s intended to help small businesses. Ozarks Regional CDC is a separate for-profit corporation that operates in collaboration with OREP.

Fogle said vibrant downtowns are important in regional economic development because they lure new companies and bright, young workers who seek dining and entertainment options.

Republic’s Collins said he has already formed a downtown revitalization committee, consisting of business professionals, council members and citizens, and he plans to put Republic in the running for the Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri, or DREAM, Initiative program.

DREAM, launched by Gov. Matt Blunt in 2006, helps spur downtown revitalization in smaller communities by providing state financial and technical assistance.

During DREAM’s first two years, the state received 140 applications, and 20 cities were awarded DREAM assistance, including the southwest Missouri communities of Neosho, West Plains and Aurora.

“A lot of our folks don’t think we can do anything with downtown,” Collins said, adding that DREAM helps make revitalization possible.

Greg Steinhoff, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, discussed regional cooperation. OREP is doing a great job, he said.

“I always point to this region as the one that’s most organized in the state,” Steinhoff said.

Meeting Nuggets

• Greg Steinhoff, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, said communities must embrace an ever-changing work force. To illustrate his point, he said last year 17.5 percent of Missourians moved both within the state and out of state. He also said an average person changes careers three to five times during their life.

• Representatives from two nearby regional economic development organizations – Myles Smith, president of south-central Missouri’s Ozarks Heritage Region, and F.R. “Buz” Sutherland, executive director for Southeast Missouri Economic Development Alliance – called for the formation of a loosely associated alliance of Missouri’s regional economic development organizations.

• John Twitty, general manager and CEO of City Utilities of Springfield, warned attendees of a possible water shortage. In a follow-up conversation days after the meeting, Wade Stinson, associate general manager of operations at CU, said any shortages likely wouldn’t occur for 30 years, assuming there aren’t severe droughts in the meantime. Still, Stinson offered a couple of water-conservation tips: Don’t water lawns if it’s raining or has rained recently, because grass only needs an inch of water a week; take showers instead of baths; and clear grass clippings or other debris from sidewalks or other paved surfaces with a broom, not a water hose.

Territorial Perspective

Demographics of Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership’s 10-county area

Counties Represented: Barry, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Greene, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster

Population: 563,852

Work Force: 308,475

Per Capita Income: $25,854

Source: Springfield Business & Development Corp.[[In-content Ad]]