Through attending regional meetings, working with our many
resource partners, and checking out best practices both in Missouri and other
Midwestern states, my eyes have been opened to all of the leadership and
initiatives that are currently underway in our rural communities. But as great
as these are, there seems to be an overwhelming unawareness of what
these fellow regions are doing to advance and encourage economic development.
With technology all around us and information literally at our fingertips, I
hope to change that.
The department is currently working towards developing a new
website – one that will have a new “sub-site” devoted exclusively to Rural
Development! The new site will feature a host of rural-related resources and
documents, perfect for highlighting and promoting some of these great community
and regional initiatives and programs! In order to do this, I’m asking for your
help. In my travels and conversations, many folks have opened up to me about
local practices they have under development and in motion. And I have seen
first-hand that we have a lot of great ideas and initiatives underway in every
corner of the state that are worthy of promotion, and more importantly, to
serve as a resource guide for communities/regions struggling with new and
creative local development strategies.
Here is my request to you: If you have regional and/or
community initiatives currently underway that you would be willing to share,
please email me a brief narrative of your strategy, along with any website
links or publications for more details. These will serve as a great tool to
help our rural communities learn from each other and spur new and creative
ideas. They will also help us develop fresh and relevant content both on our
website and other potential media opportunities, such as social media or ad
campaigns. We all love our communities - now lets show the rest of the world how much rural Missouri Feels Like Home to growing businesses and families.
Also, as the development of our new site is currently
underway, I ask that for those who are interested in promoting your local development
strategies, please respond by May 1,
2016 using the contact information below. I look forward to hearing about
and promoting your unique local initiatives!
Luke Holtschneider 573-751-4999 Luke.Holtschneider@ded.mo.gov
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