Save the Date: MSSU Economic Summit Planned for April 2007

As reported in the newsletter from the Regional Economic Development Center at Missouri Southern State University (MSSU), their first-ever Regional Economic Summit is set for the last Friday in April. The event kicks off at 9:00 a.m. on the MSSU campus with world-renowned futurist Erik Peterson of the Center for International and Strategic Studies in Washington, DC. Mr. Pterson is the director of the widely admired Seven Revolutions futures project that examines the world economy and how to prepare for it.

The summit will feature break-out sessions on economic development nuts and bolts with legislators and professionals, sessions on the arts as development tools, the future of water quality and availability, international business in our region, and strategies to preserve our environment while accomodating development. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Missouri Governor Matt Blunt are invited guests to address the Summit.

Brochures announcing the summit are being prepared for distribution in early 2007. Dr. Tom Simpson heads up the Regional Economic Development Center at MSSU. He may contacted by phone at 417-625-3016 or by email to simpson-t@mssu.edu.

Workgroup Advances One-Stop Chartering Project

Missouri’s Training and Employment Council, functioning at the state WIB, has officially adopted the standards of One-Stop Chartering at its October meeting. This means full speed ahead for a local One-Stop Workgroup of the WIB that is preparing Southwest Missouri to excel as one of the leading region’s in the state for One-Stop Chartering.

The Workgroup is leveraging local resources and energies with a One-Stop Enhancement Grant from the Missouri Division of Workforce Development (DWD) to make facility improvements and service upgrades at the Joplin Career Center, develop a policy framework for integrated management through a One-Stop Operator, and design an innovative business plan that meets and exceeds chartering guidelines.

Helping to consult the workgroup and steer the process in a strategic manner is Nina Babich and Donna Cruder from the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. The consultants provide technical assistance to the workgroup and represents the workgroup in seeking ongoing policy guidance and clarification from DWD to successfully implement the group’s business plan.

Several members of the workgroup will participate in upcoming Business Plan training. The workshops by the Small Business Development Center at Missouri Southern State University is set for December 6th.