For Kylie Cromer, economic development is about more than recruiting a new business or chasing the next big project. It’s about making sure the person with an idea knows where to turn, helping an existing business find room to grow and creating a community where people can envision a future for themselves.
That perspective is shaping Cromer’s new role as director of economic development for Allen County Economic Development (ACED), a position she began at the end of August.
An Iola native, Cromer returned home with her husband, Andrew, and their two children in 2020 after several years away. She worked for the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center before joining ACED.
Cromer acknowledges the move into economic development is a significant professional change. “I felt like it was time for a shift,” she said.
Cromer holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Pittsburg State University. She’s learning economic development through an apprenticeship-style arrangement, gaining experience and knowledge from ACED Executive Director Camille Lavon as she steps into the new position.
The opportunity appealed to her because she believes professional development does not always have to follow a traditional path.
“You may not be qualified on paper or get there in the most traditional sense, but I think you can be successful when you have the right people who are willing to develop those skills,” she said.
LOCAL ROOTS were an important part of the hiring decision.
ACED’s search for the position lasted about six months. Lavon said the organization wanted someone with deep connections to the community who could develop the institutional knowledge needed to provide long-term continuity.
For Cromer, those connections run deep.
After college, she moved to Oregon, where she lived on the coast and worked in hospitality. Later, after she and Andrew had children, the family moved to the Kansas City area.
It took having children, she said, to fully appreciate what Iola had offered her growing up. “My kids being school-aged, honestly, helped me appreciate Iola and small-town living for what it beautifully is,” she said.
Cromer and Andrew have two sons, a fourth grader and a second grader, who attend Iola Elementary School. “We wanted our kids to have the same childhood that I was able to have here,” Cromer said.
That connection to the community is something she hopes to bring directly into her work.
Her initial focus will be downtown businesses, small businesses and startups. Rather than concentrating primarily on attracting large industries, Cromer wants to build relationships with existing businesses, entrepreneurs and people who may be considering starting a business.
She sees ACED as both a resource and a first point of contact.
