One of her biggest challenges as economic development director for Iola and Allen County is for Camille Lavon to operate proactively, and not reactively.
“We can’t expect things to just come to us,” Lavon said. “We’re doing some really cool things, but we’re often doing them quietly, but we’re a little bit disjointed at times.”
A new initiative may change that.
Allen County has been tapped as one of six rural counties across Kansas and Missouri to participate in the Heartland Rural Innovators Initiative.
The 18-month program, coordinated by the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), is designed to help rural communities in Kansas and western Missouri accelerate their technology and innovation economies.
How the program takes shape will become clearer when Lavon and others will gather for a “level-set” meeting in mid-December.
At that time, consultants are scheduled to get a full assessment of the county’s strengths, and then map out a strategy “to go from where we are right now, to where we need to be to grow,” opportunities in new fields.
Allen County is already primed for such development, Lavon noted, as “traditional” manufacturing careers are evolving into advanced manufacturing, energy, health care and education.
For example, Lavon points to the fiber-optic infrastructure available here, which appeals to cyber-security or aerospace engineering manufacturers.
“That fiber redundancy can be very difficult to find,” Lavon said, “and it’s a huge asset for us.”
But that infrastructure is only one of three legs to appeal to entrepreneurs, she continued. The others are having shovel-ready sites, and a strong pool of workforce talent.
That’s where the Innovators Initiative comes in, to identify what’s working — and what’s not — and to find ways to address those shortcomings.
“They’re going to look at things you and I take for granted and ask hard questions,” she said. “They’re going to want to see if we can get people to come out and have those conversations, and I know we can. I know how this community shows up when it comes to economic development.”
Jessica Thompson, deputy director at Thrive Allen County, agreed.
“Allen County has never lacked for creativity or grit,” Thompson said in CORI’s news release. “What we’re building now is the strategic direction to turn that spirit into long-term opportunity for every resident.”
IF SUCCESSFUL, the initiative will make Allen County even more attractive, not only for small business owners, but for industries.
“We want to think about finding manufacturers that bring in niche positions,” Lavon said. “When they’re more niche, they’re higher-level salaries.”
