Kansas Secretary of Commerce Bill Thornton will be the keynote speaker at the 2010 Cowley County Economic Forum hosted by Cowley First and chambers of commerce in Ark City and Winfield.
The forum, entitled Economic GPS: Positioning for Tomorrow, is set for Oct. 21 at the Brown Center on the campus of Cowley College. Pre-registration is required and the deadline for that is Oct. 14.
A $20 registration fee includes lunch and program materials, students are free. Bruce Schwyhart, president of CornerBank, will moderate the forum, which is scheduled to open at 7:30 a.m. and will wrap up at 1 p.m.??
Thornton will discuss how the state is working to create jobs through business retention and entrepreneurship, and the role that plays in economic and community development.
The following speakers are scheduled to attend:
Mark Chalfant,?Mid America Manufacturing Technical Center (MAMTC), shares ways to help companies reduce costs and waste in their manufacturing process while innovating to increase profitability.
Local Innovation Panel, hear from local business owners about their own innovation stories and how implementing change has gotten their companies to where they are now.
John M. Armstrong,?Ph.D., of Lead Horse Technologies Inc., shares innovative solutions on a global level to address challenges facing industry today.
Vincent Amanor-Boadu, Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics, will focus on strategic thinking and visioning, change management, and business development for innovation in our agriculturally-based businesses.?
"I intend to talk about the near-term trends in agriculture and agri-food and the opportunities they present for local economic development. I will discuss how a careful assessment of opportunities on the horizon may help communities develop closer connections and hence potential investments in their agriculture and agri-food initiatives to engender economic growth and development," Amanor-Boadu said.
Katie Morris, Kansas State University Office of Local Government, will present the Cowley County economic outlook and County comparison information.??
Also a part of the Forum this year will be the Business and Community Resource Fair. Attendees will be able to talk one-on-one with representatives to gain information that will directly influence their future.
Business resources that will be available include: Kansas Department of Commerce- Business Development, Workforce Alliance, Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation, MAMTC, Network Kansas, USDA Rural Development, and Small Business Development Center. Community resources providing information include: ABCDE, Cowley County Tourism Alliance, Cowley College, and Southwestern College.
For registration or more information, visit the Cowley First Web site or contact:
Cowley First at 620-221-9951 or 620-442-3094 or by email.
Arkansas City Area Chamber of Commerce at 620-442-0230
Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce at 620-221-2420
