Cydney Mayfield, Executive Director of MSDC, encourages all citizens of Saline County to provide feedback on the upcoming county economic development plan. "Citizen input is important to ensure that we have the right strategies in place to address the needs of our businesses, communities, and various stakeholders."
Since 2017, unprecedented changes have come to West Central Missouri. In the wake of these changes, Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Commission set a committee of stakeholders to chronicle the new economic and social challenges and reset a course toward continuing development for the communities in Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, and Saline counties. This updated strategy is ready for public review and comments will be accepted until June 27, 2022. Residents may review this updated Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) electronically at https://www.trailsrpc.org/economic-development/comprehensive-economic-development-strategy/. Individuals interested in reading and commenting in person may review the CEDS in the PTRPC offices at 802 S. Gordon St. Rm. 102, Concordia, Mo.
The CEDS provides essential guidance to regional leaders across industry, government, nonprofits, and educational institutions in guiding strategies that have an economic influence on the region. The strategies were developed with participation from all four counties to develop a shared vision and set of goals for West Central Missouri. While Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Commission will help lead in implementing this updated strategy, its fruition will require a shared, coordinated effort across regional organizations.
“Economic development is a team sport,” said Israel Baeza, Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Commission Chairman. CEDS committee chair, Tracy Brantner added that “This updated CEDS will not only provide a five-year strategy to guide our work at PTRPC but will also coordinate efforts with partners across the region. Through intentional collaboration, we can move West Central Missouri towards stronger resilience.”
The report begins with an Executive Summary and an assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges (SWOC). This assessment evaluates West Central Missouri based on factors including general economic conditions, labor market attributes and educational attainment, trends in target industry sectors, housing infrastructure, and innovation and entrepreneurship activity. The resulting quantitative analysis considers the region’s performance over time. The analysis evaluates the current state of the region to inform and guide the Strategic Plan.
The Strategic Plan presents a series of goals and objectives, serving as a roadmap for West Central Missouri’s economic development efforts. By developing a shared vision by regional stakeholders, the plan identified the following four goals:
