The Sedalia-Pettis County Economic Development (EDSPC) Board of Directors gathered for their annual meeting Thursday at the EDSPC offices, 3615 W. Broadway, and welcomed two new members to the board.

Randy Kirby
Randy Kirby
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Jimmy Robertson, Bothwell Regional Health Center CEO, and Dr. Joanna Anderson, State Fair Community College president, were officially recognized as board members. Robertson was unable to attend the meeting due to a scheduling conflict, but Dr. Anderson did attend the meeting and spoke with KSIS about her pleasure and excitement about being chosen to serve on the EDSPC board.

“I'm excited, because SFCC helps with educational programs to be an economic driver and engine for our community, and so I see my role as really helping make sure that in any economic development, we've got the educational support and skilled workforce to make it happen here,” Dr. Anderson commented.

Executive Director Jessica Craig said the two “bring a diverse set of skills and background” to the EDSPC board. “We are so very excited to have them,” she said. As for Dr. Anderson, Craig said that it makes a lot of sense for the college to be represented, “because our workforce is the number one key to companies expanding and growing within our region, so we want to continue to supply them with the workforce that they need to be successful.”

Craig, who helmed the first EDSPC meeting of 2017, noted that the meeting recapped the activity of 2016. “It was a year of supporting our local manufacturers and industry with expansion, as well as working with some companies from outside the state looking for new facility locations,” Craig told KSIS following the meeting. “We are coming into 2017, hitting the ground running with a lot of prospect activity, and a lot of good things in store.”

Craig pointed out during the meeting that more and more companies are wanting larger tracts of land to relocate facilities, along with rail access. “Companies have a lot of ways in which they want to move their product – rail and roads being the two major ones, specifically,” she said.

EDSPC's is currently in great financial shape, Craig told the board, with around $151,000 in liquid assets. “We are an organization that is very lucky to be supported by the City, the County and the (EDSPC) Service Corporation. We are financially stable, and we look forward to continuing that momentum into 2017 so we can increase that activity and support,” she stated. EDSPC now has two CDs (certificates of deposit), one at Missouri Bank 2 and one at Simmons Bank.

In addition to new members, the City of Sedalia appointed City Councilman Tollie Rowe to the Board of Directors for fiscal year 2017 and Pettis County appointed Eastern Commissioner Brent Hampy.

EDSPC Board President Rusty Kahrs noted the great relationship between the board and the City and County.

In her role as executive director, Craig plans to continue the outreach of the EDSPC in fiscal year 2017, which includes three outreach trips this coming year. Also planned are upgrades to the website http://www.sedaliamoed.com/. She said legal representation needs to be budgeted to protect the EDSPC. More miscellaneous items included an upgrade to the office copy machine as well as new board of director polo shirts.

The EDSPC board meets again April 5. And on April 28, the Sedalia Country Club will be the site of the always popular “Economic Development Works For You” annual awards banquet.

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