The website (www.mred.biz) for Moniteau County Regional Economic Development Council has been improved and is up and running, Chairman Mike Kelley told the board at its Dec. 14 meeting at Burgher Haus.
Cliff Callis of Callis & Associates, Sedalia, gave the final presentation of his contracted work. The postcard and information letter has been sent to 250 metal fabrication companies. Those companies may fit with the businesses already present in the county. The four-page brochure about the county is ready to be printed and is expected to go out soon. The brochure highlights the fiberoptics gigabit technology possibilities, other strong reasons for locating in the region and information about the county and the cities. Emphasis is placed on the access to technology and the ease of rural living. The brochure also includes testimonials from several business people located in Moniteau County.
Kelley reported that the U.S.D.A. grant of $10,000 has been received, leaving the organization with $16,251.54. He also reported that he is now editing videos for the website. In addition, Kelley is working with a business which is now in a location in Tipton.
Work has been done to promote Moniteau County, but it was agreed that more work needs to be done. California Mayor Norris Gerhart pointed out that there is no list of all the buildings, lots, or other properties available for businesses to rent, lease or purchase. Anyone who might be called about an available location fitting certain needs would not be likely to have a good answer.
CO-MO CEO Ken Johnson pointed out that to be truly useful, such a list should include facility and property structure, dimensions, condition, available utilities, roads, streets and access points. The information needs to be available for anyone looking for a location. If possible, the website of LocationOne Information Systems should be updated with this information. This website allows the user to check out locations available around a large area.
In other business, the workforce development project was discussed. The program continues to run into problems with emerging workers. The testing takes several hours. In theory, a Work Ready Community can measure, and close, the gap of skills needed in the members of the workforce in the area by matching the workforce development efforts with the skills need in the local businesses and industries. It was also considered that the program may not be a good fit with Moniteau County. The counties which it the program appears to be successful in have a different workforce need than Moniteau County.