The Moniteau County Regional Economic Development Council is nearing a return for a pair of old programs.
At last Wednesday's monthly board meeting, MRED members were presented with a first-draft outline for a revitalized version of the organization's Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) program. Members were asked to review the document so it can be formalized by the group's November meeting.
The program, which has been out of commission for a number of years, is an economic development strategy focused on assisting existing businesses by better understanding their needs. That work would involve MRED's BRE committee sending members to scheduled meetings with area businesses to talk about their needs, then developing an approach to help those businesses identify their strengths and opportunities for growth.
MRED is also approaching a return for its Central Missouri Business Leaders meetings, which served as an opportunity for area businesses to share their stories or for attendees to network and learn about a variety of topics related to business ownership.
The meetings previously took place once a month during late 2019 and early 2020, but future iterations would likely take place on a bi-monthly basis, MRED President Mike Kelley said last week.
Other items discussed at last week's meeting included MRED's Startup Moniteau mixers, which help to inform the public about the LaunchU program offered each year starting in January. The first of four mixers took place earlier this month, and the second took place last Thursday.
Kelley said, as of last week's meeting, one or two people had committed to taking part in the LaunchU program. MRED will have at least $6,000 in startup funds to award to participants through the program's pitch competition, not counting any contributions received from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Kelley also discussed progress with Moniteau County's Certified Work Ready Community status; prior to last week's meeting, he said 28 Tipton students had taken the Certified Work Ready exam, leaving the county needing only a handful of businesses to sign on as being willing to accept emerging employees.
Finally, the group was given a debrief regarding last month's career and resource fair. The fair ultimately included 39 vendors and 119 student sign-ins from the three Moniteau County schools - California, Jamestown and Tipton - and Otterville. MRED plans to move forward with offering the fair to students next year, with organizers calling the event a "success."
MRED's next monthly meeting is set for Wednesday, Nov. 10 at noon in Tipton.