The Moniteau County Regional Economic Development Council (MRED) met last Wednesday in Tipton, with board members discussing a number of upcoming events and other MRED ventures.
The event on the most immediate horizon is a Career and Resource Fair, planned in conjunction with Central Missouri Community Action's Jenn Millard. The event is set for Thursday at Centennial Hall on the Moniteau County Fairgrounds. As of last week's meeting, 28 vendors had signed on to show at the fair.
Also on the horizon are Startup Moniteau mixers, which serve to acquaint interested entrepreneurs with MRED's yearly LaunchU program. The first mixer of the season is set for Thursday, Sept. 16 from 6-8 p.m. at Co-Mo Electric Co-op's meeting room. LaunchU sessions will begin Jan. 4, 2022 and take place from 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from then on until completion.
Other MRED programs that have been discussed at previous meetings this year also near a return. The group's business retention visit efforts have gained some ground - MRED President Mike Kelley said last week the committee working to bring the visits back now has a framework for how they would look and will now look to get some feedback.
Central Missouri Business Leaders meetings are also set for a return, likely sooner than business retention visits. Kelley said the plan was to re-launch the meeting series after Startup Moniteau mixers have begun taking place.
The group also plans to continue facilitating "Lunch and Learn" visits from local businesses at area schools. The plan was to aim for starting those visits at the end of September, sending a presenter to each of the county's high school every month.
MRED's next regular monthly meeting is set for Wednesday, Oct. 13 at noon in California.