Carroll County Well Represented at Development Conference

Rural Illinois is changing and can no longer depend on traditional economic development methods. Community leaders must look for new and innovative practices that take advantage of local assets. Entrepreneurship and new technologies are being put to use in rural areas to build new models of prosperity.

Eight residents from Carroll County recently learned about these approaches at the 20th Annual Rural Community Economic Development Conference: Promoting a Rural Renaissance, held in Peoria, Illinois on March 4-5. Those eight included: Cathy Brunner (representing Blackhawk Hills RC & D), Doug Bergren and Nina Cooper of Mt. Carroll; Daryl Johnson, Joe Payette and Troy Lessman of Shannon; Galen Wirth of Milledgeville; and John Huggins (AmeriCorps VISTA) of Lanark.

They were also joined by service providers that work directly within the county. Those include: Laurie Gungel from Tri-County Economic Development Alliance (TCEDA); Michele Miller from the Small Business Development Center; Steve Silberman from AmeriCorps VISTA; Julie Jacobs from Blackhawk Hills RC & D; plus representatives from a wide variety of state and federal agencies.

The conference featured speakers on rural development from across the country. Sponsored by the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University, the Governor's Rural Affairs Council, and Rural Partners, the conference attracted more than 300 participants from throughout the state.

"The conference offered a unique opportunity to hear from national experts in rural development and, at the same time, network with practitioners from throughout Illinois," said Christopher Merrett, IIRA director.

Don Macke of the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship opened the conference with a discussion of community foundations. David Ivan, Michigan State University Extension, presented three sessions on ways to make small towns "cool" to build long-term sustainability. Sam Cordes of Purdue University addressed the anticipated changes in rural policy in the wake of a new presidential administration. Other conference sessions featured discussions of entrepreneurship, TIF districts, business succession, and financing infrastructure projects.

On March 12, attendees from Carroll County met to discuss what each brought away from the two days and what they believe are important issued to be explored further for the county and its communities. Key stakeholders were identified and an action plan was started. Bonnie Foust of Shannon also attended this meeting.

The Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs was created in 1989 to help community leaders find ways to improve the quality of life in rural areas based on research, education, and technical assistance initiatives. It is funded with state, federal, and private support. Information about IIRA and its programs, including upcoming training events is available on the IIRA Web site, www.iira.org.

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