This year’s Regional Leaders Retreat is in the books and the leaders are excited about the amount of information that was presented and the amount of collaboration that was seen from the separate communities.

The focus of this year’s retreat was on economic development throughout the region. Courtney Dunbar, Economic Development Leader with Olson and Associates out of Omaha, Nebraska, facilitated this year’s retreat.

Dunbar focused on trying to give the leaders a glimpse into how the economic development game is played. “The real needs for regional cooperation in order to make sure that were emphasizing the best assets and that were able to move those into creating jobs and capital investment for the entire area.”

She explained that the more the region works together the better we can look and be portrayed to the world for better opportunities.

Cecil Aska, Junction City Mayor, said that he’s planning to sit down with the City Commission along with the Chamber of Commerce to go over what the city needs to start working on with the region.

“Particularly with Manhattan and Pottawatomie County in relationship with NBAF,” Aska said.

Multiple topics ranging from regional land use to regional branding were discussed throughout the retreat. During round table work sessions the leaders were asked to come up with ideas and goals on regional land use, regional transportation, workforce-target industries and regional branding.

On regional land use the leaders discussed the need to identify available land and how to share that information with each other in order to work together to identify what industries would work where. The Flint Hills Regional Council is working on developing an online program where site selectors can go to and see maps of the region with available land.

Ideas were developed on how to improve transportation in the region. Some of the early ideas that were brought up included the development of a light rail system from Abilene to Wamego and the expansion of the aTa Bus transit system. Local improvements to transportation were also discussed including improvements to sidewalks and infrastructure.

Identifying the local workforce and providing adequate training for that workforce was a priority during one of the breakout sessions. Some of the goals developed on that included having local business’s team up with local education institutions to create internships and other training programs. Another common concern among the leaders involved retaining people in the region in particular retiring soldiers at Fort Riley and graduates from both high school and higher education levels.

The leaders were asked what their goals were when it came to regional branding. The common goal from the leaders was to establish a global image for the region and define the region.

“This region has to work regionally. Every area that is growing within the United States on a fast track level is doing it because they have come together and they show cooperation on that level,” Dunbar said.”It is too much to do alone. It isn’t going to show up as singular identified communities when others are looking to come in. They’re going to look at it as an aura of an area. Again play the game that the market dictates that the game be played.”