The 2017 Regional Leaders’ Retreat is Friday, January 20th and Saturday, January 21st at the Olathe Conference Center.

Chamber of Commerce members representing Geary, Riley and Pottawatomie counties will be in attendance to discuss various issues ranging from economic development actions taken during the past year to a report from Fort Riley.

Dennis Beson, Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce CEO, said that the conference is so far removed from the communities involved in order to help facilitate uninterrupted work toward common goals for the Flint Hills region.

“It’s been a really great collaborative effort going on out there and I’m very much looking forward to this retreat this year because it gives us an opportunity to really talk with our regional partners, see where we’re at and see what are some of the areas that we can focus on from Geary county’s perspective,” said Beson.

Brigadier General Patrick Frank, Fort Riley and 1st Infantry Division Commanding General will give a report from Fort Riley previewing the 100th Anniversary of the 1st Infantry Division, the Matrix Design Group report, and informing the community on the many efforts taking place on the installation.

Beson noted that Lieutenant General Perry Wiggins, Director of Governor’s Military Council, will also provide an update and report.

“He’s already making a tremendous advantage for us, I think, just for the region – he’s a go-getter, he’s a well spoken guy and I’m really excited that he’s with us,” said Beson.

Other topics to be covered include a strategy to update the Joint Land Use Study for the Flint Hills Region, the future of multi-modal transportation in the region, and the impact of Kansas State University athletics.

The retreat can be live-streamed on Friday beginning at noon on JC Post by clicking the Leaders’ Retreat tab on the home page.

1420 KJCK will provide coverage in reports throughout the day Friday and Saturday.