Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Community and Chamber of Commerce leaders from Geary, RIley and Pottawatomie Counties gathered in Olathe late last week for the 2019 Regional Leaders Retreat. One important topic involved workforce issues and development.

Geary County Commissioner Ben Bennett told JC Post on the subject with awareness that will be a key to bringing business and industry to the three-county region. “Well the biggest thing will be working through education and that’s something we’ve tried to do is getting vocational classes to provide a work-ready force for those kids that aren’t going to go to college, and for those that are to provide them hopefully, the types of jobs and bring in the types of businesses that will be effective. We’ll be needing those types of individuals.”

Bennett stated “Keeping kids at home and keeping them working, and providing the jobs is the big issue, and now we’re going to have to sit down and hopefully map out some things that will allow that to happen.”

Other topics covered in the retreat ranged from Fort Riley to Region Reimagined.