Stevens County Economic Development Board presented a Strategic Plan for young business people of Stevens County Thursday, December 1, 2016 at the Senior Center Activity Center. A great meal was offered to all and was created by China Cafe.

EcoDevo Director Neal Gillespie and EcoDevo Board President Curtis Crawford presided.

Curtis began the meeting by stating they wanted to reach out to the young people in the community to get their input. He then asked each participant to introduce themselves.

Curtis then discussed the Strategic Plan put together by Liz Sosa which included the topics of Business, Churches, Housing and Education.

Neal remarked the young people are the future of the community. He would like to get more young people to join committees and get involved in the community.

Neal and Curtis informed the crowd of the Leadership Stevens County they are planning. When they had the last Leadership Stevens County, about 60 people graduated. When they had the six sessions, they took a lot of tours of different businesses, schools and hospital as well as local and regional government. They even went to Topeka to the State Capital. They hope this next Leadership Stevens County will be as successful.

Chamber of Commerce Director Alisha Owens stated after the meeting, “Please feel free to call the office, or better yet, stop by. We would love to discuss any concerns or ideas that you may have, answer any questions, or at least point you in the right direction. There are many boards and committees that make up the backbone of many businesses and organizations in Stevens County and your commitment to any board would be greatly appreciated, and we would love to get you in touch with those leaders should you be interested in joining. It takes everyone working together, and people such as yourselves to make Stevens County such a great place to reside.”

Curtis stated they plan to have another Strategic Plan in February 2017.