Friday, September 19, the Clay County EDC and the Associated Industries of Missouri, along with Grow Missouri jointly hosted a discussion with business leaders about entrepreneurship and ideas to “Create a Great State.” The discussion was led by Rep. T. J. Berry and former Rep. Jerry Nolte, and included observations and ideas from several area entrepreneurs.
The group included participation from several area economic developers, including Blue Springs EDC leader Brien Starner and Ed Holicky, economic developer for the City of Smithville, as well as a representative of one of the KC area’s largest employers, Melissa Freeman from Cerner Corporation, and agencies that exist to help entrepreneurs connect with the resources they need, including the Digital Sandbox – KC. Aaron Willard from Grow Missouri talked about the history of the group and the effort to collect ideas for advancing Missouri as a location for job creators, large and small, and the best ways to foster innovation and job creation in Missouri.
The exchange of ideas will help as Rep. Berry begins to design his legislation for 2015 and as AIM begins to discuss legislative priorities for 2015. Jerry Nolte talked about the importance of entrepreneurship to the direction of Clay County and the way in which that strategy intertwines with the Strategic Plan for Clay County, an effort which he co-chaired with former Liberty mayor Greg Canuteson.
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