Iowa Ag Connection - Kirkwood to Host 2020 Iowa Rural Summit

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Kirkwood to Host 2020 Iowa Rural Summit
Iowa Ag Connection - 08/20/2019

The Iowa Rural Development Council has announced that the 2020 Iowa Rural Summit will be held April 29-May 1 at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center on the campus of Kirkwood Community College. This will be the fourth annual gathering of leaders from rural communities from across the state.

The Summit is sponsored by the Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC), a public-private state non-profit that works to support small towns addressing issues such as housing, broadband access, business development and leadership.

"We were really intentional about partnering with a community college for the 2020 Summit," said IRDC Chair Sandy Ehrig. "Community colleges across Iowa are key partners for rural communities, small and large businesses, and our next generation of workers. Kirkwood will give us a venue to see this work first-hand."

Ehrig said Summit planners will work closely with rural communities from the region to highlight projects and successes.

"There are great stories to be told by places like Ely, Swisher, Mount Vernon, Central City and Solon that we want to share with Summit attendees," said Ehrig, who also co-chairs Governor Kim Reynolds' "Empower Rural Iowa" task force. "Providing attendees with examples and best practices they can take home has been a hallmark of past summits."

Last year's Iowa Rural Summit was held at the Hotel Grinnell in Grinnell and drew 380 individuals, including 80 three-person teams from rural communities. Ehrig said the Rural Development Council intends to continue its practice of inviting towns to send a three-person team to the Summit since it has clearly resulted in generating consensus and momentum for those places that were represented.

For more information, send emails to director@iowardc.org.

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