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September 3, 2009
‘Welcome Home to Western Kansas’ is the title of a brochure I picked up the other day at a meeting. This brochure is put out by wkREDA, Western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance and KANSASWORKS, a division of Kansas Department of Commerce. This wonderful color brochure highlights the opportunities Western Kansas offers to those that already live here, those considering moving back to Western Kansas, or those that want to support their hometown by vacationing there, giving to a local community foundation, or encouraging entrepreneurship programs.
The brochure states: “Folks come to Western Kansas for a variety of reasons: they want to raise their family in safe, affordable surroundings; need to be close to relatives; may be ready to retire; or perhaps they want to pursue a life-long dream. What you will find is that the quality of life in Western Kansas is better than ever. There is a lot to do, the cost of living is lower than other places, and the workplace needs you and appreciates you. Visit www.westernKSjobs.com to learn more about the jobs and lifestyle that Western Kansas has to offer. We hope you’ll come home to Western Kansas, and encourage others to do the same!”
I went on to www.westernKSjobs.com and there were not any job listings for Cheyenne County. This is an awesome resource that we need to take advantage of! If your business has a position opening, you can go onto www.westernKSjobs.com and post an opening, or give us a call and we will do it for you. Let’s take advantage of this regional marketing effort to benefit our community!
~Cathy
August 20, 2009
The Northwest Kansas Travel Council (NWKTC) has worked diligently since 1980 to promote tourism and recreation in the 18-county area of northwest Kansas, and has become a self-supporting organization that is respected around the state for tourism promotion. In 2005, a group of western Kansas organizations commissioned Fermata, Inc. to develop a strategy for experiential tourism in western Kansas. It is our strategy to develop tourism that lets visitors not only “see” NW Kansas, but “experience” it as well.
Our efforts begin with the Native American history that is such a big part of Kansas history. We hope that our efforts will help tourists better understand that history, and in turn, better understand Kansas. Fermata was especially impressed with the quality of the geologic, scenic and natural experiences that western Kansas has to offer. In the northwest part of Kansas, Fermata fell in love with the area from Sharon Springs north through the Arikaree Breaks where the traveler is often treated to landscapes devoid of the hand of man.
NWKTC has contracted with First Generation Video, and a personal interview has been conducted and filmed of Tobe Zweygardt about the history of the area. Now NWKTC would like to film Mr. Zweygardt in the environment of the Breaks and let him become the storyteller that so naturally comes to him. This second phase of our plan involves financial assistance from individuals and organizations in the area. The Breaks Task Force once again will contract with First Generation Video for a combination “History Channel and Travel Channel” video. The video would be about 10 minutes long, with additional interview segments from Mr. Zweygardt that would be used on the NWKTC web site. The DVD would be available at tourist destination sites throughout Kansas, including museums, visitor centers, and would be shown at sport and travel shows attended by the NWKTC in Denver, Wichita, Omaha, and Kansas City.
I serve on the NWKTC Breaks Task Force, so if you would like more information on this tourism project for our area, or to make a contribution, please contact the Bird City Century II Development Foundation office at 785-734-2556 or stop by to chat!
~Cathy
August 13, 2009
Bird City, Kansas becomes the first Program Member of the Audubon Lifestyles Bird City USA Program!
We were contacted a few weeks ago by Ron Dodson, President of Audubon International, to see if Bird City would be interested in becoming a member of a new program called Bird City USA. What is the Bird City USA program? The Bird City USA program provides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for municipalities and communities throughout the United States who recognize International Migratory Bird Day, and the importance that birds have in our communities. So after visiting with Mr. Dodson, we decided to pay the initial (and annual) membership fees if city council agreed to becoming a member, and they did so at their last council meeting.
Audubon Lifestyles and the International Sustainability Council are partnering on a project called The Sustainability Campaign. This quote is taken from their Spring 2009 newsletter, “We cannot wish ourselves to a sustainable future. We must work ourselves to a sustainable future, one person and one place at a time. We cannot let ourselves become overwhelmed with the magnitude of the issues we are facing. This will lead us to giving up and not taking any action. Everyone can do something, and if we all did those small things that may seem inconsequential the collective results can be huge and very meaningful.”
One focus of the Bird City USA program is sustainable community growth by using birds and conservation efforts. By becoming a Bird City USA member we are associated with an organization on a national and international level for bird conservation, economic development, and marketing efforts. If you are interested in serving on the Bird City USA Advisory Group for Bird City, please contact DeAnza at City Hall (734-2616) or Cathy at BCCII (734-2556). The group will be responsible for coordinating Bird City USA efforts and actions in our community.
Learn more about the Bird City USA program at: www.audubonlifestyles.org
~Cathy
August 6, 2009
It was good to see you all at the Thresher Show, and thanks for stopping by our booth and giving us your business ideas! As much as I would love one, I’m not sure if we could get a Starbucks or Cold Stone in Bird City, but I try to never say never ‘cause you just never know! Following are the ideas that were given to us – our hope is that these ideas will get people talking and who knows, maybe we can utilize our E-Community Loan Fund and the Business Development Scholarship to see a few of these ideas become a reality for our community.
Motel/hotel/mall/Bed & Breakfast/home builder/ice cream truck/McDonald’s/Arby’s/KFC/Pet Store/Subway/toy store/tractor store/vet clinic/Nike Outlet Mall/Target/Chinese restaurant/ Wendy’s/Burger King/ bus stop/zoo/Pizza Hut/museum/Sonic/rodeo/Mexican restaurant/castle/garden shop/donut shop/Maurices/paper store/Old Navy/Ross/sports shop/arcade/Walgreen’s/Chick-fil-a/ice cream shop/Chuck-E-Cheese/Wal-Mart/dirt bike track/a fair/game stop/school supply store/Macy’s/hair shop/Aeropostale’/ water park/Holister/Adidas Outlet/Zeros/jewelry store/grill cleaning/pillow making/bay horses/game room/bowling alley/Cold Stone/bakery/wood shop/Home Depot/hat shop/car shop/ Starbuck’s/animal center/aquarium/hospital/lake/Great Wolf Lodge/El Durango/Holiday Inn
~Cathy
July 30, 2009
Darci and I attended a meeting sponsored by the Kansas Association of Community Foundations on a new program funded by the Kansas Health Foundation this week. We are very excited about this opportunity for our community foundation and for Kansas community foundations.
The day began with a brief overview of the Transfer of Wealth study performed last year for the state of Kansas. The largest mass of wealth in history will transfer in the next 50 years from the World War II era to the Baby Boomers, and then on to their children. There is the urgency of capturing a portion of this transfer to benefit Kansas and our communities before it is passed on to heirs and charities in other states. Community foundations are taking a leadership role with the goal to capture only 5% of this transfer of wealth. In 2004, it was estimated that the net worth for the state of Kansas was $545 billion. Even though the dollar amounts may have changed since 2004, the urgency is still there and we need to grasp a portion of what is left.
The workshop continued on with a motivating presenter from Indiana talking about the importance of building endowments, or permanent funds, in our community foundations. The Kansas Health Foundations then presented the information on the new program, of which it’s goal is to build alliances with other community foundations and assist us with creating endowments to sustain our community foundations. We plan to take advantage of this awesome opportunity given to us by the Kansas Health Foundation and we look forward to sharing and working with you to achieve our goals!
~Cathy
July 23, 2009
The Thresher Show is right around the corner, are you ready? We do not have our booth ready yet, but we are working on it. We hope you take the time to stop by and give us some input on any entrepreneurial ideas you have for Bird City!
I always look forward to the Thresher Show – fresh lemonade, homemade pie, cotton candy, steam engine races, and the list goes on…
Here’s a quick run-down of some of what’s happening over the week-end – hope to see you there!
HEART CITY HEART WARMERS Friday 7:00pm at the American Legion Hall
FUN RUN Saturday 8:00am at the Thresher Grounds
BBQ Saturday 5:00pm – 7:00pm at the Thresher Grounds
TRACTOR PULL Saturday 6:30pm at the Thresher Grounds
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 9:00am Neville Country Church at the Thresher Grounds
~Cathy
July 16, 2009
Congratulations! Big Ed’s was nominated for the Hays Daily News: 8 Wonders of Northwest Kansas Cuisine contest and made it in the Top 8 out of 40 nominations. They couldn’t have done it without all of you who voted every day – good job!
So what does this mean for Big Ed’s and Bird City? Well, a little publicity goes a long way. Big Ed’s could see increased business from residents of NW Kansas, which means increased traffic through our community. Then the ripple effect could take place (no guarantees, but let’s be prepared) – someone comes in to town to eat a delicious steak, they drive through a community with pride, and they are greeted by pleasant people with smiling faces. With an experience like this these same people are bound to come back for another steak, bringing some friends next time. And who knows, these same people or someone they know, just might have a business idea perfect for our community – and we have the resources in place to help them!
Others in the Top 8 were: Arthur’s Pizza, Ellis; Bunker Hill Café, Bunker Hill; A&W Restaurant, Russell; Professor’s Steakhouse, Hays; Chubby Pickle, Phillipsburg; Effie’s, Rush Center; and Pizza Plus, Ness City. So if you are traveling through one of these communities, stop in and let them know you wanted to eat at one of the Top 8 Wonders of Northwest Kansas Cuisine and invite them to do the same!
~ Cathy
July 9, 2009
Happy Birthday, Bird City! In another year Bird City will be 125 years old – a few of us in the community feel this warrants a celebration! I have a hard time comprehending how times must have been only a few years ago when Benjamin Bird arrived and the Northwestern Cattle Company was organized and known as Bird Ranch, then the city was platted and given the name Birdton, soon after the name was changed to Bird City.
This also means that the Bird City Century II Development Foundation will be 25 years old – hard to believe it has been a few short years since 5 community-minded men came together around the table to try to figure out what to do with the $11,000 leftover from the Centennial celebration. I have a feeling someone knew what they were doing for the future of their community, what do you think?
If you are interested in assisting with the planning of the 125th celebration, please give Darci or I a call at the Foundation office (785-734-2556), or DeAnza at City Hall (785-734-2616). Hope to hear from you soon!
PS: We welcome any volunteers – near or far.
~Cathy
July 2, 2009
Thanks to Darci & Sydney for taking such good care of the office while I was away. Canada was great, but the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in the Rocky Mountains was awesome!
There were more than 1,400 walkers, including 143 survivors and 136 men, that had their choice of walking a marathon (26.2 miles) or a marathon-and-a-half (39.3 miles) over the weekend. My partner and I had set our goal to walk the entire 39.3 miles. We started in Keystone, then after 26.2 miles on Saturday, our families met us at the Wellness Village in Frisco to visit and get a glimpse of why we have been “gone walkin’ “ so much the past few months. We then settled into our comfy blue 2-man tent for a cool night (waking up with ice on our tents), and we were we happy to get our sore bodies out of our warm sleeping bags to start another day of walking! After a warm breakfast we hit the trail for our 13.1 mile jaunt to Breckenridge. Even though it wasn’t a competitive fundraising event, we did enjoy making great time on Saturday and finishing in the top 5 on Sunday!
More than $2.6 million was raised and at the closing ceremony on Sunday, new grants were awarded by the Avon Foundation for Women to local and regional breast cancer organizations to advance access for care and research.
Not only did I take in every detail of everything that took place because I was a participant, but I paid attention to other details of the weekend that could help me in my job as the Executive Director of a non-profit organization. The purpose of the fundraiser was obvious, but the way we were treated was amazing. We were treated like heroes. I have always been told to cultivate my donors and build a relationship with them. The Avon Foundation staff and crew definitely took great pride in their organization and I am proud of them too – so much that I might participate in the Walk again…once I take care of a couple of blisters, regrow a few toenails and get the kinks worked out of my hips and knee…but it was a great time! And a little pain for me now will hopefully help lessen someone else’s pain of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the future.
~Cathy
June 25, 2009 - by Darci Schields
Cathy’s on vacation and Sydney Busse (our summer intern) is getting enrolled for college…so that leaves me to write this week’s ‘Chatting with Cathy’ article. I am going to do a follow up to Sydney’s article 2 weeks ago discussing entrepreneurship, but first I’m going to lead up to that by telling a little bit about myself.
My name is Darci (Nelsen) Schields, I work part-time here at Bird City Century II Development Foundation as Administrative Assistant. I grew up in Bird City and graduated from Cheylin in 1992, I’m the youngest daughter of David and Deanna Nelsen. In 2008, my husband, Kale, accepted the 6th grade teaching position at Cheylin Elementary, bringing my family back to my hometown. I am very happy to be home, Bird City is such a great little community and a super place to raise kids!
Speaking of kids…We have 3 wonderful children, Austin is 14, Andrew is 6, and Ashlyn is 7 months. As you can see, we have 3 completely different stages going on…keeping us very busy and on the go!
When we made the decision to move back to Bird City, I didn’t know at the time what career path I would be taking…I have always been fortunate to have a job that worked around my kids’ schedules and their sporting events, and I wasn’t at all wanting to sacrifice the chance of giving that up! With my oldest son going into 8th grade, I knew sports were only going to get busier! After much thought and research, I decided to pursue the possibilities of opening my own photography business. I have always enjoyed photography as a fun, extracurricular activity, and I saw an opportunity to turn it into a professional career that could benefit me and the Bird City community. In August 2008, ’Portraits by Darci’ was officially open for business. Since then, I have had some great opportunities to build my business portfolio by taking Cheylin sports photos, senior portraits, family pictures…and of course, hundreds of my own children’s photos, (which by the way, my 7 month old is more tolerant of my photo-taking than my other two)!
Photography has been a great window of opportunity for me and my family. Opening my own business hasn’t been a simple, easy task; however, with commitment and the support of my family and friends, and the will to want to succeed, it has made the task much easier. Photography is quite an adventure…each session is unique in its own way, and I am constantly learning new things. I truly enjoy what I do, plus it allows me the freedom to be the ‘on the go’ mom which is what’s most important to me!!!
Now, with all of that said…WHAT IS ENTREPRENEURSHIP? It is defined as ‘the practice of starting new business in response to identified opportunities’. Fortunately, I saw an opportunity to start a photography business in Bird City. I was also very fortunate to meet with Cathy through Bird City Century II Development Foundation, and pursue this new business opportunity with her before we ever moved back to Bird City. I owe her a huge ‘thank you’ for getting me on the right track and helping me through the complex undertaking. I highly suggest to anyone who foresees a new business opportunity to stop by and visit with Cathy. She is very knowledgeable, has various project ideas ‘in the works’, and is very committed to the Bird City community.
June 18, 2009 - by Sydney Busse
The boss is gone, he he! Cathy is out of the office this week, so she is letting me write her column. She said I could write about whatever I want, so watch out.
As any of my friends would tell you, I am the ditziest smart person they know. I always seem to ask the most (non)intelligent questions. Since I am naturally rather scatterbrained, I thought I could use that to write the article for the week. Welcome to Random Thoughts with Sydney Busse.
• If you don’t already know, I will be attending Baylor University in Waco, Texas this fall. I have not yet determined what my major will be, but plan to be successful at whatever I choose.
• I absolutely LOVE trivial facts (like some of the ones I’ve included). That is part of the reason why my Scholars’ Bowl team went to state this year, because we all do.
• It is generally not a good idea to wear brown and black together, or navy and black for that matter—unless you’re wearing snazzy FFA official dress. As with all rules, this is flexible, but make sure the shades complement each other. (Guys, ask a female!)
• The word "nerd" was first coined by Dr. Seuss in "If I Ran the Zoo." (My friends make fun of me all the time for being a nerd.)
• I know, now, that you can’t bend a cracker, no matter how hard you try.
• Dried pineapple is God’s gift to dried fruit.
• In August, my family and I are taking a trip to Australia. Ever since I was little, my mom told me that for my 18th birthday, we would go to Sydney, Australia. I was never sure if she was serious, but I turned 18 in May, and we are really going!
• In the early days of the telephone, operators would pick up a call and use the phrase, "Well, are you there?” It wasn't until 1895 that someone suggested answering the phone with the phrase "Number, please?"
• The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want. (This happens to me all the time.)
I hope you have learned something from this article, even though it was like me: a little haphazard. Tune in for next week’s edition of Chatting with Cathy; Darci is writing it!
June 11, 2009 - by Sydney Busse
For all of you who were just waiting for a column from Cathy this week, I’m sorry to disappoint you. However, I hope you enjoy this week’s column even though I wrote it.
This week, I’m going to talk about myself, well, sort of. I will actually be telling you a little more about my internship for the summer, which I am doing through Century II and Rawlins County Economic Development.
I have seen many of you around town the past few weeks, and you have asked me what I am doing this summer. Before I started work, I wasn’t even exactly sure what my job involved. I have taken an internship with Ogallala Commons for the summer. Ogallala Commons is an organization that strives to build up rural communities that are supplied by the Ogallala Aquifer. Each year, they hire several interns who live in small communities throughout this region, which ranges from Texas and New Mexico north to South Dakota and Wyoming. I am one of these interns. What this means for me is that I have the opportunity to work within the community on projects to strengthen our local infrastructure.
Many of the projects I am currently working on at Century II focus on entrepreneurship. I have been researching implementing an entrepreneurship fair at Cheylin to encourage high school students to develop their own business plans, and, in turn, realize that they can return to Bird City to live and work after college. I am also looking to possibly get a business class or workshop that focuses on entrepreneurship implanted as an elective within the high school curriculum. I believe this could get students on the right track towards knowing how businesses are created, and possibly even give them the ability to start their own business someday.
Another one of my projects is focused on getting the entrepreneurial spark started at a younger age. I am working on providing younger students with some opportunities that will hopefully encourage them to use their creativity to come up with new ideas for future businesses.
One of the assignments I am working on in Atwood includes working with the High Plains Food Cooperative, which is organization that connects producers with consumers, kind of like a farmer’s market. About a dozen producers from this area are members of this group, whose market is mainly along the front range. And basically, how it works is the producers (who contribute everything from eggs to oregano to steaks) let us know how much product they have available for sale via our website; the consumers can order what they want from the website; then, on the delivery day, we deliver the produce to various locations in Denver.
Later in the summer, I have the opportunity to take a week-long trip with some of the other interns through a few of the communities that Ogallala Commons works in. It will be an exciting learning experience for me, as we will travel through Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. I am really looking forward to it!
I hope this article hasn’t put you to sleep, but I hope it has clarified a little bit more about what it is that I am doing with my summer.
May 28, 2009
It is amazing how many communities do not have a strategic plan, or if they do have one they do not take the time to review it periodically to see if they are on task or not. It sits on the shelf next to their desk. So I ask myself…what is the use of going through all of the work to create one if you are not going to use it? When I attended the Heartland Economic Development Course last month we discussed how economic development involves having a mission, setting strategic goals and objectives, and creating action plans that identify timelines and resources. I can proudly say we have a strategic plan with all of the necessary pieces, and it is reviewed quite often by the Foundation and the City. If you have not read it yet, you can find it at www.birdcity.com under Community & Business Development, or stop by and I can give you a copy. The best part of having this strategic plan is knowing that all of you had an opportunity to help create it! (Remember those 3 town meetings we had in 2006?)
So how are we doing in regard to the Bird City Strategic Plan (2007-2012) and the timeline? Well, it is amazing what a few spark plugs in the community can get going! We have done very well in accomplishing the goals in our strategic plan, keep on reading to find out more.
At least 26 new jobs have been created since 2007; we have hosted and sponsored different educational programs; the City has made contact with an engineer to begin discussion for downtown beautification; the entrance has been improved with a new sign, flagpoles and landscaping; the EMS Training Room is nearing completion and training/informational programs are being scheduled; focus on Entrepreneurship and creating our own businesses from within is increasing; and a Business Development Scholarship has been created to help educate and bring home anyone wanting to live and work in Bird City for at least 3 years.
City Hall is nearing completion of its facelift, and the swimming pool is having some minor improvements completed as I sit here and type. Housing was another item in the strategic plan; the city applied for state funding to rehabilitate or demolish homes but was denied funding (we will try again!), and the city applied to the state to build two single family homes and two duplex units, a total of six homes, and was approved. Keep your fingers crossed, if everything goes well we might see some construction work begin in June 2009!
We continue to work on an incentive plan for business development, individuals are brainstorming additional events to add to the Thresher Show week-end, the park has been completely renovated and will continue to receive additional improvements throughout the years, Cheylin Recreation Commission is talking to community members to find out what additional camps and events they could include into their program, and we all continue to brainstorm more ideas for improving our community.
It is amazing to a lot of communities and leaders across the State of Kansas what everyone has done here in Bird City to keep this community going and growing. Give yourselves a pat-on-the-back, you are doing a great job! Mark Twain was quoted to say, “People are in favor of progress. It’s change they don’t like.” I don’t believe that is the case here in Bird City, Kansas!
~Cathy
May 21, 2009
Wow! I think these past few days have just been beautiful. I love spring – trimming back old debris from shrubs and planting new flowers, and having the windows open all night so you can wake up to the birds singing. Maybe we can use the spring terminology for Business Attraction: Positioning Our Community, another topic at the Heartland Economic Development Course last month. We can trim back old debris by cleaning up dilapidated properties downtown and throughout the community, and plant new flowers or plant that ‘something extra’, an incentive maybe, that can win the deal, or attract that business to our community. Then we can watch the birds, or community members, patronize our businesses and everything grows together. Ok, maybe I’m reaching to fulfill the metaphors, but I hope you get the idea.
Economic Development is not rocket science, but it does entail putting a plan together and following through with that plan. The 3 P’s of recruiting a business includes: Product, Process & Passion. We need to be well versed on our Product - our community, buildings, incentive plans, business opportunities. We need to streamline the Process for prospective business owners – who do they talk to first, what does the city offer, what financing is available in our area. We need to have Passion – about our community, current businesses, our residents. Are you the cheerleader for our community or the “negative Nancy”? We all need to have a positive attitude to be successful in all parts of community and economic development program, and I think we are doing a great job at that!
I plan to pull out our Strategic Plan again about June 1st and see how well we are following through with our plan. If you would like to take a look at it with me, stop by and we’ll have some coffee/cookies and chat about it! Have a great Memorial Week-end!
~Cathy
May 14, 2009
What is Business Retention & Expansion? This was another topic we discussed at the Heartland Economic Development Course a few weeks ago.
Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) is a core component of any economic development program, in addition to efforts to attract new businesses and encourage the creation of new businesses. BR&E programs assist businesses in an effort to keep them from relocating to other areas, help them survive economic difficulties, assist them with expansions that add new jobs, and increase their competitiveness in the wider marketplace.
BR&E is hard for a small community because we have few existing businesses to grow, however it is more cost effective to keep jobs than finding new jobs. BR&E programs typically involve partnerships of the public, business and community leadership that continuously assess needs of individual companies within the community. This may sound like a formal BR&E program is a huge undertaking, and it is to do it right, especially in a large city. However, I believe there are a few small things that we can do here to make sure we keep our local companies, help them expand and add jobs, and at the same time encourage entrepreneurial activity in our community to create those new businesses.
What has Bird City done in regard to BR&E so far? In March 2006, the Bird City Century II Development Foundation worked with the Kansas Department of Commerce on a BREES (Business Retention & Expansion Survey). Volunteers collected data from 32 area businesses to determine business perspectives on educational and vocational training, employment conditions and employee relations, services offered by government, business climate and quality of life. From a bird’s-eye view, the local business climate of Bird City appeared to be positive and on the rise. Items viewed as less than adequate for community development included: local air transport, availability of training services, labor pool, freight costs, recreation opportunities, railroad quality and availability and quality of housing. These are items that have been worked on, with much room for improvement. The business community has changed since 2006, and it is time to re-evaluate and talk with our businesses more in depth on how we can assist them to ensure their viability and growth. If you are interested in working with the business community on BR&E, please let me know!
On a smaller scale, next time you are in a local business – thank them for having a business in our community – it might just make a bigger impact than you think!
~Cathy
May 7, 2009
As I stated last week, I attended the Heartland Economic Development Course in Blue Springs, MO. The course is accredited by the International Economic Development Council, and is designed to meet the steadily increasing need for professional education in the field of economic development. It is also the first step in meeting the requirements to sit for the Certified Economic Developer exam.
One of the first topics of the week was Entrepreneurship: Growing Your Own. I have been brainstorming ways to further enhance our entrepreneurial spirit in Bird City. Entrepreneurs need a supportive community culture, business technical assistance/training, financing, and networks for intellectual stimulation and to help foster innovation.
I feel that we have a supportive community culture here in Bird City. I personally would like to see a semi-formal gathering of business owners a few times a year to network and offer support for each other. Through the Business Incubator Program here at the Foundation I offer business plan development assistance, and can connect entrepreneurs to other resources, including the Small Business Development Center, Kansas Department of Commerce, Northwest Kansas Planning & Development Commission and Pioneer Country Development. These are all resources to help you get your business started successfully.
Financing a business can be a stressful experience as there are different types of financing, and how in the world do you know who to talk to? Through the Foundation we have established a Revolving Loan Fund to assist our local businesses, and Bird City was also designated an E-Community through Network Kansas. The E-Community Program offers gap financing for a start-up or expanding business. There are other options for financing, such as a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, the Rural Business Development Tax Credit Loan, and traditional bank financing.
There are so many networks for business owners today to help you start a business, run all aspects of your business, close a business or participate in business succession. If you are interested in starting a business or are already in business and thinking of expanding, please give me a call or stop by the office to visit and we’ll work with you to help make this journey a successful one!
~Cathy
April 30, 2009
Last week I attended the Heartland Economic Development Course (HEDC) in Blue Springs, MO. I can now say that I have driven across the state of Kansas on Highway 36! It was an interesting drive and a good week of learning and networking. I really cannot say that I had an “ah-ha” moment about anything new with economic development, but I can say that it did reassure me that we are doing the right things, and gave me some ideas for enhancing some of the things that we are already working on.
Our sessions included topics on: Entrepreneurship, Strategic Planning, Workforce Development, Marketing Your Community, Real Estate & Community Development, Business Retention & Expansion, Financing for Economic Development, Improving Your Web Presence, and Business Attraction: Positioning Your Community & Working With A Prospect. I will talk about these sessions in upcoming Chatting columns, so if you are interested in a specific topic, please let me know!
One of the best resources that came from HEDC was the networking. I came in contact with over 60 other individuals that work in the community and economic development field from five different states: Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa. I am pretty sure I was from the smallest individual community, but there were representatives from counties comparable to ours as well as many others from much larger areas. The interesting thing I noticed though, is that we all have the same issues & concerns, but just at a different level.
I hope you have a really good week, and as always, stop by or give me a call sometime to chat!
~Cathy
April 23, 2009
Since last week’s Chatting, have you had a chance to think about agritourism events to add to your farm or event? This week we are going to discuss marketing. Marketing is one of the most important aspects of a successful agritourism operation. The Marketing Plan provides marketing focus over the course of a year and into the future. Elements of the Marketing Plan include a mission statement, objectives & timeline, strategies for growth, pricing and promotion tactics.
The promotion MUST of Tourism Marketing is a Website. The website is critical to tourism marketing efforts today as travelers are heavy online searchers and it defines your credibility. How do you go about creating a great website? Harvest the questions of your customers, Insert all of the answers into your web copy, and Utilize great photography of interesting vistas or displays and customers enjoying themselves at your destination. Show your customers more than just a building!
Remember, the goal of marketing is to get more people to spend more time and more money. They use the internet to make their travel plans, especially last minute planning. Food and shopping opportunities are important onsite. So, think about what we have in our area to attract tourists to our area: historic trails, museums, the Breaks, Thresher Show…add food and entertainment and we have a great week-end or day-trip opportunity.
“You can lead a horse to water, you can’t make him drink – BUT you can make him thirsty.” – unknown.
~Cathy
April 16, 2009
Wow – we have had an amazing response to the website development workshop. We have added an afternoon session, so if you have not had a chance to give us a call, do so right now to reserve your spot! (Remember, it’s Wednesday, April 29th. )
Last week I talked a bit about the Pizza Farmer – if you have not had a chance to check out his website, you might want to (www.thepizzafarm.com) and also check out Vala’s Pumpkin Patch at www.valaspumpkinpatch.com and let me know what you think. Personally, I think that we have a lot to offer in this area. We do not have the population or capacity to be as large as Vala’s, but we certainly have the potential to increase traffic (and income!) to our community and our farms.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about the possibilities: pumpkin patch, crop maze, pumpkin sling shot, hay stack pyramid, fish feeding ponds, pumpkin cannon, tricycle track, pig races, goat walk, mechanical steer roping, petting zoo/animal farm, pony rides, antique farm equipment rides & displays, narrow gauge railroad, zip line, jumping pillow, observation tower, pizza farm, peddle car race track, chuckwagon BBQ & dinner shows, campsites, bike rally, charity walks, live music, the list is endless…let me know what ideas you might have! To sum it up: Agritourism = Pride in our communities = Economic Development.
Next week I plan to offer some marketing tips that we discussed at the conference. Please give me a call (785-734-2556), email (centuryii@bcks.net) or stop by the office (107 West Bressler) if you have any agritourism, community or economic development suggestions!
~Cathy
April 9, 2009
Agritourism is the intersection of agriculture and tourism. I have written about agritourism in my Chatting column before, but it has been awhile. A couple of weeks ago I attended the Kansas Agritourism Conference in Great Bend, and I plan to share a few ideas that I gathered from the different break-out sessions I participated in over the two day conference.
Our keynote speaker was Darren Schmall, The Pizza Farmer. Check out www.thepizzafarm.com to confirm what I am about to tell you. The Pizza Farmer grows everything needed to make a pizza in a 150’ diameter circle, from wheat for the crust, tomatoes for sauce, onions, green peppers, pigs for sausage/pepperoni, cows for cheese, and whatever else you would like to fill 8 pizza sections! What a great educational tool for an agritourism business to increase traffic. You don’t have to wait until the crops are mature, but let the kids on school tours plant the crops, weed, water – extend your agritourism season by letting different groups pay you to help you raise your crop, then they pay you to pick and take home the produce! (He is a great marketing guru-very motivational!)
The two sessions I chose to attend the first day was Marketing 101: The Basics of Marketing Your Farm or Ranch, and Hiring and Keeping Great Employees. These sessions were great, giving ideas on how to get more people to spend more time and more money, giving people an experience in return.
You may wonder ‘why’ I attended this conference. There are different reasons, but here are a couple of them: 1)I believe that we could pull together and create an agritourism cluster in our area, a group of agritourism adventures that could be a great way to promote our area and increase income on our family farms and for our community, and 2) I truly feel that by implementing some of these ideas into one awesome tourist attraction that we already have, we can increase attendance and participation in our Thresher Show.
If you are interested in learning more about agritourism, please give me a call (785-734-2556) or stop by the Foundation office to chat. I will be back next week with more information from the conference – in the meantime, check out our ad in this issue of the Bird City Times for the website development workshop we are hosting!
~Cathy
March 31, 2009
“Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.” – Mae Jemison.
This past week I attended Leadership Advantage: kansas women’s leadership conference at the newly renovated Fox Pavilion in historic downtown Hays. The “walking conference” held educational and motivating breakout sessions in downtown historic buildings throughout the day. It was motivating to see renovation of older buildings – inspiring even more ideas for downtown Bird City!
“Chasing a Unicorn: Finding balance in work and life” was one session I attended. We assessed and determined our personal values and behavior, my top 5 turned out to be: Independent, Ambitious, Helpful, Self-Respect, and Recognition. (I was told there are no right or wrong answers, thank goodness!) We then examined our daily schedules and personal commitments to see if we have a balance of work and life – I need to do a little work on mine!
For my last session, I chose “Fitting Fitness into a Busy Schedule” since this is be a big part of my life right now. Maybe I should have picked “Emotional Intelligence” or “The Cost of Gender Miscommunication”, but as we all know, part of Leadership is taking care of ourselves. Fitness gives us increased energy, a more positive outlook, greater self-esteem and reduces stress. I know that if I am taking care of myself, the people around me are better taken care of!
This year’s conference featured a special service project. Inspired by two young Kansas women who lost their lives in 2008, the “Kansas Clothes Drive for Women” was held throughout the day and continues on. Clothing was collected to send to centers around the state that provide aid to women in need. Please let me know if you would like more information on this awesome project!
So, you may think that this was a “girl power” gathering…in a way it was, but it was also a great motivator to become more productive at work and home, and put an emphasis on the things we are doing, that we are doing the right things, and doing things right. And remember what Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis said, “I am a woman above everything else.”
~Cathy
November 11, 2008
We are so excited - Bird City was selected as a Network Kansas Entrepreneurship Community (E-Community)! So what does this mean? It means that we have another resource to financially assist entrepreneurs in Bird City. That’s right. If you have a yearning to be your own boss and want to start a business in Bird City, we have the expertise, education and economic resources to help you.
For anyone else that does not necessarily have that desire to start a business right now, but is interested in growing the Bird City business community, there is still an opportunity for you to participate in the program. The E-Community program is funded by Entrepreneurship Tax Credits through the State of Kansas. When our application was approved and we were designated an E-Community, a tax credit allocation was defined. This means that we were given the opportunity to raise $134,000, or better yet $100,000 in state tax credits! To date, we have raised $97,000 in contributions, which means we have an additional $37,000 to raise by December 1, 2008.
The tax credits are a 75% tax credit to your Kansas Income Tax. For example: if you contribute $1,000 to the project, you receive a $750 credit against your state income tax liability. So instead of the $750 portion of your contribution going to Topeka, it can stay right here in Bird City to increase economic development opportunities. Donors who receive tax credits can be individuals or corporations that have a Kansas Income Tax Liability. Donors are also eligible for a federal tax deduction and should consult with their tax adviser. Donors then use a K-31 Entrepreneurship Tax Credit form to be submitted with their tax return.
So remember, if you are interested in starting a business in Bird City, or want to take advantage of state income tax benefits by December 1, 2008, give me a call (785-734-2556) so we can talk about this great opportunity for you and the Bird City community!
~Cathy |
