Teams to attend innovation workshop for coal-impacted regions

Eight teams were chosen through a competitive process to attend an economic diversification training workshop to assist coun­ties and regions whose economies have been challenged by the con­traction of the coal industry.

Interdisciplinary teams, led by counties and regional develop­ment organizations, include a broad range of other public and private sector partners. The teams will convene for three days in Mesa County (Grand Junction), Colo. in mid-September and will receive intensive, hands-on training designed to boost their potential to strengthen and diversify their economies.

The winning teams include:

•                         Moffat County, Colo.
•                         Region 10 Economic Assistance and Planning, Inc., representing Delta and Montrose Counties, Colo.
•                         Rio Blanco County, Colo.
•                         Routt County, Colo.
•                         Sherburne County, Minn.
•                         Snowy Mountain Development Corporation, representing Mus­selshell County, Mont.
•                         Carbon and Emery Counties, Utah, and
•                         Six County Association of Gov­ernments, lead representative for the Utah counties of Juab, Kane, Millard and Sevier.

NACo and the NADO Research Foundation, with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), are holding the three-day event.

“We hope to bring the information obtained from the workshop back to the communities and local businesses in the region,” said Tami Ursenbach, Carbon County economic develop­ment director, “and work with an extended committee to train and network with local leaders and busi­nesses in moving projects forward.”

Musselshell County Commis­sioner Nicole Borner believes her team will “benefit by learning new approaches to diversify the economy and how to engage the community in these efforts, along with finding new ways local governments can help in improving the economy.”

The third and final workshop is scheduled for November in Kanawha County (Charleston), W.Va. Like the Grand Junction event, the workshop will be struc­tured to guide counties and regions to design solutions tailored to their communities’ needs.

The applications to attend the final workshop in West Virginia will be accepted beginning Aug. 17. Forms and other program informa­tion are available at www.naco.org/InnovationChallenge. For more information, contact Jen Horton at jhorton@naco.org.