Daily Gate
DES MOINES – Residents in the Tri-State Area and a region including Henry, Jefferson and Washington counties, will be on the receiving end of a rural economic development effort funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.
The two collective Southeast Iowa entities are the state’s first two recipients of the Stronger Economies Together program grant.
“As citizens we cross the borders of our states with little thought when it comes to employment, shopping and entertainment, but when it comes to collaboration between businesses, economic development organizations and governments, it is perceived to be more difficult,” said Shelley Oltmans, executive director of the Keokuk Area Chamber of Commerce and a planning specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “This process is meant to break down the perceived as well as very real barriers between the communities in this Tri-State region. We already have some very strong relationships between organizations in this region; we can use these relationships to build on and increase social, human and economic capacity.”
Read full coverage here.