New PCDI Board Members Elected at Annual Meeting

New members John Marrin, President of Lamar Community College, and Doug Thrall, manager of The Cow Palace Inn were elected to the Prowers County Board of Directors during the annual meeting held at the Cow Palace Inn February 16. Four positions were open on the PCDI board and Deb Choat from Granada and Marsha Willhite from Holly were re-elected for full terms.

The annual PCDI meeting provides an opportunity to review the past year’s accomplishments of the economic development organization and to focus on the direction for the new fiscal year. Executive Director, Lisa Nolder, remarked that she has served in that capacity for the past three years and listed some of the business development activities assisted in various capacities by PCDI. She highlighted Miles Court, the new motel in Holly, as well as the expansion of L & L Greenhouse in that community. Over the past three years, PCDI has helped the Viaero cell phone store develop its operation, The purchase and renovation of The Cow Palace Inn, the purchase of L-M Drug in Holly and Alamo Apartments in Lamar; expansion plans are underway for Reyman’s Grocery in Holly, as well as V-S variety store, the development of Dragon Wind and Country Treasures, assisting in the relocating of Robbins Redi Mix from Baca County to Prowers and assisting other smaller business with their business planning and development. Nolder said PCDI could not take complete credit for every aspect of business development over the past three years, but since that time, the county has seen 92 jobs created, minus Dragon employees, and $9.4 million in capital investments has taken place in the county. She added that one of her goals has been to bring awareness of what Prowers County can offer to business outside our area. She has attended the past three AWEA, American Wind Energy Association conventions that bring 2,500 various wind energy related businesses to one location. She, and other economic development directors, represent their counties in the Colorado booth, making future contacts for prospective clients.

She thanked her board, especially current PCDI president Cathy Buxton and former board member, Anne-Marie Crampton for their assistance. She also noted the daily contributions made to the organization by secretary Carla Scranton. Nolder also noted that this year, community contributions have been significantly higher than in the past two years, and offered thanks to those public and private contributors for their faith in PCDI.

Kari Linker, Regional Development Director from the state’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade was the featured speaker. She is one of 14 regional representatives for business development in Colorado who just began her new position last month. Linker is the former Executive Director of the Morgan County EDC. She echoed Nolder’s remarks that you have to be noticed and make your presence known in order to attract potential business clients. Linker said Nolder has served her county well in that regard, adding that developing new businesses to a community is not an overnight event. She noted that as an economic development director, she once worked hand and hand with a business for over four years, attempting to attract it to her county, only to have them just walk away from the table one day. She cautioned that’s the reality of the business, adding that you have to look at business development twenty to thirty years into the future, not trying for a single home run to help augment job prospects in a community.

Cathy Buxton, PCDI president, emceed the annual meeting, noting various community leaders in the audience for the evening, including a business class from Lamar Community College, taught by Liz Whitham. They were in the audience for a first hand look at this side of economic business development in their own community.

by Russ Baldwin