Four Board Positions Opening at PCDI

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Prowers County Development Incorporated has scheduled its annual meeting/banquet for Wednesday, March 5 at the LCC Wellness Center.  PCDI Executive Director, Lance Benninghoff, said board members decided to make some changes on the way the meeting will be conducted, some of which were brought about by altering some PCDI by-laws.  Those were approved at the Tuesday, January 28 meeting at the PCDI offices in the Rodeway Cow Palace Inn. 

There will no longer be any proxy votes allowed.  Any board member who wishes to vote on various matters must appear in person at a PCDI meeting.  The dinner will be free to business owners or their designated representative, while others will be charged for the dinner, and business owners must RSVP to the PCDI office to confirm a reservation.  Every business owner in the county is basically a member of PCDI, but in order to cast a vote, a minimum $100 donation will be required. 

Board of directors memberships are expiring for four members, President Marsha Willhite, Doug Thrall, John Marrin and Deb Choat.  Those four members can submit their names to run again, as nominations are currently being accepted for qualified candidates.  More information is available on nomination procedures at the PCDI offices at 336-2384. 

The keynote speaker is Marci Penner, the executive director and co-founder of the Kansas Sampler Foundation.  The mission of the foundation is to help preserve and sustain rural culture.  Penner and her father, Milferd Penner, co-authored three Kansas guidebooks in the early 1990s and then founded the Kansas Sampler Foundation.  Several years ago she visited 627 incorporated cities in Kansas to research for “The Kansas Guidebook for Explorers.” “The observations, conversations, and fact-finding not only resulted in a popular 432-page guidebook but also provided excellent information for the Kansas Explorers Club and We Kan! newsletters that Marci Penner writes.” 

Benninghoff said a portion of the evening’s program will provide information on a series of business improvement and development seminars that will be held through the coming year.  He plans to make follow up calls to those business owners and managers who attended the meeting to determine their areas of interest in the seminar topics.  “We want to provide information on an agricultural, retail and small business level,” he explained and added that the PCDI seminars will explore procedures involved in business inheritance, customer service training and looking at business loans from a lender’s point of view.   

“Banks are requiring equity from loan customers who want to finance their own business, and this isn’t always immediately understood by a first time borrower,” he said.  Benninghoff stated that there are other agencies such as SECED that supply ‘gap’ loans that can supply additional funding when banks may not be able to loan a full amount.  He added he’s been working with Lamar Community College and some area banks to develop an information source for those persons who are lacking knowledge on equity and need assistance in developing a marketing and business plan to submit for approval.  “We hope those future business owners will come to us at PCDI to explore their needs.

By Russ Baldwin

Filed Under: BusinesscommunityCountyEconomyEducationEventsFeaturedGranadaHollyLamarProwers CountyWiley

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