Office of Rural Opportunity
The Office of Rural Opportunity is designed to spur rural development in Kansas. Housed within the Kansas Department of Commerce, the Office serves as a contact point for rural communities seeking assistance in the development of strategic plans to attract businesses, workers and investment. The Office has four regional locations throughout Kansas, which allows Office staff to maximize their time in the field and create a community-driven, bottom-up approach to rural development in Kansas.
How is the Office of Rural Opportunity structured?
The Office of Rural Opportunity currently has an office at Sterling College, Colby Community College, Neosho County Community College, and Garden City Community College. This approach allows Office staff to spend the majority of their time in rural Kansas communities rather than in Topeka.
Why are the Office of Rural Opportunity’s four locations on college campuses?
The colleges at Sterling, Colby, Neosho and Garden City have all volunteered space, staff assistance and other resources to the Office, creating a wonderful partnership for everyone involved. The Office of Rural Opportunity benefits from low start-up costs and proximity to the colleges’ human and intellectual resources. Meanwhile, the colleges benefit by getting their faculty and students involved in real-world community development and rural revitalization efforts.
With which organizations does the Office of Rural Opportunity partner?
Because it is housed within the Kansas Department of Commerce, the Office of Rural Opportunity has access to all of the Department’s long-standing community and economic development services and resources. The Office partners with groups such as the Kansas Small Business Development Center, the Kansas Department of Agriculture and NetWork Kansas to provide comprehensive assistance to rural communities.
How does the Office of Rural Opportunity differ from other rural entities?
Many rural development organizations focus on luring businesses to rural communities through financial incentives. But the Office of Rural Opportunity takes a more holistic approach to rural development, focusing first on community development and strategic planning as a necessary precursor to business development. The Office stresses the importance of regional plans that incorporate volunteerism and community pride.
Another key difference is that Office of Rural Opportunity staff networks with existing resources in Topeka and surrounding states, as well as those at the national level, to maximize financial and technical assistance for rural Kansas.
Additionally, the Office is dedicated solely to communities with 5,000 or fewer residents.
For more information, contact:
Renee L. LippincottCentral Region Representative125 W. Cooper Ave.Sterling, KS 67579(620) 204-0855E-mail: rlippincott@kansascommerce.com James FosterNorthwest Region Representative1255 S. Range AvenueColby, KS 67701(785) 443-3002E-mail: jfoster@kansascommerce.com Barbara ChalkerEast Region Representative800 W. 14th StreetChanute, KS 66720(620) 717-5713E-mail: bchalker@kansascommerce.com
Carol Meyer
Southwest Region Representative
801 Campus Drive
Garden City, KS 67846
(620) 755-6738
E-mail: cmeyer@kansascommerce.com
Corey Mohn
Marketing Specialist
Topeka, KS 66612
Phone: (785) 296-3034
Fax: (785) 296-3776
TTY: (785) 296-3487
E-mail: cmohn@kansascommerce.com
- A one-stop rural and community development blog for Kansas communities.
www.kansasprideprogram.ksu.edu
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