Regional Economic Development Organization to Hold Conference in San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, TX – "We Are Rural: Cultivating, Innovating, Collaborating!" is the theme of a conference of 250 leaders from 51 communities in the midwest to be held in San Angelo Oct.30.

The Texas Midwest Community Network has assembled an informative lineup of speakers here to address the challenges and key topics of specific interest to small town community leaders.

The Conference Keynote will be Julian Alvarez III, Commissioner of Labor with the Texas Workforce Commission. Commissioner Alvarez will share timely information on the current labor market in Texas and the Texas Midwest region as well as insights into the diverse programs available through the TWC to afford rural students and employers the opportunity to build successful careers and businesses.

Key breakout sessions will address broadband accessibility, housing, workforce development and training, career focused education, code enforcement and blight removal, economic development lead generation and entrepreneurial development. Additional breakouts will take a closer look tourism and marketing through the lens of community art and film and music friendly community designations.

The Texas Midwest Community Network is the only regional organization of its kind in the state and the Annual Conference is the only one-day event in the region providing access to numerous agencies, organizations and businesses that provide resources and services to small communities.

The most valuable aspect of the conference is the networking among the organization’s fifty-one community representatives as they share successes and best practices used to overcome local challenges. Attendance at the conference is open to all community leaders including city and county officials, economic development practitioners and board members, chamber of commerce representatives and their members, civic volunteers, healthcare professionals, school officials and high school students.

Estimated attendance is 250.

Texas Midwest Community Network (TMCN) was founded in 1994 to provide a means by which communities in the region could work together to accomplish what one community cannot do alone. Each program and activity sponsored by TMCN is designed to accomplish the goals outlined in the Mission Statement and allow members the opportunity to share ideas and collaborate when possible. Membership in TMCN is comprised of communities within the West Central Texas region with each member community represented by a delegate and alternate.

FMI and registration visit www.tmcn.org, follow us on Facebook at TexasMidwest, or call 325-795-8626.