PCED Info
Big Rural Brainstorm – If you want to help sustain rural communities, be there!
Big Rural Brainstorm – If you want to help sustain rural communities, be there!
Why: To bring a couple of hundred passionate rural Kansans together to create energy to brainstorm solutions to rural problems.
When: Feb 3rd 11am – 9pm & Feb 4th 8:30 – 11:30am
Where: Meridian Center, Newton, KS. Located at I-135 & Broadway
Registration: $40 Registration amount pays for meals. REGISTER ONLINE
FREE WEBINARS
Inspiration & Innovation Classes for Entrepreneurs
FREE WEBINARS for Phillips County business owners and managers! Phillips County Economic Development will be showing FREE webinars in the E-Center located at the Fischer Building in Phillipsburg. PCED has become a member in the Partner Program through Jon Schallert’s Destination University and one of the benefits is to show webinars from experts and authors. One webinar will be shown each month on the 2nd Wednesday as a brown bag lunch from 12:00-1:00pm. Bring your lunch and learn about different business ideas which can improve your business! Below is the schedule of the webinars.
| Date | Topic | Time |
| 1/11/2012 | Applying the New Rules of Marketing to Your Small Business – David Meerman Scott | 12:00-1:00pm |
| 2/8/2012 | The Foundation of a Destination Business: Your Unique Positioning – Jon Schallert Using Humor in the Workplace: Create a Stronger Business and a Better Team – Michael Kerr |
12:00-1:00pm |
| 3/14/2012 | Public Relations: Get More Customers at Lower Costs: Andrea Schafer Capturing Customers in 7-Seconds When They Walk in Your Door – Jon Schallert |
12:00-1:00pm |
| 4/11/2012 | How Small Talk Can Lead to Big Results in Your Business – Debra Fine Making a Case for Store Front Improvement – Seanette Corkil |
12:00-1:00pm |
| 5/9/2012 | Financial Straight Talk: How to Keep More of What You Make – Richard Schultheis Branding Your Business – Jon Schallert |
12:00-1:00pm |
| 6/13/2012 | Introduction to Effective Email Marketing: Jon Schallert | 12:00-1:00pm |
Please RSVP with Andrea Lowry – PCED Office Manager at 785-543-5809 or pced2@ruraltel.net. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! You will want to take advantage of this great opportunity!
Phillips County Economic Development Planning to send another Community Reinvestment Program Team in 2012 to Schallert Bootcamp at Longmont, Colorado!
It was another successful year for six businesses attending the Schallert Bootcamp in 2011. After completing six months of follow-up business review, conference calls, and homework; the 2011 graduates of the Bootcamp have coupled their teamwork and ideas with the 2010 graduates from the area to work together in order to grow their community AND their businesses to become a DESTINATION Community. With multiple entrepreneurial programs (tools) from the economic development group and the Discover Phillipsburg Main Street organization working on development projects — Phillips County is becoming a “Destination for Opportunity”
If you have an interest as a Phillips County business owner to improve you business, make it more marketable to becoming a destination for more clients/business… you need to attend the 2012 Schallert Bootcamp!
If you are interested in going to the 2012 Schallert Bootcamp in Longmont, Colorado on Feb. 28 – March 1 with all your registration fees of paid ($1295), please fill out the form, and return to the PCED immediately. Those chosen will be on a first-come — first qualified basis. Those attending will be part of a Phillips County – Community Revitalization Program — team of 7 people (6 business reps + 1 community coordinator).
Please visit the Schallert Bootcamp website to learn more about the Community Revitalization Program that you will be participating in if you choose to attend. It is not just a conference, it is a commitment to growing your business AND your community!
Destination University Membership Discounted Cost
Destination University is a membership-only program designed exclusively for independent business owners to help them grow their businesses, while increasing their sales, profits, and customer traffic. Destination University was originally created to highlight Jon Schallert’s proprietary Destination Business processes. Now, Destination University has fifteen different business experts and authors who contribute their expertise in the form of live and recorded webinars in our social networking area, the Destination University Student Center.
Members of Destination University will benefit from and have access to:
- Online training library of webinars covering many topics presented by Jon Schallert and business experts in various fields
- Monthly live webinars presented on a different topic each month by Jon Schallert or one of our other Business Experts
- An interactive social networking area where business owners can communicate with other owners and resources from around the world
- Email access to all of our Business Experts to ask a question directly to any of them
- A business resource area with companies and services that can help grow a business
Phillips County Economic Development joined the Destination University (DU) within the Partner Program to allow Phillips County business owners and managers the ability to join DU at a discounted price. A regular membership cost $29.95 a month but becoming a member under Phillips County will only cost $19.95 a month and the registration fee will be waived! This is a great opportunity for Phillips County businesses to become a member of Destination University and hook into marketing/networking insights which could lift your business! PCED will also be able to show business webinars so look for more information on the webinars coming soon
For more information about Destination University visit: www.destinationuniversity.com/
Phillips County becomes a ROZ (Rural Opportunity Zone) Opt-in County
The Board of Phillips County Commissioners Phillips County, Kansas on September 6, 2011, adopted a resolution authorizing the county’s participation in the Student Loan Repayment Program within the Rural Opportunity Zone legislation. Phillips County, along with forty-nine other counties across Kansas, had already been designed as ROZ locations; though, this portion of the legislation which needed match funding support from the local county, was presented to each county as an option to participate. Over several months, a common slang phrase used within development groups has been ROZ “opt-in” County, to describe the Student Loan Repayment Program. Any way you phrase it, Phillips County has now joined the peer group of ROZ counties that provides the Student Loan Repayment Program to new residents which qualify. This program will provide Phillips Countyanother tool to recruit individuals back to the area.
Qualifications of the Student Loan Repayment Program: Establish residency in a ROZ county after July 1, 2011 and on or after the date on which the County opt-in to the student loan program or for which its resolution allows. The Phillips County resolution allows for a 16-week calendar window prior to the September 6, 2011 signing. The primary reasoning for the window was to allow residents which had recently returned to the area, taken jobs, and returned because of the initial designation by the State of Kansas of Phillips County in the ROZ program. To qualify for the loan forgiveness program, an individual must hold an associates, bachelors, post-graduate degree, or technical/vocational school certificate, have an outstanding student loan balance, be current on the loan payments, and prove their new residency is located in Phillips County.
Phillips County is excited to have this opportunity to attract new residents to the county. Please contact Phillips County Economic Development at 785-543-5809 or pced2@ruraltel.net if you would like more information. Visit http://www.kansascommerce.com/index.aspx?NID=320 if you would like to learn more about the program or apply. All applications for the program are submitted online through this website.
Discover Phillips County Semi Trailer
Phillips County launches Coast-to-Coast marketing campaign. First County in nation as a ‘Destination for Opportunity’!
Destination Business Workshop
Phillips County was pleased to welcome Jon Schallert founder of Destination University to our area! Jon Schallert is an internationally-recognized speaker and business expert specializing in teaching businesses and communities how to turn themselves into a Consumer Destinations. Schallert speaks to thousands annually on his proprietary 14-step “Destination Business” process, which he developed over the course of twenty-five (25) years of working with independent business owners.
Fifty-nine (59) business owners, community leaders, residents from outside Phillips County had the great opportunity of acquiring information from an hour and half presentation by Jon Schallert. This special presentation was on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 5:30-7:00pm at the Huck Boyd Community Center as part of the Community Reinvention Program of which Phillips County has been a partner in for the last two years. For over fifteen years, Jon has been helping business’ learn how to become destination locations. Businesses he’s consulted have found real success and a noticeable increase in sales. His strategy is a fourteen step process to become a “Destination Business” which attracts customers and media from over three hours away. Jon shared many stories of businesses that became very successful by utilizing his process. Highlighting three of the fourteen steps covered in the process, attendees at Phillipsburg were very impressed by the information; of which, several locked themselves down for a PCED sponsorship to attend his 2 ½ day workshop in 2012. “With his real life examples, intricate background knowledge and his energy tied with humor, gave me the enthusiasm and ideas for starting to think outside the box,” stated Sherry Robinson.
Phillips County Economic Development was the first county in the nation to make a long term (four year) commitment toward sending six business owners and one community coordinator each year within the Community Reinvestment Program to the “Destination BootCamp“. Phillips County Economic Development provides a sponsorship to the Schallert Bootcamp Program which pays for an approved attendee’s registration. A business who attends the Destination BootCamp learns the entire 14 step process in 2 ½ days in Longmont Colorado. Phillips County will be sending two more groups out to Longmont in 2012 and 2013. If you are a business owner interested in attending please contact the Phillips County Economic Development office.
Picture: Jon Schallert, and wife Peg, accepting Destination for Opportunity- Discover Phillips County caps at the meeting. They displayed their caps proudly after receiving them by the PCED.
6th Annual US Highway 36 – Treasure Hunt - Forms
September 16, 17 & 18, 2011 for mile after mile of garage sales and yard sales all along the 400 miles of U.S. 36 Highway in Kansas from Missouri to Colorado.
The Treasure Hunt is sponsored by the U.S. 36 Highway Association & Local Tourism organizations/Chamber of Commerce
2011 – Wanted Registration Form
Official Pre-Registration Form
For more information contact Criquet Cole at 785.540.4248
Free Phillips County Magnets!
The Legacy Committee and Phillips County Economic Development created Discover Phillips County magnets which are free to the public. The magnet include contact information for different departments and foundations. It is a full 8 ½ x 11 sheet magnet. You definitely need to pick up a magnet for your refrigerator!
Locations to pick up a magnet include: Agra Library Community Center, Agra Post Office, County Treasurer-Courthouse, E-Center, Logan Library, Logan Post Office, Long Island Post Office, Long Island Library Community Center, Phillips County Extension Office, Phillips County Community Foundation, Phillips County Hospital, Phillips County Medical Clinic, Phillipsburg City Library, Prairie View Library Community Center, Radio Station, Wenzl Drug, Witmer Rexall Drug Store, and Westview.
*Thank you to all of these places for allowing us to distribute the magnets to the public.
Rural Opportunities Conference
NetWork Kansas is pleased to share this announcement on behalf of the Kansas Department of Commerce:
Mark Your Calendars!
The Rural Opportunities Conference will be held November 16-17 in Salina, Kanas. This conference will combine the Broadband Summit and the annual MarketPlace program to leverage common goals and audiences in support of economic advancement through technology. Entrepreneurs and community representatives will connect with broadband experts to explore advanced economic solutions, plot development strategies and network with fellow industry professionals.
The conference is being held at the Bicentennial Center. More information will be coming soon.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Carole Jordan at 785-296-3485. We hope to see you in November!