Article by Courtney Bergey
Over the past six months, CEDA team member Courtney Bergey has led the Houston County Economic Development Authority in developing a strategy to support the growing tourism economy in the region. A series of public meetings–three held to date and a fourth scheduled in January–has not only led to increased communication and collaboration between the County‘s communities, but several actionable goals have emerged:
- Create an enhanced web presence for the county, highlighting the unique recreational assets and natural beauty of the region
- Develop new ways to support and grow the lodging and hospitality facilities in Houston County
- Offer business assistance and training to build individual capacity for marketing, with a series of events set to kick off in early 2017
Each convening has drawn over 30 participants of diverse interests and professions, creating innovative partnerships and robust discussion of new ideas to market the region. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 12 at Crescent Moon Retreat in La Crescent. Learn more and RSVP here.