Post by Center on Rural Innovation

Last week, CORI team members Nick Poels, Trish Thibodo, and Cameryn Mitchell were on the ground in Allen County, Kansas, for a strategy session with local leaders, business owners, educators, workforce partners, and community champions to better understand Allen County’s assets, opportunities, and ambitions for what comes next. Across every conversation, a few themes stood out: strong local pride, practical workforce solutions, candid business insight, and a deep commitment to building the infrastructure, partnerships, and pathways that help rural communities thrive. One message came through clearly: Allen County has many of the right resources in place. The next step is to make sure entrepreneurs, workers, and businesses know where to start and can easily connect with the tools, support, and opportunities that help them succeed. That is the work of rural ecosystem building: bringing people, partners, and possibilities together so communities can turn local momentum into long-term prosperity. A huge thank you to Camille Lavon, Allen County’s Director of Economic Development, for planning a thoughtful, energizing tour that helped us see the county from many angles — from workforce and apprenticeship programs, to downtown revitalization in Humboldt, to quality-of-place investments like Lehigh Portland State Park, Cubs Community Care Center, and Iola’s airport-adjacent industrial park site. We’re grateful to Allen County, Thrive Allen County, Allen County Community College, Humboldt Chamber of Commerce, Iola Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, Allen County Regional Airport Authority, and Jill Meyer and Robert Newton from the Patterson Family Foundation for an inspiring and productive visit.

 This work is part of our Heartland Rural Innovators Initiative, funded by the Patterson Family Foundation. #RuralInnovation #RuralEntrepreneurship #EconomicDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment #RuralAmerica #RegionalDevelopment