VisionWorks' Breakthrough Solutions
Community and Regional Success Stories
City of Morrilton and Conway County Have No Limits – September 2002
One of the most compelling mottos I have ever seen is "Morrilton –
Small City, No Limits." But it is more than a motto – it has become
a way of doing things for Conway County and its county seat,
Morrilton.
Barry McKuin, Executive Director of the Conway County Economic
Development Corporation (CCEDC) and Chamber of Commerce reports: "We
started a workforce leadership training class for employees from
five companies located here. It focused on soft skills – leadership,
teamwork, communication, and problem solving. We formed the Conway
County Economic Development Consortium, which included the
University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton (UACCM)
campus, Green Bay Packaging, and CCEDC, with instructors coming from
the U of A Ft. Smith campus. The training took place one day a week
for 15 weeks and received rave reviews."
Emily Oates, board member of Conway County Vision 2020, reports:
"We just started our seventh training institute class; ten of the 30
students are high school students. The leadership program meets for
one day a month for nine months, from September to May."
Last year the class took on several projects:
- "Paint Your Heart Out" resulted in two houses painted for families
in need.
- A coloring book about Conway County was developed for banks and
other businesses to distribute.
- A scholarship was provided for a student to attend UACCM.
- A website was created for people who want to start a small
business.
Oates continues, "We are looking at developing public forums
to gain feedback on public education, and will be facilitating
discussions about the proposed zoning ordinances for the community.
The class will also be considering reviewing the strategic plan.
Quite a bit of the plan has already been implemented."
These innovative efforts across the community demonstrate why
Morrilton and Conway County "have no limits."
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