Small Town & Rural Development Conference 2012

The Michigan Rural Council would officially like to thank each and every person who contributed, in many different ways, to making the 2012 Small Town and Rural Development Conference a success.  The conference would not have been the same without all of you!

Download the Conference Program here.

Below is the list of submitted breakout presentations; click on the presentation title to download the presentations in .pdf. Download Adobe Reader for free if you do not have a .pdf reader.

Morning Breakout Sessions

Building Social Capital – Sabrina Matteson, American Farm Bureau Federation 
MEDC’s New Community Revitalization and Redevelopment Tools – Jennifer Rigterink, MEDC 
Trail Towns – Harry Burkholder, Land Information Access Association 
Broadband and Your Community – Eric Frederick, Connect Michigan and Garth Stidolph, Frontier Communications

Afternoon Breakout Sessions

The Role of the Outdoors in Talent Attraction – Brad Garmon, Michigan Environmental Council and Julie Clark, TART Trails, Inc. 
Turning Vacancy into Opportunity: Land Banking in Rural Communities – Courtney Knox, Center for Community Progress 
Introducing Youth to Agriculture – Sabrina Matteson, American Farm Bureau Federation and Matthew Kapp, Michigan Farm Bureau 
Art Works – Downtown Hastings Annual Sculpture Exhibit – John Hart, City of Hastings 
Can Two Local Government Become One? Observations and Lessons Learned from the Onekama Disincorporation Process – Tim Ervin, Alliance for Economic Success and Eric Lupher, Citizens Research Council of Michigan 
All Hazards Preparedness for Rural Communities – Brad Deacon, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 
Michigan Vacant Property Campaign – Jamie Schriner-Hooper, Community Economic Development Association, Arnold Weinfeld, Michigan Municipal League and Courtney Knox, Center for Community Progress

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for next year’s conference, scheduled for April 22-24, 2013.

If you have any questions related to the conference, please contact the Michigan Rural Council at 517-485-3588 or email Kari Marciniak, Coordinator at marciniak@cedam.info.