Wed April 10

12:00-5:00          Early Registration

                             Hotel Grinnell, First Floor

1:00-4:00            Housing Development in Rural Iowa – “Raising Rooftops,”

Drake Public Library, 930 Park Street

                             •Getting Ready for New Housing

                             •Collaborating to Build Workforce Housing

                             •Overcoming Internal Obstacles

1:00-4:00            Downtown Grinnell Historic District walking tours.  Guided tour of Merchants National Bank.

                             Meet at Grinnell Chamber, 833 4^th Avenue

5:00-7:00            Welcome Reception

Peace Tree Brewing Company, 923 Main Street

                             Sponsored by Trusted Energy and The Bill Menner Group

7:00                     Dinner on Your Own

Thur April 11

7:00-8:45            Registration

                             Hotel Grinnell, First Floor

9:00-12:30          Plenary Sessions

                             Hotel Grinnell, Second Floor Auditorium

9:00-9:10            Grinnell Mayor Dan Agnew

9:10-9:15            Iowa Rural Development Council Chair Sandy Ehrig

9:15-9:30            Iowa Economic Development Authority/Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham

9:30-10:30          Patrick Woodie, North Carolina Rural Center CEO

Growing Better, Together!

10:30-11:00       Exhibitor Overview

11:00-11:30       Break

11:30-12:30       Empower Rural Iowa – What We’ve Learned and What Comes Next

                             Sponsored by the Iowa Finance Authority

• Debi Durham, IEDA/IFA (Facilitator)
• Dave Duncan, ICA, and Kevin Cabbage, FMTC, Connecting Iowa Rural  
• Jim Thompson, IEDA and Jennifer Crall, Iowa Select, Growing Rural Iowa   
• Sue Cosner, IADG and Terri Rosonke IFA, Investing in Rural Iowa

12:30-1:45          Working Lunch; Facilitated Tables

Hotel Grinnell First Floor Event Center

                             Sponsored by Grinnell Mutual, Grinnell College, Grinnell Chamber and Grinnell Tourism

1:45-2:15            Break, Visit Exhibitors

2:15-3:00            Explore the Work of Empower

Drake Public Library, 930 Park Street

Sponsored by Aureon Ripple Effect

Grinnell Arts Center Main Gallery, 926 Broad Street

UCC Church Basement, 902 Broad Street

Sponsored by McClure

Hotel Grinnell Auditorium

Sponsored by IEDA

3:00 -3:30           Break

3:30-4:15            Key Issues Confronting Rural Communities: Iowa Case Studies

 Grinnell Arts Center Main Gallery, 926 Broad Street

Drake Public Library, 930 Park Street

Sponsored by Delta Dental

UCC Church Basement, 902 Broad Street

4:30                     IEDA Community Catalyst Awards

                             SBA Top Lender Award, Rural Markets

Hotel Grinnell First Floor Event Center

• Governor Kim Reynolds
• Lt. Governor Adam Gregg
• Jayne Armstrong, SBA District Director

5:15                     Rural Recognition Reception, Hotel Grinnell Event Center

                             Sponsored by Iowa Farm Bureau Federation

7:00                     Dinner on Your Own

Fri April 12

7:00-8:00            Buffet Breakfast; Facilitated Team Work – Tables from Lunch

Hotel Grinnell First Floor Event Center

8:00-12:00          Plenary Sessions

                             Hotel Grinnell Second Floor Auditorium

8:00-8:05            Iowa Rural Development Council Executive Director Bill Menner

8:05-8:15            Sid Jones, President, Home State Bank, Jefferson

                             Taking Action: Lessons from Past Summits!

8:15-9:15            Rural Communities and Anchor Institutions

Sponsored by IADG Community Foundation

                            –     Jim Thompson, IEDA (Facilitator)

                             –     Brett Antczak, CEO, Palo Alto County Health System

–     Tina Bakehouse, Chief Creative Officer, Malvern State Bank

–     Raynard Kington, President, Grinnell College

                             –     Deb Lucht, CEO, Minburn Communications

9:15 – 10:00       KCCI TV Anchor Eric Hanson and Bill Menner

                             45 Ideas in 45 Minutes: Your Chance to Share Your Best Practice

10:00-10:15       Break

10:15-11:00       Telling the Rural Story – Getting the Word Out!

                             Sponsored by Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area

• Eric Hanson, KCCI-TV (Facilitator)
• Linc Kroeger, Executive, Pillar Technologies
• Bonnie Ramsey, Co-Owner, Ramsey’s Market, Lenox
• Carly Cummings, Events Manager, FarmHer, Inc.

11:00-11:45       Ryan Taylor, North Dakota Writer/Rancher/Philosopher

The Logic of a Cowboy:  Rural Reflections and Rope Tricks

                             Sponsored by The Bill Menner Group

11:45-12:00       IRDC Vice-Chair Rand Fisher

                             Community Challenge and Send-off 12:00                   A

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