Dr. Isabel Warner
On September 4th and 5th Dr. Isabel Warner, MOST’s Fellows Program Manager and former Legislative Policy Fellow on Education and Workforce Development attended Governor Mike Kehoe’s inaugural Governor’s Conference on Economic Development, presented for the first time by the Missouri Economic Development Council.
Dr. Warner traveled to Branson, Missouri, where she met with legislators, leaders, and practitioners from across the state to discuss the triumphs and challenges for workforce development, business incentives, and ambitious projects across the state.
Dr. Warner remarked: “One of my favorite case studies highlighted the Kansas City waterfront region, and what it took to develop that from a historically industrial site to a thriving community where folks can live and play.”
The conference had several tracks, focused on keeping Missouri competing, working, and building, in addition to professional development opportunities.
“It was really exciting to see issues like housing, childcare, energy, and infrastructure raised across multiple sessions and tracks,” Dr. Warner said. “We see this a lot in our work at the capitol and when we visit different regions across the state - these can be major barriers to workforce participation, in both rural and urban areas, and they don’t exist in isolation. For example, with childcare access: someone might have reliable transportation (like a car), but the closest daycare they can afford is a two hour round trip. Add that to a work commute, and maybe it’s more cost effective for them to stay home. Or, maybe they choose to use that childcare provider, and the cost means they can’t afford a house in a good school district, or with as much space as their family needs. Maybe their commute for work and groceries gets even longer because they can’t afford to live near amenities with so much of their income is going to childcare. Or maybe they’re able to have a parent watch their child, but that parent lives in an area that’s more removed, meaning they either have to commute long distances or limit where they live and work so they can be close to the parent. Add into that whether the roads in their area are well maintained, whether they live in a food desert, how far they must drive for medical care, and how much their energy bills are costing, and you start to see the bigger picture.”
But despite the challenges, Missouri is standing out. The Department of Economic Development presented exciting updates about the state of Missouri’s workforce, projects, and economic activity, showing that Missouri has been growing. Over the past few years, Missouri has been out-competing nearly every other state in the region, landing in second place for economic growth indicators. And as Director Michelle Hataway put it, “we’re coming for that number one spot!”
“My favorite session was the discussion of infrastructure.” Dr. Warner added, “Commissioner Warren Erdman of the Missouri Highway Transportation Committee and the panel were very frank about the importance of infrastructure improvements in attracting business and supporting quality of life for the workforce. The entire panel discussed some daunting challenges, including budget cuts and looming fiscal concerns, but I’m really looking forward to seeing what the Committee and the state more broadly choose to do when it comes to infrastructure investment and maintenance. I think the panel made a very strong point that early maintenance is critical to avoid paying for larger damage in the long run, and that transparency and community participation are non-negotiables if you want projects to succeed.”