June is “Business Appreciation Month” across the State of Kansas.  Cowley First, Arkansas City Area Chamber of Commerce and Winfield Area Chamber partnered to nominate outstanding businesses in Cowley County for consideration of the 2013 Kansas Business Appreciation Awards presented by the Kansas Department of Commerce.  Continue Reading

Applying for a job is very competitive.  Applicants want to be as prepared as possible when completing applications and preparing resumes.  With the big push for technical education and career readiness, there has been an increase in the request for skills testing such as Kansas WORKReady! Certificates.  Both employees and employers benefit from the advantages of this program.  Continue Reading

The ABCDE- Better Together (Atlanta, Burden, Cambridge, Dexter, Eastern) organization is dedicated to growth of the communities and the economy in eastern Cowley County. This survey is being conducted in an effort to gauge interest and gather input for these rural communities. The results of this survey will offer additional opportunities to provide input and will be valuable in providing direction on priorities for ABCDE.  Please take a moment to complete the online survey by May 3rd.  If you have any question call (620) 221-9951.

Click here to complete the online survey

On behalf of CornerBank and USD 465-Lowell Elementary, Cowley First nominated Harold “Dusty” Rhodes for the Outstanding Older Worker Award.  On April 9^th the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Department of Labor bestowed this honor on Mr. Rhodes in Topeka. 

Though Mr. Rhodes is approaching ninety years old, this military veteran works two part-time jobs totaling 40 plus hours a week.  He has been employed for 30 years by CornerBank in Winfield doing maintenance and for 11 years by USD 465 serving lunches at Lowell Elementary School.  Continue Reading

At Cowley First we work with an infinite variety of resources for area businesses. These resources can be for small businesses employing only one or two all the way up to our major employers of 800. My goal is to make sure that information about available resources and programs is accessible to local businesses and industries.

These last few months I have been talking a lot about growing your business. There are many ways to grow a business such as increasing products or services, expanding a building, or adding a new location. Another successful way to expand your business is by entering into the international markets through exporting.  Continue Reading