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Cowley First

The Cowley County Economic Development Department, also referred to as Cowley First, is a unique partnership between Cowley County, City of Arkansas City and the City of Winfield. Funded by the three government entities and a host of Cowley County Business Partners, Cowley First represents and serves the entire county. As one cohesive group, Cowley First focuses on economic and community development to drive the economy.

Through a combination of paid staff and collaborative efforts with participating member organizations maintain and coordinate the Cowley First program to foster and achieve the following:

To maintain a business climate conducive to the expansion and retention of existing businesses and industry within Cowley County. Maintain regular contact with firms within the communities, industrial parks and county to determine if there are opportunities with which the program might assist.
To promote, support and encourage creative local entrepreneurship, business incubation & small business development efforts to stimulate the start up of new businesses and industrial enterprises in the county that will import wealth into the local economy. To work with local school districts, universities, & community leaders to create entrepreneurship education programs & to enhance the local entrepreneurship culture.
To work with program partners to strengthen the quality and quantity of the local workforce.
To undertake targeted business recruitment efforts and to provide information and coordinate site visits for firms that might wish to investigate Cowley County as a desirable location in which to locate a new business operation. This activity will include:
responding to requests for assistance from the Kansas Department of Commerce as well as parties to this agreement
maintaining a high quality Cowley County Economic Development program website
developing, printing and distributing information pertinent to attracting new business and industrial firms to the county
providing a point of contact for phone calls, faxes, email, letters and personal visits relating to economic development
To encourage rural development through the expansion of tourism activities and initiatives in agritourism.
To assist community partners in their efforts to implement quality of life initiatives and efforts to enhance community appeal.
To work with program partners to formulate and execute strategic & long-range plans to enhance the economic viability and quality of life in Cowley County.
This countywide partnership is dedicated to assist in expansion and retention of existing businesses, support local entrepreneurs, attract new businesses and industries while utilizing Cowley County’s prominent business atmosphere, high quality of life, recreation and tourism opportunities and excellent education facilities.
Cowley First’s emphasis is business recruitment, expansion and retention projects. Through Economic Development Cowley First strives to ensure there is an educated and talented labor pool for area businesses and industries for not just this generation, but for the next generation as well.

Community Development focuses on the improvement of quality of life which has a direct effect on businesses and their employees. By addressing health care needs, educational and training gaps, and access to housing, the community is better served.

This partnership enables us to perform more effectively as we pursue our common goal of making our communities the best place to work, live and play. Let us connect you with Cowley County and see why it is the right place for your business.

Benefits to Doing Business in Cowley County

Quality of Life
Skilled Labor
Lower Utility Costs
Lower Labor Costs
Central Location
Excellent Transportation
Lower Taxes

Coordinating Council

A nine member coordinating council made up of one representative selected by Arkansas City, CornerBank, Cowley County, Union State Bank, Cowley College, Strother Field Commission and Winfield respectively and two at-large members appointed by the other seven collective members shall act as an executive committee for the Cowley First: Cowley County Economic Development Partnership.

Entity	Representative	Appointing Authority	Term
Arkansas City	Scott Rogers, alt. Nick Hernandez	City of Arkansas City	No Term Limit
RCB Bank	John Sturd, Greg Conklin	RCB Bank	No Term Limit
Cowley County	Wayne Wilt	Cowley County	No Term Limit
Cowley County Community College	Dr. Dennis Rittle	Cowley County Community College	No Term Limit
Union State Bank	Eric Kurtz	Union State Bank	No Term Limit
Winfield	Taggart Wall	City of Winfield	No Term Limit
Strother Field	Shawn McGrew	Strother Field Commission	No Term Limit
At-Large Member	Mark Paton	Coordinating Council	2 Yr Term through 12-31-2020
At-Large Member	Craig Duncan	Coordinating Council	2 Yr Term through 12-31-2020

Economic Development Advisory Committee

To advise and assist the County in maintaining and coordinating the collaborative economic development program a Cowley County Economic Development Advisory Committee shall be appointed. The Advisory Committee shall consist of the members of the Coordinating Council and one representative selected by each participating member organization listed below.

Entity	Representative	Appointing Authority	Term
Arkansas City Chamber		Arkansas City Chamber	No Term Limit
Ark City Industries	Mark Paton	Ark City Industries	No Term Limit
Southwestern College	Dawn Pleas- alt. Dr. Brad Andrews	Southwestern College	No Term Limit
Cowley College	Dr. Dennis Rittle	Cowley College	No Term Limit
Strother Field	Shawn McGrew	Strother Field	No Term Limit
Winfield Chamber	Sarah Werner	Winfield Chamber	No Term Limit
Winfield Economic Development	Craig Duncan	Winfield Econ. Dev.	No Term Limit
USD 465	Nathan Reed	USD 465	No Term Limit
USD 470	Ron Ballard	USD 470	No Term Limit
Rural-Eastern Cowley County	Chris Baker	Advisory Committee	2 Yr Term, through 12-31-2020
Rural-Northern Cowley County	Steve Brown or Lulita Hopkins	Advisory Committee	2 Yr Term through 12-31-2021
At-Large Industry/Entrepreneur	Greg Thompson	Advisory Committee	2 Yr Term through 12-31-2021
At-Large General Member		Advisory Committee	2 Yr Term through 12-31-2019
At-Large General Member	Harold ‘Doc’ Arnett	Advisory Committee	2 Yr Term through 12-31-2020

Cowley First Business Partners

Cowley First is uniquely formed with four different funding sources; Cowley County, City of Arkansas City, City of Winfield and County Business Partners. As the chief responsibility of Cowley First is to guide area businesses and industries through retention and expansion assistance, incentive programs, training opportunities, workforce recruitment, community marketing and building relationships with the local employers; it is only natural for local businesses and industries to invest in the success of Cowley First. Cowley First Business Partners is a diverse group of leading employers including local financial institutes, manufacturers, non-profit organizations, rural enterprises, and educational institutions. The Business Partners not only benefit from the services provided by Cowley First, Business Partners meet quarterly to discuss common issues and work together to find resolutions. Business Partners are currently strategizing how to effectively market Cowley County in their quest to recruit workforce to the area and is working directly with Cowley College to address the training needs of local industries. Any Cowley County Business is welcomed to be a funding partner of Cowley First and is welcome to contact Director Kerri Falletti for more information.

Our Business Partners
Ark City Industries	RCB Bank
Columbia Elevator Solutions	Zeeco
Community National Bank	Rubermaid
Conco Construction	Southern Kansas Telephone Company
Cowley College	Southwestern College
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef	Southwestern College Professional Studies
Evergy	Sumner-County Electric Cooperative
Four County Mental Health and Counseling Center	The Stock Exchange Bank
Galacy Technologies	Twin Rivers Developmental Support
GE Aviation	Union State Bank
Jet AirWerks and Jet AirParts	United Agency
KanPak	Western Industries
Legacy Regional Community Foundation	Winfield Economic Development (WED)
Morton Buildings	Winfield Publishing Company
Mahaney Roofing