Hi, I'm Sarah Tober, executive director of the La Plata Economic Development Alliance, where we believe in the power of partnership and economic growth to drive meaningful change in our communities. Together we can shape a thriving, resilient La Plata County. We are proud to present this edition of Community Insights. We want our workforce to have flourishing opportunities. We want them to be able to have that professional development element here so that they're moving up in their companies as well, that they're expanding their business, that they're, again, that they're growing their roots. Here.

Rooted in community is the theme of the 18th Annual Alliance Summit on Thursday, September 11th at the Sky U Event Center in Ignacio. The summit also celebrates the La Plata Economic Development Alliance's 25th Anniversary and its mission to build economic prosperity in La Plata County and beyond.

We are looking to drive economic prosperity, so we are looking to build a more resilient community through the recruitment retaining of workforce, of building business capacity. So our mission is accomplished through three pillars, and that is attainable housing, workforce development, and building business capacity. So that ties in with our 18th Annual Alliance Summit.

Summit. Organizers expect an attendance of more than 400 thought leaders, business professionals, entrepreneurs, and others who are invested in the region's economic resilience. Keynote speakers and breakout sessions will address how the community can build a sustainable foundation not only to attract new businesses, but to help existing businesses and their employees grow and prosper. Topics range from health and leadership to artificial intelligence for agriculture, from expanding childcare access and workforce housing to economic development strategies for rural areas. Keynote speakers include two term Democratic Attorney General, Phil Wiser, who as Dean of the University of Colorado Law School established Startup Colorado, an organization that supports rural entrepreneurs Alliance Board President Elizabeth Howe, who serves as Chief Operating Officer for the La Plata Electric Association says the summit is more than a day of professional development. The ideas that summit participants generate often become government policy or private action that improves the community's economic prosperity.

But this is one full day of whether it's legislators or business leaders or educators all in the same room. And so for me, that is truly, you know, the spark is created and then hopefully the conversations continue from there. So the ideas that come out of the summit can ultimately turn into legislative policies. They can turn into the housing development that you see on one 60. They can turn into the next childhood early childhood center that's developed. So it's really, yeah, again, about all in the room together, the creativity, and then picking up that thread and, and going with it from that, that moment forward.

Summit. Registration information and a list of speakers and breakout sessions may be found on the Alliance's website@yeslpc.com. And for more news about Durango, visit Durango local.news. Thank you for watching. I'm Sadie Smith.