Investors & Partners,

May is here, and that means summer is right around the corner! We've been all over Missouri this past month, culminating in a trip to Jefferson City for a day of legislative advocacy (in fact, the song "Whip It" was written as a pep talk for politicians to get it together and make stuff happen!). But with the nice weather, we're more than happy to get out of the office from time to time. With new BRE efforts, marketing initiatives, and projects galore, we've got our work cut out for us, and we wouldn't want it any other way.

SMCC and partners in Jefferson City for "Christian County Day"

The arrival of May also means new opportunities to get engaged. Be sure to check the calendars of our cities, libraries, and local Chambers of Commerce for upcoming events in your community! And don't forget, our next full board meeting is May 17 at 10am, located at the Fremont Hills Country Club. We are excited to share what we have been up to with our partners as we look ahead to a great summer of new projects and development!

As always, we are incredibly thankful for our investors and partners. We treasure your constant support and engagement. Have a wonderful day!

Kristen Haseltine

President/CEO - Show Me Christian County

417-496-5987 (cell)

Visit us at showmeccmo.com

Show Me Christian County Full Board Meeting

The next Show Me Christian County full board meeting will take place at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at the Fremont Hills Country Club. Investors, be sure to mark your calendars, and watch out for more information!

National Small Business Week FREE Seminar

What does it take to start a small business? What resources are available? During National Small Business Week, efactory will be hosting a FREE seminar with SBA, Springfield leaders, SCORE, and Missouri SBDC. Secure spot today for this event on May 4!

Click here for more info and to register!

Economic Development Survey

Help SMCOG with their annual comprehensive strategy by taking the economic development survey below! Please complete by May 7th, and be sure to share it with others in your network!

Click here to take the survey!

The Missouri Department of Economic Development received funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to assist with economic recovery efforts. The following grant applications are open or will open soon. Please follow the link for more information about these grants.

• Entertainment Industry (launching May 11 at 10am)
• A pre-application webinar will be hosted on May 4
• Nonprofit (finalizing guidelines, launching May 29)
• A pre-application webinar to happen in the coming weeks
• Cell Tower (finalizing guidelines)

Insight Missouri

Kristen attended the Insight Missouri conference, of which Show Me was a sponsor, in St. Louis to meet with other economic developers and build relationships with site selectors.

Christian County Day of legislative advocacy in Jefferson City

SMCC and partners visited Jefferson City on April 20th for a Christian County Day of legislative advocacy, where they met with legislators to discuss current and upcoming bills in the ongoing congressional session.

MACVB Annual Conference

Ethan attended the annual MACVB conference in St. Charles to learn more and hear updates on regional tourism and destination marketing.

Chadwick Flyer Open House

An informational open house for the Chadwick Flyer Trail took place at the OC following the announcement of the City of Ozark's award of ARPA funding for the project.

Learn more about the project here!

April 4, 2023 was election day across the nation, and in Christian County, we saw 10,355 ballots cast across 66,193 registered voters. That's a voter turnout of less than 16%. Of course, this was the average when counted among neighboring Springfield and also Kansas City. 15.67% of registered voters participated in April elections in these three communities.

Contrast these numbers with the Missouri statewide voter turnout in 2022: a whopping 44.86%. Unfortunately, we see less and less registered voters participating in spring elections. It is vital we don't forget that the results of local government elections impact your day-to-day life. Local governments organize the services and amenities you use every day: parks, police, city planning, and more!

Every month, we title our newsletter after a song that seems fitting. Can you name the artist who originally recorded this month's song, Whip It?

Your options:

• Wham!
• Pet Shop Boys
• Duran Duran
• Devo