SEEDS economic conference to focus on community development, natural resources

The Southeast Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Symposium (SEEDS) will bring together local and regional business and economic leaders to discuss trends in the Southeast Missouri economy.

The conference is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Drury Plaza Hotel Conference Center, 3351 Percy Drive in Cape Girardeau.

SEEDS is a joint partnership between the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and Southeast Missouri State University’s Harrison College of Business & Computing.

Mo Collins, director of entrepreneurship at the International Economic Development Council, will serve as the keynote speaker. Senior economist Charles Gascon of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis will provide a regional economic update.

Brian Treece, former mayor of Columbia and current vice president of EquipmentShare Foundation, will discuss the role entrepreneurship plays in community economic development strategies.

Additionally, several business leaders will discuss how natural resources can shape the regional economy. This panel will be moderated by Missouri Highway Commission chair Dustin Boatwright and features Charles Kruse, president of Charles Kruse Farms; Tommy Petzoldt of Buzzi Unicem USA in Cape Girardeau; and Mike Hollomon, commercial director with U.S. Strategic Metals.

This conference is sponsored by Mayson Capital Partners, co-sponsored by the Harrison College of Business & Computing and has programs sponsored by Buzzi Unicem USA and Ritter Communications.