A new economic development collaboration of local leaders from the Four Rivers region wants to attract more businesses by working across state lines.
Officials from west Kentucky, northwest Tennessee, southeast Missouri and southern Illinois announced the creation of the Mississippi and Ohio River Confluence Economic Alliance (MORCEA) at a press event Monday in Ballard County. Leaders want to advertise the region’s significant river commerce and other resources to potential businesses, believing that pitching the entire region's industry is more attractive than the resources any one county or city could offer.
Lindsay Frilling with the Obion County Tennessee Joint Economic Development Council said the new relationships and connections this initiative could build will help make sure business opportunities stay in the region.
"If I know I have a prospect that comes to me that I can't make fit in my community, I want to pass them along to somebody else in the region so that they have a chance at recruiting a business," Frilling said.
MORCEA has 10 priorities, including increasing wages, improving infrastructure, keeping and recruiting youth, and encouraging more high-tech businesses to move into the region. All four states that are a part of MORCEA contributed $2,500 each to help start the initiative.
The collaboration is also receiving technical assistance support from a United States Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development grant to help coordinate MORCEA's efforts, and is receiving a $10,000 grant from the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK) at the University of Kentucky, to help fund future projects.
"I was a part of an initiative almost nine years ago in the same region, and the conversation was similar. It was like 'rah, rah, let's do this.' But I don't think all the partners brought all their cards to the table," CEDIK Executive Director Alison Davis said. "And I think the dicussion here is a little bit different. I do believe there's geniune interest in working together, in benefiting from one's success is all of our success."
MORCEA's next steps are to establish short-term and long-term actions it can achieve across the region in the coming months. For now, many leaders say contining to build relationships will be paramount -- but that takes time.
"It's kind of like a marriage, really. If you don't have trust and communication, the relationship breaks down," said Ballard County Judge-Executive Todd Cooper.
