Episode 157: How Can Creative Partnerships Boost Resources for Small Organizations? | Cathy Knapp, Southwest Michigan First

Episode 157: How Can Creative Partnerships Boost Resources for Small Organizations? | Cathy Knapp, Southwest Michigan First 150 150 America's Jobs Team

“Rather than feeling bad about limited resources, the conversation became about forming partnerships to create more opportunities for a rural county.” –Cathy Knapp

Economic development can look vastly different for rural areas; often, the local organization is a one-person shop. Challenges around needing to prioritize time for projects with office management tasks can be huge hurdles for productivity. How then can economic developers in smaller organizations or rural areas partner to increase resources and maximize their impact?

Join Carla Sones as she talks with Cathy Knapp, partner at Southwest Michigan First. Cathy leads the economic development for St. Joseph County, a rural Michigan county on the border with Indiana, and she dives into some of the opportunities that opened up when the county decided to partner with Southwest Michigan First. Cathy also shares insights about educating key business partners about the importance of the work we do so that fundraising efforts continue to be fruitful.

Cathy is recognized as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers not only for her tenacity in serving her region, but also for bringing some huge project across the finish line over the last year. Cathy’s joy for economic development is contagious; tune in now to bask in her zest for community and listen to her thoughts on what makes her best days so full of energy!

America’s Jobs Team is sponsored by Research on Investment / Gazelle.ai