Fifth Inter-City Leadership Visit Destination Announced

(May 15, 2018) MANKATO, MINN. – Fayetteville, Arkansas has been selected as the destination for this year’s Greater Mankato Leadership Delegation Inter-City Leadership Visit (ICLV), an initiative of Greater Mankato Growth.

A delegation of business and community leaders will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas October 10-12, 2018 to study innovative ideas and best practices that may be adapted to the Greater Mankato region. Of particular interest will be the way Fayetteville is addressing top priorities the Greater Mankato region identified by surveying key community leaders, past delegates and our Young Professionals this spring. The top priorities identified are:

• Affordable housing
• Greater Mankato as destination for visiting, working and living
• Talent Development/Attraction/Retention       
• Regional recreation

The planning committee and professional staff at Greater Mankato Growth did extensive research and spoke with past delegates to pick the best city that has experienced challenges and success on key initiatives that align closely with those of our Greater Mankato community. Their research clearly confirmed that Fayetteville has assets and experiences that our region can learn from including:

• Great schools with a tax base to support growth
• Major regional medical hub
• Development of a cultural corridor and entertainment district
• Extensive bike/hike trail system
• Vibrant downtown
• Strong sense of regional identity and cooperativity
• Good mix of businesses with steady business growth
• Strong corporate philanthropy to support local projects
• University is a significant asset and has good a relationship with the community

Dan Bruss, Executive Project Leader for ICLV 2018, concurred that Fayetteville is an ideal choice for this year’s visit. “I have had the opportunity to participate in several Inter-City Visits and found each one illuminating, invigorating and rewarding. They provided a forum that served as a catalyst to propel ideas to projects which have impacted Greater Mankato. In addition, the time together provided ample opportunity to enrich and expand relationships with those who have a real heart to improve our community. There is no doubt in my mind that individuals and community groups will benefit in a concrete way from these visits to enhance the quality of life and the business climate of the Greater Mankato region. We look forward to hearing their story and sharing ideas with their community leaders.”

Laura Bowman, Regional Director, Community Relations and Strategic Partnerships at ‎Mayo Clinic Health System, agrees. “The ICLV is an opportunity for participants to be inspired to what is possible when community leaders work together towards common goals. In addition, the networking opportunity among trip participants is invaluable as we all know building relationships and trust among community leaders is a key ingredient to actually taking an idea and making it happen.”

The Greater Mankato Leadership Delegation was last called together three years ago in 2015 for a visit to Colombia, Missouri. Other visits have included Charlottesville, Virginia in 2011 and Fort Collins, Colorado in 2006. The inaugural ICLV visit was to Bellingham, Washington in 2005 and helped shape the beginnings of Envision 2020 in Greater Mankato.  

The 2018 delegation will again include diverse representation from the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors.

About Greater Mankato Growth
Greater Mankato Growth, the regional chamber of commerce and economic development organization, is a business unit of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. (GMG) which also includes the local convention and visitor's bureau, Visit Mankato, the downtown development organization, City Center Partnership and GreenSeam, which utilizes agriculture to build on the region’s extensive agribusiness assets to develop the ag economy.

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