Article by: Marty Walsh
The Fillmore County Economic Development Authority (EDA) held their first Business After Hours event at the new Beaver Bottom Saloon in Fountain, MN on July 24th. The event was an opportunity for businesses and community developers from communities across the County to network and engage with others, with the ultimate goal of deepening the connection of the EDA to a broad base of businesses.
CEDA team member Marty Walsh, who serves the Fillmore County EDA, worked to identify a central location in the county in a community without an existing business networking organization, which would also be likely to attract a wide range of people for a first time event. The ability to support a brand new business in the county, Beaver Bottom Saloon was an added benefit and attraction. The initial invite list was primarily derived from existing partners and contacts in the community, with the intent to provide a good base for a regular, quarterly program to grow from.
In the long term, the objective of the Business After Hours event will be to highlight businesses in the smaller communities of the county, build networks between businesses that may otherwise be separated by geography, and create a pipeline for EDA projects, both those that emerge from the community and need help, or those that come in the form of state or regional programs seeking participants. Anyone interested in joining the next Fillmore County After Hours event should e-mail Marty Walsh at marty.walsh@cedausa.com and ask to be placed on the Business After Hours mailing list.