Barton County CDC Hires Economic Development Director

The Barton County CDC would like to introduce Rob Harrington as the Barton County Economic Development Director. After an extensive nationwide search, Rob Harrington has been hired by the Barton County CDC to assist local companies, entrepreneurs, and others to solidify and expand their businesses, start new companies, and to create jobs.

Harrington comes from Shelbyville, Missouri, where he served as the executive director of the Shelby County Economic Development Board. He also serves on the Board of Directors of two influential organizations, the Missouri Economic Development Council and the Rural Mid-American Development Association.

Harrington has hit the ground running. During his first week on the job, Harrington met with business and community leaders. He was in attendance last week when the CDC briefed local governmental officials on Barton County Biz, a comprehensive survey of Barton County businesses, which has just been completed. In his second week, he will attend the annual meeting of the Missouri Economic Development Council and meet with various state officials in Jefferson City.

The CDC will sponsor the second annual Barton County Economic Summit on March 9th. At that meeting, details of two CDC surveys -- Barton County Biz and another on transportation, distribution, and logistics – will be released. Also, Harrington will be officially introduced to county residents. Details on the upcoming economic summit are still being finalized and will be announced shortly.

Harrington came highly recommended by state and regional economic development officials. These contacts will be invaluable as Harrington works both locally and regionally to get county citizens back to work, whether that’s inside the county or elsewhere in the four-state area. In recent years, residents of Lamar, Liberal, Golden City, and other rural areas of the county have crossed county and state lines to find jobs. Conversely, many of them have lost their jobs when companies shutdown or had layoffs in Joplin, Pittsburg, and other employment centers around the area.

Harrington, his wife, and three small children will be living in the county where he works. He has made plans to purchase a home in the county within the next six months. He’s expected to initially work out of the Office Center on the north side of the square in Lamar, although he will be traveling across the county in pursuit of assisting existing county businesses and entrepreneurs, which generally provide 90 percent of new jobs.

The Barton County Community Development Corporation (CDC) is a 501.c4 organization. Its board of directors is comprised of eleven county residents representing the major sectors of our economy – government, education, agriculture, professionals, health care, industry, and retail. They also represent all areas of the county, from Liberal to Lamar to Golden City and rural areas in between. The cities of Lamar and Lamar Heights, the Barton County Commission, county businesses, and private individuals have pledged approximately $130,000 per year for three years to fund a full-time, productive, economic development effort across the entire county.