Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau
April 2014
15
RDA Happenings
We continue to receive great leads both from our partners and our proactive marketing
networking opportunities. This year could shape up to be a great year, but as the old adage
says “don’t count your chickens until they are hatched”.
Last fall we contacted the Emporia State University School of Business about the RDA in
communicating with social media to inform our internal and external clients regarding RDA
activities, objectives and results. Dr. Sharath Sasidharan, Associate Professor of Information
Systems School of Business, contacted our office in December 2013 indicating a group of his
students could assist us in the spring semester.
Kent Heermann
President, Regional
Development Association
of East Central Kansas
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOC. of EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
The Regional Development
Association of East Central
Kansas (RDA) is the lead
economic development
organization for Lyon
County and the Emporia
area. The four members
of the RDA are the
Emporia Area Chamber
of Commerce, Emporia
Enterprises, the City
of Emporia, and Lyon
County. The RDA is located
with the Emporia Area
Chamber of Commerce
and the Convention and
Visitors Bureau at the
Trusler Business Center,
719 Commercial, Emporia,
KS 66801. Kent Heerman
RDA President, can be
contacted at 620-342-1600
ext. 16, or heermann@
emporiakschamber.org.
March 4th Dr. Sasidharan and five ESU business students met with Robin and me to
discuss the process. We discussed the merits of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Based on
the student’s recommendations and our discussions, we will begin formulating plans to
implement a strategy to develop and launch the RDA presence on those three social media
outlets.
For years we have utilized “classical” local media – radio and newspaper. We will
continue to utilize radio and newspaper, and then begin expanding our messages/
communication into the social media. There is ample information to be communicated about
economic development.
The challenge with economic development corporations is that we sign non-disclosure
agreements with existing and new companies and have access to proprietary and
confidential information. Progress on existing or new expansion projects are confidential
until actually announced.
Social media appears to be the natural communication conduit for development issues.
For instance, on the Emporia Pavilions we are using the “traditional” media to communicate
the facts regarding the Emporia Pavilions project and Tax Increment Financing (TIF).
The local, regional and national economy continues to indicate signs of growth. We have
experienced job growth at !