At a forum in Dodge City, Kansas, Regional Executive and Assistant Vice President Jeremy Hill shared economic insight with business leaders and and economic developers from the area.

By CHANDLER RHOADES

In early September, Regional Executive and Assistant Vice President Jeremy Hill traveled to meet with business and community leaders in rural western Kansas to better understand the economic factors most impactful to that region’s communities.

First, Hill visited Dodge City, where he held an economic forum with various firms and economic developers and shared his insights on the national and regional economy. He also engaged in discussion, asking questions about the topics most important to the region, which involved labor dynamics, inflation and immigration.

While in Dodge City, Hill also met with officials from National Beef, one of the largest employers in southwest Kansas, and Broce Broom, a leading manufacturer of industrial cleaning equipment. These interactions helped provide insight into factors at play for particular industries—such as cattle stockyards, food processing and industrial manufacturing. Hill also met with the superintendent of the Dodge City School District.

Next, Hill visited Rexford, Kansas, a town 20 miles northeast of Colby. There he visited the McCarty Family Dairy Farm to attend the board meeting of the Western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance. A tour of the farm included a 120-stall rotolactor, or “cow carousel” used to milk hundreds of cows within a span of 10 minutes. The apparatus is thought to be the largest of its kind in the United States. After the farm tour, Hill conducted a roundtable with economic developers from several counties throughout western Kansas. During the event, Hill gained valuable insight into the opportunities and concerns that rural areas are experiencing.

These outreach activities enabled connections with regions that are beyond the Bank’s Branch footprints but are home to industries and individuals that are key contributors to economic development in the Tenth District.

Learn more about Jeremy Hill's research and outreach work in the region.

During the visit to western Kansas, Jeremy Hill conducted an economic roundtable with business leaders from several counties in the region.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City or the Federal Reserve System.