The Howard County Extension Service in cooperation with the 3Cs Create Bridges Regional Steering Committee is hosting a community forum to gather information about the community assets in the retail, tourism, entertainment and accommodations industries. “Create Bridges” is actually an acronym, which stands for “Celebrating Retail, Accommodations, Tourism, and Entertainment by Building Rural Innovations and Developing Growth Economies.”
The forum will be held Tuesday, February 26, 2019 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Howard County Extension Homemaker Educational Center located directly behind the courthouse in Nashville. The forum is open to anyone with a vested interest in retail and tourism to join in the discussion and share their perspectives. The goal is to recognize community assets, look at challenges and barriers and eventually develop an action plan to expand retail and tourism. Create Bridges is a multi-state pilot program designed to help rural communities build their capacity for strengthening the retail, tourism, hospitality, and entertainment sectors, which provide jobs and business opportunities that frequently boost rural economies. The program includes a community forum, a retail academy for regional leaders, a business and retention program, and an emphasis on identifying opportunities for workforce training and engaging the incumbent workforce.
For more information about Create Bridges or the community forum, please call the Howard County Extension Office at 870-845-7517. Interested persons are being asked to pre-register for the forum. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact your Howard County Extension Office as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.