UTSA conference to focus on economic development in rural communities
(June 5, 2014) -- The UTSA Small Business Development Center Rural Business Program, the Governor's Small Business Forum, Texas Workforce Commission and the Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) will host the fifth annual Texas Rural Challenge June 19-20 at the Waco Convention Center and Hilton Waco.
The Texas Rural Challenge was created in 2009 through a partnership between UTSA and the Office of the Governor and was designed to organize a statewide conference to address the needs and challenges facing rural Texas.
"UTSA is proud to host an event such as the Texas Rural Challenge," said Robert McKinley, UTSA associate vice president for economic development. "UTSA's presence and work with rural communities and small businesses throughout South and West Texas have allowed us to develop best practices and an understanding of rural issues that we can translate into a conference like the TRC."
According to 2013 estimates, Texas has the largest rural population in the nation with more than three million rural residents. The conference is the first of its kind to focus on rural Texans and will feature several keynote speakers including:
- Christi Craddick, commissioner, Texas Railroad Commission
- Ben Winchester, research fellow, Extension Center for Community Vitality, University of Minnesota
- Diane Smith, Mobile Future
- Michael Fortunato, director, Center for Community and Business Research, Sam Houston State University
"On behalf of HOTCOG and the Heart of Texas Economic Development District, we welcome everyone to the Heart of Texas Region," said HOTCOG Executive Director Russell Devorsky. "With 80 percent of the population of the state within just a few hours of here, and as we are the center point of the NAFTA Highway, it is only natural that a conference focusing on rural economic and community development should be held here."
Additionally, the conference will offer breakout sessions in three tracks: Business and Economic Development, Community Development and Statewide Rural Issues. Breakout session topics include, but are not limited to, rural entrepreneurship, economic development, Texas shale revolution, heritage and tourism, infrastructure, youth development, community resilience, health care and housing.
"It is more important than ever for the rural community to be involved and in the know. With all of the activity going on in Texas at the moment, the rural population needs to stay engaged and the Texas Rural Challenge provides an excellent opportunity for them to do that," said Gilbert Gonzalez, UTSA SBDC rural business program director.
Two new additions to the conference are the Texas Student Challenge, a business plan competition for college students geared to business ventures and innovative technologies that will benefit rural communities, and the Texas Strong Competition, which features eight SBDC client finalists selected from across the state to participate in a $1,000 grand prize, fast-pitch competition. Learn more at the Texas Small Business Development Center website.
------------------------------
Registration closes June 16; register at the Texas Rural Challenge website. View the conference agenda.
Connect with the UTSA Institute for Economic Development on Facebook and Twitter.
Events
Learn to use the simple but powerful features of EndNote®, a citation management tool. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography.
Virtual EventLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventOur GSAW Research Symposium begins with lunch and a Poster Presentation Competition. Faculty, staff, and graduate students are welcome to attend and review the exceptional research from UTSA's best and brightest.
Student Union Ballrooms 1 & 2, Main CampusHear from UTSA doctoral candidate in environmental science, Andre Felton, as he discusses best practices to discuss scholarly research in non-academic settings. Our 2023 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) winners will also share their winning presentations.
Student Union Ballrooms 1 & 2, Main CampusJoin this fun event if you want resume and interview resources, a job or internship, a snow cone from Kona Ice and to socialize.
Sombrilla PlazaIn partnership with San Antonio Metro Health, join us for a special lecture series during Public Health week! An esteemed panel will discuss the job market’s impact on public health departments in Texas municipalities.
Retama Auditorium (SU 2.02.02,) Main CampusThe Task Force for the Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence, Cyber, Computing, and Data Science at UTSA initiative will hold a virtual Campus Forum to discuss their findings in Phase I (data gathering). UTSA faculty, staff and students will have an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas before the Task Force moves into Phase II.
Virtual Event