Hospitality breaks sponsored by the Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority and USDA Rural Development.

On September 30 and October 1, 2004 more than 80 rural community leaders from across Wisconsin came together at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells to learn about Creating the New Rural Economy.

The conference opened with Wisconsin Rural Partners' Annual Meeting and Elections, followed by an Introduction and Overview of the New Rural Economy by WRP executive director Kelly Haverkampf, and a data analysis session on Understanding Rural Wisconsin presented by Al Anderson and Matt Kures of the conference co-host University of Wisconsin - Extension Center for Community Economic Development.

The New Rural Economy is a term used to describe the focus of the next generation of rural economic development, and highlights the elements of workforce development; entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial communities; arts, culture and the creative economy; and regional approaches to development.

A networking breakfast on Friday was followed by a panel discussion on The Rural Economy: Bridging the Old and New.Moderated by USDA Rural Development's director of Business Programs Mark Brodziski, the panel featured Gary Kirking of Western Wisconsin Technical College; Pam Christenson, director of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce Bureau of Entrepreneurship; and Anne Katz, executive director of the Wisconsin Assembly for Local Arts. Each of the panelists talked about their organization's initiatives related to the New Rural Economy, and a question and answer session brought forth more examples of new economy initiatives across the state.

The conference concluded with a Resource Roundtable where participants rotated among a series of short presentations on tools and resources offered by public and private organizations throughout Wisconsin. Roundtable topics ranged from Small Business Lending & Economic Development Finance to Rural-Urban Marketing Links to K-12 School - Community Connections. Participants came away with a better understanding of the breadth of resources available to community leaders.

Creating the Rural Mural was an optional evening activity for all participants at the conference. Award-winning community artists Tim & Connie Friesen of AVEC (Arts Vitally Enrich Community) Lakewood, Wisconsin (see 2004 Top Rural Development Initiatives), led the partners in designing and painting a mural that depicts rural Wisconsin and our partnership. The finished mural - "Piecing Rural Together" - is shown below with several of the WRP Board of Directors. The partners also completed a smaller mural of a lighthouse which adorns the new WRP office. "Piecing Rural Together" shows a birds-eye view of the Wisconsin landscape: the patchwork of green, gold and purple fields and blue waters interspersed with the American flag. The needle and thread shows how Wisconsin Rural Partners binds this patchwork together into a strong partnership.