Approximately 25 Wyoming residents attended a forum on job creation that was hosted by USDA Rural Development and the Farm Service Agency. The forum was held at a hotel in Casper on January 12th, 2010 as a follow up to President Obama’s December 3rd White House briefings on job creation.
The event was co-hosted by the Wyoming Rural Development Council and was attended by an array of individuals from the community including business owners, private citizens, representatives from various state and federal agencies, educators and others interested in job creation. Representatives from Senator Enzi’s, Senator Barasso’s, and Representative Lummis’s offices were also present.
The event began with a welcome by Wyoming Rural Development State Director Derrel Carruth in which he encouraged the attendees to utilize the time provided to make their concerns known and formulate ideas and suggestions regarding how to stimulate job creation and economic development in Wyoming. The attendees then viewed a short video of USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.
The forum was facilitated by Mary Randolph, Executive Director for Wyoming’s Rural Development Council. She presented seven discussion questions to the audience which included such topics as obstacles to job creation in your community and what do you see as “jobs of the future”. Gregor Goertz, State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency provided the closing remarks in which he stated “You’ve each brought a unique perspective to the table here today and the administration thanks you”.