Tuesday, Sep 13 2011 1:50PM
The "Leading the Way Towards Economic Recovery" summit aims to help rejuvenate slumping local businesses by providing them with business training.
An economic summit will take place on September 23 in Omak, Washington, to provide state business leaders and workers with assistance through workshops.
The summit, called "Leading the Way Towards Economic Recovery," will feature panels and presentations sponsored by area organizations, including the Economic Alliance, the Colville Confederated Tribes and the Initiative for Rural Innovation and Stewardship.
"We're aiming to rejuvenate business attitudes and approaches in this slumping economy," Roni Holder-Diefenbach, executive director of The Economic Alliance, a nonprofit organization that assists area businesses, told the Wenatchee World. "We want to bring a little bit [of] hope to this region's commercial climate."
According to the paper, the Economic Alliance surveyed local businesses to discover which topics should be included for the summit. Holder-Diefenbach stated the survey results showed area companies wanted help with technology and business survival.
Rural unemployment has been higher than the national average in Washington state in recent years. In 2009, the rural jobless rate was 10.1 percent. Last year, that rate rose to 10.4 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.