Neil Morrow, the Ketchum Community Development Corp.'s new executive director, hopes to make the group more financially independent.
Morrow spoke about his vision for the CDC on Thursday at a presentation hosted by Jigsaw, a nonprofit that seeks to expand economic diversity in the Wood River Valley.
One of Morrow's first actions was to apply for a revolving loan fund from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which would provide the CDC with about $25,000 annually to help local business development. Morrow said the CDC should find out about the loan in mid-May. If the application is successful, the loan will both help burgeoning businesses and provide the CDC with revenue since the organization would administer the low-interest loans.
Morrow said one of the most significant challenges for the CDC in the next two years will be to eliminate its dependence on Ketchum's budget. He said that can be achieved through federal grants and fundraising. To that end, the CDC has created a development team to work on events and other fundraising efforts.
Also in the midst of inception is another new team, the seventh for the nonprofit organization, aimed at involving younger members of the community. The Leadership Development Team, consisting almost entirely of members under the age of 40, will focus on training local residents to take over leadership positions in organizations such as the CDC and the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau, and as elected officials.
"Sustainability is the key word, and we have lots of people in this community working on all different aspects of that word," Morrow said.
Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com
Neil Morrow
