The Center on Rural Innovation is in the middle of its national conference, which is taking place in downtown Emporia.
Center on Rural Innovation is providing opportunities to network and learn more about different rural development initiatives. According to Emporia Main Street Director Casey Woods, this involves the release of an Emporia-specific study Wednesday.
CORI was established in 2017 and is designed to help rural communities compete across economic development sectors. It works with Rural Innovation Strategies Incorporated and the CORI Innovation Fund with a goal of improving the percentages of tech employment in rural settings. Currently at 5 percent, CORI wants to see an increase to 12 percent by 2030 because that would match the overall workforce in rural areas, as well as gender and race demographics.
A special public event is coming Wednesday evening, although the location depends on rainfall. Currently, the plan is to have the event at 901 Commercial. Activities will move inside Bourbon Cowboy if it’s raining or stormy.
