Entrepreneurial communities are those that continuously work to facilitate economic development through entrepreneurship. They strategically build and grow networks, cultures, resources, and policies that enable invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship to thrive. The University of Missouri Extension created the Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) program to help communities develop these resources. The CEC acts as a platform for economic developers, local government officials, and other practitioners to come together to share best practices, learn from successes and failures, and exchange ideas.
Last year, City of Excelsior Springs Economic Development Director Melinda Mehaffy and Excelsior Springs Chamber of Commerce President Brian Rice attended a Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) conference. There, they networked with other community leaders from across the state, sharing challenges and successes. Inspired by their experience, they invited the MU Extension CEC’s planning committee to visit Excelsior Springs, hoping to host the next conference.
On Wednesday afternoon, the MU Extension’s CEC committee boarded the Chamber trolley in the Hall of Waters Circle Drive for a tour of downtown. The tour focused on the business community and potential event venues for the 2026 conference. Starting with The Elms Hotel and Spa, they were shown spaces ideal for the conference, along with some of the unique history of Excelsior Springs.
With the community now filled with Airbnbs, the group toured the Mayor Mark and Anna Sue Spohn’s Jailhouse Bed & Breakfast, learning about its history as the former home of Excelsior Springs Police Chief Bill Payne. Next, they visited the 414 Company on Thompson Ave, where business owner Brenda Kilgore welcomed them.
The 414 Company rents space to retail businesses, providing a start until they move to a storefront. This week, Butterfly Kisses Boutique and Vesta Hearth and Home announced their moves from the 414 Company space to individual storefronts downtown on Broadway. One committee member noted that this story could inspire others to follow suit.
The tour continued to the event space at Ventana Gourmet Grill, which was being set up for an event that evening. Next door, the committee explored Ciao Bella boutique and Wine and Shine on Broadway, meeting the business owners and seeing the unique retail spaces.
The tour concluded at the historic Hall of Waters, where the committee received goody bags from Hall of Springs merchants. On the front lawn, they enjoyed a barbecue dinner from Charlie McDaniel’s catering company and participated in a Downtown Merchant Mingle. Officers of the downtown group spoke about their committees and ongoing work.
The CEC Conference is the organization’s flagship event, hosted annually in a rural Missouri community. Hosting the conference offers rural communities the chance to showcase their downtown businesses, entrepreneurs, and assets to a diverse audience from across Missouri and neighboring states. It is an opportunity to demonstrate to potential investors, funding agencies, entrepreneurs, newcomers, and state organizations that they are “open for business.”
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