Hit the ground running?
Camille Lavon arrived as economic development director for Iola and Allen County last summer, going at Usain Bolt-like speed.
In the six months since, Lavon has garnered a greater appreciation for what the economic needs are in an increasingly tumultuous climate, particularly for southeast Kansas.
She noted, in response to a question during Iola’s City Council meeting Monday, that Iola stacks up favorably with other communities across the region in terms of economic viability.
“When we’re talking about a new-to-market attraction, we are as much on the map as Garnett,” Lavon said, when asked about Iola’s neighbor to the north. “The issue is that Southeast Kansas as a whole isn’t really ‘on the map.’”
The good news is one of the elixirs for such a need is already in the works, Lavon continued, in terms of “readying our inventory,” to get potential entrepreneurs and developers familiar with what Iola and Allen County have to offer.
Lavon’s comments came during an annual report, which encapsulated what she’s learned in the six-plus months she’s been in office, and her goals for 2026 and beyond.
“ANY TIME you bring a new leader into a position, you’re going to see an intentional reset,” Lavon explained. “There was a lot of focus on strategy, coordination and readiness.”
Lavon’s initial goals were not to be reactive, but rather to learn as much as she could about the community, the employers doing business here, and partners already working on various economic development projects.
With that, she developed three core principles: readiness before recruiting; retention as attraction; and quality of place as an economic driver. “We want to make sure those three things are in place before we recruit or potentially expand on anybody who is already within the community,” Lavon said.
— Readiness before recruitment means “readying the inventory” in terms of ensuring workforce sites and utilities are in place before reaching out to potential businesses, she explained.
— Retention as attraction is essential to a community’s vibrance, she stressed, because the focus there is on working with businesses and entrepreneurs already in place, to help them thrive and grow when possible.
— Quality of place deals with quality of life: hospitals, schools, childcare, all the things that economic development is not supposed to lead, but should always be in the room supporting and promoting, she said.
It’s as she brings these goals into focus that Lavon begins to connect the dots and get resources in place for those who need them.
“Economic development is always an inch deep and a mile wide,” Lavon said, “meaning that it’s very rare that I’m actually an expert on any subject matter.”
She just has those experts on speed dial.
