“Blazing new trails for growth in the Flint Hills”
Our Vision: Offer an unmatched quality of life and exceptional business climate in Morris County.
Our Mission: To promote and improve the economic climate and quality of life in Morris County through the recruitment of new industries, the retention and expansion of existing businesses and encouraging new small business startups through entrepreneurial development support.
The Greater Morris County Development Corporation was founded in 1958 as a for- profit corporation. In 1987, the GMDC became a non-profit 501c6. The organization has had numerous successes, including facilitating the move of Rex Materials Group (now Unifrax) to Council Grove and assisting US Stone with road development at the Herington Airport to accommodate their operational needs.
The GMDC tackled a Revisioning Initiative in 2018 to better define the organization's purpose and become more effective and relevant. The initiative included hiring a full-time Executive Director in December of 2019 to propel Morris County's economic development efforts. Since that time, The GMDC has become a NetWork Kansas E-Community, providing gap financing to businesses in the County, and offering workshops to benefit local businesses. The GMDC also has a robust legislative presence with the current Executive Director serving on the Kansas Economic Development Association (KEDA) Board of Directors and working closely with partners throughout the State of Kansas.
The community of Council Grove is seeing growth and improvements being made in upgrades to infrastructure, growth in the downtown business district, and increased enthusiasm for community development. Business is good, and many companies are expanding and growing their capacity. The GMDC is working hard to make sure this trend continues by looking at the possibilities for the Morris County region and its communities.
Our “Trail Blazing Morris County” campaign outlines how we plan to address specific needs, such as affordable housing, community workforce development, business retention & expansion and community development and marketing. This plan draws upon Morris County’s history of blazing trails in the Flint Hills for over 200 years. We believe the same passion that burned the tall grass to deepen its roots and attract prosperity still exists today as GMDC continues to blaze new trails for growth in Morris County!
