A DeWitt County economic development leader returned from a recent conference rejuvenated and inspired by what could be some great opportunities locally.

Curt Homann is the Executive Director of the DeWitt County Development Council and explains the Rural Economic Development Conference in Springfield is annually the best event he attends.

One of the breakout sessions from this conference was about tax credits that are available for building rehab and what that could mean for local developers or business owners.

According to Homann, he encountered a group that rehabs buildings and then makes money off the businesses that end up in those rehabbed buildings. He was quite blown away by the possibility of that for DeWitt County.

Homann calls it a mindset shift and believes it is not only a revitalization of rural America but it is part of what he sees as a growing shift in people migrating to small, rural communities.

While Homann returned from the conference inspired, he reminds many initiatives and the fruits of those efforts are going to be felt several years down the road. However, he feels very positively about the possibilities for development in DeWitt County after his experience in Springfield.