The Southwest Regional Development Commission (SRDC) celebrated another year of partnerships, innovation and community investment during its 2026 Annual Meeting held Thursday, July 9, at the Heritage Event Center near Taunton.
Commissioners, elected officials, community leaders, project partners and stakeholders from across southwest Minnesota gathered to reflect on the accomplishments of Fiscal Year 2026 while celebrating projects that continue to strengthen the region’s communities and economy.
The afternoon began with a bus tour highlighting four successful projects that demonstrate SRDC’s commitment to community development through planning, partnerships and strategic investment.
The first stop was Marshall’s Independence Park, where participants learned about the city’s ongoing Master Parks Plan. SRDC is partnering with the City of Marshall to coordinate public engagement and help develop a long-term vision for the city’s park system. The project demonstrates how quality parks and recreation spaces improve quality of life, promote healthy living, attract residents and create welcoming places for community gatherings.
The tour continued along the Camden Regional Trail, a 14mile trail connecting Marshall to Camden State Park. Through planning assistance, partnerships and technical expertise, SRDC has long supported regional trail development that encourages outdoor recreation, active transportation, tourism and stronger connections between communities.
The third stop featured Little Explorers Child Care Center in Ghent, founded by Jamie Gillund. What began as a licensed in-home daycare grew into a regional child care center after Jamie recognized the overwhelming need for additional child care throughout southwest Minnesota. Financing through the State Bank of Taunton and SRDC’s Revolving Loan Fund helped make the project possible, allowing the center to open in 2021. Today, Little Explorers serves dozens of families, employs approximately 20 staff members and continues to expand, with a second child care center opening later this summer in Minneota. The project illustrates how child care is essential economic development— supporting families, employers and the regional workforce.
The final stop brought attendees to the Heritage Event Center, where entrepreneurship and historic preservation have transformed a fifth-generation family farm into one of southwest Minnesota’s premier rural event destinations. Owner Dale Fier shared how a promise to preserve his family’s historic barn evolved into a thriving business that now hosts weddings, reunions, fundraisers and community events while celebrating the region’s agricultural heritage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SRDC’s COVID-19 Revolving Loan Fund provided critical financing that helped the business retain employees, complete facility improvements and continue growing. Today, the Heritage Event Center serves as a model of how small business investment and historic preservation can create lasting economic and community benefits.
Together, the tour stops showcased the diverse ways SRDC helps strengthen southwest Minnesota—from parks, trails and recreation to entrepreneurship, child care, historic preservation and economic development.
The evening’s keynote address was delivered by nationally recognized entrepreneur, business coach and author Kim Nagle, known as The DAMN Plan Lady.
Nagle challenged attendees to rethink community development by focusing not simply on buildings, roads or infrastructure, but on the people whose lives are transformed because of those investments.
The Southwest Regional Development Commission serves the nine-county region of Cottonwood, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood and Rock in the far southwest corner of Minnesota.
