Leadership was the main topic at Leadercast 2016 on Friday at the Bucyrus Nazarene Church.
This year’s simulcast was attended by 130 people from across the county and featured speakers such as comedian Tripp Cosby, leadership author and communicator Andy Stanley and leadership expert Dr. Henry Cloud. The event is sponsored by the Crawford County Partnership for Education and Economic Development every spring as part of the Crawford 20/20 Vision plan.
“Since 1980, the population in Crawford County has been steadily decreasing and businesses have left. Leadership development is the key to combatting that diversity,” said the partnership’s coordinator Gary Frankhouse.
Erin Stein, director of the Crawford Success Center, said that higher education attainment will increase the income levels of households across the county by $4.5 million.
Frankhouse explained that the median income for a household in the county without a post-secondary education is $29,000 per year while a household with at least one person with a post-secondary education is $50,000.
“That is a difference of $21,000 per year. Education attainment is so important to the future of our community,” Frankhouse said.
Frankhouse said the Leadercast event helps to raise people’s awareness about setting clear and concise goals which is one of the main points Bucyrus city auditor Joyce Schifer said she took away with her from the morning’s presentations.
“To make a larger impact on people, you need to keep things short, clear and memorable,” Schifer said.
Jared Cass of Avita, the county’s largest employer, said he came to the event to learn new leadership styles and ways to teach them to others.
Students from the Leader in Me program at both Bucyrus and Wynford Schools did a presentation at the day-long event.
“Galion Schools are in the process of gearing up to begin the Leader in Me program in the fall. The program teaches leadership skills to kids in pre-school through fifth-grade. They are the future for our community,” Frankhouse said.
For more information about the partnership, visit http://growcrawford.org.
