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RURAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 8 AM - 3:30 PM

Muse-Norris Conference Center | NIACC Campus

Connect with business leaders, entrepreneurs, agricultural professionals, and community partners for a day of practical ideas, meaningful conversations, and fresh perspectives.

$29 Registration • Lunch Included

Presented in partnership with NIACC Business & Workforce Solutions, First Citizens Bank, and the NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.

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Grow Your Business. Strengthen Your Team. Build Your Community.

The Rural Development Conference is designed to give you strategies and insights you can put to work right away. Choose from breakout sessions covering today's most relevant business and community topics, connect with others from across the region, and leave with new strategies to help your organization move forward.

Your Day at a Glance

TIME EVENT
8:00 AM Check-In
8:30 AM Welcome
8:40 AM Employee Engagement & Wellness Panel
9:20 AM Breakout Session #1 
10:30 AM Breakout Session #2
11:30 AM Lunch
12:40 PM Breakout Session #3
1:55 PM Keynote with Dima Ghawi
3:15 PM Ice Cream Social

Choose from a variety of breakout sessions throughout the day. Explore the session lineup below.

Who Should Attend?

If you're invested in the future of your business, workforce, or community, this conference is for you.

Business Owners & Leaders · Entrepreneurs · Managers & HR Professionals · Agricultural Professionals · Economic Development Professionals · Community Leaders

Whether you're looking for new ideas to grow your business, strengthen your team, navigate change, or make an impact in your community, you'll find something valuable to take back with you.

Featured Keynote

Dima Ghawi

Speaker

Dima empowers others to lead with confidence, develop emotional intelligence in leadership, and reimagine what they’re truly capable of, connecting with her audience through inspiring, emotion-filled stories and deeply relatable messages drawn from her global leadership experience. She motivates individuals to thrive both personally and professionally by taking courageous, life-changing actions unburdened by fear. Dima empowers each person to break free from limitations and grow in leadership.

Dima Ghawi Headshot

Employee Engagement & Wellness Panel

Your people are at the heart of your organization. Hear from local business owners and professionals as they share real-world experiences, challenges, and strategies for engaging employees, supporting workplace wellness, and creating a strong company culture. Walk away with ideas and fresh perspectives to help build a workplace where employees feel valued, connected, and empowered to thrive.

Panel Speakers

Jon Prebeck
First Citizens Bank

Savanah McClemons
ASSA ABLOY

Dan McGuire
First Citizens Bank

Brooke Nerlien
Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics

Choose the Sessions That Matter to You

With multiple breakout sessions offered throughout the conference, you can choose from topics relevant to your business, team, or community. Explore practical ideas, strategies, and resources you can take back to your organization.

What the Heck Is EOS... and How Can It Help Simplify Your Business?

Justin Meints | Professional EOS Implementer, JM Coaching and Consulting

Learn how the Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS) can help your organization create greater clarity, accountability, and focus. Explore the six key components of EOS and experience a practical tool you can use to improve communication, solve problems, and turn goals into action.

Getting Unstuck: Simple Tools for Better Conversations Leading to Action

Karie Terhark | Founder, KT Facilitation

Learn facilitation tools designed to help teams move past challenges, improve conversations, and turn ideas into action. Explore techniques for engaging more voices and perspectives, uncovering what really matters, and generating and prioritizing ideas that help teams move forward.

Transformative Shifts in Agriculture 

John Caupert | Chief Executive Officer, Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS)

Explore two major shifts transforming agriculture today: changes in the flow of grain and changes in the agricultural workforce. Take a closer look at where grain is going in today’s agricultural landscape, why those patterns are changing, and how workforce shifts are impacting the industry.

Putting AI to Work in Your Business: Stop Chatting, Start Delegating

Cory Hanscom | Founder, MainStreetAdvantage.ai

Discover how to move beyond simply chatting with AI and start putting it to work in your business. See a live example, learn the three key parts of an AI job, and explore practical ways AI can help save time, capture revenue, improve decision-making, and reduce expenses.

Funding Your Business: NIACOG Revolving Loan Fund

Myrtle Nelson | Executive Director, North Iowa Area Council Of Governments (NIACOG)

Explore financing opportunities available through the NIACOG Revolving Loan Fund and how they can support local businesses. Learn about available funding, loan terms, the application and approval process, and key federal requirements.

Leading When It’s Not Popular

Andy Sokolovich | President & CEO, Grow Clinton

Hear a real-world perspective on leading through opposition and differing viewpoints during a major economic development project. Learn strategies for engaging community members and elected officials while providing accurate, timely information and navigating challenging conversations.

Succession Planning

Collin Davison, Attorney, Laird Law | Mike Castle, Senior Wealth Advisor, First Citizens

 

Building Thriving Teams with DiSC

Kyla Bonsetter, Top Talent Consulting

And More!

One Registration. A Full Day of Value.

All for just $29.

✓ Multiple professional development sessions
✓ Your choice of breakout topics
✓ Featured keynote from Dima Ghawi
✓ Opportunities to connect with regional business and community leaders
✓ Lunch included
✓ Closing ice cream social

Presented by

Agenda  |  Professional Conference

  • 9:00 - 9:30 a.m.

    Registration & Refreshments

  • 9:30 - 9:35 a.m.

    Welcome

  • 9:35 - 10:35 a.m.

    Community Crisis Response Team (CCRT)
    John Derryberry & Angela Shapley

-  Break  -

  • 10:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

    Connection as Treatment: Understanding Loneliness and the Potential Role of the Human-Animal Bond
    Katy Schroeder, PhD, NCC, University of Iowa & Shea Jorgensen, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Prairie Ridge

-  Lunch (Provided) -

  • 12:50 - 1:50 p.m.

    Emerging Risks & Established Treatments In Opioid Use Disorder  
    Shea Jorgensen, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Prairie Ridge

-  Break  -

  • 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

    Opioid Overdose Education and Naloxone Training
    Christine Riggert, BA, CPS

  • 3:30 - 4:00 p.m.

    Person With Lived Experience 

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Conference Registration
Or call 641-422-4358