Finney County Economic Development Corporation

By SHAJIA AHMAD
sahmad@gctelegram.com

GARDEN CITY -- As local economic officials undergo an organizational transition, they now also will have to look for new leadership.

Eric Depperschmidt, president of the Finney County Economic Development Corp., has resigned. The announcement was made Monday by the FCEDC's board of directors.

Depperschmidt, who has a bachelor's degree in history from Fort Hays State University, worked for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran's western Kansas congressional district from 1999 to 2004, when Moran was a U.S. representative. Prior to starting in Finney County in April 2006, he was an economic developer in Ness County.

Board chairwoman Cathy McKinley, dean of continuing education at Garden City Community College, said Depperschmidt has served in the leadership capacity for six years and submitted his letter of resignation to her board Friday, following a closed session for matters of non-elected personnel.

"We wish (him) the very best and appreciate the service he has given to our community's development," McKinley said in a release Monday. "The board has formed a search committee to find a replacement, and we are enthusiastic and confident about the future of economic development in Finney County."

Depperschmidt could not be reached for comment Monday. He is a graduate of Ness City High School and served as the economic development director of Ness County before later moving on the similar position in Finney County.

In a separate interview, McKinley said she does not know if Depperschmidt is relocating or has sought or is seeking new employment.

The publicly-funded corporation that exists to recruit and retain business in the interest of creating high-paying jobs for Finney County is undergoing a transition in its organizational structure.

The corporation, with a three-member staff, is funded primarily by the city of Garden City and Finney County, with smaller supplemental annual funding from GCCC and the city of Holcomb.

The FCEDC board of directors has been working since earlier this year to transition to a part-private, part-public model, where operations of the corporation would be funded by private business membership dues and economic development incentives would be provided by FCEDC's current partners or a possible sales tax.

McKinley said because that initiative is board driven, she is not concerned with the absence of Depperschmidt's leadership until the board finds a new president.

"It won't impact our plans to move forward with the private, public model. ... We've been considering it now for some time, and it's a good funding option for us," she said.

McKinley said the FCEDC board of directors has appointed Lona Duvall, FCEDC's business retention director, as interim president.