On Monday, May 10, Rob Harrington will begin as the newly created position of Bourbon County Economic Director.
Harrington, 40, has 13 years of experience in economic development and civil investment.
Currently living in Houston, MO, Harrington is the economic director there. He has a wife and four children.
“His office will be in the Landmark building,” Gregg Motley, chairman of Bourbon County Economic Development Council, said. “That may be temporary, but we would like him to take ownership of a final domicile.”
Harrington has a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Phoenix in business and has been a retail company business manager and in politics, he said.
He has a master’s degree in economic development practicum and certification from the Advanced Economic Development Leadership Program sponsored by the University of Clemson, Texas Christian U., Southern Mississippi U., and New Mexico U.
He is currently finishing a master’s degree in public administration from Park University, based in Parkville, Mo.
“I am facilitating a rural economic development class in the Kansas City portion, for the Advanced Economic Development Leadership Program.”
For Harrington, the best part of his job is “Knowing if I do my job right, the person with no job, can get a job and provide for their family.”
Challenges of Economic Development
The number of members in a family has decreased, which for this generation means fewer workers, Harrington said.
People his parent’s age are retiring, and there are not as many people in the working-age group, he said.
“Also in rural areas, is ‘brain drain’ in the 1990s and early 2000s,” Harrington said. This is where young people left their rural areas to find higher-level wages.
That is changing because of quality of life issues like cost of living and crime, and many in urban areas are seeking smaller towns, he said.
“And in my opinion, the COVID-19 Pandemic has changed the way people look at being in densely populated areas,” he said.
Work ethic also comes into play.
There is a work ethic problem when you can stay at home and receive money, he said.
“There will still be some who would live off the system,” he said.
Harrington has been president of the University of Missouri Extension Board and treasurer for the Houston Community Foundation, along with several other groups in his community, he said.
“My kids are active in our school, where we live,” he said.
In his spare time, he likes to hunt and fish and is a Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Cardinals fan.
Harrington will have a forty-hour workweek, Motley said
“We are not disclosing salary, as we are a private entity,” Motley said. “Funding is from a budget from the county (Bourbon County Commission).