Meet Lorie Vincent, CEcD

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lorie Vincent, CEcD. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lorie, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I am a hopeful and positive person by nature. From a young age, my parents instilled in me that success and happiness does not necessary material wealth, but wealth of family, friends and community. They taught to always search for work that is rewarding and impactful. I was fortunately to find a career that jazzed by heart. I have enjoyed a vibrant career in economic development for 33 years. Once I began to create jobs, renovate buildings, create investment opportunities, obtain grants for community improvements, assist small businesses…I was hooked. I truly felt like I was changing peoples lives for the better, one job, one business, one building at a time. When I made the decision to open my economic development consulting firm in 2018, I knew that I would continue the mission, only this time with a particular focus on the Resurgence of Rural America. It has been my biggest blessing to be able to help rural communities across the USA reach their fullest potential.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a successful full time economic development consultant, however, my passion project is a national event I created in 2019 called the Stand Up Rural America Summit. After more than three decades in the profession and after serving in leadership at both our state and national associations, I knew there was a need for more content directed specifically to practitioners, community leaders, elected officials and business leaders in Rural America.

I wanted to create an event specifically for those who are the trailblazers and changemakers in their rural communities. We targeted the economic development organizations, cities, counties, chambers, utilities, board members, elected officials, communities volunteers and more. We provide dynamic & nationally renown speakers, subject matter experts and panelists on a variety of topics that will give each participant take aways and tools that will help their communities grow and thrive. Some of our sample topics include marketing, downtown revitalization, infrastructure, small business and entrepreneurship, fundraising, grant writing, leadership, etc.

Our Summit has been held in Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, Mississippi and our 2024 Summit will be held in Indiana. It has been a wonderful initiative that warms my heart as I watch so many people take their tools back and are really making exciting things happen in their communities and regions. More importantly, they have found a group of like-minded people who love Rural America and are striving to bring their communities to their full potential for economic growth and prosperity.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three skills that have carried me through three decades of professional success are:
1) CONSENSUS BUILDING- I strive to find a place where small or large groups can find compromise and consensus, thus paving the way for action and success.

2) INFLUENCE – Three decades of public speaking on the topics I’m most passionate about has allowed me to influence public policy, gather support for economic development Hprojects and create enthusiasm for initiatives that are good for communities and its citizens. All of those years of attending Toastmasters Meetings have served me well!

3) HUMOR – Life is hard. And it’s harder if you don’t have a sense of humor. I have had some amazing experiences and some crazy, embarrassing, frightening, tragic and unexpected experiences. It was facing life with a sense of humor and sharing that perspective with others that had taken me this far in life and gotten me through hard times. I’m all about celebrating the little wins and laughing about the ridiculous and mundane!

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most important thing my parents did for me was to introduce me to the value of work at a young age. I learned the independence of earning my own money, responsibility, customer service and time management. While we lived a comfortable life, all of my siblings and I worked part-time jobs, raised show animals, were involved in volunteer organizations and still found time to have fun with our friends.

As a result, we raised our daughter to also begin working in her teenage years. We invested in a Snow Cone stand and she built a thriving business that was a favorite in our community. She learned important entrepreneur skills and still has a strong work ethic today, a decade later.

My parents taught us that ALL work, regardless of type of work, has value and that everyone deserves to have dignity and respect in whichever work they choose. This has stuck with me my whole life.

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