Lake of the Ozarks Regional Economic Development Council

Why Missouri?  While Missouri is home to 10 Fortune 500 companies and just as many of America's largest private companies as designated by Forbes, the state is equally dedicated to the growth of smaller businesses as well. Missouri is all about economic and business growth. The state has maintained a solid business environment over the years and that stability helps companies that are new to the state plan for growth even before relocating business to Missouri . Let's take a look at a few of the advantages to doing business in the "Show-Me" State. Missouri Labor Force  Missouri has one of the most valuable workforces you will find anywhere across the country. Based on high school graduation rates, Missouri has a better educated workforce than most other states. This means our workers have the basic competencies to support advanced manufacturing and logistics. Missouri is home to nationally ranked Washington University in St. Louis, and nearly 140 other degre...

Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks Demographic Profile 2016 has been released. The report covers the counties and communities of Camden County, Miller County, Morgan County, Camdenton, Eldon, Lake Ozark, Osage Beach and Versailles. In today's blog, we'll take a look at a few of the facts and figures you can expect to find in this demographic profile: Population Data The population section of our demographic profile includes population data by county and city, and also takes into consideration age, race & ethnicity, employment status and more. Here is a quick look at the population of the Lake of the Ozarks Region: Education Data The education section of our demographic profile offers data on county educational attainment, county schools, county education stats and more. Let's take a look at some of this education data: Income Data The income data section of our demographic profile offers population numbers by household income...

There are 6 essential attributes that develop a high quality of life in our communities: recreation, healthcare, education, cost of living, housing, and low crime/clean air and water. Last month, we talked about all the recreational opportunities here at The Lake and now we'll touch on the other 5 attributes. You will learn why the Lake of the Ozarks region is a relaxing friendly place to live, work and play! Healthcare Lake Regional Health System provides comprehensive health care services to Lake Area residents and visitors. The 116-bed hospital is a state designated Level III trauma center. It is accredited by The Joint Commission and is a past recipient of the Missouri Quality Award. Cardiac care services include open-heart surgery, cardiac catheterization and cardiac rehab. Lake Regional Cancer Center offers patients chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments in a comfortable atmosphere close to home. Lake Regional Health System also operates primary care, urge...

In general, economic development is usually the focus of federal, state and local governments to improve our standard of living through the creation of jobs, the support of innovation and new ideas, the creation of higher wealth and the creation of an overall better quality of life. Economic development is often defined by others based on what it is trying to accomplish. Many times these objectives include building or improving our transportation and energy infrastructure, improving our education system through new schools, enhancing our public safety and health services, or incentivizing new businesses to open and existing businesses to maintain a location in a community. Economic Development at The Lake The Lake of the Ozarks region has all of the essential ingredients necessary to provide a high quality of life for its citizens. One of the most significant attributes for the region is its natural scenic beauty along the 1,150 miles of Lake shoreline. Located in south central ...

Why move your business to the Lake of the Ozarks ? Well, aside from the beauty of the lake and surrounding area, we have a high quality of life! From quality education and healthcare to a good workforce and great recreation, the Lake of the Ozarks area has a lot to offer its residents. Let's take a look at some of the things that make living and working in this area so great! Tax Rates The sales tax rates in the Lake of the Ozarks region vary slightly from county to county, and vary even a little more from city to city: Camden County - 5.475% Miller County - 5.725% Morgan County - 5.725% Camdeton - 7.475% Eldon - 8.125% Lake Ozark - 7.725% Laurie - 7.725%  Osage Beach - 7.475% to 8.725% depending on the area Versailles - 7.725% For Businesses  In Missouri, the taxable wage base is $11,000. This means an employer pays contributions/taxes on the first $11,000 paid to each employee. After the taxable wage base has been met, the employer continues to report t...

As you may know, a number of agencies, organizations and businesses have joined together to enhance the efforts of economic development opportunities at the Lake of the Ozarks through the creation of the Lake of the Ozarks Regional Economic Development Council (LOREDC). What started over ten years ago as an informal exchange of information between communities throughout the tri-county region, has now evolved into a structured committee with the purpose to retain and attract businesses to the Lake with the understanding that what is good for one community is good for the entire region. Photo From: FunLake.com LOREDC Ongoing Achievements  Here's a list of LOREDC's ongoing achievements and current focus: Maintain a regional demographic profile for Camden, Miller & Morgan counties.  Maintain www.LOREDC.com that contains vital statistics and information regarding our region.  Work with MSW Interactive Designs to develop an engaging social media campaign uti...

As we discussed in our December blog, the Lake of the Ozarks Regional Economic Development Council (LOREDC) is conducting a Lake of the Ozarks Area Housing Study . It is our hope and desire than an effective housing study would assist local government, builders, developers, lending institutions and other interested parties solve the housing concerns of the Lake of the Ozarks region. Business Owners' Issues The following scene is all too familiar for local business owners: an employee lives in a community 30 miles or more away from the Lake because they can't find quality and affordable housing near their job. Eventually that person finds a job closer to their home, leaves the Lake area and thereby forces that small-business owner to raise additional capital to retrain a new employee only to see this chain of events repeat over and over. Small business owners, as well as many people who work in these businesses could see this housing issue become a distant memory if LORE...