This EDA investment supports saline county with constructing a state-of-the-art visitors center facility in marshall, missouri

The Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded $3.17 million under the Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program to support construction of a visitors center in Marshall, Missouri. The project grant will fund development of a state-of-the-art visitors center facility by Saline County to promote tourism and economic resiliency in the region. The center aims to bolster the hospitality industry and help communities withstand economic downturns from increasingly frequent climate events like droughts and floods as well as potential pandemics. Once completed, the facility is expected to improve workforce retention during climate-related downturns and increase employment opportunities, private investment, and overall economic resilience for the area.

The visitors center will promote tourism activities throughout the county and three adjacent counties, providing economic recovery and a more resilient tourism industry for the region. In addition, the center will help hospitality businesses improve and diversify the region to help ameliorate those community economies during downturns due to increasingly frequent drought and flood conditions as well as potential future pandemics. Once completed, the project will improve workforce retention during climate-related downturns, which will help increase employment opportunities, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency in the area.