Foundation to host ‘Flip This Town’ author

By Phil Cobb | January 14, 2017 |

Ron Drake

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri, a regional non-profit with the stated goal of retaining accumulated wealth within an 18-county region through charitable giving, philanthropy, and economic revitalization, will host its sixth Annual Event at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University.

This year’s keynote speaker during the breakfast meeting will be Ron Drake, author of “Flip This Town.”

Drake is the CEO and founder of Ron Drake Consulting LLC, a Siloam Springs, Arkansas, company that provides quality-of-life consulting services to small towns.

A popular speaker, Drake has given presentations across the country about his techniques for reviving downtown commercial districts.

In his home community in northwest Arkansas, Drake, through various companies, bought and sold more than 45 homes, mostly in historic neighborhoods.

He later shifted his focus to downtown Siloam Springs, where he restored 17 historic buildings, revitalizing more than 75,000 square feet of space and transforming a declining retail area into a vibrant cultural center.

As a result of his efforts, the community was listed at No. 14 in Smithsonian Magazine’s Best Small Towns in America. In 2014, Parade Magazine listed Siloam Springs as the Fourth Best Main Street in America.

During his remarks to the foundation, Drake is expected to share thoughts from a planned tour of Maryville and explore how his ideas for redevelopment here could be adapted to other cities across northwest Missouri.

The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri’s Annual Event typically attracts between 200-300 civic and business leaders from across the region.

Doors to the ballroom will open at 8:15 a.m. with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and Drake’s remarks following at 9 o’clock. Reservations are required and cost $30 per person.

The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides charitable giving administration to more than 187 funds with more than $21 million in assets. It’s offices are located at 1006 W. St. Maartens Drive, Suite B, in St. Joseph.