Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

ST. JAMES—Website designers and developers Lee Pettijohn with Witness Web Design, and Angie Parrett with By Design Media will share tips with small business owners for businesses’ websites and social media pages at the Naturally Meramec Consortium (NMC) meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 15, at Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), 4 Industrial Drive, St. James.

NMC is a collection of small agriculture/tourism/culinary business owners who work together to find ways to market and use each other’s products and services. Those interested in learning more about the consortium or websites and social media pages are welcome to attend.

Connie Willman, NMC administrator with MRPC, has been collecting data to feature members on an NMC website and will discuss elements that consortium members would like to include in that website.

“Some features we will discuss are interactive maps, Facebook seeds, scrolling pictures and videos,” Willman said.

Attendees will also discuss a ‘Date Night’ event that will take place in the spring.

A ‘Date Night’ is a matchmaking event that will bring in buyers and sellers to learn more about each other and form partnerships,” Willman said.

The group will also discuss creating its own trail events.

“NMC members will set up a trail subcommittee to create trails across the region involving two or more counties,” Willman said. “Trails might include a farm, wine and cheese or culinary trails.”

Following discussions and announcements, members will have the opportunity to network with other regional businesses and sample refreshments.

NMC is in its early stages of organization, having held meeting in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties as well as two regional meetings. Nearly 600 agriculture/tourism/culinary-related businesses have been identified in the eight-county region. Meramec. Ranchers, farmers, wine-producers, restaurant owners and lodging entities meet together regularly to work on ways to promote and use the products of the other consortium members.

For more information at NMC, visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/NaturallyMeramec.

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 24, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion.