From Economic Development 101 to a Seat at the Table

Pleasant Hill’s economic development conversation moves from education to action with the creation of a new 15-member council.

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

At the start of summer 2026, Pleasant Hill residents were invited back to school for an evening.  An event titled Economic Development 101 brought city leaders, economic professionals, and residents together to talk about how best to grow the city and answer questions like: What exactly is economic development? Why does Pleasant Hill need it? And what does successful growth look like for a community like ours?

Article on Econ 101 eventing can be found at https://phmomag.com/pleasant-hill-takes-first-step-toward-economic-development-council/

Now we are ending the summer months, and Pleasant Hill is moving from the classroom of economics to putting their new skills to practice. 

City Council unanimously approved the formation of a new Economic Development Council on Monday night, then unanimously approved the initial members who will serve. 

Economic development professionals Stephanie Bordner and Tina Chace, who helped lead the Economic Development 101 discussion in June, also helped develop the new council’s structure. Chace will now serve a three-year term on the EDC as its economic development professional.

The Conversation Started With a Question

Economic Development 101 was held, in part, because Pleasant Hill is facing a question many growing communities eventually encounter: How does a city grow its revenue without simply asking existing residents to shoulder more of the cost?

During the June forum, City Administrator Kristen Dorman laid out some of the city’s financial picture. For 2026, Pleasant Hill estimated about $2.1 million in property tax revenue and $2.5 million in sales tax revenue.

The choices she described were fairly straightforward: reduce services, increase taxes and fees, or grow the local economy. But the evening also made clear that economic development isn’t simply about landing a big store or filling an empty building.

Panelists discussed business retention, development, infrastructure, housing, workforce, entrepreneurship and the conditions businesses consider when deciding where to invest.

Mayor Don Donovan explained that one purpose of the forum was to educate the community before Pleasant Hill moved forward with an Economic Development Council. Now that council exists.

Who Will Sit at the Table?

Economic development professional Stephanie Bordner presented the work of the Economic Development Steering Committee at Monday night’s City Council meeting, outlining both the structure of the newly created Economic Development Council and the people recommended to serve on it.

The new EDC will include 15 members, six standing positions tied to key community roles and nine appointed members selected to represent specific areas of business and economic development.

The standing members include; Mayor Don Donovan , who serves as the city’s chief elected municipal leader; Councilman Dr. Zach Patterson, who will serve as the City Council liaison; City Administrator Kristen Dorman; Pleasant Hill R-III Superintendent Dr. Wayne Burke, bringing an education and workforce-development perspective; Pleasant Hill Fire Protection District Chief Mark Lopez, representing public safety and the infrastructure needs that accompany development; and Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce Director Tiffany Bouchard, providing a connection to the community’s existing businesses and entrepreneurs.

The remaining nine members were appointed to staggered one-, two-, and three-year terms. After those initial terms expire, future appointments will be for three years

Serving initial one-year terms are Lisa Nichelson, president and CEO of Community Bank of Pleasant Hill, representing banking and financial services; Christa Atchison, senior economic development manager with Evergy, representing utilities; and Roger Summers, vice president of business development with Fogel-Anderson Construction, representing building, construction and development.

Nichelson brings a local banking perspective to discussions involving business financing, investment, and entrepreneurship. Atchison brings more than 18 years of economic development experience, including work in local economic development, with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and in utility economic development. Summers has worked with owners, developers, and architects and has also served with other economic development and business organizations in the Kansas City area.

The initial two-year terms will be filled by Ryan Whistle, owner/operator of Whistle Redi-Mix, representing industrial and manufacturing interests; Jody Shewmaker, broker/owner of ReeceNichols Shewmaker, representing real estate; and Jesse Schuman, owner/operator of Epic Plumbing and Bale & Ash Cigar Lounge, representing small business and entrepreneurship.

Their backgrounds bring additional perspectives to the table. Whistle can provide insight into the infrastructure, transportation, workforce, and development needs of industrial businesses. Shewmaker brings more than three decades of real estate experience, including residential and land sales, new construction and relocation. Schuman brings experience from both the skilled trades and small-business sectors.

The three-year appointments include Jennifer Sexton-Rugh, associated with Peoples Theater, Brick & Mirth and the Pool Hall, representing downtown business, property ownership and revitalization; Tina Chace, principal of Chace Advisors, serving as the economic development professional; and Anthony Parra, serving as the at-large community representative.

Sexton-Rugh brings firsthand experience with downtown properties, historic buildings, adaptive reuse, and locally owned businesses. Chace brings professional economic development experience in business attraction and retention, regional partnerships, and site readiness. Parra’s at-large position is intended to provide a broader community perspective and help keep the EDC’s work connected to local priorities.

Patterson will serve as the City Council liaison in addition to his role as a local business owner, providing a direct line of communication between the EDC and the elected council.

The group’s makeup was intentional. Rather than filling the EDC solely with economic development professionals, Pleasant Hill assembled people representing many of the pieces that affect whether development happens: financing, available property, utilities, construction, infrastructure, schools, public safety, workforce, and the experiences of businesses already operating here.

That broad representation also reflects some of what residents heard during the city’s Economic Development 101 forum in June: economic development is about considerably more than recruiting the next store or restaurant. It includes creating the conditions that allow existing businesses to grow, new businesses to invest, and a community to prepare for the kind of development it wants. Do Members Have to Live Here?

One question raised during Monday’s discussion was whether members of a council intended to help shape Pleasant Hill’s future must actually live in Pleasant Hill.

Council members were told the ordinance doesn’t require residency in every case. Instead, appointed members must have a substantial connection to Pleasant Hill. That connection can come through residency, property ownership, business ownership, employment, organizational service, professional activity, or other significant involvement in the community.

That provision allows Pleasant Hill to bring regional expertise to the table while requiring members to have a meaningful connection to the community they’re advising. Council members appeared pleased with the resulting group. “It looks like a great group,” one council member said before moving to approve the appointments.

What Will They Actually Do?

The new EDC isn’t the City Council and won’t have the authority to set city policy on its own. It is an advisory body designed to bring expertise, ideas, and recommendations to city leaders and staff.

Its responsibilities, as Bordner described them at the council meeting, sound a lot like the subjects residents heard about during Economic Development 101.

The council will help develop an economic development plan, look at ways to retain and expand existing businesses, work on attracting new businesses, identify opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and examine infrastructure, site readiness, and workforce issues.

It will also review economic development tools and incentives and make recommendations for consideration. In other words, Economic Development 101 explained many of the pieces involved in building a local economy. The EDC is being asked to start putting those pieces together for Pleasant Hill.

From 101 to What Comes Next

Forming the council doesn’t answer the larger questions surrounding Pleasant Hill’s growth. It probably creates more of them.

What businesses should Pleasant Hill pursue? What does the city already have that it could strengthen? What infrastructure is missing? What should happen downtown? Where does housing fit into economic development? What incentives, if any, should the city consider? And how does Pleasant Hill pursue additional revenue while maintaining the character residents value?

Those aren’t questions a 15-member board can answer in a single meeting. But a designated group is now charged with digging into them. Economic Development 101 introduced Pleasant Hill to the subject. Now the notebooks are closed, the team has been selected, and the next part may be considerably more interesting: