The Fulton Area Development Corporation (FADC) has put forward its annual request for funding from the city of Fulton.
FADC President Bruce Hackman presented the request of $53,000 to the Fulton City Council at its Tuesday meeting. The entity requested the same amount last year, which went up from the 2013 amount of $48,000, Hackman said.
A need for additional resources prompted that increase from 2013 to 2014. Hackman said the FADC stayed at $48,000 for about six or seven years, adding that he's "proud to hold the line on expenses" for more than 20 years of the FADC's existance.
The $53,000 will go toward the non-profit organization's operating expenses used to market Fulton and Callaway County in order to attract businesses through recruitment. Hackman also noted that the FADC has acted as a "catalyst" for the new Show Me Innovation Center, a local business incubator that continues to seek funding.
In a letter to the city council, Hackman wrote: "It goes without saying that the pledged support from the city of Fulton has been the single most important factor in moving this project forward."
Hackman credited the partnership between the FADC and the city with assistance of bonds for the $3.7 million expansion of Danuser Machine Company. The FADC is also speerheading the county's bid for certification as a Missouri Work Ready Community. This statewide program is designed to "quantify the basic skill level of our workforce and identify skill gaps that can be alleviated through remediation," Hackman's letter states.