photo by: AdobeStock

A walkway and entrance on the campus of Iowa State University is shown in this AdobeStock photo.

In the competitive Big 12 Conference, sharing is not a sport, and often isn’t even that appreciated. (Case in point, I’ve heard K-State fans felt their team shared the football too much in last weekend’s season opener.)

But sharing between Big 12 communities is indeed a thing, and Lawrence leaders plan to do it in a big way this fall.

A delegation of government, university, business and other community leaders plan to travel to Ames, Iowa — home to Iowa State University — from Oct. 13 to Oct. 16. Bonnie Lowe, president and CEO of the Lawrence chamber of commerce, jumped at the chance to arrange a trip to see how another Big 12 community functions when it comes to economic development, housing, community services and a host of other issues.

“We see some real similarities,” Lowe said of Lawrence and Ames.

Housing issues are an example of one topic that both communities are trying to tackle. Lowe said that economic development leaders in Ames and the surrounding area have been very intentional about including housing initiatives in their economic development planning.

“It will be good to get some examples and initiate some conversations on our end about how we can work more effectively,” Lowe said.

The two universities also are going through similar challenges, particularly in the evolving world of college athletics. Both universities also are wading deeper into the waters of commercial development. KU, of course, is undertaking $750 million of improvements to convert the area around the football stadium at 11th and Mississippi streets into a new Gateway District for the university.

Iowa State is contemplating a $200 million, 94-acre entertainment district called CyTown, which is a play on ISU’s nickname of the Cyclones. The site is between ISU’s football stadium and basketball arena. CyTown would include a mini-football field, a Marriott hotel connected to the basketball arena, an amphitheater, retail and office space, and about 60 residential suites that donors can lease from Iowa State, according to local media reports.

So, there definitely will be some opportunities to compare and contrast what KU and ISU are doing to try to monetize the universities in ways that go beyond traditional educational services.

But with these type of trips, the differences between two communities can be some of the more interesting topics to explore. Lowe said that her sense is that the business communities have some notable differences, including Ames having a greater number of large national or international companies that have located in the community’s business parks.

The trip also will involve multiple visits to nearby Des Moines, and Lowe said she is particularly interested in learning more about how Des Moines has become a hub for financial and insurance companies that traditionally have produced large numbers of high-paying white collar jobs.

Some of the benefits of the trip, however, may not have anything to do with Ames or Des Moines. Rather, Lawrence community leaders may benefit from getting to know each other better by traveling together for multiple days.

“One of the major benefits in my minds is for leaders in our region to spend a couple of days together, collaborate, get to know each other, and build strong relationships,” Lowe said.

Lowe said multiple officials from KU are expected to go on the trip, including representatives from the chancellor’s office, the alumni association, the endowment association and Kansas Athletics. Some elected officials from the city, county and school board are expected to attend, as well as representatives from small and large businesses in the community.

You may recall that The Chamber sponsored a similar trip in 2022 that travelled to Fayetteville and northwest Arkansas. The Lawrence chamber hosted that trip in conjunction with the Topeka chamber. This time Lawrence is doing it on its own.

I was part of the group that travelled with the Lawrence delegation to Fayetteville, and wrote several articles about what community leaders were hearing and discussing there. I’m planning to make the trip to Ames, as several readers said they appreciated that coverage.

In terms of who can go on the trip, it is an open registration type of event, although there is a cost of several hundred dollars to attend, as lodging, travel, meals and other expenses have to be covered.

But Lowe said it was important for the community to understand that the trip is not meant just for business people or individuals who have some connection to the chamber of commerce.

“When we look at forming a community vision, diversity of thought is so important,” Lowe said. “So we encourage others that may not be familiar with the chamber or economic development efforts, but have a love for our community and county, to consider attending.”

Registration for the event is open through Sept. 22, and details on how to register can be found at lawrencechamber.com.