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CENTERVILLE, IOWA -- More than 100 members of non-profit groups from Appanoose County gathered at the Majestic Theater in Centerville Tuesday for an all day Sustainability Summit.

A group from Iowa State University Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) conducted the summit and will be working with the county for the next year to a year and a half on improving various economic aspects.

There was one overwhelming theme to the day.

“For them to start to work together in common goals, for future planning. Also to look at some of the research of what has been found about our county and look for ways that we can improve things whether that be a whole county perspective or from a housing standpoint, or financial income, jobs -- all those things,” said Tod Faris, Executive Director of Appanoose County Economic Development Corporation.

CIRUS explained the research they had gathered about the county. And for many of the attendees, what they had to say was no surprise.

“We know that our unemployment is not the worst in the state but it’s definitely not the best. We know unemployment, our average incomes, we knew some of the negative things but some of the positive things -- one of the things was our natural resources or actually our, the fact that we have the lake and so on and so forth,” said Faris.

Faris said the Iowa Department of Natural Resources ranked Appanoose County number one in the state for that aspect.