Our mission is to keep Mitchell County strong by championing local businesses, facilitating future growth and leadership, embracing tourism, and fostering vibrant, collaborative communities.
Our vision is a strong Mitchell County where resilient communities embrace opportunities for future growth and tourism, and the quality of life is exceptional due to every resident, business, attraction, and nonprofit having access to the resources they need to prosper.
Born and raised in St. Louis Missouri, Emily attended Kansas State University and received her Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture. While at KSU, Emily met Beloit-native and now husband, Jesse Benedick. Emily moved to Beloit during the summer of 2011 to finish her master’s thesis and has been a Beloit resident ever since!
Emily worked at the North Central Regional Planning Commission in Beloit for 6 years where she learned all about the importance of community and economic development. In 2022, Emily became the Executive Director of Solomon Valley Economic Development and Mitchell County Community Development. Helping lead the transition to Discover Mitchell County, Emily is excited to serve at Economic Development Director and Executive Director of Discover Mitchell County!
Emily and Jesse have three daughters, Nora, Isla and Nellie. Emily is very proud to be Rural by Choice. She loves living in a community where you can truly be part of team rather than just another fish in the sea!
785-738-3000
102 S Mill St, #2, Beloit, KS 67420
emily@discovermitchellcounty.com
Growing up in rural western Kansas and earning her Bachelor’s of Communication degree in a small midwestern college in Iowa, she knows and loves the rural lifestyle.
She’s active with the Kansas Sampler Foundation and is truly a Kansan by Choice! Her and her family are active travelers to rural areas and have a family travel blog that focuses on rural communities. She opened Kettle Coffee, a local coffee shop and eatery, in 2015 from the ground up. After 10 years of ups and downs, she has closed her business. She feels with her extensive knowledge of owning and managing a business for 10 years, she can be a huge asset to the local business community.
“I want to see our community thrive! And that means healthy and meaningful businesses,” says Fincham. “I feel I have a unique perspective as a business owner, past chamber board member, and volunteer at many community functions.”
785-738-3000
102 S Mill St, #1, Beloit, KS 67420
mandy@discovermitchellcounty.com
adrina@discovermitchellcounty.com
Discover Mitchell County is brand new organization kicking off in January 2026 which began in January 2026! Prior to the creation of Discover Mitchell County, services were provided by Solomon Valley Economic Development, the Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce, and Mitchell County Strong. Each of these organizations worked independently under different boards.
Discover Mitchell County has combined three entities to better serve Mitchell County. Working under one collaborative unit, we are an active 501c3 organization overseen by a single 13-Person Executive Board. Our primary service areas are business support, economic development, and young professionals.
Representatives from an Economic Development Committee, Business Support Committee, Young Professionals Committee, and the existing Mitchell County Convention and Tourism Board will be appointed to the Board of Directors. Additionally, two “at-large” community members will be appointed. The work under Discover Mitchell County will be carried out by active committees. These active committees will assist the Directors with strategic planning, goal setting, program development, public outreach, and more.
The Economic Development Committee will be overseen by the Economic Development Director. Rather than reporting monthly to the existing Solomon Valley Economic Development board, the Economic Development Director will work alongside this active committee to make progress. The Economic Development Committee will focus on business recruitment and expansion, workforce recruitment and development, community development (like housing and childcare), and more. Three representatives of the active committee will serve on the Executive Board. These representatives will keep the Executive Board updated on economic development projects and bring formal requests to the Executive Board on behalf of the Economic Development Committee.
Committee Members (still developing):
The Business Support Committee will be overseen by the Business Support Director. This committee will replace the existing Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. The Business Support Director will work alongside this active committee, not unlike the Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce board has functioned in years past. The Business Support Committee will focus on programming, marketing, business retention and succession, ribbon cuttings, and anything directly supporting our existing local businesses. Three representatives of the active committee will serve on the Executive Board. These representatives will keep the Executive Board updated on business support projects and bring formal requests to the Executive Board on behalf of the Business Support Committee.
Committee Members (still developing):
The Mitchell County Young Professionals Committee will be overseen by a volunteer Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. These two positions will be appointed by the Discover Mitchell County Executive Board. While Young Professional groups are not a new concept, this will be a brand-new group for Mitchell County. The Young Professionals Committee will work to foster meaningful connections, attract and retain talent, and develop the next generation of business and community leaders in Mitchell County. Mitchell County Young Professionals will be a separate membership-based group. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson will keep the Discover Mitchell County Executive Board informed and engaged with Young Professionals.
Committee Members (still developing):
The Mitchell County Convention & Tourism Board will continue to operate as a completely separate organization from Discover Mitchell County; however, the Director of Tourism and two members of the tourism board will be appointed to the Executive Board of Discover Mitchell County. Tourism has ownership over the “Discover Mitchell County” brand; however, they have legally given us permission to utilize the logo and the website.
Mitchell County Convention & Tourism Board:
Economic Development Committee Representatives:
Local Business Committee Representatives:
Young Professionals:
Tourism Executive Board Reps:
At-Large:
To the general public, the changeover to Discover Mitchell County will be almost unnoticeable because it is primarily a change in the organizational structure of the Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development. The services currently provided to the general public will not change.
Current Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce members will be most affected by these changes; however, we are confident the effects will be positive! As we have seen in other rural communities and counties, the change from the traditional “Chamber” model to a more all-encompassing business support model will better support the needs of our local businesses while still providing many of the same great offerings of a traditional chamber.
Uniting the former Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development under one Executive Board allows the Directors of those entities to be more efficient and collaborative. We can avoid duplication of services, engage more voices through active committee work, and continue to collaborate to help Mitchell County thrive.
Beloit Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director transitions to Discover Mitchell County Business Support Director
Solomon Valley Economic Development Director transitions to Discover Mitchell County Economic Development Director
NEW Mitchell County Young Professionals Group
Mitchell County Convention & Tourism
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