JAMESTOWN, N.D. -- Six business and government representatives from Kyrgyzstan and their Washington-based translator visited $263 million First Community Credit Union on April 25.
The visitors were seeking a wide range of information regarding cooperatives, including the different roles they play in the U.S., developmental strategies they employ, as well as marketing, finance and management. The Kyrgyzstan contingency was particularly interested in First Community's agricultural and commercial lending programs. Kyrgyzstan is a former Soviet bloc country that borders China and has a population of five million.
William C. Nelson, professor of agricultural economics at North Dakota State University, organized and hosted the tour. Nelson's fields of expertise include international trade, economic development and resource management issues, and the professor spearheads a
