KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Newly-appointed U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke was in the metro area Thursday to host a town hall meeting at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City.

Business and civic leaders from throughout the metro packed the conference center to bounce ideas off the new secretary about how to overcome the tough economy.

Locke rallied communities to take advantage of the federal grants available to help cities out of the slump.

"What will work in Detroit won't work in Atlanta, Ga., or New Mexico. So it's up to every part of the country to figure out what their economic destiny and economic future is," said Locke.

The event was Locke's first stop on a nationwide listening tour.