Coffee and Calendars

drive through coffee shop in colorado woman with dark hair smiling and serving coffee

It’s the antidote to “I wish I’d known about that!” Ever find out about an event or project in your town only after it was happening? Ever wish you could have helped with something or offered some insight, if you only knew it was coming? You want to collaborate more with local and regional organizations, but you can’t possibly…

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Big Ideas for Small Towns in San Juan County

Deb at the podium speaking

On December 5, 2024, over 120 people gathered in San Juan County, Utah, for the third annual Business Basecamp Conference & Expo — dedicated to energizing rural economic development through practical tools, bold ideas, and meaningful connection. Thanks to a grant from Economic Development Corporation of Utah, the San Juan County Economic Development folks had…

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I tried a few new things (for me) in Washington

Picture of ideas for malden

I had the honor of presenting all day in Malden, Washington to the area community leaders, providers, and visitors. I was brought to town by Paul Kimmel from Avista and the Inland Northwest Partners. We talked about the results of the Survey of Rural Challenges to kick off the day. Lots of people nodded their…

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Beer, coffee, cheese and a place to sit

The group at Annie's Tap House

At the Rural Retreat in Great Falls, Montana, our Idea Friendly 23-minute movie was shown to a group of people at a local spot, the Commons on Central – just like we do at a watch party! The Commons on Central is a Shared Space There are four businesses at the Commons on Central: a…

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Successfully Attend a Conference

Do you really want to go? Do your research. Answer these questions: Is the speaker talking about topics relevant to your work? Are there connections you can make that will advance your work? Are there attendees you want to speak to who are attending? Can you schedule time with them while you’re there? Can you…

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Idea Friendly Solutions to the old way of thinking

Idea Friendly Solutions to the old way of thinking You’ve been answering the Survey of Rural Challenges for ten years now. One of the common themes is the persistence of old way thinking. In rural communities, old-way thinkers are often the folks who say things like:  Let’s not change anything; we like it this way. …

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Let go of the old way

Deb on stage

Are you still trying to connect with people the old way? On LinkedIn an economic developer posted this: Local government has spent years bending over backward to get more public engagement. We’ve expanded meetings, flooded social media with updates, hosted town halls, and created endless platforms for feedback. And yet, after all of that effort,…

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Clean ups don’t need to be hard – Natchez, Mississippi

Having an idea, bringing people together, and taking small steps gets things done. Joe Smith, executive director of Black Natchez, wanted a clean-up of his street, MLK Street. Joe told me, “I took a page from your playbook and worked to build a coalition and gather allies.” Anyone can host a clean-up. In Natchez, clean-up…

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