Building Possibility
Be an Idea Friendly board member
Most of us who actively volunteer and work in a small town will more than likely be a board member of some organization eventually. The first role of any board is the fiscal wellness of the organization. Knowing the mission statement and being familiar with the bylaws, will help guide your decisions. Your job from…
Read MoreGreat use of an empty building
Kathy Bohn-Bagley of Bohn’s Bones Arts, LLC and Art Spot located at 46 S 1st St E, Malta, MT 59538 shared a story with me about an empty building. I thought you’d like to hear it too! Milk River Contractors, Inc., headed by Mark Ereaux, conceived of taking an empty building in Downtown Malta, Phillips County,…
Read MoreI Quit My Job
My brother called me and said “Did you quit your job?” I answered him “Sure did. If not now, when?” I’m the Executive Director of the Webster City Area Chamber until March 24. It’s been four years in this position and I’ve come to love this town I live in. I’ve met amazing small town…
Read More2017 Three Words Prelude
Each year I share three words that indicate the path I’m taking. Last year I chose Rise, Secure, Link. Looking back, I have done those things. I continue to rise in my path to provide value to those who want it. I’m secure in who I am. And I’m a connector, I work hard it.…
Read MoreEasy Peasy Promo Pieces
Easy Peasey Promotion We’ve been having some fun here with two websites that are free to use. The first one is www.unsplash.com It’s a repository of images that anyone can use for any purpose. Lovely, hi resolution photos that can you help you tell a story. The second one is www.canva.com It’s a great site…
Read MoreThe Committee of Negativity
Some people default to the negative. You know them. They say things like “that will never work here” and “we tried that before and it didn’t work.” It can be difficult to reason with that group of people, referred to as ‘the committee of negativity’. Nothing you say will be taken seriously. There’s an argument…
Read MoreDo The Math
How much revenue could be generated in your town just by setting out a couple of tables in front of restaurants in the summer? Joe shares some numbers with us.
Read MoreWorkshop: Filling Empty Buildings
Tuesday, August 16, at 6 pm CST join Becky McCray and I as we present our next workshop: Filling Empty Buildings. You want to fill up those empty buildings downtown, but all the economic development strategies you find sound like they were written for big cities. You want help that works for a…
Read MorePainting the Streets
Last weekend we painted the streets. And we weren’t the only ones. There were lots of us! Arts R Alive, a local group that formed to bring sculptures to West Twin Park back in 2011 and are continuing to do so, got together last year and thought it might be fun to paint the streets…
Read More#UseEmptyLots
Last night Becky and I hosted our 4th webinar, Empty Lots and Roofless Buildings, what to do with them. One of the items on the program was #BuildHereNow. It’s a hashtag program started by the Strong Towns people that emphasize empty lots. Granted, they are emphasizing lots in larger cities like New Orleans and Baltimore.…
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