Rebuttal to the New York Times
In 2016 we had a young man who was writing an article for the New York Times come to town. He was ready to tell the story of how our town lost a major manufacturer and it was awful for us. I disagreed and wrote this rebuttal. I like Brendan Hoffman. He first traveled to…
Empty Buildings Tour
We did an Empty Buildings Tour in Webster City, Iowa. It worked! Our next two part webinar is Filling Empty Buildings. It’s geared specifically towards small towns and we give them practical steps they can put into action right away. More info at www.saveyour.town/empty It begins June 12, 2018.
City Codes can be changed
If one city council can write a code, another one can change it! We talk about this a lot when sharing our empty buildings stories. I recently visited with a city clerk in Stanhope, Iowa and she mentioned they are working on changing their code. They are instituting Building Maintenance Code that they got from…
Artisan Pop Up
Every year Sidney, Iowa hosts a rodeo. People come from all over to attend and enjoy SW Iowa. It’s a big deal. Sidney is a pretty small town, about 1,100 people. Professional cowboys come to this rodeo to compete in this four day event. There’s carnival rides, bucking broncos and lots of cowboys! This year…
The future of retail
McKenzie reports that by 2020 1/3 of the worlds markets will be emerging. Retail stores will need to be leaner, denser and more in touch with their digital channels. When it’s so easy to shop online, it’s obviously affected the brick and mortar stores. Did you know 44% of those surveyed actually do product…
Why pay for a speaker?
I often get asked “why should we pay for you to come? Our mayor (or business owner or local politician) will do it free.” Let me answer that for you. Keynote speakers should be considered an investment in your event and community. They will provide a great experience and your attendees – which should be…
Harvest Tour
6 bloggers came to Franklin County Iowa for the first Harvest Tour. The tour guides took them to the REA Plant and Museum (first farmer owned electricity plant in the United States), the Old Stone House (built in 1854) and Maynes Grove Lodge for some wine and food and mingling on the first day. Adam…