Posts Tagged ‘rural’
Big Ideas for Small Towns in San Juan County
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…
Read MoreI tried a few new things (for me) in Washington
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…
Read MoreBeer, coffee, cheese and a place to sit
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…
Read MoreEmerging Trend Webinar: Connecting Community Partners March 27, 2024
Building Bridges Instead of Silos On March 27, 2024, at 11 am (Central time) join Dell Gines, the Chief Innovation Officer at the International Economic Development Council, and Becky McCray and Deb Brown from SaveYour.Town for a no-charge webinar about connecting community partners. They will help you understand the power of collaboration when you build…
Read MoreTurn your crafters into entrepreneurs and a new choice for shopping during the holidays
I’m writing a workbook. About ways to save your small town. Here’s one chapter from the book. Crafters can be your new entrepreneurs You can boost creativity while building community with co-crafting events such as “crafternoons,” hacker or maker days. These are events where crafters/makers/or hackers gather together and do their thing. Sometimes they are…
Read MoreDoes your town stay open late?
What if you told the story that your town is one that stays open late? You’d probably be telling the truth, even though many of your downtown stores close at 5. Make a list of all the businesses that stay open late. Restaurants Convenience Store Gas Station Salons Gyms Pharmacies Big Boxes (ones still open…
Read MoreWhat will the future look like?
Location doesn’t matter in the future. You can work from anywhere. Work will be competitive and informal/hands on education will be valuable. Artists will be in good shape and Dr’s will see more robots replacing them. It will be the networking economy and we will need people who can connect with robots. Empathy, communication skills, management…
Read MoreWhat story are you telling?
We can be our own worst enemies. It’s time to change that habit. The rural narrative that others are writing about us is just not true. Rural is NOT dying, and they are describing rural based on deficits. Let’s get better about talking about our assets. Our downtowns have changed not because they are rural but…
Read MoreRaise Your Voice
Paula Jensen is a guest blogger, and I’m thrilled to share this article of hers. (All bolded letters are at my direction.) Raise Your Voice for Rural Communities It seems to me the only voices being heard in this world are from big companies, big cities and big government. The news blasted on my car…
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