Posts Tagged ‘Michigan’

Think “youth engagement” before offering scholarships

June 15th, 2010

I’ve been in Tacoma, WA this weekend for my niece’s high school graduation (Congratulations Melissa!).  While waiting for the family to wake from their evening slumber yesterday, I stumbled across an article written by Jeremy Beer for Philanthropy Daily describing the success of a rural Pennsylvania community at reducing the outmigration of young people by providing scholarships to a nearby college. 

According to a 2009 article in Inside Higher Education, the two scholarship funds Beer references were established in the coal mining community of Tamaqua, PA in order to “to inspire local students both to go on to college and to stay close to home.”

Programs like this are of interest to me for a couple reasons.  First, I’d love to see rural communities everywhere develop “people attraction” strategies.  To me, people attraction strategies are about making communities places that people want to live.  This process begins with young people currently living in the community and extends out from there to adults everywhere.

Second, I wonder how it applies to the South Dakota Partnership for Teacher Education project.  Can scholarships work as an incentive for new graduates to teach in rural and Native American school districts across South Dakota?

Beer calls on leaders to extend scholarship programs like that of Tamaqua.  He writes:

Needless to say, these kinds of efforts could be taken much further. What if a local foundation decided to help pay off local students’ college loans, if they were to return to their hometown areas after graduation? Such a program would have to be designed with care, in order to avoid creating disincentives for colleges to give financial aid or to keep tuition low (in other words, if it were to have the same effect as the ridiculous federal student-loan programs, then we’re better off without it). But this could be an especially attractive option for the brightest of local kids who amass considerable debt attending liberal arts schools.” (Source:  Jeremy Beer, “Nudge them Homeward,” Philanthropy Daily, June 9, 2010)

I like the idea of extending these scholarship programs, but I’d recommend the extension be made in the opposite direction with youth engagement activities that connect young people to their community in the years before being offered scholarships.  In other words, get kids involved at an earlier age in meaningful community projects. 

As Dr. David Ivan from the Michigan State University states in a presentation at the 2009 Michigan Rural Partners Conference: 

Successful communities realize that the first step in reversing the brain-drain in small communities is to create a positive childhood memory that may serve as a consideration in future location.”  (Source: Dave Ivan, “Can Small Towns be Cool,” a presentation at the 2009 Michigan Rural Partner Conference, slide 38)  

It’s not that I think extending scholarships to more people is a bad idea.  I simply believe that communities need to build an emotional connection with young people before offering scholarships in order for the scholarships to produce the best possible effect. 

There are undoubtedly other similar scholarship programs cropping up across Rural America.  It would be interesting to learn more about their success and failures.

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Posted in Community Development, Community Engagement, Economic Development, Gen Y, Rural | Comments (2)

Can South Dakota’s small towns be cool?

January 29th, 2010

I’ve commented previously about efforts by travel magazines to identify “cool small towns” (read here and here). Although these lists provide some perspective for rural community development enthusiasts, I’m a bit skeptical of them largely because they are written from a “tourist’s point of view.” In other words, they’re about what urban dwellers believe is cool, and I’m not sure that always translates to what’s important to the future of rural communities.  But a new list caught my eye yesterday because it identifies small towns that “are cool” based on how well they are transitioning into the 21st century economy.  Now that’s a list worth looking at.  

Actually, the list is just new to me.  Dr. David Ivan at Michigan State University’s Land Policy Institute has been researching the subject for the last 4-5 years.   With Richard Florida’s “Creative Class theory” as the backdrop, Dr. Ivan centered his research around the question, “Can small towns be cool?”  Through his research, he has identified both themes of success (i.e. - best practices) and success stories (i.e. - what small towns are doing good things).  Rural community development enthusiasts will find value in both. 

Through review of Dr. Ivan’s presentation at the 2009 Small Town & Rural Development Conference, I was able to identify the following 10 themes being employed by successful small towns. 

 What a great list!  Readers at ReImagine Rural will recognize many of the themes as regular topics of discussion.  One theme I was surprised to see not addressed was school involvement. Granted youth are prominently featured, but most rural communities operate under the principle that the school is the heart of the community.  It causes me to wonder how we can have a successful community without school engagement. 

 

Where’s South Dakota in all this?

I became aware of this study because of Richard Longworth’s December 2009 blog post titled “Some success.” A Google search for “Can Small Towns be Cool” made me aware that I had missed an earlier post on the same subject (May 2009) from my favorite small town entrepreneurship blogger, Becky McCray. Both Longworth and McCray both identify specific towns that are on the “cool town list.”  Sadly, no small towns in South Dakota made the cut. What’s up with that?

As Longworth points out, Dr. Ivan is still conducting research and is interested in hearing of other successful small towns.  Hopefully, South Dakota’s towns haven’t been reviewed yet. But just in case, I’m going to suggest one.

 

How about Hills City?

I didn’t make the Design SD charrette in Hill City, SD last fall.  But from what Lindsey tells me, they should be on the list. 

Hill City terms itself “the heart of the hills” due to its location and proximity to major Black Hills attractions, including Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore.  But today, the town is probably better known for its arts economy.  Several years ago, a prominent artist made Hill City his home, and brought with him an idea that Hill City had the potential to develop an arts-based economy.  Since that time, the town’s leadership has embraced the idea and Hill City’s Main Street has transformed itself into an upscale shopping destination for tourists and residents alike.  Organizations like the Hill City Arts Council and Heart of the Hills Economic Development Corporation have joined forces to host events, encourage entrepreneurs, and build a stronger community (see their explicit goals here).  Hill City is definitely one of South Dakota’s cool towns!

I’ve got a few pressing tasks yet today, but I’m definitely going to send Dr. Ivan my recommendation.  And I hope you will share your recommendation as well. 

Additional Resources:

 Photo Credit: Cliff1066 - Flickr

 

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Will Rural America be left behind?

December 3rd, 2009

It’s common for bloggers to capture provocative quotes from newspapers and use them to start a little controversy.  At ReImagine Rural, we’re not about controversy, but I couldn’t let the following quote from Dr. Frank Fear go by without comment:

“Will rural America be left behind?” he asked. “Will small towns, farms and places that have spawned so many things that have made this country great be left behind?” (source:  “Michigan State University prepares to dismantle extension,” Capital Press.)

Dr. Fear, senior associate dean of agriculture and natural resources at Michigan State, made this statement at the National Grange Annual Convention in response to budgetary cuts that could cause the termination of Michigan’s Extension program. 

The article, from which the above quote appears, goes on to note that agriculture in Michigan is currently doing pretty well while the rest of the state’s economy is in shambles.  In doing so, it raises the question, “Does Michigan need to divert the resources from supporting agriculture to other economic development activities?”

I obviously don’t know the intimate details about Michigan, so I can’t offer definitive answers on what they should be doing. 

I hope that we never see the end of Michigan’s extension program, or any states’ for that matter.  From what I know about the goings on in Van Buren County, MI, Extension is a key player in their entrepreneurship initiative.  Removing the funding from Extension to recreate it someplace else would seem a senseless waste of resources.   

As for Fear’s question?  In my opinion, Rural America has been left behind for a long time - at least in our part of the country. 

 

 Other resources
“Dismantling Extension in Michigan” Timothy J. Shaffer (blog) -
Press Release: “Sustain the Legacy. Keep Agriculture and Rural America Vital,” The National Grange 

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Rachel responds from South Haven

November 24th, 2009

We’ve placed a little focus on Michigan lately.  Last week, Randy offered some thoughts about his work at the Summit:09 conference  in South Haven, Michigan.  This week Rachel Vochaska, Executive Director of the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce shares some of her thoughts the event as well as the community’s plans to spur entrepreneurship. 

 

Interview with Rachel Vochaska

We’ve been hearing a lot about Michigan in the news over the last year, but most of the news focuses on Detroit and the collapse of the automobile industry.  What is happening in South Haven and other rural communities in Michigan? 

While the South Haven area has a well diversified manufacturing base, it has been impacted by the collapse of the auto industry and the community has suffered a significant loss of jobs.  Over a period of close to 24 months, Nobel International closed two local plants with 250 employees each.  To our favor though, the diverse nature of manufacturing in the area coupled with a number of companies who are engineering innovative solutions provides us relative stability even in this downturned economy. 

At the Chamber we are receiving numerous small business development inquiries and we are providing triage services to best meet the needs of local entrepreneurs.  We have created an inventory of services and resources for those interested in starting a small business and based on the nature of the inquiry we are plugging folks into counseling services through SCORE and the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC).  Enrollment has reached capacity at our local community college and Michigan Works! is providing a heightened level of assistance to those who have been dislocated or who are unemployed.

We are assisting our second stage entrepreneurs in a number of ways.  We have provided leadership retreats through the Edward Lowe Foundation with the goal of encouraging peer learning and mentoring while developing leadership skills.  We continue to engage about 12 companies in this leadership development process to the benefit of the region.  We have connected in with the SBTDC who have deployed services through their Growth Group to help businesses with restructuring and identifying product diversification opportunities.  We are working with our regional Procurement Technical Assistance Center to encourage businesses to consider diversifying their customer orientation by engaging in government contracting.  Our residential companies are sticking in there, staying loyal to the area, and doing what they need to do to ride the storm out.

Being a lake-side resort oriented community well located to Chicago and other metro areas, the downturn in the economy has actually benefited many of our local businesses especially those in the hospitality industry (lodging and restaurants).  South Haven is a cost-effective, fun loving destination for both regional and out-of-state visitors.  We are working diligently in developing shoulder and off-season events and activities that will continue to draw people even during the slower months.  We are gearing up our agri-tourism sector and beginning to package not just the great natural amenities associated with Lake Michigan - the lake, white-sand beaches, our river, and the lighthouse, to name a few - but also the adventure of returning to the farm or even visiting a farm for the first time. 

With manufacturing, agriculture and tourism as the our primary supporters and our economic base, an optimism continues to prevail and entrepreneurs recognize that our abundant natural resources coupled with our ideal mid-west location positions the South Haven area as a great place to live, work, and play!      

As the Director of the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, your job entails supporting economic growth and opportunities in the greater South Haven area.  What are some of the initiatives you are working on that will help you achieve this mission? 

The membership of the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce is truly representative of small business, with 68% employing four or less employees and 85% of Chamber members having 10 or less employees.  Services provided by the Chamber have been geared appropriately with small business development opportunities through programming and networking events being provided through the Chamber’s annual program of work. 

In addition these traditional services provided by the Chamber, in 2007 our Board re-defined our direction into economic development.  We embarked upon a project to identify the resources and tools available to people interested in starting a small business.  What we found out was that we didn’t lack the services or products that entrepreneurs needed to get started and to even grow their business, we lacked an effective system to inform entrepreneurs about what was available and then to deploy the resources they needed.  We found that small business development service providers and entrepreneurial support organizations were acting in isolation, and as a result of these silos the customer (the entrepreneur) wasn’t being well served.  So we set out with a mission “to provide a supportive and systematic approach to small business development that will spur economic revitalization and encourage sustainability in Van Buren County”, marking the birth of BRACE: Business Resources & Counseling for Entrepreneurs!

 

Last week, you held Summit: 09 — How Regional Cooperation Sustains Entrepreneurial Development.  What is Summit:09 and why did you ask Randy to come out and speak at it? 

Summit: 09 was a high caliber learning opportunity for community leaders, business people and citizens who have a desire to engage in making a difference (transforming Michigan!).  With a focus on regional cooperation and entrepreneurship, our goal was to bring folks into the room to hear about what the Rural Learning Center (RLC) is doing and to continue to motivate the shift in working across borders in cultivating our talent - simply said, coming together to grow our own.  At the Chamber, we understand the importance of economic gardening versus the traditional economic model of hunting (recruitment and attraction).  As a result, the Board of Directors has set a vision for our organization that focuses on entrepreneurship.  We have lead the charge to develop a county-wide initiative that provides assistance to entrepreneurs in taking their dream to fruition.  We are working collaboratively in establishing a supportive and systematic approach to small business development.  When we heard about the work of RLC we were intrigued, and we knew that we had much to learn from the Miner County experience.  Randy brought a humility to the topic and to summit, and our shared vision associated with the potential of rural economic development made him a perfect fit with our program and the direction we are heading.

We believe that it is greater than that though.  Given both the similarities and differences between our communities, we are excited about embarking upon a journey to further develop our relationship with the RLC.  We plan to advance our work by sharing intellectual property and resources via distance learning capabilities.  Who knows, maybe Miner County and Van Buren County will become a great example of interstate cooperation given this new relationship between RLC and the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce!             

What are some of the most important things you learned from the speakers at the conference? 

Coming together with a vision and a plan seemed to be a central tenet of Randy’s presentation.  It was a good affirmation for us as we look at our own economic development efforts.  Early on in our BRACE initiative we spent a lot of time sitting around the table identifying the direction and determining who needed to be involved.  Eighteen months ago we conducted a very effective Appreciative Inquiry process that laid the foundation for our vision and our program of work (strategic action items), and next month we will re-visit the strategic planning process and determine our direction for the next 18 months.

As a result of Randy’s presentation, we have 2 communities mobilizing efforts to work through the schools by using students to conduct a community survey.  I loved Randy’s Cashflow Analysis and remain hopeful that we can carry his survey process to the next level and show true benefit to our communities relative to buying locally.

With the good also come the tough times.  Randy did a great job of not just showcasing the successes, he was also willing to reveal the struggles that Miner County and the RLC have experienced.  The audience connected at a deeper level in recognizing and appreciating that we grow stronger and gain insight through this adversity.

 

Note:  Rachel offers an interesting idea:  “We are excited about embarking upon a journey to further develop our relationship with the RLC….  Who knows, maybe Miner County and Van Buren County will become a great example of interstate cooperation.”

It is always fun to speculate on where new relationships will take us.  Connecting with the folks in Van Buren County offers great possibilities.  Where that goes is yet to be defined.  At a bare minumum, however, we all have an opportunity to learn from the entrepreneurial efforts being developed in Van Buren County. Through BRACE, it would appear that the folks in Van Buren County are ahead of most of us in this part of the country in their efforts to bring business assistance providers together and create a systematic approach to small business development.   Hopefully, we get a chance to continue that conversation.

Photo Credits:Kelly Weber at Through Kelly’s Eyes www.throughkellyseyes.com

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Sustainability & Entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand

November 20th, 2009

A few weeks ago, Randy Parry travelled out to Van Buren County, Michigan to speak at the community’s annual conference.  He shared the following thoughts about his time in Michigan.

Interview with Randy

Van Buren County is located in Southwest Michigan.  What was your impression of the region?  How does it compare to rural South Dakota?

At a county level, Van Buren County is much more populated (78,000 residents) than most of rural South Dakota (2,000 - 5,000 residents), but there are many similarities.  Both are rural with agriculture playing an important role in the economy.  Both have experienced economic hardship and need to reinvent their futures.  One difference worth noting involves the importance of tourism to South Haven, the largest community in the county.  Tourism is a much smaller part of the economic mix in the other communities in Van Buren County, just as it is a much smaller part of the economy in most rural South Dakota communities.    

The region as a whole has experienced incredible economic decline due to the decline in the automobile industry.  That decline has happened in a short amount of time, compared to the long economic decline of rural South Dakota.

I was impressed that community leaders in Van Buren have recognized the importance of entrepreneurship as means of transforming their economy.  They are more organized in these efforts than what we typically see in rural South Dakota.

 

You spoke at Summit: 09 — How Regional Cooperation Sustains Entrepreneurial Development.  What did your message focus on? 

My message focused on how a community can create a multidimensional community development plan from a grassroots effort.  I tried to highlight how our efforts in Miner County started with residents meeting in each other’s homes and how that approach lead to a plan that included housing, job development, entrepreneurship, capacity building, and much more. 

I also hope that participants took away the importance of youth involvement in community development process.  Not only are we building our communities for them, but young people also help communities see their futures differently. 

 

There were several other speakers at the conference.  What did you pick up from them?

I was very impressed with George A. Erickcek from the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. He made the statement that “Now that clunkers are no longer gold, the showrooms are quiet” to make the point that communities must base their community development plans on sustainable strategies - and not band aid approaches like the “cash for clunkers program.”  I think that Van Buren County is well on their way in this regard with their focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. 

 

Is there anything that you wish you had shared or emphasized more during your presentation?

I wish I had emphasized more the importance of visioning to community development work.  I don’t think community leaders had thought enough about how important it is to engage everyone in a grassroots effort while developing a plan for the future.  Doing so goes a long way towards unifying the community behind the work.

 

Photo credit:  Tony the Misfit - Flickr 

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Home Demolition — A Housing Strategy?

May 21st, 2009

When most people think about Habitat for Humanity programs, they think of volunteers helping homeowners build new homes.  The New York Times, however, tells us of a Saginaw, MI Habitat affiliate who has added demolition to its mission.

Saginaw is approximately 100 miles northwest of Detroit, and has experienced outmigration due to tough economic times in the automotive industry.  In describing Saginaw, the article notes:

Saginaw… is a city of contrasts: neighborhoods of enormous, well-kept homes (this was, after all, a lumber town before it was a car town) but also blocks of vacant lots and shuttered houses.

Sounds like a lot of rural communities in our part of the country could meet this description as well. Nice, new homes often sit out on the edge of town, while older homes in the community’s core have often rotted away.

Although my preference is for purchase, rehab, resell programs rather than demolition, anyone who accepts the evidence of broken window theory will appreciate the importance of maintaining tidy neighborhoods.  And because the organization’s volunteers tear out recyclable features (ie - cabinets, fixtures, sinks, etc…) for resell, the organization is also generating income to complete its mission of helping people get into new or rehabbed houses. 

The bottom line is that communities with vacant houses need to deal with the issue. Saginaw’s Habitat for Humanity chapter appears to be pointing the way to one solution.

Photo by: piddix/Flickr

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Grow the local economy: It’s not just about jobs anymore

April 9th, 2009

Michigan’s economy has been pounded by job losses in recent years.  To reverse this trend some communities have attempted to increase their investment in traditional marketing and business recruiting.  According to Dan Gilmartin, the Michigan Municipal League’s CEO and executive director, those efforts may be misplaced.

According to an article in the The Daily Telegraph , Gilmartin told the Adrian (MI) City Commission that community leaders need to focus on making their communities more attractive places to live if they hope to become a part of the knowledge economy.  This is important because younger people (Gen Y) identify places they want to live first and then they focus on employment.   

So what makes a community a place where people want to live?  One of the features Gilmartin identified is third places.    (Read more about our thoughts on third places here.) 

Gilmartin also dropped a bombshell that is probably still reverberating among community leaders.  When asked where the city should invest $100,000 in the chamber of commerce and traditional marketing or quality of life issues, Gilmartin told them quality of life.  (Hopefully the chamber is working on these issues already.) 

You will find a lot of other interesting ideas in The Daily Telegraph article that Gilmartin shared with the Adrian City Council.  I hope you will read it and check out the additional links I’ve provided below.  We could all benefit from learning more about what will make the economy of the future click. 

 

Other Resources

Dan Gilmartin’s guest columns on the MetroMode blog.  Gilmartin provides his thoughts about important issues for Michigan’s cities to consider as they develop a knowledge economy. 

Dan Gilmartin:  What is Michigan’s Redevelopment Plan.  In this Slideshare presentation, Gilmartin outlines Michigan’s current effort to redevelop their economy.

Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce Website.  A quick review of their website suggests the chamber is already looking at some quality of life issues.

“Localism:  What’s the attraction” on the New Geography Blog.  Written by Connie Loden, the Executive Director for Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance, the article describes the impact  ”localism” and “sense of place” have on attracting people to a community.

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