Center for Rural Entrepreneurship

Phone: (402) 323-7339

don@e2mail.org

www.energizingentrepreneurs.org

Don Macke

Is Change Possible?

Session 1

September 13, 2009

Change…

Change

The world around us is changing and changing at a rapid rate. What young people want today is different than what pervious generations wanted. We must deal with change!

Resisting Change

It is common for many in our communities to resist change. Fear of the unknown is huge.

But successful communities embrace change as they search for success.

Visioning…

Visioning & Success

Research supports the view that communities who actively vision their future do better than those that do not.

Heartland Center for Leadership Development, 20 Clues to Rural

Community Survival, 2009

Small Visions

Communities facing chronic challenges tend to lose their capacity for hope and their ability to dream. They begin to vision ever smaller undermining their very futures.

HomeTown Competitiveness, Lessons from the Field, 2009

Is Change Possible?

Unless enough people in our communities believe we can achieve meaningful change for the better – it will be impossible for progress to achieved.A key to believing desired change (vision) can occur must be rooted in real evidence that it is occurring elsewhere in communities like mine.

HomeTown Competitiveness, Lessons from the Field, 2009

Case Study – Valley County, Nebraska

Meaningful Change

Case Study – Valley County About Valley County. . . .

• Rural with 4,600 Residents• Pretty Isolated• Depopulation• Rising Poverty• Farm and Ranch Dependent• Limited Economic Diversification

Case Study – Valley County Where They Started. . . .

• Initial Assets:– Core Group of Champions– Motivation for Change– Available Civic Capacity

• Initial Challenges– No Vision– No Economic Development Game Plan– Destructive Community Conflict

Case Study – Valley County Valley County Chronology. . . .

• 1999 – No Game Plan or Program• 2000 – Economic Development Board - Staffing Proposed• 2001 – Tax Support Passed• 2002 – Joined HTC - Focused Development Goals - Moved Towards Entrepreneurship• 2004 – Hired a Business Coach

Case Study – Valley County Bottom Line Results. . . .

• Entrepreneurial Development System• Opportunity Focused• 2007/2008:

– $110 Million in New Investment– 120 New Jobs– 30+ Business Transition– Linked People Recruitment– Growing Youth Strategy

Vision Begins with What If…

What if another community could do what Valley County has done?

What difference would it possibly make?

Action

Learning

Vision

Are Better Futures Possible?

Scenarios fromBrookfield, Missouri

Brookfield, Missouri

• City = 5,000 residents• County = 12,000 residents• Agriculture – Manufacturing – Trade Center• In Decline & Losing People• Rural – North Central Missouri

Source: Headwaters Economics

Source: Headwaters Economics

Source: Headwaters Economics

Investment Package

• Focus on Youth Attraction & Business Coaching• 1% Development Budget Commitment

Evidence from the Field• Valley County, NE

• Fairfield, IA• Barry County, MI

• Howard, SD• Wisconsin Rapids, WS

How Can this Happen?Heartland’s

“Clues to Rural Community Survival”

20 Clues are Documented, but…

Commitment – Vision – Action – Knowledge

But we must aspire for more…

Thriving Communities

It Happens Because of Leaders

The Power of People Like You!

1% Investment Rule of Thumb

“What we have learned is that successful communities invest in their development. Those that are investing upwards to 1% of their annual economy are doing better!”

RURPI Center Research

So what does this really mean?

Development at Scale!

Community Size Development Funding500 $100k to $200k1000 $500k to $1m10,000 $2.5 to $5.0m

Real investment into the development of our communities.