2009
Businessmen
Businessmen Adding Value
Purpose
This section of the manual is designed to encourage businessmen to
become involved in RIOP. It outlines the need, their role, and describes
strategies they can use to develop their local communities.
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Clay Solomon
BYU-Idaho
4/1/2009
Introduction
Businessmen Lose in a Falling Economy
In falling economic conditions businessmen lose the most. They can lose their businesses and their dreams.
Rural America can’t afford losing businesses and with unemployment on the rise people and business profits
falling in America businesses are scrambling to stay alive. Original farm Cooperatives were designed to help
rural communities. Cooperatives are needed again, not to save farmers, but to save rural America. RIOP is a
cooperative that encourages businessmen to become involved and to cooperate bootstrapping their
communities by building them economically. Successful communities work together during difficult times.
The businessmen section of this manual is designed to aid the businessmen in their RIOP involvement. It
outlines their role and describes strategies they can use to develop their local communities. Current
Businessmen are invited to take part in business opportunities around them. This economic crisis we are in
allows us the encouragement needed to develop Idaho and keep our youth from leaving. Businessmen are
invited to take part in an ambitious movement initiated by necessity as well as the foresight of major players in
Idaho economics.
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Table of Contents


Reasons to get involved………………………………………………………………………………..
o
Economics in a Developing Community
o
Educational System
o
Help the Community Grow
o
Start a New Era of Business
Ways to get involved………………………………………………………………………………….
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Business
o
Helping Other Businessmen in the Area Develop RIOP Goals
o
Network with Other Businessmen to Create Business Opportunities
o
Things that Need to be Done to Build the Community
o
Business Ideas to People who Have a Need and Time
Community
o
Give Good Advice to Communities About Economically Sound Principles
o
Give the Community Support on Projects
Schools

o
Mentoring Projects
o
Donations of Materials (hardware, software, components)
o
Youth Employment
o
Student Run Businesses
o
Needs of businesses
Participants in RIOP………………………………………………………………………………….
Regional businesses
o
Premier Technologies – Doug Sayor
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o
INL
Communities and Businesses
1. Salmon
o
Commander Chassis
o
Steel and Ranch
o
Swanson Machine
o
School District 291
o
Idaho Department of Labor
o
INL
o
Salmon Valley Business and Innovation Center
o
Lemhi County
o
Lemhi County 4-H
o
concerned individuals/citizens
2. Arco
3. Mackay
4. Leadore
5. Challis
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Reasons to get involved
Developing Community Economics
Businessmen are economically minded and look at projects and opportunities on a need basis where as many
community members and politicians look at good ideas that they think will benefit certain people. In small
communities during hard times businessmen can give fast and knowledgeable advice on projects that the
community needs to develop, and ideas they need to avoid because they aren’t going to be economically sound.
Businessmen’s financial advice and support is some of the most important for a developing community.
Educational System Struggle
With the internet and globalization, the competitive nature of education is rising. Schools need to base their
education on economics and demand around them. They also need to grow into the positions available after
they graduate, most of which aren’t currently in existence. With the government trying to direct education from
Washington D.C. we are falling behind as a nation. Even college graduates aren’t feeling confident in the
competitive job market. It’s time for the students to learn early on to design their own educations and become
skilled to compete in the job market. Businessmen can help the education system upgrade with software and
computers to prepare the students to compete in their futures.
Help the Community Grow
Due to our recent economic downturn nationwide, communities need to reset their courses and determine
what to do with their resources. This economic downturn has caught people by surprise and most leaders don’t
know where to take their people. This is an opportunity to take part in setting the course and keeping the
course of the people on track. Communities need help cutting back. The process is complex and leaders could
use your help.
Start a New Era of Business
Business is no longer the same. The global business environment is changing and all businessmen know it. With
this changing environment the businessmen can help their communities accept the changes and create
businesses that can compete in the real world. They can also give support to other businessmen in creating
business opportunities for the community and other entrepreneurs.
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Ways to Get Involved
Business
Encourage Other Businessmen to Become Involved
RIOP is designed to be a network of cooperating businessmen, educators, politicians, and citizens in building
rural Idaho communities. Many businessmen are working together to build their communities and are looking
for other businessmen to work with them in their RIOP goals. As an intricate part of a community the
businessmen provide important insights and directions to their communities. Their ambition is also highly
needed.
Network with Other Businessmen to Create Business Opportunities
In the current economic conditions and the impact on rural Idaho we need to network to keep business rolling in
our communities. As we network we will also be able to develop better business ideas and create business
opportunities within the community. Businessmen need to cooperate at an intense level to help their
communities develop. The best communities in America work internally to create opportunities for themselves
and stimulate their economies. They find enjoyment in working together and they use creativity to put
themselves ahead in the competitive world.
Things That Need to be Done to Build the Community
Many people in communities have ideas of what to do in a community but they have little economic education
on how to calculate cost to value analysis. Most economies currently have no extra funds so their money needs
to be used wisely. Businessmen who become involved in their communities can offer advice on good directions
to take their communities as the local experts and they can work with community leaders to ensure everyone in
the community is working in unison on projects to get the most from each project. According to local
government officials in several communities there are no funds for extra projects. Businessmen can support
good ideas with funds, labor, and project design for small communities. Small communities need strong
economic advice available through their local businesses.
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Sharing Business Ideas with Locals
Recessions and unemployment provide the time and educational talent to start new businesses needed in the
next economic cycle. Many people in rural Idaho have good ideas for their communities and for the global
economy but have never had the time to implement them. Also, many businessmen and students have really
good ideas but never implement them because of network and resource problems. This lowering economy can
stimulate activity and discussion on how to build economies, start businesses, and educate the youth.
Businessmen can offer their ideas and suggestions to the community and members of the community that
aren’t employed that can help their business, or that they simply wanted to try. Many businesses start to fill the
needs of the existing businesses. RIOP encourages businesses to create opportunities for members of
communities based on their unmet needs.
Community
Give Good Advice to Community about Economically Sound Principles
Most communities try to implement ideas that aren’t economically sound. One example is Chicago’s wireless
internet initiative to give free internet to everyone around Chicago. When communities do things “for the good
of the entire community” or because one section of the community “needs it” they are often ignoring
opportunity costs of spending the money somewhere else and they are not investing in things that will give a
return. Americans cater to everyone too often, trying to solve the needs of every individual with special needs.
Americans spend too much on non-producing projects. We’ve begun squandering our cash. It’s time to turn it
around. The conditions in the economy provide a naturally good time for the businessmen, with economic and
project required rates of return knowledge, to step up and change their communities by encouraging
investment in cash producing projects.
Give the Community Support on RIOP Projects
Communities are looking for professional support on projects. They are also looking for mentors on student
projects. Businessmen have a lot of knowledge they can help the students with. They can especially contribute
in the areas of economics and project returns. There is no limit on what local businessmen and businesses can
offer communities. Good ideas can even turn into business opportunities for others during these hard times.
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Schools
Business Needs
Businessmen need quality employees educated in the current skill sets. Many students and even skilled
members of a community don’t have the desired skills to bring the economy to a new level. People are getting
minimal education in some areas and are becoming over educated in other areas. There is a gap in
communication between the job market skill requirements and the education field. Many students are finding
they don’t have résuméable material until they are out of college. RIOP is set on changing by involving
professionals and businessmen in the education system to break the communication barrier providing skill
developing opportunities to the youth and résuméable material to them in high school.
Mentoring Projects
Rural American students aren’t getting reliable and up to date information on employment and education. In
the RIOP education philosophy businesses need to provide mentors and these mentors can both aid the
students in developing in their education as well as provide projects to help the students in their ambitions.
RIOP is designed to encourage students to take control of their education and to encourage professionals to
help the students become educated and capable of working in the world. Projects created by professionals and
through the education system for students can be résuméable material enhancing their education for
competitive employment. We need to decentralize education by taking students under our wings, and giving
them projects to complete and ideas on how to succeed in a competitive world. Mentors can help out on parts
of projects without having to run them. They also provide good projects for the students and allow them as
youth to contribute to a community.
Donations of Materials (hardware, software, components)
Because of the control on education invoked by the Federal Government, many education systems are falling
behind on funding and proper software and programs that will enhance the students’ educations. RIOP and
Premier Technology, Inc. have donated materials to Salmon High School to enhance student education and
encourage other businesses to do the same. Also, businesses and community members have a right to
determine the course of local education due to the amount of tax dollars they contribute that go into education.
Active participation can evolve education to fit the needs of the competitive job market faster than legislation
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and research from the Federal and State governments. This is what makes rural education cutting edge and
immediately applicable in the career world.
Employing the Youth
Businessmen can also hire students to do work making students essentially interns while in high school, and
learning the trades of a mentor in a competitive economy.
Student Businesses
A lot of students are ambitious and looking for opportunities. Businessmen can be mentors to “young
entrepreneurs” still in school getting their education. Most rural businessmen are entrepreneurs in their own
way and can offer excellent advice to young people working on projects and business opportunities.
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RIOP Communities and Participants
Due to economic conditions there is increasing interest in RIOP. The driver of most of the projects is Premier
Technologies in Blackfoot, Idaho. Doug Sayer, the owner and president of Premier is encouraging businessmen
to become involved at all levels in their communities. He and the INL have become active participants in the
Salmon RIOP. There are currently five communities involved in RIOP in which Premier Technologies is working
with. Other local companies are strong participants as well. Currently Salmon has over 30 active members in
their RIOP and with members of the State Departments of Education and Labor, School District 291, Salmon
Valley Business and Innovation Center, Economic Developers, County officials, a half dozen businesses, students,
and concerned citizens interested in the economic and educational success of Salmon. They are planning on
investing one million dollars in Salmon this year. Four other communities that are actively building their local
RIOPs as well include: Arco, Mackay, Leadore, and Challis.
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