Home Town Competitiveness:
A Come-Back/Give-Back Approach
to Rural Community Building
Sponsored by:
• The Nebraska Community Foundation
• The Heartland Center for Leadership
Development
• Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
Hometown Competitiveness
Field Day
on Thursday, May 13, 2004
Windmill: A Symbol of the Nebraska Community Foundation
Report by Craig Hertel,
Greene County Extension
Education Director
Thanks to the Community Vitality Center at Iowa
State University for support to this conference
and
The Nebraska Home Town Competitiveness
partners for their materials, ideas and program.
Welcome to Atkinson, Nebraska
• One of the reasons
for the field day was
to showcase an
actual community,
and its physical
attributes.
• This community sign
is the first thing you
see driving into town.
About Atkinson, Nebraska
• Located in Northern NE,
in Holt County. Holt Co.
is an oversized county,
about 50 miles square.
Population: 11,500.
• O’Neill is county seat,
with 3,500+ people
• Atkinson, population
1,244, is 18 miles from
O’Neill.
Down the road ¼ mile…
• Further into
town, I saw
another sign that
jumped out and
caught my eye
• Little did I know
how important it
was to the HTC
model…
The Home Town Competitiveness
(HTC) model encourages action…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mobilize Local Leaders
Energize Entrepreneurship
Capture Wealth Transfer
Attract Young People
1. Mobilizing Local Leaders
a. Communities must be intentional about
recruiting and nurturing an increasing number
of women, minorities and young people into
decision-making roles
b. Tap into everyone’s potential knowledge, talent
& aspirations
c. The usual suspects model works for recruiting
new business, but entrepreneurship is not
limited by income or industry. So, including
more people & networks increases odds for
successful community entrepreneurship.
d. Continuing leadership training programs
2. Capturing Wealth Transfer
a. Rural residents do not always recognize
local wealth, because so much of it is
held through land ownership.
b. Most people are at first shocked, and
then highly motivated, one they
understand the enormous amount of
local wealth that will transfer out of the
area to heirs who have migrated.
c. Planned gifts need to be cultivated now!
3. Energizing entrepreneurship
The Nebraska Center for Rural
Entrepreneurship focuses on:
1. Saving Main Street through planned
ownership succession
2. Creating new wealth and good jobs by
helping entrepreneurial companies that
have potential to break through to a
broader product-line and/or larger market
3. Using local charitable assets to support
entrepreneurial development
Nebraska Center for Rural
Entrepreneurship Challenge:
• “Far too many communities continue to
invest resources in economic development
for job creation and business development
that exports, rather than builds, local
wealth.”
• HTC model embraces local business and
strategic downtown redevelopment efforts
4. Attracting Young People
HTC teaches:
• How to target youths attraction
• Create career opportunities
• Nurture a sense of ownership and vested
interest in the community’s future leaders
Conference – reinforced the
4 Pillars of HTC
• Most sessions had panel discussion
– Each time all 4 pillars highlighted
– Community spokesman seemed very clear on the
need for the 4 pillars, although smaller communities
(<400) may focus on 2-3 pillars
– For a relatively new model, people seemed to easily
grasp on terms, reasons and approach
– Many of the community examples just getting off the
ground – therefore, immediate reflections of getting
started (and motivated to perform since they had to
report!)
Panelist comments…
• The Sandhills 3-county group – residents
appeared afraid of “here we go again” –
these efforts come and go.
• Valley observation – “youth had more
profound comments than adults”
• “Think about strategically about
succession of the home owned business.”
• “The 4 pillars may not all happen at once,
or at the same speed. Adjust…”
• “Think regionally…”
Youth component….
• Very visible (presence, tour leaders, signage)
• “Youth NOT the future –they are the Present!”
• Strategy to personally connect with H.S.
students and finding people to come home
• Goal: 11-14% of graduating class to return
• Goal is being monitored
• Personal mentoring and encouragement
• Want them to leave – BUT come back!
• Early in their life: connections “to stay”
Leadership has progressed…
• Used to be leaders had to know the right
answer.
• Then, leaders had to know the right
question.
• Now, leaders need to know who to go to!
Observations
• Significant number of young adults in the
audience from across Nebraska and
border states. In visiting, good
enthusiasm and interest in making a
difference!
• Same exact comments of community
challenges as we hear in Iowa!
Potpourri
• Importance of Entrepreneurial Skills I.D.
• Key is what community leaders Say & Do,
and setting a good example
• Old challenge of how to get the Old Guard
to buy-in, always an issue
• Need rural (out of town) participation to
balance out city resident needs
• Use Chamber list serve for outreach
• Build Hope
Philanthropy pillar…
• Ex.: Ord, Valley Co -- $1.2 million gift via will
leverages other giving to $5.2 M in
“expectancies”
• 5% Nebraska target seemed well known goal –
5% tied to actual, measurable numbers
• Banks and individual donations used as impetus
to initiate giving
• Philanthropy used as gifts/loans to support
entrepreneurship pillar
Surprised that…
The importance of retail business in the
model – caught me off guard
1. “new business” tied to retail
2. Efforts put in by community facilitators to
encourage retail
3. Importance to community image was retail
establishments
4. Number of retail places in town of 1,244
5. Retail seemed to attract youth
…more on Retail
6. Retail places visited all had their nitch
market that covered a wider area
-- IGA locker  seasoning  mail
-- Ogden Hardware  Dish
-- Something Special  asks wholesalers if
anyone has this merchandise w/in 100miles
-- Old fashion soda fountain
-- Clothing – jeans outlet
Cautions
• Can that much retail hold on? Business
increases as more businesses develop.
• Surprised that I heard retail business, but
not manufacturing or other businesses
• Fear expressed of Wal-Mart by
participants of conference & retails
• Holt County – early pioneer of irrigation in
Midwest, therefore, lots of money made in
late 1960’s, early 1970’s
The Sign…
• “It changed the
Youth’s
Attitude!”
• Developed by
the youth
• They “owned”
the sign, and
had tremendous
pride in it
• Prominent!
Downtown Attractiveness & Pride
• The flags were out!
• A main intersection
had a message
board, with attractive
landscaping
• Streets were kept up
• All field day
participants were
bused downtown for a
5-stop walking tour.
High School Youth Engagement
• The High School
youth were not only
the tour guides, but
clearly actively
involved in framing
the enthusiasm and
future community
plans.
• Encouraging youth to
return was one of the
4 pillars of HTC.
Town of 1,244 – 3 Hardware stores
• Ogden Hardware
was run/owned by a
young person.
• One line of
merchandise, dish
network, had a
service area of
about 100 miles.
• Father co-signed
initial loan; noted
need for start-up
capital
Gift-tee type items EVERYWHERE!
• “Something Special by
Marilyn” is indeed a
special ‘destination’ store
• Very large, two story
retail store full of gifts
galore for any occasion
• Business started about
11 years ago by two local
women.
• Would be a draw for
women everywhere!
On the community center wall…
…. Were four wall
hangings,
strategically
placed by the
restrooms!
Each one was a
positive quote that
a left a great
impression.
Question?
• “Can this Hometown Competiveness
Model be implemented without cash
incentive and grant money?”
-- Perhaps – if there is strong community
leadership that is present and training to act
– If no $ at the beginning to hire human
resources, then it is encumbent on the
community to rally and see the benefits, and
fund appropriately
Community Road Map
Scouts
Organizing
Decision to use
HTC Model
Champions
Town
Meeting
Organizing
Formation of:
• Steering Committee
• Leadership Working Group
• Entrepreneurship Working Group
• Philanthropy Working Group
• Youth Working Group
Leadership Training
Steps in Process
• Develop clear goals: map assets, identify
needed programs and services
• Identify potential entrepreneurs, conduct
visits, offer one-on-one entrepreneurial
training, develop strategies for long-term
entrepreneurial development
• Conduct youth entrepreneurship courses,
hold summer youth camps
• Promote human and financial investment
Atkinson youth promote community pride
Atkinson, Stuart youth serve as active leaders
in downtown entrepreneurial developments
It’s all about “attitude”…
Braun’s IGA, owned by two brothers, is a grocery store,
meat locker, deer and game processor, catering
business, processor/distributor of meat seasonings, and
a trophy hunting guide service.
Ogden Hardware is now owned by the original owner’s
son, who returned from a high-paying job in Colorado,
to purchase and manage the Atkinson store.
A gazebo in a park-like setting and flags greeted
visitors to an area of Atkinson currently on the Main
Street architect’s drawing board for redevelopment.
A new sign graces the town entrance. It marks a new
beginning for Atkinson and serves as one of many steps
community citizens plan to take to revitalize “home.”
Donor Perspective
Reinvestment through philanthropic efforts:
• Creates personal and community pride
• Offers opportunities for youth and adults to
stay in the community
• Builds local business
• Demonstrates citizens “care” about their
communities
• Creates a cycle of wealth