Small Town and Rural Development Conference

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Small Town and Rural Development Conference
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A Michigan Model

• A simplified model for sustainable small towns
  and rural communities
• Incorporating the best concepts from several
  highly regarded approaches
• Utilizing the resources in our established
  Michigan organizations and services
• Providing tiered levels of engagement from simple
  to more complex

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Pursuing A Michigan Model
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A Michigan Model

• Four simple techniques are proving successful in
  small towns

Milan Wall
HomeTown Competitiveness
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A Michigan Model

• A regional approach is essential for rural areas

Mark Drabenstott
Rural Policy Research Institute - Center for
Regional Competitiveness
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A Michigan Model

• Small town prosperity is a matter of a few simple
  principals

Jack Schultz
Boomtown Institute
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A Michigan Model

• 100s of jobs can be found in the latent
  entrepreneurial talent in our communities

Ernesto Sirolli
Enterprise Facilitation
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A Michigan Model

• A more focused tourism effort gets visitors to
  stay longer and spend more

Carole Summers
AgriCultural Tourism
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A Michigan Model

• What makes rural areas more appealing in the New
  Economy

George Erickcek
The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
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A Michigan Model

• Grow your next crop of jobs for a more balanced
  economy

Christine Hamilton-Pennell
Economic Gardening
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A Michigan Model

• A more socially interconnected community pays
  huge dividends

Tom Sander
Saguaro Seminar Civic Engagement in America
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A Michigan Model

• Discover the new relationships you can create
  from existing assets

Luther Snow
Rural Asset-Based Community Development
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A Michigan Model
Rural Partners of Michigan The next steps

• (Other) Developing a Michigan Model