http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfbqxts6_2gq224w
Entire results of the Chase and Perkins County BR&E survey at the above link.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Shop at Home Poster's Delivered to Imperial, Grant and Wauteta
Shop at Home Posters Delivered to Imperial, Grant and Wauneta.
Chamber Buck's being awared in both counties for winners in finding the hidden clue in both newspapers. "Chamber Buck winner named Karen Brown is the winner of $20 for finding the hidden element from the Shop At Home ad series. Find the hidden art in this week's issue for a chance to win"
Monday, September 10, 2007
SHOP AT HOME UPATE - BR&E
“Shop at Home First”
September 6th Committee Meeting
The “Shop at Home First” Committee met at 6:30 pm in the Imperial City Offices located at 740 Court Street. In attendance were Janet Beck, Tony Cribelli, Merrilyn Leibbrandt, Russ Pankonin and Leslie Carlholm.
The first item on the committee agenda was to create a mission statement. The mission of the “Shop at Home First” Committee is to increase community awareness of the variety of items and services available locally while providing education on the benefits associated with doing business here at home.
The second item the committee addressed was to determine a slogan that would be used on lawn signs, posters, and weekly ads. The committee decided on the slogan: “Give Us a Shot; Shop at Home First” All printed materials need to include the following tagline: “This project is funded in part by a grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development administered by the Nebraska Rural Development Commission.”
The third item for discussion was the “Shop at Home First” Kick Off Event. The committee members will request that Perkins County, Imperial and Wauneta Chambers host the event and provide beverages and finger food. Business owners and managers will be approached face to face by committee members and/or volunteers to update them on the event and the upcoming “Shop at Home First" Promotion.
“Shop at Home First” Kick Off Event
Location: Open Country Adventures
Date: September 20th
Time: 6:00 PM
Agenda: 6 to 6:30 Social time – with food and beverages
6:30 Speaker – Doug Cunningham
Balance of evening:
Questions for Doug.
Brief overview of campaign
Networking time
The Store Posters were the fourth item of discussion. In the BECA grant we requested funding for bumper stickers, but the committee felt that store posters would be more appropriate. Ann Burge has been asked to inquire if we can redirect the dollars set aside for bumper stickers to the posters instead. All the posters would be printed with a common border and the campaign slogan on them. Some of the posters would be printed with general information relating the importance of shopping local. There would also be other posters available with just the border and the slogan which could be used to create business specific posters. One of the possible uses would be to print a comparative shopping list for customers to review.
Other discussion included the importance of thanking customers for their past and continuing patronage and making this promotion fun for both the businesses and the customers. To this end the committee will explore the option of hiding an object relating to shopping in each weeks advertisement. Readers who can find the hidden object could cut out the ad and enter it into a weekly drawing for $20 in Chamber Bucks.
The committee then reviewed the budget below. Committee members and volunteers should track the hours they invest in this effort as part of the chambers in-kind contribution.
The balance of the meeting was spent roughing out the 12 weeks newspaper ads. These ads should run the weeks of October 1st through December 20th. The meeting concluded at 8:30 PM.
September 6th Committee Meeting
The “Shop at Home First” Committee met at 6:30 pm in the Imperial City Offices located at 740 Court Street. In attendance were Janet Beck, Tony Cribelli, Merrilyn Leibbrandt, Russ Pankonin and Leslie Carlholm.
The first item on the committee agenda was to create a mission statement. The mission of the “Shop at Home First” Committee is to increase community awareness of the variety of items and services available locally while providing education on the benefits associated with doing business here at home.
The second item the committee addressed was to determine a slogan that would be used on lawn signs, posters, and weekly ads. The committee decided on the slogan: “Give Us a Shot; Shop at Home First” All printed materials need to include the following tagline: “This project is funded in part by a grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development administered by the Nebraska Rural Development Commission.”
The third item for discussion was the “Shop at Home First” Kick Off Event. The committee members will request that Perkins County, Imperial and Wauneta Chambers host the event and provide beverages and finger food. Business owners and managers will be approached face to face by committee members and/or volunteers to update them on the event and the upcoming “Shop at Home First" Promotion.
“Shop at Home First” Kick Off Event
Location: Open Country Adventures
Date: September 20th
Time: 6:00 PM
Agenda: 6 to 6:30 Social time – with food and beverages
6:30 Speaker – Doug Cunningham
Balance of evening:
Questions for Doug.
Brief overview of campaign
Networking time
The Store Posters were the fourth item of discussion. In the BECA grant we requested funding for bumper stickers, but the committee felt that store posters would be more appropriate. Ann Burge has been asked to inquire if we can redirect the dollars set aside for bumper stickers to the posters instead. All the posters would be printed with a common border and the campaign slogan on them. Some of the posters would be printed with general information relating the importance of shopping local. There would also be other posters available with just the border and the slogan which could be used to create business specific posters. One of the possible uses would be to print a comparative shopping list for customers to review.
Other discussion included the importance of thanking customers for their past and continuing patronage and making this promotion fun for both the businesses and the customers. To this end the committee will explore the option of hiding an object relating to shopping in each weeks advertisement. Readers who can find the hidden object could cut out the ad and enter it into a weekly drawing for $20 in Chamber Bucks.
The committee then reviewed the budget below. Committee members and volunteers should track the hours they invest in this effort as part of the chambers in-kind contribution.
The balance of the meeting was spent roughing out the 12 weeks newspaper ads. These ads should run the weeks of October 1st through December 20th. The meeting concluded at 8:30 PM.
Site Report September 2007
Progress and Outcomes
Steering Committee/Site Coordinator Level:
Entrepreneurship:
BR&E survey completed, reviewed preliminary results. Planning town hall meetings in October to share information for both counties.
Shop Local First Campaign will get kicked off Sept 20th. BECA grant helped with this effort. This is a multi-county effort.
Leadership:
Ann reported that the leadership class will begin around November 1st. Will not offer this class to high school students this year. Deb K. and Kim C. will be heading the leadership class this year. Hope to have at least 12 and no more than 20 participants. Some interest during BR&E surveys. Need buyin from businesses. Really focusing on identifying and training new local leaders.
Charitable Giving:
Perkins County – held Annual Meeting in August. Working toward raising $75,000 by Dec 1st for Hunt Challenge. Have about $50,000 gathered.
Chase County – Imperial CF raised over $150,000 cash to met the Hunt Challenge. It is complete thanks to Pinnacle Banks most recent $10,000 donation. Will hold a celebration sometime this fall.
Youth Engagement:
Perkins County – Perkins County Youth Council – 25 kids- have helped w/12 projects and they organized in March. A county wide youth service group. Freshman to seniors. Each senior will get a scholarship. Have to have good grades to participate, just like other school activities. Strongly supported by school. Will hold a kick-off dance in Sept to recruit more kids. Committee Structure.
Chase County – County extension educator, Kim Cook, hosting an after-school ESI 4-H curriculum for 5th graders in Sept and Oct for 2 hours each Tuesday.
Plan to have a joint county e-ship workshop for all high school kids to be held in Imperial, like last year but will include all hs kids, not just seniors and will have it earlier than April.
Other Key Outcomes:
The Perkins County Zoning Commission was represented by Chris L. and they would like to work with HTC to survey Perkins County in order to update their comprehensive plan. Surveys were discussed, questions, ideas shared and the Perkins County Youth Council could assist with the survey.
Site Issues and Observations
Ethanol Plant – producing
Bio-Diesel project – on track
Pipeline Progress – wants to buy water to pressure check line, asking Grant golf course to purchase water from them
Next Meeting:
Tuesday, October 30, 2007 in Imperial
Steering Committee/Site Coordinator Level:
Entrepreneurship:
BR&E survey completed, reviewed preliminary results. Planning town hall meetings in October to share information for both counties.
Shop Local First Campaign will get kicked off Sept 20th. BECA grant helped with this effort. This is a multi-county effort.
Leadership:
Ann reported that the leadership class will begin around November 1st. Will not offer this class to high school students this year. Deb K. and Kim C. will be heading the leadership class this year. Hope to have at least 12 and no more than 20 participants. Some interest during BR&E surveys. Need buyin from businesses. Really focusing on identifying and training new local leaders.
Charitable Giving:
Perkins County – held Annual Meeting in August. Working toward raising $75,000 by Dec 1st for Hunt Challenge. Have about $50,000 gathered.
Chase County – Imperial CF raised over $150,000 cash to met the Hunt Challenge. It is complete thanks to Pinnacle Banks most recent $10,000 donation. Will hold a celebration sometime this fall.
Youth Engagement:
Perkins County – Perkins County Youth Council – 25 kids- have helped w/12 projects and they organized in March. A county wide youth service group. Freshman to seniors. Each senior will get a scholarship. Have to have good grades to participate, just like other school activities. Strongly supported by school. Will hold a kick-off dance in Sept to recruit more kids. Committee Structure.
Chase County – County extension educator, Kim Cook, hosting an after-school ESI 4-H curriculum for 5th graders in Sept and Oct for 2 hours each Tuesday.
Plan to have a joint county e-ship workshop for all high school kids to be held in Imperial, like last year but will include all hs kids, not just seniors and will have it earlier than April.
Other Key Outcomes:
The Perkins County Zoning Commission was represented by Chris L. and they would like to work with HTC to survey Perkins County in order to update their comprehensive plan. Surveys were discussed, questions, ideas shared and the Perkins County Youth Council could assist with the survey.
Site Issues and Observations
Ethanol Plant – producing
Bio-Diesel project – on track
Pipeline Progress – wants to buy water to pressure check line, asking Grant golf course to purchase water from them
Next Meeting:
Tuesday, October 30, 2007 in Imperial
Site report May 2007
Progress and Outcomes
Steering Committee/Site Coordinator Level:
Entrepreneurship:
BR&E surveys scheduled for July 23-25th. Wauneta – 23rd, Grant 24th, Imperial 25th,
Leadership:
April 17th – graduation Suggestion – not as many students next year, many no h.s. students
First Impressions – Ann and Jana have not nailed down any towns to participate yet. Will continue working on finding parallel communities to work with.
Charitable Giving:
Both ICF and PCCF working toward the Hunt Challenge Grant. ICF very close to completion, PCCF needs their first $75,000 by December 1st
Youth Engagement:
Perkins County Youth Council – doing community service projects, will probably slow down over summer
Chase County – working w/extension educator to use ESI curriculum and will talk to Matt Fisher, Supt at Imperial HS to get e-ship curriculum in school
Other Key Outcomes:
Jana asked if there were any areas of technical assistance that was needed for the Perkins-Chase HTC groups other than assistance to the Imperial Community Foundation and the Perkins County Community Foundation with meeting the Hunt Challenges. Nothing was mentioned.
Site Issues and Observations
Joe Morris resigned as Grant City Manager, City Council in turmoil
Tim Moore from Hospital
Ethanol plant – in start-up phase, aiming for August 1st to be up and running
(already proposing a second plant next to this one, beside expansion)
Next Meeting:
September 4, 2007 – Grant
Steering Committee/Site Coordinator Level:
Entrepreneurship:
BR&E surveys scheduled for July 23-25th. Wauneta – 23rd, Grant 24th, Imperial 25th,
Leadership:
April 17th – graduation Suggestion – not as many students next year, many no h.s. students
First Impressions – Ann and Jana have not nailed down any towns to participate yet. Will continue working on finding parallel communities to work with.
Charitable Giving:
Both ICF and PCCF working toward the Hunt Challenge Grant. ICF very close to completion, PCCF needs their first $75,000 by December 1st
Youth Engagement:
Perkins County Youth Council – doing community service projects, will probably slow down over summer
Chase County – working w/extension educator to use ESI curriculum and will talk to Matt Fisher, Supt at Imperial HS to get e-ship curriculum in school
Other Key Outcomes:
Jana asked if there were any areas of technical assistance that was needed for the Perkins-Chase HTC groups other than assistance to the Imperial Community Foundation and the Perkins County Community Foundation with meeting the Hunt Challenges. Nothing was mentioned.
Site Issues and Observations
Joe Morris resigned as Grant City Manager, City Council in turmoil
Tim Moore from Hospital
Ethanol plant – in start-up phase, aiming for August 1st to be up and running
(already proposing a second plant next to this one, beside expansion)
Next Meeting:
September 4, 2007 – Grant
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
9/3/2007 agenda
Agenda for Perkins/Chase Counties HTC Steering Committee
Sept 4, 2007
11:30 Welcome and Introductions
11:45 Update from Perkins County
Youth
E-Ship/Business
Philanthropy
Other pertinent information –
Perkins County Zoning Town Hall Meeting
Ethanol Plant Recruitment
Bio-Diesel Project
Pipeline Progress
12:05 Update from Chase County
Youth
E-ship/Business
Philanthropy
Other pertinent information –
Ethanol Plant Updates
12:25 BR&E survey & Shop Local First Campaign Update
12:55 Closing comments/thoughts
Sept 4, 2007
11:30 Welcome and Introductions
11:45 Update from Perkins County
Youth
E-Ship/Business
Philanthropy
Other pertinent information –
Perkins County Zoning Town Hall Meeting
Ethanol Plant Recruitment
Bio-Diesel Project
Pipeline Progress
12:05 Update from Chase County
Youth
E-ship/Business
Philanthropy
Other pertinent information –
Ethanol Plant Updates
12:25 BR&E survey & Shop Local First Campaign Update
12:55 Closing comments/thoughts
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Tracking Report 3/28/2007
Site Coach Tracking Report
Site: Perkins/Chase HTC
Coach: Jana Jensen Report Date: March 28, 2007
Progress and Outcomes
Steering Committee/Site Coordinator Level:
Entrepreneurship:
Chase – LB 840 guidelines are being reviewed by attorney.
Chase – BR&E survey is planned for Imperial and Wauneta, invited Perkins county to participate also. Deadline to know is April 15th.
Leadership: Ann Burge reported on Second Regional Leadership Class – 19 participants/ 8 students
April 17th will be graduation; trip to Lincoln to Unicameral went well - _?__ participated
Next year, not as many students to participate because of schedules and conflicts
Charitable Giving:
Perkins raised $50,000 toward the Hunt Challenge in their 1st year
ICF gave $5000 in grants and held their 2nd Annual Celebration, March 24th. ICF has raised $136,000 for the Hunt Challenge and has $15,000 in pledges. They have met the goal!
Youth Engagement:
Youth Day – 12 students, 1 – Wauneta, 11 – Imperial (all seniors), no Perkins County because of overloaded schedule w/State boys and girls BB games. Will hold in the fall, not spring, too many conflicts and it will be offered to other classes.
Perkins County continue to work on getting their Youth Council organized.
4-H Curriculum was discussed
Chase County, YLLC – Youth Leaders in Longhorn Country worked with 4th graders on Crackernomics, 40 youth participated
Other Key Outcomes:
Leslie Carlholm submitted the BECA grant, (awarded $8,115)
Madrid ethanol plant to open May 1st. Bio-disel plant in Grant open June or July.
Wauneta’s ethanol plant permits have been approved.
Imperial has the potential for two ethanol plants.
Site Issues and Observations
Madrid ethanol plant has been a great economic boost to Perkins county. The local motel is full because of the new pipeline construction. No rentals available and not many houses available for purchase. Madrid businesses, as well as Grant businesses have seen a nice boost from the construction folks working on the plant.
Businesses in both Perkins and Chase county are concerned about the Walmart coming to Ogallala. The BECA grant, if awarded, will provide training and assistance to businesses that wish to strategically prepare for Walmart.
Site: Perkins/Chase HTC
Coach: Jana Jensen Report Date: March 28, 2007
Progress and Outcomes
Steering Committee/Site Coordinator Level:
Entrepreneurship:
Chase – LB 840 guidelines are being reviewed by attorney.
Chase – BR&E survey is planned for Imperial and Wauneta, invited Perkins county to participate also. Deadline to know is April 15th.
Leadership: Ann Burge reported on Second Regional Leadership Class – 19 participants/ 8 students
April 17th will be graduation; trip to Lincoln to Unicameral went well - _?__ participated
Next year, not as many students to participate because of schedules and conflicts
Charitable Giving:
Perkins raised $50,000 toward the Hunt Challenge in their 1st year
ICF gave $5000 in grants and held their 2nd Annual Celebration, March 24th. ICF has raised $136,000 for the Hunt Challenge and has $15,000 in pledges. They have met the goal!
Youth Engagement:
Youth Day – 12 students, 1 – Wauneta, 11 – Imperial (all seniors), no Perkins County because of overloaded schedule w/State boys and girls BB games. Will hold in the fall, not spring, too many conflicts and it will be offered to other classes.
Perkins County continue to work on getting their Youth Council organized.
4-H Curriculum was discussed
Chase County, YLLC – Youth Leaders in Longhorn Country worked with 4th graders on Crackernomics, 40 youth participated
Other Key Outcomes:
Leslie Carlholm submitted the BECA grant, (awarded $8,115)
Madrid ethanol plant to open May 1st. Bio-disel plant in Grant open June or July.
Wauneta’s ethanol plant permits have been approved.
Imperial has the potential for two ethanol plants.
Site Issues and Observations
Madrid ethanol plant has been a great economic boost to Perkins county. The local motel is full because of the new pipeline construction. No rentals available and not many houses available for purchase. Madrid businesses, as well as Grant businesses have seen a nice boost from the construction folks working on the plant.
Businesses in both Perkins and Chase county are concerned about the Walmart coming to Ogallala. The BECA grant, if awarded, will provide training and assistance to businesses that wish to strategically prepare for Walmart.
BECA award announcement for Chase Perkins HTC
2007 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Partnerships receive $224,942 for Building Entrepreneurial Communities
LINCOLN, NEB. (April 11, 2007) — Governor Dave Heineman, along with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and Nebraska Rural Development Commission, has awarded $224,942 to 10 partnerships through the Building Entrepreneurial Communities Act (BECA). This is the final of three application cycles awarding a total of $500,000 BECA funding for FY 2006-2007. BECA is part of the Nebraska Advantage package.
"I'm pleased that in addition to helping provide funding for economic development projects, this program is helping local communities expand and strengthen their entrepreneurial partnerships," Gov. Heineman said. "This program has been successful in helping revitalize Nebraska's rural communities because it encourages local leaders to be involved in the entrepreneurial process. I congratulate each of the partnerships receiving funding and hope that these grants are just the start of a long and successful journey for these new business ventures in Nebraska’s rural areas."
The BECA grants encourage regional projects, and all 10 projects that applied this cycle received funding. Projects must provide 100 percent cash match.
The projects include:
• Chase and Perkins counties received $8,115 to provide educational and technical assistance that targets rural sustainability to existing business owners and entrepreneurs. The Chase-Perkins County Hometown Competitiveness Steering Committee is partnering with the Southwest Nebraska Community Betterment Corporation, local governments, and chambers of commerce to provide the services. The cities of Grant and Imperial will match the funding with LB 840 Economic Development Funds.
Pillars
The HomeTown Competitiveness Newsletter
April 2007
Success Stories
Partnerships Receive $224,942 for BECA– Governor Dave Heineman, along with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and Nebraska Rural Development Commission, has awarded $224,942 to 10 partnerships through the Building Entrepreneurial Communities Act (BECA). Four of the 10 partnerships included HTC communities– Chase and Perkins County, Drive for Five Initiative (Columbus), Cambridge-McCook Vision 2010, and Butler County Development Initiative. Read the full press release at http://pio.neded.org/press/2007/07rel32.htm.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Partnerships receive $224,942 for Building Entrepreneurial Communities
LINCOLN, NEB. (April 11, 2007) — Governor Dave Heineman, along with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and Nebraska Rural Development Commission, has awarded $224,942 to 10 partnerships through the Building Entrepreneurial Communities Act (BECA). This is the final of three application cycles awarding a total of $500,000 BECA funding for FY 2006-2007. BECA is part of the Nebraska Advantage package.
"I'm pleased that in addition to helping provide funding for economic development projects, this program is helping local communities expand and strengthen their entrepreneurial partnerships," Gov. Heineman said. "This program has been successful in helping revitalize Nebraska's rural communities because it encourages local leaders to be involved in the entrepreneurial process. I congratulate each of the partnerships receiving funding and hope that these grants are just the start of a long and successful journey for these new business ventures in Nebraska’s rural areas."
The BECA grants encourage regional projects, and all 10 projects that applied this cycle received funding. Projects must provide 100 percent cash match.
The projects include:
• Chase and Perkins counties received $8,115 to provide educational and technical assistance that targets rural sustainability to existing business owners and entrepreneurs. The Chase-Perkins County Hometown Competitiveness Steering Committee is partnering with the Southwest Nebraska Community Betterment Corporation, local governments, and chambers of commerce to provide the services. The cities of Grant and Imperial will match the funding with LB 840 Economic Development Funds.
Pillars
The HomeTown Competitiveness Newsletter
April 2007
Success Stories
Partnerships Receive $224,942 for BECA– Governor Dave Heineman, along with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and Nebraska Rural Development Commission, has awarded $224,942 to 10 partnerships through the Building Entrepreneurial Communities Act (BECA). Four of the 10 partnerships included HTC communities– Chase and Perkins County, Drive for Five Initiative (Columbus), Cambridge-McCook Vision 2010, and Butler County Development Initiative. Read the full press release at http://pio.neded.org/press/2007/07rel32.htm.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
2007 Chase-Perkins BECA Grant Application
Based on the estimates received the final project cost ended up at $16,230 with a 50% match of $8,115 or slightly over $4,000 per county.
If funded Abraham’s Legal Clinic (Creighton University) has committed approximately 100 hours ($17,000) of In-Kind support to our Business Transition efforts. Their letter was submitted with the application.
The BECA grant application was hand delivered this morning to the North Platte office.
Grant Amount Requested: $8,115 (Project Total: $16,230)
Project Summary: The Chase-Perkins County HTC Steering Committee will be partnering with local governments, chambers of commerce and service agencies to provide educational and technical assistance to businesses and entrepreneurs. These training opportunities will increase the business capacity in our communities in the areas of Business Transition, eCommerce, Marketing/Advertising, Customer Service and Shopping Locally.
The steering committee is submitting five educational and technical assistance trainings for consideration.
1. Business transition: The goal of the business transition workshops is to prevent the loss of goods and services from our communities while providing area youth the choice to stay and/or return to the area to live, work and raise their families. Our intention is to partner with Creighton University’s Abrahams Legal Clinic to provide workshops targeting local attorneys, bankers and accountants followed directly by workshops targeting local business owners, potential buyers and budding entrepreneurs. The budget includes two additional trips to Chase and Perkins Counties in order to provide businesses the opportunity to confidentially receive one-on-one consulting and seek answers to their business transition questions. The intent of Abrahams Legal Clinic is not to complete with local professionals, but to assist in ensuring that essential legal services are being made available in rural communities
2. eCommerce Series: The way business is conducted has changed. The availability of modern technology in rural communities provides new possibilities for both existing businesses and potential entrepreneurs to market goods and services globally. According to a Technology Business Survey conducted in 2003 by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educators 59% of the 600 small businesses surveyed did not have a web presence. In order for our communities to use modern technology as a business tool, residents of all ages need to become better educated on the use and capabilities of the internet. In addition to assisting existing businesses tap into new markets, the eCommerce Series provides an excellent opportunity to plant the seed of entrepreneurship in area youth. The e-Commerce Series will consist of three workshops presented by UNL Extension Staff and “The BIT Mobile:”
eKnowledge: The master navigator program provides an opportunity for individuals of all ages to learn how to navigate the Internet and incorporate its use at home, school and work. This workshop focuses on the “basics” including how to surf the net, use search engines and email.
eBusiness: This workshop will help business owners and entrepreneurs explore the aspects of starting a web-based business and selling on the internet.
More eBusiness: This workshop is more advanced and will delve deeper into internet marketing and web-store design.
3. Marketing/Advertising: As the market place has become more competitive, it is imperative that businesses understand who their customer is, what that customer wants, what motivates that customer and who the competition is. This workshop will help existing business and potential entrepreneurs understand who their customers really are and how this information can be used to effectively target their advertising dollars towards that demographic. Mid Plains Community College will be partnering on this workshop and has committed class room and computers as part of their In-Kind contribution.
4. Customer Service: As local business and potential entrepreneurs are encouraged to develop goods and services to fit “niche markets” as a strategy to survive the encroachment of the big box store, good customer service will be a must. To meet this need Red Carpet Training will be offered in both Chase and Perkins County. The cost of the dual location training includes:
A pre-meeting to answer questions and to create enthusiasm for the program
Teaching the sessions
Mystery shopper evaluation before and after the program to establish baseline data and capture program success stories
An evaluation summary of the class
A CD containing the entire curriculum customized to our area – so it is ready for us to teach again and again
The rights to use the customized material to teach additional Red Carpet Service classes
5. Shop Local Campaign: The shop local campaign will be a concentrated 12 week public education effort leading up to Christmas 2007 emphasizing the benefits of shopping locally. The shop local campaign will use factual information to combat the local consumer’s perception of the convenience and savings derived from shopping at the big box stores. The goal of this program is to educate area residents on the goods and services available in our communities, what the cost differential really is between local businesses and the box stores and how keeping local dollars in our communities benefits all area residents.
If funded Abraham’s Legal Clinic (Creighton University) has committed approximately 100 hours ($17,000) of In-Kind support to our Business Transition efforts. Their letter was submitted with the application.
The BECA grant application was hand delivered this morning to the North Platte office.
Grant Amount Requested: $8,115 (Project Total: $16,230)
Project Summary: The Chase-Perkins County HTC Steering Committee will be partnering with local governments, chambers of commerce and service agencies to provide educational and technical assistance to businesses and entrepreneurs. These training opportunities will increase the business capacity in our communities in the areas of Business Transition, eCommerce, Marketing/Advertising, Customer Service and Shopping Locally.
The steering committee is submitting five educational and technical assistance trainings for consideration.
1. Business transition: The goal of the business transition workshops is to prevent the loss of goods and services from our communities while providing area youth the choice to stay and/or return to the area to live, work and raise their families. Our intention is to partner with Creighton University’s Abrahams Legal Clinic to provide workshops targeting local attorneys, bankers and accountants followed directly by workshops targeting local business owners, potential buyers and budding entrepreneurs. The budget includes two additional trips to Chase and Perkins Counties in order to provide businesses the opportunity to confidentially receive one-on-one consulting and seek answers to their business transition questions. The intent of Abrahams Legal Clinic is not to complete with local professionals, but to assist in ensuring that essential legal services are being made available in rural communities
2. eCommerce Series: The way business is conducted has changed. The availability of modern technology in rural communities provides new possibilities for both existing businesses and potential entrepreneurs to market goods and services globally. According to a Technology Business Survey conducted in 2003 by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educators 59% of the 600 small businesses surveyed did not have a web presence. In order for our communities to use modern technology as a business tool, residents of all ages need to become better educated on the use and capabilities of the internet. In addition to assisting existing businesses tap into new markets, the eCommerce Series provides an excellent opportunity to plant the seed of entrepreneurship in area youth. The e-Commerce Series will consist of three workshops presented by UNL Extension Staff and “The BIT Mobile:”
eKnowledge: The master navigator program provides an opportunity for individuals of all ages to learn how to navigate the Internet and incorporate its use at home, school and work. This workshop focuses on the “basics” including how to surf the net, use search engines and email.
eBusiness: This workshop will help business owners and entrepreneurs explore the aspects of starting a web-based business and selling on the internet.
More eBusiness: This workshop is more advanced and will delve deeper into internet marketing and web-store design.
3. Marketing/Advertising: As the market place has become more competitive, it is imperative that businesses understand who their customer is, what that customer wants, what motivates that customer and who the competition is. This workshop will help existing business and potential entrepreneurs understand who their customers really are and how this information can be used to effectively target their advertising dollars towards that demographic. Mid Plains Community College will be partnering on this workshop and has committed class room and computers as part of their In-Kind contribution.
4. Customer Service: As local business and potential entrepreneurs are encouraged to develop goods and services to fit “niche markets” as a strategy to survive the encroachment of the big box store, good customer service will be a must. To meet this need Red Carpet Training will be offered in both Chase and Perkins County. The cost of the dual location training includes:
A pre-meeting to answer questions and to create enthusiasm for the program
Teaching the sessions
Mystery shopper evaluation before and after the program to establish baseline data and capture program success stories
An evaluation summary of the class
A CD containing the entire curriculum customized to our area – so it is ready for us to teach again and again
The rights to use the customized material to teach additional Red Carpet Service classes
5. Shop Local Campaign: The shop local campaign will be a concentrated 12 week public education effort leading up to Christmas 2007 emphasizing the benefits of shopping locally. The shop local campaign will use factual information to combat the local consumer’s perception of the convenience and savings derived from shopping at the big box stores. The goal of this program is to educate area residents on the goods and services available in our communities, what the cost differential really is between local businesses and the box stores and how keeping local dollars in our communities benefits all area residents.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Leadership Plenty Class Spreads Knowledge of Entrepreneurship
Leadership Plenty Class Spreads Knowledge of Entrepreneurship to >Area Citizens>> The third session of the leadership plenty program was held at >Midwest electric in Grant on Tuesday, January 16th. The day began >with a presentation from UNL extension representatives Doug Anderson >and Kimberly Cook. They talked about the UNL extension Umbrella >everyone seemed very eager to learn about it. The next speaker was >Tara Hosick from Curtis Nebraska, a development consultant at the >Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Brian Vasa, the >Economic Development Consultant from Nebraska Public Power District >followed Tara with his presentation on building up your community >economically and also shared a bit of information on NPPD and what >it does for the community. He also discussed with the class many >interesting facts and ideas about entrepreneurship.> The afternoon session followed up with a presentation by Jana >Jenson, The Assistant Development Director from the NE Community >Foundation. Jana talked about Home Town Competitiveness (HTC) and >how we can spread this around our community. Kevin Poppe, District >Manager for Great Plains Communications explained what GPC does for >our community. The class ended with a presentation from Ted Tietjen. >Ted is a board member from Southwest R C&D, and also owns Turtle >Island.> The class heads east next month to visit the state capital in >Lincoln, and will have the pleasure to listen to our state senators, >and the opportunity learn about our own states ideas about >leadership.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Chase/Perkins HTC Meeting notes 1-25-07 in Grant
Chase/Perkins HTC Site Notes – January 25, 2007
Location: Southwest Community Betterment Office -- 11:30 to 1:00
Present:
Shaun Meyer, Tim Moore, Amy Thelander, Ann Burge, Deb Kuenning, Jana Jensen, Kevin Poppe, Kathy Schilke, Leslie Carlholm, Val Foster.
Leadership – 19 participants, one had to bow out (___ juniors from each HS)
- will attend Legislative Day in Lincoln Feb 1st
- April 17th will be graduation
- going well with new format
First Impressions – Ann Burge and I to set up with a community for Grant and Imperial
Perkins County
Youth – Tim Moore and Amy Thelander, Ryan Henricks (instructor at Perkins Co HS)
- Youth Voting Project rec’d recognition from Secretary of State
- Perkins County Youth Council – 27 kids at first meeting
- 5 Committees: publicity, recruitment, fundraising, social, community service
- Working on Kick-off project, maybe revitalize old theatre, set up as a business for the kids to operate and learn e-ship
- Youth Council will be doing Class Olypmics
- Would like to do Priceless Preteen Leadership Program, summer camp, (Val Foster)
- Deb Kuenning, extension educator for Keith, Perkins, Arthur was present, we
Mentioned the new 4-H curriculum and I told her I would have Craig Schroeder contact her
E-Ship/Business
- Ethanol plant at Madrid, 188 million gallons, $215 Million dollar project
- Madrid is offering a free lot program to encourage folks to build there
- Adams Bank has land to build duplexes on and is looking for someone to work
with
- Chamber is getting involved in the welcoming new employees, may do a welcome event with support of ethanol plant
- They said the impact would be $100 million a year, Madrid’s two restaurants are serving over 150 meals at noon.
Philanthropy
- working toward meeting the Hunt Challenge Grant, have raised $40,000 + but
need to reach $75,000 by the end of March
Chase County
Youth
- Youth assisted with LB 840 success
- Dialogues Across NE was a huge success, working with existing team and may expand members
- Mr. Jason Speck is teaching E-ship classes in his Vocational Ag classes
- Leslie is working on a Youth E-Ship Day for all high school in Chase/Perkins counties called, Discover – Decide – Deliver
- NEED email for Kimberly Cook, extension educator for the Southwest 4
E-Ship/Business
- Proposed ethanol plant in Wauneta and also 2 near Imperial
- BR&E survey was a yes
- Leslie will be writing a BECA grant for funding to offer five workshops/classes
in the following areas to both businesses in both counties:
§ business transfer
§ customer service
§ shop local campaign
§ e-commerce
§ marketing/advertising
approximate budget is $4000 for each workshop/class = $20,000
$10,000 local match is almost committed
- We talked about getting someone to come in and present ways to work with the fact that Walmart is coming to Ogallala and how to prepare the business
community for that.
Philanthropy
Imperial CF is working hard to get the Hunt Challenge complete by their Annual
Meeting, March 24th. They will be awarding their second round of grants.
Leslie believes she has people from Wauneta interested in the HTC program, Ted and Joyce Grimm
Shaun Meyer Report
Gave a report on her trip to the HTC academy in Lincoln. She handed out a two
page summary and also talked about her experience. She has asked to help with
the youth pillar. Shaun, THANK YOU for taking the time to attend the academy
and welcome to the HTC Program. (Ann thanks for taking care of all that!)
Other issues discussed:
- Housing, the lack of it for all the employees coming in to work in the ethanol plants and how we must try to get them to land in Chase and Perkins counties
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Pillars Update 1/24/2007
If you have trouble viewing this email, you can access the newsletter online at www.htcnebraska.org/pillars.
Pillars
The HomeTown Competitiveness Newsletter
January/February 2007
Success Stories
Butler County Moves Forward with Inter-local Agreement– The governing board of the newly developed Butler County Development Board held its first joint meeting in mid December. This board is comprised of representatives from city and county government, the Butler County Development Alliance, David City Area Chamber of Commerce and the HTC Steering Committee. This agreement marks unprecedented cooperation in the county in bringing the various stakeholders together in a shared development vision for the area. The development plan put together by this group recognizes the elements of HTC as foundational to economic development and shows a balanced focus between local development and appropriate levels of business attraction. To learn more about this agreement, read the news article at www.htcnebraska.org/files/BCInterlocal 1-4-07.pdf.
Cambridge Works Towards Phase 2– After wrapping up Phase 1 of HTC last fall, the community of Cambridge is making plans for Phase 2 engagement. The Steering Committee and HTC team set several priorities for Phase 2, including local business development, development opportunities with the new ethanol plant, and youth and young adult opportunities. The Steering Committee is preparing reports and presentations for the community with the hope of creating a broader base for the HTC working groups. For more information on Cambridge’s plans as they move forward to Phase 2, contact HTC Site Coach Don Macke at (402)323-7339 or don@ruraleship.org.
Read other community success stories at www.htcnebraska.org/success.
HTC in the News
America the Creative– In an article published in The Economist, Chuck Hassebrook, Director of the Center for Rural Affairs, offers suggestions for alternative funding sources for rural communities. In the article, Chuck proposes that the federal government shave 5% off its enormous farm-subsidy program—which goes mostly to mega-farms—and give it to small businesses. “You could quadruple what the federal government spends on entrepreneurial rural development,” he says. Chuck also highlights local philanthropy as a valid option for rural towns. Read more creative ideas coming from rural America in the article at http://www.htcnebraska.org/files/The Economist-Reviving small towns.pdf.
There's no business like Girl Scout business- Girl Scout Troop 288 of Ord was recently highlighted in the LEADER, the national Girl Scout magazine. These sixth graders were highlighted for their entrepreneurship project that resulted in nearly 200 products sold and more than $400 in sales. Read the article from the LEADER at http://www.htcnebraska.org/files/GirlScoutsLEADER12-06.pdf.
HTC Hosts National Academy– Thirty participants from 10 states attended the fourth annual national HTC Academy, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, in January. The HTC Academy is a three-day, intensive overview of the HTC framework for community building. The curriculum includes an overview, half-day sessions on each of the four HTC pillars, and a short “back home” planning session. This year’s participants included two community teams from Nebraska and participants representing rural community development agencies from eight other states and the District of Columbia.
Upcoming Trainings and Conferences
Rural Philanthropy Conference– The Nebraska Community Foundation invites you to the inaugural Rural Philanthropy Conference: Using the Transfer of Wealth to Build Your Community Foundation. The conference is February 7-9, 2007 in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It is designed to offer individuals building charitable assets a chance to learn about the importance of intergenerational transfer of wealth and to see how a grassroots strategy to motivate donors to give back is being implemented in Nebraska and other states. To learn more, visit http://www.nebcommfound.org/RP-TOW.htm.
MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success– The Center for Rural Affairs is very excited to be offering a new kind of one-day event in Nebraska, MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success. Small business development drives job growth and economic development in rural areas. The conference will offer training, networking, and professional development opportunities for startup and existing small businesses, service providers, rural communities, and family farmers and ranchers. For more information, visit http://www.marketplacenebraska.org/.
New on the Web
The HTC website offers background information on HTC, its partners, and its sites, as well as highlighting success stories and recent news. View the site at http://www.htcnebraska.org. The website offers a log-in feature for those directly involved in HTC efforts (sites, coaches, resource team members).
Features to Check Out on the HTC Website:
Community Success Stories– http://www.htcnebraska.org/success
HTC News– http://www.htcnebraska.org/news
HTC Events Calendar– http://www.htcnebraska.org/events
Best Practices
HTC Shares Accomplishments– For the reporting period ending December 31, 2006, the HTC Collaborative submitted a report of activities and accomplishments to CFED. Some of the most notable achievements include: two communities engaging in Phase 1 work and another moving forward with Phase 2; an HTC Field Day was held and attended by over 90 people, and an HTC Champions session was facilitated by Dr. Richard Foster of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Read the Executive Summary at www.htcnebraska.org/files/CFED1-07.pdf.
David City Celebrates 2006– In Butler County, the HTC community of David City hosted a celebratory evening as the David City Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet. At the banquet, the David City Area Foundation made eight grants and highlighted accomplishments of past grant recipients. The joint celebration of the Chamber and DCAF also included a keynote speech by Jeff Yost, President of the Nebraska Community Foundation. Yost encouraged the attendees to plan gifts for their hometown’s future. In addition to Yost’s comments, Pat Hilderbrand stepped into the role of Chamber president and remarked on the accomplishments of 2006 and challenged the audience to “step out of the box and become involved.” The evening’s activities and celebration were a great recognition of the hard work of Butler County residents in creating a positive future for their hometowns. Read the news articles on the event at www.htcnebraska.org/files/BCChamberDCAFevent1-18-07.pdf.
Hunt Challenge Grants Generate Fundraising Activity in HTC Communities – Four HTC communities in Nebraska are currently raising funds to match $50,000 Challenge Grants issued by the late Robert and Jeanette Hunt of Blair. The Hunts were founders of Great Plains Communications, a telephone company that now serves 76 communities in rural Nebraska. The purpose of the Challenge is to build endowments of $200,000, each of which will provide annual earnings to support HTC activities. If the community can raise $150,000 within 3 years, the Hunt Family will match it with $50,000.
Imperial (started January 2006) — The Imperial Community Foundation volunteers raised over $122,000 in cash in the past year toward their $150,000 goal. After they reached their initial $75,000 benchmark in August, representatives of the Hunt family awarded them a $25,000 check. They will begin making grants in the fall of 2007.
Perkins County (started March 2006) — The Perkins County Community Foundation (Grant, Nebraska) has raised $40,000 in cash and pledges. They have had a number of small donations and have hosted a number of community-wide fundraising events. They are concentrating on specific donor visitations in hopes of receiving a couple of larger donations to help them achieve their goal. NCF development staff will be making visits with the fund advisory committee in the next two months.
Wausa (started August 2006) — Wausa Community Foundation has raised $49,500 in cash and an additional $25,000 in pledges toward their initial goal of raising $75,000 in the first year.
Creighton (started January 2006) — Creighton Community Foundation’s strategy was to reach their goal with a “founder’s club” of at least 75 donors at $1,000 each. They have raised $36,689 in cash and have $3,250 in pledges toward their $75,000 goal. They have also confirmed $70,000 in new expectancies from planned gifts since the Hunt Challenge was issued, plus two new scholarship funds have been established totaling $15,000.
Read more on how these communities worked toward their goals at www.htcnebraska.org/files/Hunt.pdf.
HomeTown Competitiveness- A Come Back/Give Back Approach to Rural Community Building
650 J Street, Suite 305 * PO Box 83107 * Lincoln, NE 68501
www.htcnebraska.org
To be added to or removed from this mailing list, please contact info@htcnebraska.org.
-------------
Lisa Heinert
HTC Coordinator
P.O. Box 83107, Lincoln, NE 68501
Voice: (402)323-7345; Fax: (402)323-7349
lisaheinert@nebcommfound.org
www.htcnebraska.org
~But we also rejoice in our sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope; and hope does not disappoint us~
Pillars
The HomeTown Competitiveness Newsletter
January/February 2007
Success Stories
Butler County Moves Forward with Inter-local Agreement– The governing board of the newly developed Butler County Development Board held its first joint meeting in mid December. This board is comprised of representatives from city and county government, the Butler County Development Alliance, David City Area Chamber of Commerce and the HTC Steering Committee. This agreement marks unprecedented cooperation in the county in bringing the various stakeholders together in a shared development vision for the area. The development plan put together by this group recognizes the elements of HTC as foundational to economic development and shows a balanced focus between local development and appropriate levels of business attraction. To learn more about this agreement, read the news article at www.htcnebraska.org/files/BCInterlocal 1-4-07.pdf.
Cambridge Works Towards Phase 2– After wrapping up Phase 1 of HTC last fall, the community of Cambridge is making plans for Phase 2 engagement. The Steering Committee and HTC team set several priorities for Phase 2, including local business development, development opportunities with the new ethanol plant, and youth and young adult opportunities. The Steering Committee is preparing reports and presentations for the community with the hope of creating a broader base for the HTC working groups. For more information on Cambridge’s plans as they move forward to Phase 2, contact HTC Site Coach Don Macke at (402)323-7339 or don@ruraleship.org.
Read other community success stories at www.htcnebraska.org/success.
HTC in the News
America the Creative– In an article published in The Economist, Chuck Hassebrook, Director of the Center for Rural Affairs, offers suggestions for alternative funding sources for rural communities. In the article, Chuck proposes that the federal government shave 5% off its enormous farm-subsidy program—which goes mostly to mega-farms—and give it to small businesses. “You could quadruple what the federal government spends on entrepreneurial rural development,” he says. Chuck also highlights local philanthropy as a valid option for rural towns. Read more creative ideas coming from rural America in the article at http://www.htcnebraska.org/files/The Economist-Reviving small towns.pdf.
There's no business like Girl Scout business- Girl Scout Troop 288 of Ord was recently highlighted in the LEADER, the national Girl Scout magazine. These sixth graders were highlighted for their entrepreneurship project that resulted in nearly 200 products sold and more than $400 in sales. Read the article from the LEADER at http://www.htcnebraska.org/files/GirlScoutsLEADER12-06.pdf.
HTC Hosts National Academy– Thirty participants from 10 states attended the fourth annual national HTC Academy, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, in January. The HTC Academy is a three-day, intensive overview of the HTC framework for community building. The curriculum includes an overview, half-day sessions on each of the four HTC pillars, and a short “back home” planning session. This year’s participants included two community teams from Nebraska and participants representing rural community development agencies from eight other states and the District of Columbia.
Upcoming Trainings and Conferences
Rural Philanthropy Conference– The Nebraska Community Foundation invites you to the inaugural Rural Philanthropy Conference: Using the Transfer of Wealth to Build Your Community Foundation. The conference is February 7-9, 2007 in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It is designed to offer individuals building charitable assets a chance to learn about the importance of intergenerational transfer of wealth and to see how a grassroots strategy to motivate donors to give back is being implemented in Nebraska and other states. To learn more, visit http://www.nebcommfound.org/RP-TOW.htm.
MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success– The Center for Rural Affairs is very excited to be offering a new kind of one-day event in Nebraska, MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success. Small business development drives job growth and economic development in rural areas. The conference will offer training, networking, and professional development opportunities for startup and existing small businesses, service providers, rural communities, and family farmers and ranchers. For more information, visit http://www.marketplacenebraska.org/.
New on the Web
The HTC website offers background information on HTC, its partners, and its sites, as well as highlighting success stories and recent news. View the site at http://www.htcnebraska.org. The website offers a log-in feature for those directly involved in HTC efforts (sites, coaches, resource team members).
Features to Check Out on the HTC Website:
Community Success Stories– http://www.htcnebraska.org/success
HTC News– http://www.htcnebraska.org/news
HTC Events Calendar– http://www.htcnebraska.org/events
Best Practices
HTC Shares Accomplishments– For the reporting period ending December 31, 2006, the HTC Collaborative submitted a report of activities and accomplishments to CFED. Some of the most notable achievements include: two communities engaging in Phase 1 work and another moving forward with Phase 2; an HTC Field Day was held and attended by over 90 people, and an HTC Champions session was facilitated by Dr. Richard Foster of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Read the Executive Summary at www.htcnebraska.org/files/CFED1-07.pdf.
David City Celebrates 2006– In Butler County, the HTC community of David City hosted a celebratory evening as the David City Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet. At the banquet, the David City Area Foundation made eight grants and highlighted accomplishments of past grant recipients. The joint celebration of the Chamber and DCAF also included a keynote speech by Jeff Yost, President of the Nebraska Community Foundation. Yost encouraged the attendees to plan gifts for their hometown’s future. In addition to Yost’s comments, Pat Hilderbrand stepped into the role of Chamber president and remarked on the accomplishments of 2006 and challenged the audience to “step out of the box and become involved.” The evening’s activities and celebration were a great recognition of the hard work of Butler County residents in creating a positive future for their hometowns. Read the news articles on the event at www.htcnebraska.org/files/BCChamberDCAFevent1-18-07.pdf.
Hunt Challenge Grants Generate Fundraising Activity in HTC Communities – Four HTC communities in Nebraska are currently raising funds to match $50,000 Challenge Grants issued by the late Robert and Jeanette Hunt of Blair. The Hunts were founders of Great Plains Communications, a telephone company that now serves 76 communities in rural Nebraska. The purpose of the Challenge is to build endowments of $200,000, each of which will provide annual earnings to support HTC activities. If the community can raise $150,000 within 3 years, the Hunt Family will match it with $50,000.
Imperial (started January 2006) — The Imperial Community Foundation volunteers raised over $122,000 in cash in the past year toward their $150,000 goal. After they reached their initial $75,000 benchmark in August, representatives of the Hunt family awarded them a $25,000 check. They will begin making grants in the fall of 2007.
Perkins County (started March 2006) — The Perkins County Community Foundation (Grant, Nebraska) has raised $40,000 in cash and pledges. They have had a number of small donations and have hosted a number of community-wide fundraising events. They are concentrating on specific donor visitations in hopes of receiving a couple of larger donations to help them achieve their goal. NCF development staff will be making visits with the fund advisory committee in the next two months.
Wausa (started August 2006) — Wausa Community Foundation has raised $49,500 in cash and an additional $25,000 in pledges toward their initial goal of raising $75,000 in the first year.
Creighton (started January 2006) — Creighton Community Foundation’s strategy was to reach their goal with a “founder’s club” of at least 75 donors at $1,000 each. They have raised $36,689 in cash and have $3,250 in pledges toward their $75,000 goal. They have also confirmed $70,000 in new expectancies from planned gifts since the Hunt Challenge was issued, plus two new scholarship funds have been established totaling $15,000.
Read more on how these communities worked toward their goals at www.htcnebraska.org/files/Hunt.pdf.
HomeTown Competitiveness- A Come Back/Give Back Approach to Rural Community Building
650 J Street, Suite 305 * PO Box 83107 * Lincoln, NE 68501
www.htcnebraska.org
To be added to or removed from this mailing list, please contact info@htcnebraska.org.
-------------
Lisa Heinert
HTC Coordinator
P.O. Box 83107, Lincoln, NE 68501
Voice: (402)323-7345; Fax: (402)323-7349
lisaheinert@nebcommfound.org
www.htcnebraska.org
~But we also rejoice in our sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope; and hope does not disappoint us~
Pillars Update 1/24/2007
If you have trouble viewing this email, you can access the newsletter online at www.htcnebraska.org/pillars.
Pillars
The HomeTown Competitiveness Newsletter
January/February 2007
Success Stories
Butler County Moves Forward with Inter-local Agreement– The governing board of the newly developed Butler County Development Board held its first joint meeting in mid December. This board is comprised of representatives from city and county government, the Butler County Development Alliance, David City Area Chamber of Commerce and the HTC Steering Committee. This agreement marks unprecedented cooperation in the county in bringing the various stakeholders together in a shared development vision for the area. The development plan put together by this group recognizes the elements of HTC as foundational to economic development and shows a balanced focus between local development and appropriate levels of business attraction. To learn more about this agreement, read the news article at www.htcnebraska.org/files/BCInterlocal 1-4-07.pdf.
Cambridge Works Towards Phase 2– After wrapping up Phase 1 of HTC last fall, the community of Cambridge is making plans for Phase 2 engagement. The Steering Committee and HTC team set several priorities for Phase 2, including local business development, development opportunities with the new ethanol plant, and youth and young adult opportunities. The Steering Committee is preparing reports and presentations for the community with the hope of creating a broader base for the HTC working groups. For more information on Cambridge’s plans as they move forward to Phase 2, contact HTC Site Coach Don Macke at (402)323-7339 or don@ruraleship.org.
Read other community success stories at www.htcnebraska.org/success.
HTC in the News
America the Creative– In an article published in The Economist, Chuck Hassebrook, Director of the Center for Rural Affairs, offers suggestions for alternative funding sources for rural communities. In the article, Chuck proposes that the federal government shave 5% off its enormous farm-subsidy program—which goes mostly to mega-farms—and give it to small businesses. “You could quadruple what the federal government spends on entrepreneurial rural development,” he says. Chuck also highlights local philanthropy as a valid option for rural towns. Read more creative ideas coming from rural America in the article at http://www.htcnebraska.org/files/The Economist-Reviving small towns.pdf.
There's no business like Girl Scout business- Girl Scout Troop 288 of Ord was recently highlighted in the LEADER, the national Girl Scout magazine. These sixth graders were highlighted for their entrepreneurship project that resulted in nearly 200 products sold and more than $400 in sales. Read the article from the LEADER at http://www.htcnebraska.org/files/GirlScoutsLEADER12-06.pdf.
HTC Hosts National Academy– Thirty participants from 10 states attended the fourth annual national HTC Academy, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, in January. The HTC Academy is a three-day, intensive overview of the HTC framework for community building. The curriculum includes an overview, half-day sessions on each of the four HTC pillars, and a short “back home” planning session. This year’s participants included two community teams from Nebraska and participants representing rural community development agencies from eight other states and the District of Columbia.
Upcoming Trainings and Conferences
Rural Philanthropy Conference– The Nebraska Community Foundation invites you to the inaugural Rural Philanthropy Conference: Using the Transfer of Wealth to Build Your Community Foundation. The conference is February 7-9, 2007 in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It is designed to offer individuals building charitable assets a chance to learn about the importance of intergenerational transfer of wealth and to see how a grassroots strategy to motivate donors to give back is being implemented in Nebraska and other states. To learn more, visit http://www.nebcommfound.org/RP-TOW.htm.
MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success– The Center for Rural Affairs is very excited to be offering a new kind of one-day event in Nebraska, MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success. Small business development drives job growth and economic development in rural areas. The conference will offer training, networking, and professional development opportunities for startup and existing small businesses, service providers, rural communities, and family farmers and ranchers. For more information, visit http://www.marketplacenebraska.org/.
New on the Web
The HTC website offers background information on HTC, its partners, and its sites, as well as highlighting success stories and recent news. View the site at http://www.htcnebraska.org. The website offers a log-in feature for those directly involved in HTC efforts (sites, coaches, resource team members).
Features to Check Out on the HTC Website:
Community Success Stories– http://www.htcnebraska.org/success
HTC News– http://www.htcnebraska.org/news
HTC Events Calendar– http://www.htcnebraska.org/events
Best Practices
HTC Shares Accomplishments– For the reporting period ending December 31, 2006, the HTC Collaborative submitted a report of activities and accomplishments to CFED. Some of the most notable achievements include: two communities engaging in Phase 1 work and another moving forward with Phase 2; an HTC Field Day was held and attended by over 90 people, and an HTC Champions session was facilitated by Dr. Richard Foster of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Read the Executive Summary at www.htcnebraska.org/files/CFED1-07.pdf.
David City Celebrates 2006– In Butler County, the HTC community of David City hosted a celebratory evening as the David City Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet. At the banquet, the David City Area Foundation made eight grants and highlighted accomplishments of past grant recipients. The joint celebration of the Chamber and DCAF also included a keynote speech by Jeff Yost, President of the Nebraska Community Foundation. Yost encouraged the attendees to plan gifts for their hometown’s future. In addition to Yost’s comments, Pat Hilderbrand stepped into the role of Chamber president and remarked on the accomplishments of 2006 and challenged the audience to “step out of the box and become involved.” The evening’s activities and celebration were a great recognition of the hard work of Butler County residents in creating a positive future for their hometowns. Read the news articles on the event at www.htcnebraska.org/files/BCChamberDCAFevent1-18-07.pdf.
Hunt Challenge Grants Generate Fundraising Activity in HTC Communities – Four HTC communities in Nebraska are currently raising funds to match $50,000 Challenge Grants issued by the late Robert and Jeanette Hunt of Blair. The Hunts were founders of Great Plains Communications, a telephone company that now serves 76 communities in rural Nebraska. The purpose of the Challenge is to build endowments of $200,000, each of which will provide annual earnings to support HTC activities. If the community can raise $150,000 within 3 years, the Hunt Family will match it with $50,000.
Imperial (started January 2006) — The Imperial Community Foundation volunteers raised over $122,000 in cash in the past year toward their $150,000 goal. After they reached their initial $75,000 benchmark in August, representatives of the Hunt family awarded them a $25,000 check. They will begin making grants in the fall of 2007.
Perkins County (started March 2006) — The Perkins County Community Foundation (Grant, Nebraska) has raised $40,000 in cash and pledges. They have had a number of small donations and have hosted a number of community-wide fundraising events. They are concentrating on specific donor visitations in hopes of receiving a couple of larger donations to help them achieve their goal. NCF development staff will be making visits with the fund advisory committee in the next two months.
Wausa (started August 2006) — Wausa Community Foundation has raised $49,500 in cash and an additional $25,000 in pledges toward their initial goal of raising $75,000 in the first year.
Creighton (started January 2006) — Creighton Community Foundation’s strategy was to reach their goal with a “founder’s club” of at least 75 donors at $1,000 each. They have raised $36,689 in cash and have $3,250 in pledges toward their $75,000 goal. They have also confirmed $70,000 in new expectancies from planned gifts since the Hunt Challenge was issued, plus two new scholarship funds have been established totaling $15,000.
Read more on how these communities worked toward their goals at www.htcnebraska.org/files/Hunt.pdf.
HomeTown Competitiveness- A Come Back/Give Back Approach to Rural Community Building
650 J Street, Suite 305 * PO Box 83107 * Lincoln, NE 68501
www.htcnebraska.org
To be added to or removed from this mailing list, please contact info@htcnebraska.org.
-------------
Lisa Heinert
HTC Coordinator
P.O. Box 83107, Lincoln, NE 68501
Voice: (402)323-7345; Fax: (402)323-7349
lisaheinert@nebcommfound.org
www.htcnebraska.org
~But we also rejoice in our sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope; and hope does not disappoint us~
Pillars
The HomeTown Competitiveness Newsletter
January/February 2007
Success Stories
Butler County Moves Forward with Inter-local Agreement– The governing board of the newly developed Butler County Development Board held its first joint meeting in mid December. This board is comprised of representatives from city and county government, the Butler County Development Alliance, David City Area Chamber of Commerce and the HTC Steering Committee. This agreement marks unprecedented cooperation in the county in bringing the various stakeholders together in a shared development vision for the area. The development plan put together by this group recognizes the elements of HTC as foundational to economic development and shows a balanced focus between local development and appropriate levels of business attraction. To learn more about this agreement, read the news article at www.htcnebraska.org/files/BCInterlocal 1-4-07.pdf.
Cambridge Works Towards Phase 2– After wrapping up Phase 1 of HTC last fall, the community of Cambridge is making plans for Phase 2 engagement. The Steering Committee and HTC team set several priorities for Phase 2, including local business development, development opportunities with the new ethanol plant, and youth and young adult opportunities. The Steering Committee is preparing reports and presentations for the community with the hope of creating a broader base for the HTC working groups. For more information on Cambridge’s plans as they move forward to Phase 2, contact HTC Site Coach Don Macke at (402)323-7339 or don@ruraleship.org.
Read other community success stories at www.htcnebraska.org/success.
HTC in the News
America the Creative– In an article published in The Economist, Chuck Hassebrook, Director of the Center for Rural Affairs, offers suggestions for alternative funding sources for rural communities. In the article, Chuck proposes that the federal government shave 5% off its enormous farm-subsidy program—which goes mostly to mega-farms—and give it to small businesses. “You could quadruple what the federal government spends on entrepreneurial rural development,” he says. Chuck also highlights local philanthropy as a valid option for rural towns. Read more creative ideas coming from rural America in the article at http://www.htcnebraska.org/files/The Economist-Reviving small towns.pdf.
There's no business like Girl Scout business- Girl Scout Troop 288 of Ord was recently highlighted in the LEADER, the national Girl Scout magazine. These sixth graders were highlighted for their entrepreneurship project that resulted in nearly 200 products sold and more than $400 in sales. Read the article from the LEADER at http://www.htcnebraska.org/files/GirlScoutsLEADER12-06.pdf.
HTC Hosts National Academy– Thirty participants from 10 states attended the fourth annual national HTC Academy, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, in January. The HTC Academy is a three-day, intensive overview of the HTC framework for community building. The curriculum includes an overview, half-day sessions on each of the four HTC pillars, and a short “back home” planning session. This year’s participants included two community teams from Nebraska and participants representing rural community development agencies from eight other states and the District of Columbia.
Upcoming Trainings and Conferences
Rural Philanthropy Conference– The Nebraska Community Foundation invites you to the inaugural Rural Philanthropy Conference: Using the Transfer of Wealth to Build Your Community Foundation. The conference is February 7-9, 2007 in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It is designed to offer individuals building charitable assets a chance to learn about the importance of intergenerational transfer of wealth and to see how a grassroots strategy to motivate donors to give back is being implemented in Nebraska and other states. To learn more, visit http://www.nebcommfound.org/RP-TOW.htm.
MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success– The Center for Rural Affairs is very excited to be offering a new kind of one-day event in Nebraska, MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success. Small business development drives job growth and economic development in rural areas. The conference will offer training, networking, and professional development opportunities for startup and existing small businesses, service providers, rural communities, and family farmers and ranchers. For more information, visit http://www.marketplacenebraska.org/.
New on the Web
The HTC website offers background information on HTC, its partners, and its sites, as well as highlighting success stories and recent news. View the site at http://www.htcnebraska.org. The website offers a log-in feature for those directly involved in HTC efforts (sites, coaches, resource team members).
Features to Check Out on the HTC Website:
Community Success Stories– http://www.htcnebraska.org/success
HTC News– http://www.htcnebraska.org/news
HTC Events Calendar– http://www.htcnebraska.org/events
Best Practices
HTC Shares Accomplishments– For the reporting period ending December 31, 2006, the HTC Collaborative submitted a report of activities and accomplishments to CFED. Some of the most notable achievements include: two communities engaging in Phase 1 work and another moving forward with Phase 2; an HTC Field Day was held and attended by over 90 people, and an HTC Champions session was facilitated by Dr. Richard Foster of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Read the Executive Summary at www.htcnebraska.org/files/CFED1-07.pdf.
David City Celebrates 2006– In Butler County, the HTC community of David City hosted a celebratory evening as the David City Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet. At the banquet, the David City Area Foundation made eight grants and highlighted accomplishments of past grant recipients. The joint celebration of the Chamber and DCAF also included a keynote speech by Jeff Yost, President of the Nebraska Community Foundation. Yost encouraged the attendees to plan gifts for their hometown’s future. In addition to Yost’s comments, Pat Hilderbrand stepped into the role of Chamber president and remarked on the accomplishments of 2006 and challenged the audience to “step out of the box and become involved.” The evening’s activities and celebration were a great recognition of the hard work of Butler County residents in creating a positive future for their hometowns. Read the news articles on the event at www.htcnebraska.org/files/BCChamberDCAFevent1-18-07.pdf.
Hunt Challenge Grants Generate Fundraising Activity in HTC Communities – Four HTC communities in Nebraska are currently raising funds to match $50,000 Challenge Grants issued by the late Robert and Jeanette Hunt of Blair. The Hunts were founders of Great Plains Communications, a telephone company that now serves 76 communities in rural Nebraska. The purpose of the Challenge is to build endowments of $200,000, each of which will provide annual earnings to support HTC activities. If the community can raise $150,000 within 3 years, the Hunt Family will match it with $50,000.
Imperial (started January 2006) — The Imperial Community Foundation volunteers raised over $122,000 in cash in the past year toward their $150,000 goal. After they reached their initial $75,000 benchmark in August, representatives of the Hunt family awarded them a $25,000 check. They will begin making grants in the fall of 2007.
Perkins County (started March 2006) — The Perkins County Community Foundation (Grant, Nebraska) has raised $40,000 in cash and pledges. They have had a number of small donations and have hosted a number of community-wide fundraising events. They are concentrating on specific donor visitations in hopes of receiving a couple of larger donations to help them achieve their goal. NCF development staff will be making visits with the fund advisory committee in the next two months.
Wausa (started August 2006) — Wausa Community Foundation has raised $49,500 in cash and an additional $25,000 in pledges toward their initial goal of raising $75,000 in the first year.
Creighton (started January 2006) — Creighton Community Foundation’s strategy was to reach their goal with a “founder’s club” of at least 75 donors at $1,000 each. They have raised $36,689 in cash and have $3,250 in pledges toward their $75,000 goal. They have also confirmed $70,000 in new expectancies from planned gifts since the Hunt Challenge was issued, plus two new scholarship funds have been established totaling $15,000.
Read more on how these communities worked toward their goals at www.htcnebraska.org/files/Hunt.pdf.
HomeTown Competitiveness- A Come Back/Give Back Approach to Rural Community Building
650 J Street, Suite 305 * PO Box 83107 * Lincoln, NE 68501
www.htcnebraska.org
To be added to or removed from this mailing list, please contact info@htcnebraska.org.
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Lisa Heinert
HTC Coordinator
P.O. Box 83107, Lincoln, NE 68501
Voice: (402)323-7345; Fax: (402)323-7349
lisaheinert@nebcommfound.org
www.htcnebraska.org
~But we also rejoice in our sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope; and hope does not disappoint us~
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