Before Sam Lillie founded a rural startup, he took a hike. It was a five-month, 2,653-mile hike to be exact, down the Pacific Crest trail that starts from the Canadian border in northern Washington to the Mexican border in Southern California. Fresh out of college with a business degree in hand, Lillie realized if he was going to do the hike, now was the … [Read more...]
Simulated workplaces giving hope to rural economies
When the students of Lincoln County High, in Hamlin, West Virginia, roll out of bed for school, nearly half are also getting ready to head to work. The school, serving 850 from the towns of Pleasant View, Griffithsville, Hamlin and Harts, has Simulated Workplace at the core of its Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum. Students arrive each day to tackle real tasks … [Read more...]
Rural communities take aim at tourism
With tourism growing, many rural areas are working to capitalize on humanity’s wanderlust. Travel and tourism generates $7.6 trillion globally and $1.6 trillion for the U.S. economy, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. Many small towns want a piece of the industry to bolster their economies. Visions include long-vacant buildings being repurposed into … [Read more...]
Building a resilient rural economy
It took over three decades, but the “Heart of the Rockies” today shines as an example of how to create a strong, lasting economy. Salida, Colo. morphed its struggling business climate into a popular outdoor destination and diversified its economy in the process. As the Chaffee County seat created a vibrant tourism base, it expanded other industry sectors as well, and the … [Read more...]
Obamacare repeal may hurt rural economies most
Rural Americans played a big part in sending Donald Trump to the White House, with 64 percent of those voters pulling the lever for the billionaire real estate developer. Yet the president’s and Republican leaders’ efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) would be “very harmful to rural America,” according to a rural healthcare expert. Dr. … [Read more...]