In the latest episode of the Rural Business Show, we head to King, North Carolina—a small bedroom community just outside of Winston-Salem—to speak with a veteran of the horticultural industry - Judy Mitchell, co-founder and CEO of Mitchell’s Nursery and Greenhouse. Judy and her husband, Jim, founded the business in 1979, as a necessity after Jim lost his job due to … [Read more...]
Episode 53: The Rural Philanthropy Gap
While rural communities contribute so much to our nation, they receive a disproportionately small share of philanthropic dollars. The numbers are stark: rural areas make up 20% of the US population, yet they only receive around 7% of the nation's philanthropic giving. This disparity has real consequences for these vital communities. We're not just talking about a lack of … [Read more...]
Episode 52: The Rural News Business
It’s been a while since we've recorded an episode of The Rural Business Show. It’s been a year of change for our business, Nevada Central Media, as we went from publishing one rural weekly newspaper to four. This episode of the Rural Business Show focuses on the business of small-town news. The challenging environment has seen thousands of rural newspapers close their doors … [Read more...]
Episode 51: Rural Housing
Housing continues to be a difficult challenge for rural communities. Often, jobs are unfilled because of a lack of adequate and affordable housing. Attracting builders is a challenge as is an increasing number of units being used as vacation properties. Community Rebuilds based in Moab, Utah addresses these challenges by building energy-efficient, affordable homes. The … [Read more...]
Episode 50: Rural Voice
The Rural Voice series, hosted by Minnesota Public Radio’s Kerri Miller, captures imaginative and illuminating town hall conversations about the rewards and challenges of making a home in rural America. The town hall meetings are lively, engaging and enlightening as the host nudges rural Minnesotans to open up on important issues including entrepreneurship, housing, … [Read more...]