Purdue Extension has offices in all ninety-two counties in Indiana. Through these offices, our educators are able to spend their workdays (and live their lives) in close proximity to their stakeholders. This constant contact offers insights that go beyond the data and builds networks that other institutions often struggle to replicate. Recently, one of our …

In the last ten years, Indianapolis has embarked on a positive economic path with initiatives such as the “quality of life” plans, “great places” initiatives “neighborhood investment plan,” “inclusive growth strategies,” light rail transit and combating structural racism. Most community development practitioners agree that for the long-term success of a flourishing community, a pipeline of …

This article was originally published in the June/July 2019 issue of Terre Haute Living. Raise your hand if you have attended any business meeting that you roll your eyes and think that the meeting is too long? So often, the agenda and purpose of the meeting can be accomplished in less than 45 minutes, but …

This article was originally published in the May 2019 issue of Terre Haute Living. In a world where we are constantly asked to have more things completed, assigned more tasks and given more responsibilities, it seems there is a never-ending amount of chaos circling around us. Being more productive is one of the items we …

In March of 2015, Purdue Extension Floyd County started offering beginning beekeeping classes. These first classes were met with much enthusiasm! The first class that was offered filled with over 30 people, so it had to be split in two to offer the best learning experience possible for all attendees. This class then led the …

This article was originally published in the Tribune-Star on October 20, 2018. In the scope of society, we have multiple branches of communication. The facets we see depend on our generation, tastes and preferences and where we live. There are traditional approaches such as print newspaper, mailers and television but then there are more modern approaches to communication …

This article was originally published in the Tribune-Star on June 23, 2018. Educate, validate, and elevate our employees so they can be the best version of themselves, help them in this regard to identify opportunities for mentoring in various platforms so they can grow. Soon there will be five generations embedded in our workforce. The generations include: • Veterans …

Family firms comprise 80-90% of all business enterprises and range from mom-and-pop stores to corporate giants. Family businesses are an important part of the U.S. economy too. In fact, 77% of new U.S. businesses started as family businesses. The majority of farm and agriculture businesses are family controlled, from Cargill to the smallest family farm. …

Former professor Dr. David Birch of MIT found that up to 80% of job growth in any community is generated by the businesses already located there and not by attraction efforts. Economic development in our local economies can seem like a mysterious science, filled with secret deliberations and a healthy dose of luck. Nothing gets …

This article was originally published in the Tribune-Star on June 2, 2018. How do communities change? The answer is quite easy. Change is implemented through attitude. Although the answer is easy, getting to that answer is much more complicated. Behavior and influencing behavior is much more tedious than we realize. How is behavior influenced? Behavior is influenced by environmental …