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 …

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled internet retailers can be required to collect sales taxes, even in areas where they have no physical presence. This ruling overturns a 1992 ruling that helped the then nascent internet commerce take off and become a billion dollar industry today. In our work with rural communities, we have heard …

Michael Wilcox, Assistant Program Leader for Purdue Extension Community Development, was the May 10 guest speaker for the Community Economics and Leadership Program (CELP) meeting in Indianapolis.  The data snapshot that Michael presented showcased a variety of demographic, economic and labor market information that local leaders and organizations can use to gain a better perspective …

This article was originally published in the Tribune-Star on May 12, 2018. The building goes dark, the manager locks the door for the last time, brown paper cascades down windows that once held signs of sales and promotions. Big box retailers such as Toys R Us, H.H. Gregg, Circuit City and many others are either shutting their doors or …

This article was originally published in the Tribune-Star on February 17, 2018. ‘Leader’ is defined as a person to guide a way by going in advance. Leadership is an important function of management, which helps to maximize efficiency and to achieve organizational goals. The following points justify the importance of leadership. Effective leaders are architects – providing …

This article was originally published in the Tribune-Star on October 7, 2017. Whether you are an entrepreneur, want to be one or not, we have all had those days of splitting headaches, not enough hours in the day and when the word “no” does not appear in our vocabulary. At what point did that word decide …

This article was originally published in the Tribune-Star on August 27, 2017 . Recently I had the opportunity to join in on an Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) Listening Session in Sullivan. The information shared by regional residents was valuable and fostered the idea for this article today. It appears there is a tremendous …

Wired’s article, “Redefining ‘Broadband’ Could Slow Rollout In Rural Areas’, utilized remarks from our own Roberto Gallardo. The article covers the issue the Federal Communications Commission is tackling right now. What counts as a broadband internet connection? New guidelines are being considered for lowering the current standards. However, Gallardo argues for the opposite. Wired includes him …

In a globally connected world, access to the internet can link people to a variety of resources that can be of value in their daily living, such as information on health, education, finances and more. Yet, according to an article recently published in Daily Yonder, about 31 million people (or about 10 percent of the …