Community Voices

Sep 15 2022

What’s Up in Pine Bluff? A RuralRISE Retrospective

Back in September of 2019, attendees of the RuralRISE Summit descended on an up-and-coming small city about a 45-minute drive south of Little Rock, Arkansas.

While we were there, we enjoyed the hospitality of Pine Bluff and its residents, hosted one of the first events in the Pine Bluff Convention Center in years, and enjoyed some of what the area has to offer.

As we approach the next Summit in Emporia, Kansas, we were curious to hear how things have changed since we were there.

So we want to know: what’s happened in Pine Bluff since RuralRISE 2019?

To better understand what’s been going on, we checked in with Mildred Franco, ecosystem builder, connector extraordinaire, and our main point of contact in Pine Bluff for the 2019 Summit. (Anyone who’s been to a RuralRISE meeting or event over the past few years has likely met Mildred, since she’s become an integral part of the RuralRISE community!)

A lot has happened in 3 years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic holding back much of what was planned. She tells us that many projects have not proceeded as expected or have not started yet — but as you’ll see from the updates below, many great things have still happened in the past few years!

Some of the major projects that have been completed have been made possible through public partnerships, private investments, or public funds.

We’ll cover these projects by category: economic development, government and infrastructure, quality of life, and education.

Let’s travel back to Pine Bluff!

Economic Development

Between an innovation hub, casino, downtown revitalization, gigabyte internet, and companies expanding into the area, there’s no shortage of new projects on the Pine Bluff economic development front.

*Students and community members join together at The Generator*

In April 2020, The Generator completed the renovation of a 1937 building into an innovation hub housing a coworking space, technology hub, photography studio, and digital makerspace. The venture opened to the public in January 2021.

Throughout 2020, The Generator connected entrepreneurs to $155K in grants to support their businesses during the pandemic. Upon opening in 2021, it launched its “Gentrepreneurship Pre-accelerator” and ran three cohorts through April 2022.

The Generator continued to provide support through workshops and one-on-one mentorship to entrepreneurs. It also launched the Digital Navigator program – which ran from July 2021 through June 2022 – in partnership with Rural LISC.

And in November 2019 and 2021, The Generator celebrated Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW).

*The view outside and on the game floor at Saracen Casino Resort*

Saracen Casino Resort Phase I opened on October 2020. The game floor is 8,000 square feet, with 2,000 slot machines and 35 tables. The casino also has restaurants and an award-winning steakhouse, and employs approximately 800 people.

Phase II, currently under construction, will include a new 300-room hotel, 123,000 square feet of ballroom and event space, and all associated support and back-of-house spaces.

*The 300 block of Main Street, Pine Bluff, Arkansas*

Pine Bluff Urban Renewal Agency purchased buildings on the 300 block of Main Street. It had rehabilitated three of the structures by 2020.

In 2021, WEHCO announced a $2.0M plan to upgrade its cable infrastructure to make Pine Bluff a “Gig City” by July 2022.

PeopleShores, an organization that offers high-value services to socially conscious enterprises with locations in economically challenged areas, opened a facility in Pine Bluff in 2022 on the Southeast Arkansas College campus.

They provide service by recruiting, training, and employing individuals from these disadvantaged areas. Their business model benefits customers, employees, and the community.

*The ACH Pine Bluff Children’s Clinic and Jones-Dunklin Cancer Center*

In 2021, JRMC, Pine Bluff’s largest employer, partnered with Arkansas Children’s Hospital to open a new Children’s Clinic. In August 2022, JRMC opened the Jones-Dunklin Cancer Center and is now building an expansion to the main campus.

In February 2022, the CARTI Cancer Center opened its Pine Bluff Center to expand its reach into Southeast Arkansas.

The Walton Family Foundation announced they were adding Jefferson County to their Home Region earlier this year; this could potentially bring resources to Pine Bluff.

But it’s not just new businesses springing up and projects being completed in Pine Bluff.

Government and Infrastructure

The City of Pine Bluff partnered with Go Forward Pine Bluff (GFPB) on several projects, ranging from pedestrian access to homeownership funding.

The City of Pine Bluff Streetscape Project Phase I on Main Street was completed in May 2021, with a grand opening in June 2021.

The project aimed to create a more pedestrian-friendly downtown, allowing for greater accessibility to downtown businesses and incentivizing additional companies to invest in the area. Plans are in the works to start Phase II soon.

In partnership with GFPB, the City of Pine Bluff commissioned a Master Plan to update its codes and regulations; they completed the plan in 2022.

In early 2022, GFPB launched its Re-live Pine Bluff Initiative. This initiative creates various partnerships to make homeownership possible for ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families through the following vehicles:

97% Affordable Advantage

This product is offered in partnership with GFPB within the target area bound by 17th Street on the north, 34th Street on the south, Hazel on the west, and Olive on the east.

100% Advantage Home Mortgage Products

Residents in the Pine Bluff MSA are eligible for the 100% Advantage Home Mortgage.

Both products have income and geographic restrictions.

Simmons Bank (an equal housing lender) has lowered its qualifying credit rating to 580 and 620, respectively, to increase home ownership.

Pine Bluff Homeowners’ Association (PBHOA)

The PBHOA will provide a secondary loan for closing cost assistance and a mortgage down payment of up to 3% of the mortgage cost. Recipients must join the PBHOA. Relyance Bank will originate and service the loans in partnership with GFPB.

Neighborhood Enhancement Act

To attract developers, the City of Pine Bluff’s Neighborhood Enhancement Act will provide up to 20 percent of new construction or rehabilitation costs. In addition, homeowners must agree to live in the target area for five years.

But what’s an improvement in the economy and infrastructure without considering residents’ quality of life?

Quality of Life

Since we were there last, Pine Bluff residents have gained three new (or improved) community buildings.

*ARTSpace on Main and ART Works on Main*

The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC) completed a $5.0M renovation and transformation of two historic 1920 buildings adjacent to the ASC into what is now known as ARTSpace on Main, ART Works on Main, and the ARTS Yard.

This expanded campus provides more ways for the community to engage through arts and events.

The new $13M, 33,000-square-foot main branch of the Pine Bluff Jefferson County Library was completed and opened in 2020.

The Merrill Center underwent a $1.5M renovation and was renamed The Pine Bluff Community Center in 2021. In 2022, the City of Pine Bluff granted the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County management of the programming.

Finally, you can’t talk about community improvement without considering education.

Education

From K-12 to the university level, Pine Bluff takes education seriously.

*TEACH Pine Bluff, a program of Go Forward Pine Bluff*

GFPB launched TEACH Pine Bluff in 2019. At first, it offered fellowships to support K-12 teachers in obtaining master’s degrees. In 2021, through a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, it switched the initiative to support K-12 non-certified teachers to become certified.

*Members of Go Forward Pine Bluff and the EPP program*

In 2020, GFPB provided a $55K grant to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff for its Educator Preparatory (EPP) program.

With all these new projects completed and even more in the works, we can’t wait to see what’s next in Pine Bluff!

Where to Next?

One of our favorite parts about RuralRISE is the annual summit, where we get to meet new rural friends (and see old ones), visit rural communities we may have never been to, and share what’s working in our local communities.

We’re exceedingly grateful for the local organizers – like Mildred – whose tireless work on the ground helps make these events possible.

This year, we’re very excited to (finally) be in Emporia, Kansas, for the 2022 RuralRISE Summit. The event will take place from September 28th – 30th, so grab your tickets now if you haven’t already! We hope to see you there.

Feb 23 2021

RCAP and Smithsonian Launch Coming Home: Stories from Main Street

The Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) and the Smithsonian Institution recently launched “Coming Home: Stories from Main Street.”

The partnership between RCAP and the Smithsonian Institution provides new opportunities for youth in rural America to tell their community’s story and to become leaders in its future.

Coming Home is a project that invites young people to learn about their rural communities, document local history, and foster meaningful discussions about their community’s future. The result is a vast array of dynamic multi-media projects that connect youth voices to local discourse.

This partnership between RCAP’s Rural Homecoming and the Smithsonian’s Museum on Mainstreet (MoMS) celebrates rural America’s voices.

The collaboration encourages youth connection and storytelling to celebrate the history (and future) of rural America.

The Origins of Rural Homecoming

RCAP recognizes the value in rural voices and the deep connection individuals feel towards their hometowns.

Rural Homecoming: Join in a national celebration of rural communities

RCAP started Rural Homecoming to reconnect young people who have moved away from rural communities with the innovation and opportunity in their hometown.

Rural Homecoming celebrates rural communities’ uniqueness and amplifies rural voices on a national level.

Both RCAP and the Smithsonian focus on uplifting these voices by giving youth the tools, resources, and guidance to learn about their community’s past and shape their future. This unifying goal of celebrating rural supports the partnership between RCAP and MoMS.

How to Get Involved

Communities can participate in Coming Home in two ways.

1. Sign up through the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street website

Communities participate by composing storytelling videos of their town’s rich history through tools and resources provided through Coming Home.

This program allows for rural youth to connect with their communities, expand technology skills, and form relationships with older community members. To apply, submit a proposal.

2. Download RCAP’s Rural Homecoming Toolkit

To celebrate RCAP’s Rural Homecoming, communities can utilize RCAP’s free toolkit to help plan a virtual or in-person event or tell their community’s story in creative ways.

The toolkit provides ideas and resources to adapt an annual celebration like a fall festival or create an entirely new event that connects individuals with their communities. Any community member or organization can plan Rural Homecoming events.

A small downtown area at sunset, with 3-story buildings on either side of a tree-lined 2-lane road lined with parked cars.

When Are You Coming Home?

Rural Homecoming and Coming Home both provide an opportunity to tell local stories through national platforms.

RCAP and MoMS see the deep connection individuals feel towards their rural communities. “Coming Home: Stories from Main Street” provides communities with the tools and support to amplify this connection.

This partnership helps rural communities celebrate and share what makes their hometowns unique. By uplifting these stories, Coming Home honors rural America’s history and helps to shape the future.

Did you grow up in a rural community? Are you living in one now? RCAP and the Smithsonian want to hear from you! Let’s build the future of rural, one story at a time.

Dec 08 2020

Rural Roundup: Entrepreneurial Challenges & Opportunities

Over the past 4 months, RuralRISE has interviewed a series of ecosystem builders about 2020 and the changes COVID-19 has wreaked on the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The stories and advice they shared are worth their weight in gold for these tumultuous times.

But what about the entrepreneurs? Without talking to them, our interview series would be missing half of the story.

Along with the challenges of 2020 have come new opportunities. And every entrepreneur knows that when the status quo breaks, someone needs to be there to help people transition to what’s next.

That’s why we reached out to a few rural entrepreneurs to get their take on what’s going on in their area of the United States.

We asked them three questions:

What is the biggest opportunity or challenge you see as an entrepreneur, at this particular moment in time?
What have you done to either a) take advantage of this opportunity, or b) thrive despite the challenge?
What entrepreneurial support or resources have been (or would be) most helpful to you during these times?

Let’s hear their stories!

Reggie & Lori Cole: Owners of Natural Bliss Health & Wellness Store

White Hall, Arkansas

There’s an old adage, “necessity is the mother of invention” so during this time of Covid-19 so many people have been negatively impacted with layoffs and business closings.

This season of distress has resuscitated old dreams and brought to light new ideas, especially in the area of entrepreneurship.

It’s important to use that passion to fuel those ideas and take advantage of different loans, grants and programs geared to small business owners.

We absolutely realized that changes had come. We knew that initially many people were not able to come out as much as before. We knew we had to find a way to increase our online sales so we revamped our website, added more products and even offered pre-shopping by having customers call in their orders pay by credit or debit card and have it ready when they or an appointee arrived (curbside service).

We increased our social media posts to help advertise weekly specials and sale prices. We also took advantage of a new opportunity to upgrade our loyalty program for repeat customers and provide more much needed and appreciated discounts. We love to give back.

One of the most important resources we found was staying connected to our local branch of the Small Business Administration.

They kept us up to date on available resources to help bridge the gap during that initial crunch. We were told what to expect during the wait for federal funds and how to apply when the loans were made available as well. We also were alerted to different grant opportunities, local Business to Business Networking seminars and self help courses via Zoom.

The Generator has been a vital link to us being connected to business-minded entrepreneurs and also helped us stay connected to small businesses who have a desire to not only just survive but to thrive.

There is power in numbers! The Bible even says, “In the multitude of counsel there is safety.”

Visit their website to learn more about Natural Bliss and support their entrepreneurial efforts.

Jennifer Litteral: President of Coffee Hound Coffee Co.

Brewer, Maine

Major opportunities or trends normally happen over long periods of time and are difficult for small businesses to get into because larger corporations are poised having planned and speculated long in advance for those changes.

However, the pandemic has shaken loose so many new trends and opportunities that are ideal for small enterprises because small businesses are nimble and can shift faster than larger corporations or companies.

Like steering a huge tanker on the ocean they have to plan long in advance for their movements — where smaller boats can steer quickly around or to something in a split second. Small businesses are like the small boats and they are winning the race to these opportunities today.

Having the ability to be open and listen to real-time statistics about your industry is crucial at this moment in time to be able shift or pivot with purpose and direction.

For the coffee industry the pandemic changed our customers to at-home baristas;
The at-home coffee market is expected to grow to $15 billion in 2020;
40% of people working from home say they will continue to work from home even after COVID and 39% of those are willing to pay more for premium coffee.

So, we were able to shift the focus of our company to meet the needs of our customers for their new normal with national at-home delivery through a new e-commerce platform as well as having our products available in grocery stores throughout Maine through a distributor as well as servicing Hannaford’s local program.

As entrepreneurs and small business owners, we are already courageous, smart and highly adaptable – but COVID has taken this to a level that has left many of us reeling. A normal day for a small business owner is to wear about 100 hats and we often don’t have time to look up and research what resources are out there.

Even with my diverse background, I didn’t find the time to seek out the resource organizations in Maine – luckily one found me. To be included in the 2020 Maine Center for Entrepreneurs TopGun cohort was beyond valuable for our company to be in during a pandemic and while we were pivoting.

I think the resources are out there and in multiple formats across many organizations. The questions are — can they more broadly get on the radars of small businesses when we might not travel in the same circles or online communities?

Is there a way to combine and channel options in a simple to find and easy to digest format that is distributed or found where small businesses will take notice and utilize?

Visit their website to learn more about Coffee Hound and support their entrepreneurial efforts.

E. James White: CEO of LivestockCity, Inc.

Mount Solon, Virginia

When the pandemic first came, people were stocking up on food, with supermarkets running out of food including meats.

One of the features we wanted to offer even before the pandemic was to provide a way for livestock farmers to sell their meats and animal products through our platform — sort of like “Etsy for farmers.” We call it “Farm Stores.”

Unfortunately, we couldn’t complete this section in time during that food shortage, but as we are seeing an uptick in Covid-19 cases again, it’s possible we will get another chance to offer this service to farmers when there’s a real need. If not, we still think it is a good service to offer, especially for those that are looking for grass-fed or organic food products.

During this challenging time, we have been able to recruit talented interns and volunteers, as many internships were canceled this summer due to the pandemic.

Since we are a remote team, we were able to easily take on remote interns that were a higher caliber than what we’ve seen in the past — and over the summer they really helped us advance our mobile app and web app development.

Our biggest challenge has always been financial, in order to pay for the help we need to develop our platform and products.

We’ve had to be creative in bootstrapping in order to progress LivestockCity, but with funding we could significantly speed up the process and get our services in the hands of livestock farmers quicker. Without funding it will take longer, but we will continue to work towards completion for 2021.

Visit their website to learn more about LivestockCity and support their entrepreneurial efforts.

Kanesha Adams: CEO and Founder, EduScape

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

My biggest challenge at this time has been gaining access to capital.

As a startup company, with an alternative learning platform, the market can be very competitive and in the absence of capital, it makes the struggle to grow and scale more challenging.

On the flip side of it, as a minority-female founder, I have a unique lens for investors.

I have been afforded the opportunity to work from home and build my small business, which has been a major turning point for my company. I have a small team, which also makes the work difficult, but I have a mission-oriented team who believe in the work we do, which allows us to combat our challenge.

I have been really intentional about overcoming the areas of opportunities that I have been presented by building a network of advisors, and a support team who value me as an entrepreneur and my work.

I have applied to pitch in a pitch contest and spend time daily seeking out additional knowledge opportunities by way of accelerators or incubators. I spend 2-3 hours a day on LinkedIn connecting with people who may be willing to support my business in any way.

Having a mentor in this space with me has been the most helpful resource for me during this time. My mentor has been in the edtech space for about 20 years, and has shared some amazing resources, advice, and tips as I develop my plan to move forward.

I have also connected to incubator advisors such as The Venture Center and Communities Unlimited (which is a CDFI that supports small business owners). Building a network is a resource that you can’t put a price tag on, and I have been really intentional on using my network.

Visit their website to learn more about EduScape and support their entrepreneurial efforts.

What Will 2021 Bring for Entrepreneurs?

As you can see from these four stories (and those of entrepreneurs and small businesses across the US and around the world), 2020 has brought its share of challenges.

But these stories also demonstrate how resilient entrepreneurs can be. In a world where pivots were the norm prior to a worldwide pandemic, this kind of quick thinking and innovation is just what we all need.

As 2021 quickly approaches, these entrepreneurs serve both as a beacon of hope and a reminder of the importance of the work we all do. Together, we can make the most of any challenges the next year (and beyond) may bring our way!

This is the fourth in a series of interviews — stay tuned for the next installment! You can also catch up on the first, second, and third interviews.

Oct 27 2020

Rural Roundup: How Can Ecosystems Help Small Business Survive?

By this point in 2020, I think we can all agree that times are tough.

Across the United States and around the world, small businesses have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic — with even greater impacts on Black, Latinx, immigrant, and female business owners.

But even in the midst of crisis, there is opportunity. A chance for us to come together as communities, to innovate, and to collaborate on finding solutions to the most challenging problems facing our world.

That’s why we reached out to some of our favorite rural ecosystem builders and get their take on what’s going on across rural areas in the United States. Today’s wisdom comes to us from our friends at First Southwest Community Fund.

We asked two questions:

What is the biggest opportunity or challenge your organization sees, in this particular moment in time?
What advice would you give to our communities to help them either take advantage of this opportunity or thrive despite the challenge?

So without further ado, take it away Cass!

Cass Walker, Executive Director at First Southwest Community Fund

Listening to your stakeholders has always been the most important thing any organization can do, but in these unprecedented times listening to what small businesses need is crucial for their survival.

Needs are changing daily, and the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our communities and businesses in ways we did not foresee.

Understanding the challenges – and then acting to help mitigate the effects – is vital for organizations like ours to have an impact in these difficult times.

Challenges are everywhere at the moment – helping businesses survive shutdowns, building online platforms for communications, remote teams, keeping employees healthy and well in this new “normal”…

However, at First Southwest Community Fund we’ve also seen a number of opportunities during this unique moment in history. Together with our partner, First Southwest Bank (a CDFI), we’ve worked tirelessly to get assistance to rural Colorado businesses.

In times of crisis, people can be incredibly resourceful and innovative, and re-focusing on who and what is important for our economies to thrive is paramount. We’ve chosen to focus on supporting innovation, creativity, and supporting those who keep our economy alive.

Solving New Problems: Innovation and Creativity

Many people have ideas about how to pivot or change their business models to survive COVID – however, most of these innovations need capital to implement.

A woman sits at a desk looking at multiple computer screens.

Hearing the needs in our community to create new online platforms, find ways to deliver educational and health content safely, and change business models to provide new needed services, we created the Innovation Assistance Awards Program.

Through partnerships with The Colorado Trust’s COVID-19 Response Fund, Startup Colorado, and the San Luis Valley and Southwest Colorado SBDCs, we have been able to provide small grants up to $2000 alongside technical assistance to bring these ideas to reality.

To help make technology ideas easier to implement, we partnered with local media companies to provide discounted and tailored services.

We partnered awards with workshops to increase knowledge and skills. To date, we’ve awarded 30+ Innovation Awards to small businesses and nonprofits in rural Colorado, and are scaling our program to serve more areas.

We’ve helped a rural bookshop create an online marketplace for their products, a theatre take their educational programming virtual, and a restaurant launch a grocery delivery service for at-risk residents.

This initiative has brought hope and optimism, as our rural small businesses continue to show their resilience to thrive during this crisis.

Keeping Our Rural Economies Alive: Early Childhood Care & Education

As an industry, early childhood care and education has historically been underfunded and underappreciated.

A young girl in a highchair peeks through the top of a toy camera.

In our rural areas, there was already a lack of access to early care and education, with nowhere near enough capacity to deal with the demand.

In times of COVID-19, we have seen a huge impact on this ecosystem and a deeper understanding of how access to early childhood care and education is an economic development issue

Through support from The Colorado Trust’s COVID-19 Response Fund and working with the Early Childhood Council of the San Luis Valley, we were able to create a program to assist 14 women-owned licensed family child care providers across the San Luis Valley in Colorado with operating capital who collectively serve 141 children.

It is vital to the economic recovery of our rural region that these providers stay operational. We do not traditionally do many grants as an organization, as we are typically focused on small business loans.

However, in these times, new tools such as these micro-grants are needed to support the key organizations which enable our communities to keep their business alive – especially women-led businesses, BIPOC-led businesses, and for entities who were not eligible or able to receive PPP or EIDL.

Shifting Our Focus: Rethinking Entrepreneurship

In today’s ever-shifting economy it is vital for small businesses and nonprofits to rethink and redefine what entrepreneurship means to them.

A laptop and a journal are set up on a kitchen table, looking out over a living room with a cast iron wood stove.

Whether that means simply working from home, shifting product delivery options, shifting products or services offered, or completely restructuring a business model, anyone can be an entrepreneur and can make a difference in their local economy and for their family during these times.

Many of our programs at FSWCF have been developed to help businesses and nonprofits make these shifts, including our Rapid Response & Recovery Fund, Technology Innovation Awards, Food Truck Loan Program, Rural Women-Led Business Fund, and Creative Arts Loan Fund.

Getting creative, working together, and finding ways to maintain your business and livelihood in your rural community is what will propel small businesses and organizations through this pandemic and make our rural communities stronger on the other side.

What’s Next for Rural Small Business?

It’s easy to feel like 2020 has us stuck in between a rock and a hard place. But as Cass and her colleagues at FSWCF show us, there’s a lot we can do to support our communities, small businesses, and entrepreneurs right now.

We may not know what the next 12 months will bring, but together we can begin to reimagine a brighter 2021.

This is the third in a series of interviews — stay tuned for the next installment! You can also catch up on the first and second interviews.

Sep 10 2020

COVID-19: Rural America’s Opportunity

Across the board, 2020 has been challenging. Between the health and economic challenges placed on communities around the world by COVID-19, it can sometimes be hard to find a silver lining.

But every time we face a challenge there’s usually an opportunity buried within it — it’s just our job to reframe the situation and figure out how we can use the challenge to benefit our customers and communities.

We asked two questions:

What is the biggest opportunity or challenge your organization sees, in this particular moment in time?
What advice would you give to our communities to help them either take advantage of this opportunity or thrive despite the challenge?

So without further ado, take it away Ines!

Ines Polonius, CEO at Communities Unlimited

Social distancing is Rural America’s competitive advantage. Urban areas make up only 3% of the U.S. land area but are home to more than 80% of the population.

Young people, now more than ever, want to come back home to rural places. Intentional entrepreneurial ecosystems will help.

On July 5, 2020, The Hill concluded that a combination of the coronavirus pandemic, economic uncertainty, and social unrest is prompting waves of Americans from large cities to permanently relocate to more sparsely populated areas.

Coming Home to Rural

While a town deep in the Mississippi Delta may not see an influx of New York City executives any time soon, it may well welcome home young people who grew up there.

COVID has demonstrated that many jobs are mobile. Economic insecurity has people looking for more affordable housing. In 2016, the median monthly housing cost in rural areas was $1,271 lower than in urban areas. This gap has only widened over the past four years.

Social distancing is much easier when your closest neighbors might be cows.

A field of cows, a common sight in rural America.

So how do we in rural communities capitalize on our competitive advantage? Quality of life.

The Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), a partnership of six organizations including Communities Unlimited, provides technical assistance and training to rural communities across the U.S.

RCAP’s Rural Homecoming Toolkit provides strategies for attracting those with roots in a community back home.

For decades rural leaders have been focusing on attracting corporations, not people. To attract people, rural places require vibrant local economies built on local entrepreneurs, who are often forgotten by state economic development policy.

Corporations vs Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Through intermediaries like Communities Unlimited (CU), some rural communities are creating vibrant rural entrepreneurial ecosystems that support the growth of existing local businesses as well as budding entrepreneurs.

Three young black girls celebrate with ice cream at Dermott, Arkansas' Entrepreneurship Extravaganza.

In Dermott, Arkansas, a predominantly Black rural community in the heart of the Arkansas Delta, a community leadership team has been working on just this. In this community of 2500, almost 36% of the residents live in poverty and have for more than 30 years.

Leaders know how to navigate hurdles with creativity, but no one was quite prepared for the devastating challenges of COVID19.

Beginning on March 23, 2020, the leadership team gathered virtually via ZOOM with CU’s community facilitator to continue planning its Entrepreneurship Extravaganza.

This call to action inspired the grand opening of three new businesses: a barbershop, a boutique, and a shaved ice stand. All three launched in June by community residents while they and the rest of the country were in the throes of COVID.

On the other side of town, leadership team member, Debra Williams purchased eight vacant buildings to revitalize the downtown and create an entrepreneurship hub.

Through the partnership between Dermott’s leadership team and CU, the ecosystem has access to start-up capital in the form of microloans and intensive technical assistance.

By creating an intentionally inviting and supportive environment for entrepreneurs through quality-of-life businesses, access to capital, an entrepreneurship hub, and technical assistance, Dermott and other rural places can welcome home those with roots there who want to start a business, bring their existing business, or telecommute.

Challenge or Opportunity — It’s Up to Us

During times of chaos, we all have a choice: stick our heads in the sand and hope things go back to “normal” soon… or pivot and do something different. Something better. Something to uplift and benefit the communities where we live.

We may not know what our new normal will be yet, but together we can start to chart a new path forward.

This is the second in a series of interviews — stay tuned for the next installment! You can also read the first set of interviews here.

About Communities Unlimited: As a Rural Development Hub and Community Development Financial Institution, Communities Unlimited takes a holistic approach to ensuring healthy communities, healthy businesses, and healthy families in rural places and underserved neighborhoods in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. www.CommunitiesU.org