As summer heats up, our REV communities are diving deeper into working with entrepreneurs and organizing events that support the business community and blossoming leaders.
As you will discover in this issue of the REV newsletter, Lake City is seeing positive results taking root. You'll also find a podcast about REV and information on two grants that could benefit your community.
I hope to see you all at the inaugural Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference in September, the details of which can be found below.
Do you know someone who could benefit from receiving this newsletter? Please have them contact me to subscribe.
If you have questions, concerns or creative suggestions as they relate to REV, please contact me at 507-214-7013 or
pamb@smifoundation.org
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Pam Bishop
Vice President - Economic Development
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
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Community Spotlight: Lake City
By Kjellgren Alkire, Economic Development Director for Lake City
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Lake City's REV program continues to grow and deepen. This program has illuminated really great work in our community. In the first year of this program’s research interviews, several entrepreneurs in Lake City articulated three primary needs: marketing, networking and strategic planning. Accordingly, the EDA and Chamber of Commerce began offering a training series on digital marketing tools to business leaders. These sessions have been positively reviewed by participants.
In May, Lake City welcomed a new ice cream shop to town. Dux took over from The Scoop in a small building on South Washington near the marina. This new business owner is one of the entrepreneurs that our program identified in 2018, interviewed and has intentionally supported towards the launch of a new business. We are delighted to support this sort of home-grown business development.
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REV on Vital Connections Podcast
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Don Macke and Pam Bishop were interviewed for the Vital Connections On Air podcast, a program from University of Minnesota Extension. In this episode, they describe how the Energizing Entrepreneurial Communities Framework is being used within the REV communities, and how it is changing the narrative around rural economic development.
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July 24
Spring Grove: Leadership Fundamentals with John Lake
8 - 11:30 a.m.
Spring Grove Communications Building
Whether you are a newly minted leader, supervisor, or manager – or you’ve been around the block a few times – this workshop is designed to help new leaders navigate through their new roles and assist existing leaders in getting “unstuck.”
Register
August 6
Lake City: Marketing in the Morning - Google Analytics
9:30 - 11 a.m.
Lake City Chamber office (100 E Lyon Ave)
Marketing can be tricky and time consuming when you don’t have the right tools or feel comfortable with the marketing medium. The Lake City EDA and Chamber of Commerce have joined forces to help take some of the guess work out of marketing. Join us at the chamber office the first Tuesday of each month to learn more about specific areas of marketing while networking with local businesses. There will be time each session to practice the skills you learn with your own business so please bring a laptop if able. RSVP to Michelle Larson
lcchamber@lakecity.org.
September 5 - 6
Waseca: Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference
REV communities are invited
to attend the inaugural Entrepreneurial Communities Conference, hosted by University of Minnesota Extension. The conference is designed to bring together "entrepreneur enablers" like economic development professionals, community leaders, business leaders, nonprofits, and others to explore how to create an environment and a pathway that encourages entrepreneurship in their town or neighborhood.
The conference will be followed by a REV gathering on September 6 in Waseca. More details to follow.
Register
September 10
Blue Earth: Succession Planning Workshop
Blue Earth REV, in collaboration with the Faribault County EDA, will be hosting a Succession Planning Workshop with Jennifer Hawkins from UMN Extension as the presenter. Businesses from all around Faribault County are invited to attend. Contact Mary Kennedy with questions:
mary.kennedy@cedausa.com
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Five Factors Driving Economic Growth in Small Cities
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Working to create positive, long-lasting change takes time. Intentionally being proactive in creating an environment where businesses can thrive, not just survive includes a number of important factors, some of which are highlighted in
this blog
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Found in the REV framework and activated by the E2 efforts of Don Macke and Deborah Markley, a systems approach to unleashing the potential found in our people and nourishing the relationships from within builds a strong quality of place which activates the kind of progress communities want to see.
Take a look at the blog post and you will find everything our REV communities are doing today aligns well with what is being deemed has the right recipe to create transformational change and community-driven prosperity.
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Seeking Applications for Small Town Grants
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SMIF is currently accepting applications for its Small Town Grants Program.
The program seeks to build sustainable and vibrant communities by engaging its members, enhancing existing leadership and opportunities for new leadership to emerge. Towns with populations of 5,000 or less in SMIF's 20-county region are eligible to apply.
Requests of up to
$10,000
will be considered.
Apply by August 30.
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Seeking Applications for Economic Impact Grants
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SMIF is currently accepting applications for its Economic Impact Grants Program.
SMIF seeks applications which create problem-solving initiatives to begin, increase or elevate entrepreneurial processes to grow economic opportunities.
Requests of up to
$20,000
will be considered.
Apply by October 4.
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Why do you love where you live?
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SMIF's
Love Where You Live
campaign will strengthen our region’s future. Won’t you join us in creating vibrant communities where more than 581,000 people call home?
Watch the video below to see how SMIF is supporting the vibrancy of our region.
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About Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), a donor-supported foundation, invests for economic growth in the 20 counties of south central and southeastern Minnesota. The Foundation has provided more than $111 million in grants, loans and programming within the region during the past 33 years. SMIF's key interests include early childhood, community and economic development. To learn more about our work and mission, visit
www.smifoundation.org
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Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation | 507-455-3215 | www.smifoundation.org
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