Economic growth in a recession
KNLV radio has the scoop:
Ord and Valley County are bucking the economic trend of not only the nation but even the state of Nebraska. Valley County and Ord’s net taxable sales are showing strong growth in 2009 over 2008.
From January-July 2008 compared to the same seven months in 2009, Valley County net taxable sales increased nearly $1.4 million, or 6.56%. During the same time frame, Nebraska ’s net taxable sales decreased by 2.55%.
We released some of this information in our latest newsletter, here. Contrast that news with the recent letter from state Senator Kate Sullivan on knlvradio.com. It’s comforting to see economic vitality in the midst of such peril countrywide. Great news for our area indeed!
Did you know 4.0
The video below is part of an ongoing (and updated) conversation on how social media is transforming the media landscape. Consider it an elaboration on our last social media post “Is social media a fad?”. Check it out (hat tip to Tina in West Point):
Monthly report now available
You can check out our monthly report here. Major highlights include the Ord Learning Center, WinterFest, the East 2 West Competition and more!
Young entrepreneur scholarship
Inventors Digest has the scoop on a scholarship opportunity for young entrepreneurs:
The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation is currently accepting applications for the 2010 Young Entrepreneur Awards. High-school seniors with a flare for entrepreneurship are encouraged to apply online for a chance to win a scholarship valued from $1,000-$10,000. The deadline for applying for an award is December 31. If you know an impressive young entrepreneur, encourage them to apply today.
Students can visit www.NFIB.com/YEA to apply for a scholarship online.
Check it out!
New inventors website
Listening to NPR usually pays off in useful information that I share with all y’alls. Case in point: Edison Nation. Edison Nation is a new website clearinghouse for inventors. If you have an idea, patent it and create the product, Edison Nation serves as a broker to national retail chains and manufacturers.
Give them a look here. Their video page is well worth a few minutes of your time as well.
One more thing – think about that big idea you had, write a venture plan for the East 2 West competition, and use Edison Nation to launch your idea. Just a suggestion 
A season of giving
A community-wide food drive will be launching in late November, sponsored by our local Alco store. Read the skinny:
Duckwall-Alco will be sponsoring a Canned Food Drive from November 23rd through December 6th.
The food banks across our country are at critical stages and during the holiday season they have an even greater need for our support. Here are some statistics that many people are not aware of:
- The number of people below the poverty threshold numbered 37.3 million in 2007, a rate of 12.5 percent of all Americans.
- An estimated 36.2 million Americans, or 12.2 percent are food insecure; meaning their access to enough food is limited by a lack of money and other resources.
- 14.9 percent of all families with related children under 18 years of age live in poverty
- 17.7 percent of all rural households with children are food insecure, over 1 million children
Duckwall – Alco will be placing a canned food donation container at the front of all stores during this two week period and will be advertising this food drive in weekly ads. The foods collected will be provided to our local food bank. Duckwall-Alco will also be matching these donations with their own contributions of up to 50 tons distributed across the participating food banks. In order to make this a town wide event Alco will have sign packages for any other businesses in town. This will allow the entire business community to come together for this worthy cause. These sign packets can be picked up at the Duckwall – Alco store.
Twitter uses for retailers
On Twitter, this post caught my eye:
Guess who’ll be checking them out for ground blinds? This guy.
Making good cars
Equals making a profit. Ford posts a $1B profit this quarter:
The automaker said Monday earnings were fueled by U.S. market share gains, cost cuts and the Cash for Clunkers program, which drew flocks of buyers to showrooms this summer. Ford’s shares rose 58 cents, or 8.3 percent, to $7.58 in pre-market trading.
Contrast that with our other two American car companies:
General Motors and Chrysler probably won’t be able to pay back all those loans we’ve extended them! From the just-released September report of the Congressional Oversight Panel assigned with keeping an eye on the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Ford’s evolution began in the early 2000s with the focus on improved fuel economy. How did that pan out this last quarter?
It also won buyers; the fuel-efficient Ford Focus sedan and Ford Escape, a small SUV, were among the top five sellers under clunkers. Ford sales climbed 17 percent in August thanks to the program.
The Brain Drain
Newsweek has great coverage of a new book out, Hollowing Out the Middle, which takes an in-depth look at the implications of brain drain and how rural communities can address the challenge of losing their best and brightest.
Many of you know me by now – I’m not a native of the area, my wife and I have been here a year now and we love it. LOVE IT. We also believe this community is and will continue to be a leader in rural opportunities because of one simple phenomenon: positive change. We’ve written about the impact of positive change here, here and here. The infectious attitude is prevalent wherever you look. We are lucky to be in a community that continues to invest in itself: civic, community and economic. This impact has created a community that is primed to tackle brain drain head-on.
The lessons to be learned from Hollowing? There are many, and in Valley County we’ve nailed them all and in many respects are ahead of the curve with respect job creation, educational engagement and long-term investment.
I’ll leave you with this from the article. As a community, we’ve been able to deliver on several mechanisms that provide a pathway to deal with the hallowing effect. Have a look at how far ahead we really are:
But there are people maybe with young families or who tried urban living and wanted to opt out and try something else, who could be lured to the region—maybe not every 22-year-old, but maybe a 32-year-old who would think, “This is great. I can raise my kids, I can buy a gigantic house. And as long as I have the digital infrastructure, I can telecommute. I can have a very good quality of life.” I think the lifestyle rural communities have to offer is really more compatible for young families. There are also ways to lure back professionals through more aggressive tuition breaks for medical students [in exchange for a commitment to return to the community after graduation], which I think is going to become more appealing as students take on more and more debt. And finally, the other thing we want to talk about is pushing the development of our community-college students, creating that infrastructure to match up economic demands for the regional economy with the young people who are most likely to stay.
Caleb