• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Refresh Kittanning reaches out for ideas

By Becky McCray

[When Mike Rizzo explained the Refresh Kitanning story to me, I knew you would want to learn about it. Here is how people in one small town are taking an active approach to economic and business development. – Becky ]

My name is Mike and I created a community website to hopefully inspire growth and entrepreneurship in my home town in Western PA. After years of nothing happening in my home town of Kittanning, PA I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to ignite growth. I’ve meet with a lot of people and the desire to change things around seems to be there.

We created a website (www.refreshkittanning.com) in which people can share ideas on how to make the community better. We hope to use the collective power and talents of the community to improve upon and promote the advantages of their community to the world.

The initial topic asks what type of businesses community members would like to see in town. We expect to see a wide array of ideas, ranging from massive undertakings to simple suggestions. We can then take that feedback and ask local businesses about expanding into that area. We also hope entrepreneurs who visit the site will see a need and be inspired to invest in the community. I assume the majority of people would like to see a large innovative company such as Apple or Google open up a local office, but I have no problem starting small—as one job created is better than none.

The website has a few other features for businesses, which include a free directory listing and a commercial property listing. Local businesses can also submit news or announcements to the site. This site is not only about attracting new businesses; it’s also about helping current businesses succeed.

In the age of the Internet, I think the timing is right for a project like this. The low cost of living and low cost of doing business is very advantageous for businesses. There are many businesses out there who would have much better economies of scale if they we’re located in Western PA, compared to NYC or California.

We just launched the site and the major challenge is getting people to share their ideas. Remember this is town of about 5,000 in PA, and change is still a dirty word. We’ve seen four straight decades of population decline, yet even the local news paper has yet to run our story. So certainly there is a major challenge getting the project off the ground. However I think once the rest of the community starts seeing the benefits the site and movement will take off.

I also want to remind everyone you don’t have to be a resident to share your ideas—all ideas are welcomed. Anyone with entrepreneur aspirations is strongly encouraged to regularly check the site as they might find a great opportunity.

Take a look at www.refreshkittanning.com.

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.

  • About the Author
  • Latest by this Author
Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

www.beckymccray.com
  • Will trendy axe throwing and escape room businesses last? More experience-based retail: the Hat Bar
  • Create customer experiences online like Open the Shop With Me videos, and in person, like Silent Book Club
  • How to let customers know when changing your business hours

October 27, 2010 Filed Under: community, economic development, ideas, rural Tagged With: Support

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Comments

  1. Codytalks says

    October 27, 2010 at 9:09 pm

    Killer stuff right there.

    Loading...

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses. Logo with "Shop Indie Local"Move Your Money, bank local, invest localMulticolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week"Save Your Town logotype

Best of Small Biz Survival

A few people shopping in an attractive retail store in refurbished downtown building.

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now

99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission

Three kids in a canoe

Get started as an outdoor outfitter without breaking the bank

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors

Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2025 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in
%d