By Steven HendricksonWith all the unsettling national news about recession, layoffs and unemployment, it may seem strange to be talking about labor shortages, but that’s what we face in Oklahoma. The state’s 2009 employment outlook is vastly better than the nation’s, and Oklahoma employers will continue to confront shortages in all kinds of jobs. Some…
That’s the secret to surviving economic downturns. A fascinating article in today’s NY Times on how NY City survives so well in recessions includes this quote: The secret of New York’s post-1970 reinvention was that smart people, who knew each other and learned from each, innovated in ways that made billions in financial services. (Looking…
Oklahoma State Senator Jay Paul Gumm writes a regular column and chose to talk about rural competitiveness and infrastructure recently. Infrastructure can mean lots of things. Gumm talks specifically about rural airports. These airports are critical gateways to mid-size communities. They are where CEOs land to look for business relocation or expansion sites. The airports…
Alva, Oklahoma, is my home town, and we have a group of partners supporting entrepreneurship. During the Global Entrepreneurship Week, the partners are sponsoring Entrepreneurship from Passions to Profit: Building your Business, and our own Glenna Mae is a featured speaker. (Go, Mom!) At this event, the focus is on “how to build and encourage…
Most small towns missed out on the recent run up in the USA national economy. And when we were struck with repeated crop failures and a horrendous local economy, the rest of the nation certainly didn’t notice. So, how is the national financial crisis affecting small towns? Well, it’s a mixed bag. And it’s still…
Your business can’t survive alone. You can greatly improve your chances by networking with other entrepreneurs. My hometown of Alva, Oklahoma, is working on this, with Fast Forward Fridays. Alva Area Chamber of Commerce Director Alexandra Mantz explained, “We hope to bring budding entrepreneurs in the region together to talk and find resources that will…
Click to Play Dr. James C. Fouse directs El Dorado Promise. The promise… go to school, graduate, get a scholarship. He was the guest speaker at the NWOSU Foundationannual donor appreciation dinner, and I asked him about the promise, about how small business can play a role in education, and about El Dorado, Arkansas (population…
Scanning through my feeds today, I came across Beck’s Mixer posted at b5media. Beck’s beer has created a site where you can mix and match tracks (rhythm, bass, atmosphere and hooks), save them, create your own and share them with others. (You can spend a lot of time there, too.) I thought, Well, that’s cool….
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