A local credit union partnered with community organizations to facilitate loans for small businesses with needs not met through traditional lending. Leslie Ackerman of Alternatives Federal Credit Union is using this model and presented on it at the BALLE Business Conference. The community organization brings the mission and raises the money.The local investors and community…
BALLE is the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. It’s all about local businesses working together to make their local economy prosper, with a focus on locally-owned businesses, sustainability, green jobs, and thinking local first. There is a national organization, and local networks have formed in many cities, towns and regions. I’m reporting today from…
Burnet, Texas, has a neat small town development idea, to encourage building close in, instead of out on the edge in suburb-style developments. Downtown Burnet, Texas. They call it the Hometown Housing Program. For new houses on empty residential lots in the targeted core area, the city rebates 100% of water, sewer and electric tap…
Many small businesses can’t qualify for a small business loan from a traditional local bank. A bad credit record disqualifies many. Lending standards have tightened. Some small towns are limited by local banks that don’t support small business; others don’t have locally-owned banks any more. The good news is that alternatives are available. We are…
A “cash mob” is a group of regular people who decide to all support the same local business on the same day. Today is International Cash Mob Day. If you don’t have a cash mob in your town, now is the time to organize one. What are the rules? There are no rules, or each…
Tony Guidroz, Director of Economic Development from San Saba, Texas, (population 2,600) shared his idea for a Blue Collar Career Fair at the LCRA Economic Development Forums, and I think every small town needs to start one. He is bringing heavy equipment operators, an HVAC contractor, a stone mason, a plumber, an electrician, a welder,…
When rural entrepreneurs prosper, they help their communities prosper. That’s why I support rural entrepreneurs. The best way I can help your community to prosper is to help your entrepreneurs and business owners. They are the ones who will help find solutions to local problems. That’s why I was excited by the CNN story of…
Clint Kolby, Project Manager at Brenham (Texas) Economic Development Foundation, (population 16,000) shared this story at the recent LCRA Economic Development Forum where I was a speaker, and I knew you’d want to hear it, too. –Becky Through our Business Retention & Expansion Program (BREP) we were able to identify that the strongest and weakest…
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