The local café has been a staple of the small town landscape as far back as anyone can remember. But with all of the challenges facing small town rural America, keeping these institutions operating or finding people willing and able to invest in these businesses is becoming more and more difficult.
The Greater St. Peter area receives an injection of $46 million dollars that will expand not only the hospital there, but the local economy as well. “Solid infrastructure and modern healthcare facilities play a key role in the economic sustainability of rural communities – attracting new businesses, retaining population and providing opportunities for future growth,” says Brad Finstad, State Director for USDA Rural Development.
A variety of business organizations and networks thrive in communities throughout south central Minnesota. One such organization, Women Executives in Business (W.E.B.), is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. W.E.B. is an area-wide networking and educational organization for women who are, or aspire to be, business owners, entrepreneurs, executives or managers.
Waseca city leaders are planning for the future, by studying the past. Waseca, like many rural cities, has had many notable entrepreneurs such as EF Johnson (EF Johnson Company), Bumps Brown (Brown Printing), and George Herter (Herter’s Outdoor Goods). As they grew their companies, they spawned many other ventures in Waseca many of which are still around.
Over the past few years, community leaders in New Ulm began noticing a troubling trend; like many cities, New Ulm was seeing a steady erosion of affordable housing supply as properties that were originally developed using federal subsidies started being converted to market-rate housing.
In this issue, I would like to highlight a trio of collaborations from throughout our region. These three stories highlight the importance of different groups coming together to solve a common problem and along the way enriching our communities.
