Over the past few months, Kyle Cummings, with the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, has been working with community leaders to share their stores about the impact of their work with HomeTown Competitiveness. This month, I want to feature two of his videos so you can hear first-hand about the results being experienced through the HomeTown Competitiveness (HTC) Initiative.
HTC has roots in Nebraska traced back almost a decade, and over the years, has expanded into other regions across the country. HTC originated as a joint effort between the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, the Heartland Center for Leadership Development and the Nebraska Community Foundation.
HTC focuses on four pillars to build community capacity and enhance economic development impact. These four pillars are entrepreneurship-focused economic development, youth engagement and attraction, leadership development and philanthropy. This come-back/give-back approach to creating community prosperity and sustainability had been adopted by community leaders who have molded the HTC framework to best address their goals and leverage local assets.
The first video features Nicole Sedlacek, Executive
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Nicole Sedlacek
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Director of Holt County Economic Development in North Central Nebraska. Nicole and her colleagues have done a remarkable job of using the HTC framework to bring communities in the county together to address shared priorities and to engage young people and attract them to Holt County as young adults and families.
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Becky Cleveland
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The second video I wish to share is the work of Becky Cleveland, Executive Director of the Brookfield Industrial Development Authority. Brookfield is located in rural Northwestern Missouri. About a decade ago, Becky and her fellow leaders began searching for a "better fit" for addressing their community's economic development needs. They found that better fit in HTC and have used the framework to successfully address their goals.
If these stories have peaked your interest, we encourage you to join us in Leadville, CO on October 8th-10th for a national academy for community and organization leaders interested in applying the HTC framework in their work. If you would like to learn more on this event, please include your contact information and we will provide you with updates.