GROW Nebraska, Travel & Tourism Work with National Program to Enhance Area's Regional Flavor
HOLBROOK, NE – September 4, 2007 - Communities in rural America share many similarities, though each has its own distinct flavor. But what exactly is that “flavor" and how can it be marketed to attract visitors?
That was one of the many challenges posed to Sara Stevens-Stehl of GROW Nebraska and Karen Kollars of the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism who attended a four-day gathering in Athens, Ohio focusing on “Regional Flavors" - unique aspects of a community or region that can be an important avenue for economic development.
Sponsored by the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), the leadership organization for the microenterprise development field, the gathering is part of its Regional Flavor Learning Cluster, a national initiative centered on rural economic and microenterprise development. A microenterprise is defined as a business with five or fewer employees needing $35,000 or less to start up or expand.
GROW Nebraska heads one of six regional Networks participating in the program whose goal is to help members' work towards tying together the geographic, cultural, historic, agricultural and human assets of its own region, while defining and building a regional brand or identity. Throughout this peer learning opportunity, participants discussed unique aspects of their own communities, and how they can be enhanced and developed through collaboration and network building, important strategies for success.
“My visit to Athens County was a valuable learning opportunity," said Stevens-Stehl. “There is nothing like sharing ideas and experiences – the challenges and the success stories. So much of what I heard and saw first hand can be transferred right here to Nebraska," she said.
Kollars adds, “I left Athens keenly aware that many of the challenges we face in promoting our region are not unlike those faced by the folks in that former coal mining region of Appalachia in southeast Ohio."
The Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet), an AEO member, was the local host for the meeting, which included a series of onsite visits and discussions with community leaders involved in the development of the micro region of Athens County. ACEnet aids existing small businesses or those starting up by providing low cost business training and technical assistance, access to capital, incubation facilities and equipment as well as collaboration and networking initiatives to residents of Appalachian Ohio, many of whom are low income.
The group observed owners of small food businesses at work in ACEnet’s commercial kitchen and thermal processing facility, a kitchen incubator that supports local area entrepreneurs from the early stages of an idea to the packaging and sale of their products.
Outside of Athens, participants walked through history experiencing the regional micro brand now called the Little Cities of the Black Diamond, former coal mining communities in various stages of economic rebirth. Artists and other microentrepreneurs are at the core of the area’s revitalization effort. They also experienced the food and flavors of many locally owned and thriving restaurants.
“Throughout my visit, I heard about the importance of collaboration, and saw what can result," said Stevens-Stehl. “As one person said, ‘Collaboration doesn’t need to be an unnatural act.’ Here in Nebraska we will continue to try to collaborate and build the bridges that are so important to the health, vitality and growth of our community and our region. Our partnership with the Division of Travel and Tourism is a key step to establishing stronger collaboration throughout the state."
In addition to Nebraska and Ohio, four other Networks located in rural Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, and New York comprise AEO’s Regional Flavor Learning Cluster.
AEO’s Regional Flavor Learning Cluster is funded through a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. The Foundation’s mission is to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations.
The Association for Enterprise Opportunity serves as the voice for the U.S microenterprise movement. AEO’s members include hundreds of organizations that assist thousands of entrepreneurs each year in realizing their dreams of small business ownership. To learn more about AEO, visit www.microenterpriseworks.org.
GROW Nebraska’s purpose is to implement sustainable economic solutions for Nebraska’s product, service and retail entrepreneurs. To learn more about GROW Nebraska or Nebraska entrepreneurs, visit their web site at www.grownebraska.com.
Farms, ranches, and small towns have become popular destinations for travelers seeking a variety of experiences. Tourists are searching for the natural, historical, and cultural heart of a region and their defining principle is authenticity. Agri-tourism and eco-tourism are focused on the promotion of rural experiences and tapping into niche markets. To learn more about the agri-tourism opportunities in Nebraska, visit the NE Division of Travel and Tourism’s web site at www.VisitNebraska.org.
