Promoting Entrepreneurism in a Far Away Land

By Vidhan Rana When I first joined Whittaker’s team in January 2008, I had little clue about what economic development really meant. It was a vague term I read in text books, something to do with increasing the economic base of a region. Soon, I learned that job...

Where Does Your Community Rank?

By Pete Julius How important are rankings? Do they really matter? Which rankings are most important? Who publishes the best, most widely used rankings? And where does your community rank? One answer to these questions can be found in Area Development’s recent...

The Future of Small Towns in America

by Dean Whittaker Do small towns have a future? Have they outlived their economic, political or social purpose? How did these communities form and what contributes to their continued existence? These and many other questions come to mind as I ponder the plight of the...

Small Towns With Big Worries…

by Cory Koch Every small town used to have locally-owned retail stores, symbols of prosperity, stocked high with quality and pride. Their very presence seemed to assure the unchanging nature of small-town life. But the last ten years have seen economic changes that...