E-Visions From the Heartland--December 2011

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Happy Holidays from the Heartland Center For several years, we've had an account at the Heartland Center that we call the Community Leadership Initiative, or CLI, which is our fancy term for "scholarship fund." The fund is comprised of donations from friends of the Heartland Center who want to support a portion of the cost of community leaders' attendance at our training events. These scholarships typically provide a discount option for participation in our annual training program, Helping Small Towns Succeed, which we started in 1992 with support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In some years, such as this one, a third party provides scholarship support, as Rural Partners of Michigan did for in-state participants at our Helping Small Towns Succeed institute in South Haven, Michigan. In many years, we don't enjoy the kind of support we got in Michigan in 2011, and then we are on our own to offer a limited number of scholarships for participants whose budgets can't cover the entire registration fee. So, we are making our annual pitch for your support for the Heartland Center's Community Leadership Initiative. Our pledge to you is that all of the dollars donated will go into the scholarship fund, which is an account separate from our general fund. Further, as a 501(c)(3), we can assure you that your donation will be tax-deductible. Your donation is just a "click" away by using the PayPal button below. You can also send a check payable to Heartland Center CLI and mail it to us at 3110 N. 40th Street, Lincoln, NE 68504. Or phone our office toll-free at 800-927-1115 and provide us with your credit card information. Every donor will receive a personal thank you note that you can use for tax reporting purposes. Thanks for your support. And we wish you a joyous Holiday and Happy New Year! Milan Wall Co-Director Vicki Luther Co-Director People Attraction Efforts Paying Off for Nebraska Community Atkinson, Nebraska, located in the north central part of the state, became involved in HomeTown Competitiveness in 2005 as part of Holt County HTC. During that time, the county worked together on the four Pillars of HTC that include leadership development, energizing entrepreneurs, building community philanthropy and engaging and attracting young people back to their community. The following stories detail two successes in Atkinson when young adults returned. Investing in Rural Nebraska It was never his dream to move back to his hometown. So what brought him back to his roots? "The biggest part was familiar faces." Knowing the people around him helped Miles Garwood make the decision to return to Atkinson after only four years away. Miles grew up in Atkinson, graduating in 2002. He moved back in 2006 from Rapid City, where he attended the National American University (NAU) and received a degree in Business Finance. The Garwood family has been in the Atkinson area dating back to Miles' great-grandfather. Miles married Jena (Lien) Garwood in 2008. Jena works at West Holt Memorial Hospital in Atkinson. The couple enjoys the rural life very much. They have calves and horses on an acreage outside of Atkinson. Miles also serves on the Holt County Fair Board and the West Holt Memorial Hospital Foundation. Miles started the Atkinson office of Waddell and Reed, originally founded in 1937 in Kansas City, from scratch. The Atkinson Waddell and Reed office handles investments as well as life, health and long-term care insurance. Miles currently has clients in 13 states across the nation. As a college student, Miles served an internship with Waddell and Reed and was asked to become a licensed broker. He started working in Rapid City and soon realized that all his contacts were in Atkinson and other rural Nebraska areas. This inspired Miles to move back to Atkinson. He currently employs one other full time employee. What does Miles feel is his greatest company achievement? Simply stated, surviving! The current trend shows around a 90% dropout rate of new brokers. Miles is proud to be one of the 10% left standing. He greatly appreciates that people are willing to give him the ability to work for them especially through the tough stock market situation. Perseverance is the key! Craftsman Creek Studio and Gallery Travis Tobin is the owner of Craftsman Creek Studio and Gallery in Atkinson. Travis is from Winner, SD. Upon high school graduation he attended the University of South Dakota for two years and South Dakota State University for one year. After college, he started working construction for three years with his brother. He is married to Erin Tobin who is a Nurse Practitioner at West Holt Memorial Hospital in Atkinson. They have a son, Gus, who is almost 2 years old. Travis and Erin moved to Atkinson in October 2011. Travis and Erin enjoy the rural life, which they missed in Sioux Falls. They have found that the Atkinson community has been very welcoming and nice. Western Plains Design Studio was established in 1990 in Sioux Falls, SD. Owner/designer/craftsman Jerry Hauk relocated to Scottsbluff, NE in 1992. He spent nine years designing and building more than 2000 pieces of furniture. He moved back to Sioux Falls in 2001, where he established Craftsman Creek Studio and Gallery. Jerry continued to design and build free-form and organic furniture until November of 2010, when the business was turned over to Travis Tobin. Travis trained with Jerry for nearly three years, and the past two years completed the vast majority of the designing and building. Following his purchase of Craftsman Creek, Travis moved the business to Atkinson, NE, where he has opened his shop. He has hundreds of slabs for you to choose from to create your one of a kind furniture piece. Woodworking is at its finest at Craftsman Creek, where 95% of his work comes from custom orders and his work with designers. Many pieces have been sent to tourists across the nation. Travis creates a wide variety of furniture ranging from rocking chairs to tables to fire place mantels. He does admit that he doesn't find joy in building kitchen cabinets. Travis feels that the greatest accomplishment was the creation of a table for South Dakota Game Fish and Parks. It was made from a single slab of wood that had a 66 inch diameter and is now housed in Rapid City. Most of the wood inventory has been shipped from Sioux Falls but he has recently obtained some wood from a local tree service. Craftsman Creek is located at 107 South Main in Atkinson. The website is http://www.craftsmancreek.biz Articles reprinted with permission from the Holt County Economic Development Agency
	Heartland Hints Webinar Series Focuses on 5 Strategies for Active Economic Development Strategy No. 4: Capturing Outside Dollars The Heartland Center for Leadership Development invites you to participate in our newest offering of webinars entitled "Heartland Hints--Live Online Training for Busy People." This webinar series will covers Strategies for Active Economic Development. The next webinar will focus on the topic, Capturing Outside Dollars. Each webinar in this series lasts only 30 minutes, enough time to enjoy a lunch break while participating in an online learning atmosphere designed to allow participation through activities and peer learning. The Heartland Center has a 25-year history and is known as a leader in interactive workshop facilitation. Previous webinars have focused on board effectiveness, strengthening leadership, appreciative inquiry and myths about the future of small towns. The Center also trains other organizations to conduct their own interactive webinars. Registration is limited to the first 100 people who sign up, so register today! Each webinar cost $35.00 but if you purchase the final two for $70.00, you will receive links to the recordings from the previous three webinars. We appreciate your interest in this webinar series. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Kurt Mantonya. Get More Information and Register Invitation to Subscribe to the Community Development Society Vanguard newsletter: Free! The Community Development Society's (CDS) Vanguard newsletter is available for free to non-members. The e-newsletter not only contains information about CDS, but a timely feature called CDS UpFront that contains links to items of interest and resources for community developers. If you or your friends and colleagues are interested in subscribing, please send contact information to Lori Landry (lori@assnoffices.com). If you send the contact information of a friend or colleague, CDS will send an invitation letter to secure permission. You can view a copy of Vanguard at http://www.comm-dev.org/index.php/publications/vanguard A few of the best things in life are free, and this is one of them!
	About the Heartland Center The Heartland Center for Leadership Development is an independent nonprofit organization developing local leadership that responds to the challenges of the future. The Heartland Center is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska with a field office in Kerrville, Texas. Heartland Center for Leadership Development 3110 N. 40th St. Suite A Lincoln, NE 68504 (402) 474-7667 www.heartlandcenter.info