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2015 Breakthrough Solutions Conference
Our staff knows that summer is officially upon us when our calendar hits Dr. Mark Peterson‘s Breakthrough Solutions Conference. One of our favorite conferences to attend, Breakthrough Solutions aims to create 21st century communities and regions that are vibrant, sustainable, and resilient (echoing the Center’s work and making Mark a GREAT partner for our initiatives). The program is described as “an award-winning, next-generation strategic planning and development program of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service with partners in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.”
Known as a cutting-edge program in the field of community and economic development, the 2015 Breakthrough Solutions conference (and pre-conference focused on community branding) did not disappoint those in attendance. Every minute of Breakthrough Solutions enlightened, engaged, and informed – imagine an information highway running through participants heads at 70 mph. Our brains were so laden with new information at the end of each day we were owed an afternoon nap!
So, let’s dig into the nitty gritty of the conference starting at the beginning – the pre-conference workshop entitled “Fresh Thinking and Bold Action Through Branding Your Community.” The pre-conference was spear headed by branding expert Roger Brooks‘s “Developing an Economic Development Brand” video, Martin Thoma (Principal of Thoma Thoma), and Chip Culpepper (Principal of Mangan Holcomb Partners). Roger Brooks relayed the first golden nugget of information to attendees with the statement, “94 percent of people with access to the Internet are using it to determine where they should live, where they should visit, and where they should start a business.” Embracing this fact and understanding its impact on Arkansas communities is essential to successful community branding. Adding to that foundation, participants also needed to grasp that community brands are not completely composed by communities; there are already inside and outside perceptions set in place that impact community brands. These perceptions are driven by:
- Visual cues
- People and attitudes
- Word-of-mouth
- Social media and publicity
Roger Brooks also stressed to participants that they should NOT market every asset they have to their target audiences. Brooks pushed listeners to market what makes them DIFFERENT. He posed the question, “What is the one thing your community can provide to consumers that they can not get anywhere else or within driving distance elsewhere?” Another key to successful branding Brooks pointed out is to market a brand that is experiential because tourism is built on “things to do.”
Brooks’s video introduced participants to an overview of community branding and supplied a 13-step Branding Process. After the video ended, Martin Thoma gave a quick spiel over how brands work and why they work. Thoma stated that successful brands must follow U.S.A. (are unique, sustainable, and have a competitive advantage), must have gained loyalty from consumers, and are not a result, but a process.
Brooks and Thoma’s presentations helped get our branding juices flowing before entering the afternoon session where we split into groups to assist two Arkansas communities in a mini branding session. Our session was led by Thoma and concentrated on Cleveland County (the other session led by Culpepper focused on Perry County). Thoma led the group through the following process:
- Cleveland County reported on their fact-finding
- The county identified its target markets
- Our group and the county identified high potential branding themes
- The differentiating ideas were run through a feasibility test
- The group assisted the county in writing a brand promise – their brand story
- Cleveland County community leaders described their desired brand – what did they want to be known for in 10 years, and the brand promise – how will they deliver on that promise
- We discussed the potential look and feel of their brand
- Our group talked about their brand product bank and action plan
The pre-conference ended on a high note as our groups were filled with achievement as we wrapped up our branding assistance for both counties involved in the sessions. The day was a perfect blend of lecture and hands-on technical assistance.
The next morning kick-started a more in-depth look into what Breakthrough Solutions encompasses. Dell Gines, Senior Community Development Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, was introduced as the keynote speaker and was the first of the day to present. Gines began his speech fast and hard, delving into the current state of community and economic development. He posed the question, “If industrial education and economic development activities were popular in the past, but are now ineffective, how do we change to support small businesses and entrepreneurs?” He pointed out that we as economic developers need to change the conversation away from industrial attraction to small business creation, support, and entrepreneurial education. Gone are the days of gaining “big business” on a large level.
Gines also pushed rural communities to funnel their energy into small business creation, retention, and expansion. He stated that as population severely increases, big business increases, but as population stays fairly stagnant or decreases, small business increases. He urged, “We shoot ourselves in the foot when we marginalize small or micro businesses; they are what gives a community a sense of place and distinction.”
On a community level, Gines asked the audience, “Why does one community survive and the other does not?” The answer: leadership. Attendees had to think about the diversity of their leadership: age, race, gender, culture, values, etc. Gines also communicated the “5 C’s of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem:” capital, connection, capability, culture, and climate. All five C’s need to intersect to create a successful business owner in any given community.
Gines left participants with Federal Reserve resources that can be found here and information about the “Grow Your Own” guide.
Next up on the agenda was the “Ignite Session,” an interesting presentation style in which presenters are given five minutes to give their presentation and then the audience votes on which presentation they most enjoyed. Chris East with Cromwell Architects Engineers spoke about “Pop Up In The Rock,” a community development initiative that focuses on enhancing local city areas with underdeveloped potential. Britt Talent, editor of the Cleveland County Herald, presented Rison’s homesteading initiatives and talked about the Arkansas Homesteading Conference held in Rison. Then came Jerry Smith, President and CEO of the Morrilton Chamber of Commerce, who discussed Morrilton’s FUN committee – a committee that doesn’t focus on the “work” model of volunteering, but instead on a “fun” model to make volunteering an enjoyable, leisure time activity. Next up was Lamont Cornwell, Executive Director of Saline County Economic Development, to share Saline 2020, a visioning process and strategic plan for Saline county. Carla Vaught with the Polk County Cooperative Extension presented “Google, Banners, and Bears,” a report on how the city of Mena is learning, growing, and bettering itself. Our close friend Jon Chadwell, Director of the Newport Economic Development Commission, was the next presenter. Chadwell shared “New Vision Newport,” a leadership program developed by the Newport Chamber of Commerce that is designed to build team work, teach leadership skills, provide participants with community education, service opportunities, and results in creating the future leaders of Newport. The final presenter was Martie North of Simmons First National Bank. North talked about her journey as President of the Friends of Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and discussed with attendees how to build a board to make things happen.
Though each presentation seemed to be over in a millisecond, each was packed with rich and applicable information. It was tough to pick which presentation was the best, but when the votes were in the winner was (drum roll please)…. Britt Talent with Rison! Talent took the audience through a crash course on homesteading (an extremely unique way Rison has harnessed its assets to distinguish itself from other cities throughout Arkanas).
The man of the day, Dr. Mark Peterson, presented “Building Your Community’s Future Through Fresh Thinking and Bold Action” after the “Ignite Session” ended. Peterson combined lecture with interaction (REAL interaction, including asking the audience to stand up and touch their toes) to get the blood flowing before lunch. He began by presenting the audience with key questions about their communities such as: “Is the economic base of your community and region on solid ground,” “Do community leaders have a shared vision of the future of your community in the global economy,” “Is your community perceived by people outside your community as having a high quality of life and place,” and “Does your community/region have a pipeline of entrepreneurs who can and do start businesses?” He suggested creating an asset map to highlight differentiating factors in communities throughout the state and stressed the importance of:
- Maintaining momentum
- Harnessing balance and team work
- Challenging your community
- Avoiding distractions
- Realizing opportunities
Peterson left attendees with his keys to a successful community which revolved around leveraging assets, sharing the same vision, and displaying measurable results.
After lunch, the 2015 Breakthrough Solutions conference took an interesting turn – instead of experts in the field, we were exposed to high school aged, up and coming community leaders. Students from North Little Rock High School and Harrison High School shared their difference making community projects they developed through EAST programs. The North Little Rock students created the NLR Community Farm. The farm is run by students with the assistance of their facilitator and brings the community and school together. The NLR Community Farm is such a success it is impacting the student population in a big way; the food collected from the farm now goes to children in need within the district and helps educate students on healthy eating.
The Harrison students started their project by identifying a problem in the city of Harrison – specifically, a branding problem. The students recognized that Harrison, recognized as the home of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), was perceived as a racist community to many outsiders. They wanted to combat this negative image by sharing the real, accepting Harrison community with the outside world. The students launched a hashtag campaign, #IamHarrison, that went viral state-wide. The campaign created positive change and helped to break those negative perceptions.
After various breakout sessions (our team attended “Growing Entrepreneurs in Your Community” and “Engaging the Millennials in Your Community”), Breakthrough Solutions 2015 came to a close.
Upon completing this blog post, the magnitude of information packed into those two short days really hit me – my brain has once again become exhausted, but reliving the experience was well worth it. We can say with full certainty that the conference 100% completed its purpose, “to provide community and regional leaders with insights, tools, and solutions that they can use to create communities that are vibrant, sustainable, and resilient.”
Until next time, we tip our *virtual* hat to you and urge you to keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!
Clarksville First Impressions Tour
If you have ever heard a member of our team use the word “FIT” we aren’t pushing you to go to the gym and sweat – we’re referring to a program we offer that focuses on the well-being and health of your community. FIT stands for First Impressions Tour; a service we offer that allows you to see your community through the eyes of an outsider.
A FIT provides you with an unbiased view of your community’s strengths and weaknesses by conducting an in-depth assessment of your community’s online presence, physical, social, and economic infrastructures. The information we gather is congregated into an easily digestible booklet that can be shared among the leaders in your community. The culmination of our work are “Next Steps” (suggestions that provide general direction for future community development efforts) identified by our team. If desired, a presentation of the findings can be delivered to community leaders.
We have previously completed First Impressions Tours in both Mulberry (our pilot FIT) and Greenwood (who we are now working with to develop a Business Retention & Expansion Program). Our most recent FIT was completed in Clarksville. During our presentation to community leaders we summarized our assessment of the city and delivered our suggested “Next Steps” to them. A summary of our findings is as follows:
Clarksville is a city that has experienced enormous growth in the last 15 years. This growth has left the town with great promise and potential opportunities to capabilities on.
The commercial and industrial climate in Clarksville is very strong when compared to cities of similar size. Clarksville has a well-established manufacturing base and is home to a large distribution center. This level of current industry, combined with Clarksville’s position along I-40 and Highway 64 positions the city for strong future economic growth. Clarksville’s small businesses have equally benefited from the city’s position along major traffic corridors. The city is filled with numerous, diverse small businesses, some of which have been in operation for over three generations.
The downtown area of Clarksville has a strong historic feel, and many local small businesses. Many of the city’s residential areas also benefit from historic architecture, and housing in Clarksville is affordable and the city has a diverse set of residential areas whether an individual is looking to rent or buy.
Clarksville is home to a strong school district and one of the best private regional colleges in the South. Capitalizing upon these assets could be central goal for the city in the near future.
During our time in Clarksville, our team identified that the first impression that Clarksville gives a visitor is one of two cities. The development directly around the interstate is very strong from a commercial perspective, but there is opportunity to connect that development with the residential charm and downtown feel of the city’s core business district. Working to establish a consistent identity that balances Clarksville’s economic promise, with its small town charm, and its proximity to some of the best outdoor recreation in Arkansas will be a worthy challenge for community leaders in the years to come.
Our presentation and the full assessment went into much greater detail, but we won’t bore you with specifics – we just wanted to give you a general idea of what a First Impressions Tour entails.
The FIT was such a success, Clarksville community leaders were happy to share their thoughts with us. Travis Stephens, CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer of the Clarksville-Johnson County Regional Chamber of Commerce, stated, “The First Impressions Tour was a highly effective tool in helping our citizens discover how to better market their community. It allows residents the opportunity to walk in the shoes of a visitor and to understand how to enhance and really maximize an outsider’s overall experience while visiting their community.”
Want to know what first impression your community makes to an outsider? If so, a First Impressions Tour might be the right “FIT” (yes – we just did that) for you! If you are interested in learning more about a First Impressions Tour go here or if you want to request a tour in your community go here.
2015 Arkansas Rural Development Conference
One of our favorite conferences to attend is the Arkansas Rural Development Conference (ARDC) hosted by the Arkansas Department of Rural Services. Since our target audience at the Center is small to mid-sized community leaders, this conference always opens new doors for us within the state (which is especially handy with all the new elected officials making their mark in Arkansas municipalities this year). As an exhibitor and sponsor of ARDC 2015, our team met Arkansas leaders from every corner of the state including mayors, county judges, city administrators, police chiefs, city council members, state agency employees, non-profit leaders, and a variety of others. We were able to rub shoulders, shake hands, spread the good word of the Center and the Community Development Institute (CDI) to potential future partners, and learn a few things along the way. By the end of the three daylong conference, we were rendered exhausted – but in a good way!
Though “Exhibitor Life” has its perks (NETWORKING!), we did miss out on quite a few intriguing sessions, but our team was able to attend two.
The first session we were able to sit in on was “Session 5: Political Roundtable” held on Tuesday, May 20. This session was especially helpful because we got a glimpse into the minds of several prominent state legislators on the upcoming special session called by the governor and their opinions on several other hot topics. Topics discussed included moving the Arkansas primary to March 1, restructuring government agencies, the issuance of bonds for “super projects,” funding for Arkansas infrastructure (most prominent: funding for highways), the future of the Private Option, tax cuts, and the transformational Criminal Justice Reform Act.
The other session we attended was “Session 6: Workforce Readiness.” Two pieces of important information that came out of this session included two key programs: the ACT Work Ready Community program and Career Readiness Certification provided by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services. As stated on their website, “The ACT Work Ready Communities (WRC) empowers states, regions, and counties with data, process, and tools that drive economic growth. Participants are leveraging the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC™) to measure and close the skills gap — and building common frameworks that link, align and match their workforce development efforts.” The Career Readiness Certification is described as “a portable credential based upon the WorkKeys® assessments that demonstrates to employers that an individual possesses the basic workplace skills required for 21st century jobs.
Getting a CRC will allow an individual to show prospective employers that he or she possesses the basic skills they are looking for.” Both programs are free of charge to participants.
A learning experience in and of itself was the final agenda item for ARDC 2015 – the Governor’s Luncheon and Awards Ceremony. All those in attendance had the privilege to hear Governor Asa Hutchinson speak about the upcoming special session and the importance of the agenda items that will be discussed. In connection to the theme of rural Arkansas, Governor Hutchinson also left the audience with fundamental advantages of rural communities (originally outlined by Diane Smith of The New Rural). These advantages include: high speed broadband internet access (which Governor Hutchinson called a “necessity and must”), availability of Telehealth, opportunity to capitalize on distance learning, and the rising availability of financial capital for entrepreneurs and innovators. Governor Hutchinson also made a point to relay to the audience that all high schools in Arkansas will offer computer science courses to capitalize on those advantages and the importance of technology as Arkansas continues to progress.
Following the lead of the wrap up of the conference, we would like to wrap up this blog post by congratulating all of the Arkansas Rural Development Conference grantees and the 2015 Rural Advocate of the Year Sam E. Angel (and Arkansas Department of Rural Services Director Alex Johnston and AEDC Deputy Director Amy Fecher for coordinating such an excellent conference)!
Effective Collaboration at the Local Level
The concept of collaboration seems very straightforward. The term has gained a great deal of traction among community and economic developers as organizations and cities seek to build upon existing networks to accomplish initiatives; however, in practice, effective collaboration at the local level consistently presents challenges. As organizations, local governments, and community leaders seek to adjust to the new normal of ever tightening resources, a regional approach to community initiatives will be necessary.
Any regional initiative will require the collaboration of multiple parties. As a result, effective collaboration at the local level is now more important than ever. Successful collaborative approaches must be able to recognize that collaborative efforts are a complex process that involves connecting the unique motivations of various organizations with a clear common goal. People often cannot agree on what it means to collaborate. This confusion is one of the most common challenges that face cities when working collaboratively. The concept of collaboration is intuitive, but the process at the local level is complex. This complexity is due in part to the nature of community and economic development.
Collaborative approaches can differ based upon what perspective a group is taking. For example, a more sociological perspective might be used by groups working on a community development initiative; these groups would emphasize a collaborative process that is based heavily upon equality and shared decision making with outcomes that seek to build awareness and better community relationships. In contrast, economic development initiatives often utilize a more business minded perspective of collaboration focused heavily upon maximizing resources for increased profit or to market an area to broader audience for business attraction.
Effective collaborative efforts at the local level must be able to bridge these two perspectives. Collaborators must seek to build relationships, maximize resources, and bring various organizations together toward a common goal. For this process to take place, local leaders must also recognize the motivations of the organizations they are seeking to work with. Most community organizations listen to the same radio station: WIIFM (What’s in it for me?). Whether you are working with state organizations, city government representatives, private businesses, nonprofits, or community-based organizations, each group is going to have unique motivations. Understanding these differing motivations and being able to connect those motivations to a common goal can lead to successful relationships and successful collaborative efforts. A common link between these organizations is the desire to maximize resources. With the consistent pressure of limited resources and the push to work on a regional level, the necessity to collaborate becomes clearer.
“Effective collaboration at the local level” by CCED Assistant Director Josh Markham was originally published in the Arkansas Municipal League’s May 2015 publication of City & Town.
Josh Markham, PCED, is assistant director of UCA’s Center for Community and Economic Development. CCED’s mission is to have a positive impact on communities by equipping leaders with economic tools and resources, building consensus to achieve community goals, and bringing UCA resources and communities together.
Contact Josh here if you have any questions.
Faulkner County Economic Development Boot Camp
On May 8, 2015, the Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) held the first ever Faulkner County Economic Development Boot Camp. The Boot Camp, modeled after our premiere community and economic development training program the Community Development Institute (CDI), was created to support recovery efforts in Faulkner County and to give back to our community. Faulkner County elected officials, community leaders (from Vilonia, Mayflower, and Greenbrier), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff members, and other representatives from state government agencies involved in Faulkner County projects were invited to the event. The unique training opportunity was held at UCA’s Brewer Hegeman Conference Center and was free of charge to participants.
The Faulkner County Economic Development Boot Camp covered topics such as Economic Development 101, Marketing and Branding, Community Development Musts, The Role of the Local Official in Economic Development, Business Retention and Expansion, Site Selection, and all community leaders participated in a scenario planning simulation. Upon completion of the Boot Camp, participants were awarded a Certificate of Completion signed by UCA President Tom Courtway and Continuing Education Units awarded by UCA.
A boot camp is defined as “a short but very difficult training program : a program or situation that helps people become much better at doing something in a short period of time” by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. True to it’s name, the Faulkner County Economic Development Boot Camp can only be described as rigorous. Participants were in for a roller coaster ride of information and interaction.
First up was Jon Chadwell, who spoke to participants about Economic Development 101 and Marketing and Branding. Jon spoke about the “Confluence of Economic Development,” or what pieces in a community need to flow together to create a successful economic development environment. He identified six sectors of a community that need to be unitedly strong:
- Economic – What is going on in your economic environment? Be aware.
- Community – Why would a business/company pick your community to locate in? What things are there to do?
- Workforce – Can you supply a skilled and educated workforce? What training programs are available at local high schools, colleges, and other facilities?
- Leadership – Do you have a broad leadership base? Intentionally think about diversity in your leadership roles; think about your future leaders.
- Capital – Have people in your community invested in your community? Encourage investment.
- Infrastructure – Do you have access to all the essentials for a new business to build in your town: electricity, water, sewer, roads, Internet, etc.?
Jon went on to discuss the essentials of marketing and branding communities. He pushed participants to remember that their community is their product and they are marketing it to three distinct audiences: partners (state agencies, other communities), internal (local government, residents, community organizations), and external (new businesses, industry, tourism, and potential new residents). To effectively reach these audiences and connect with them, communities must have something to sell, identify it, and be able to point out what is unique and different about their community.
The Boot Camp’s second speaker was Steve Jones. Steve discussed Community Development Musts with participants and implored them to remember, “PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING!” When someone new arrives in a community (whether they be a passerby, visitor, new resident, or potential new business) their opinion and perception will be shaped by what they see. So you don’t want them to see this, this, this, or this. Instead, community leaders should create a community environment that instills positive thoughts and associates those thoughts with a major attraction(s). Such as Eureka Springs and The Great Passion Play or the city’s abundant night life. Steve’s “Musts” ended with insights into residential, industrial, office, commercial, downtown, and tourism development.
Being the Building & Sites Coordinator for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC), Steve ended his presentation with site selection prospect readiness. The major themes during this section of the Boot Camp were the need for competitive advantage and being in-tune with community data sets and statistics. Participants interested in learning in-depth details about site selection were encouraged to participate in AEDC’s Prospect Readiness Education Program (PREP).
During a much needed lunch break (A.K.A. energy revival), participants heard from Amy Whitehead who quickly covered “Top 10 Things Elected Officials Should Know About Economic Development” and Jamie Gates who led an open forum about the future of Faulkner County economic development efforts.
The day ended on a high note as participants split into teams to engage in “The Futures Game: Midwest USA.” The Futures Game allowed participants to explore decision making, and to better understand their own leadership and decision making styles. The game created an enjoyable and challenging environment for engagement and participation in discussions about the future.
Though participants may have experienced information overload during the full day of training, we’re positive that the event was a success and that participants learned a lot and enjoyed themselves (we even discussed creating an annual Boot Camp – stay tuned!). Before we allowed participants to kick off their weekends, we snapped a group photo – what a good looking bunch!
If you’re interested in working with us to create a training event similar to the Faulkner County Economic Development Boot Camp for your community, we would love to hear from you. Click the links to learn more about other types of Training and Technical Assistance we offer.
The Summit 2015
CCED Director Amy Whitehead and Assistant Director Josh Markham presented at The Summit 2015 on April 30. At the 40th annual conference, Amy and Josh led a large group of non-profit, volunteer, and philanthropy leaders through their presentation “Effective, Action Oriented Collaboration Techniques.” The session focused on the critical collaborations and partnerships between non-profits and other organizations. The pair stressed to those in attendance that effective collaboration relies on setting an agenda that demonstrates a clear plan of action and motivates everyone involved to stay engaged. They outlined techniques for setting an action-oriented agenda when collaborating with others, and provided examples of important lessons learned from past collaborative efforts.
The highlighted discussion points included: the definition of collaboration, why collaboration is necessary, how to complete a stakeholder analysis, and a discussion of barriers and momentum killers.
Josh broke down collaboration to this simple definition: the process of a group of equals working together toward a common goal. He then went on to discuss that collaboration is necessary because “with limited resources, the need to work together becomes more urgent.” As we all know, none of us have unlimited resources, but if we partner with the right people, we can supplement what we don’t have through those partnerships. Josh also outlined that collaboration occurs best when trust exists between each party, all parties work together toward a common goal, everyone is working together on equal terms (AKA everyone completes what actions they are responsible for), and the relationship is mutually beneficial.
Amy encouraged participants think about a situation when they were attempting to bring a community together to push an initiative forward. After discussing different scenarios, she pointed out lessons learned concerning stakeholders:
1) It’s easy to leave someone out.
2) Different stakeholders will play different roles in the process.
3) Many people have a stake in your efforts.
4) Without getting the right people to your table, you might miss an opportunity to leverage resources, push away key players, duplicate efforts, or spend a lot of time educating key players on the back end of your project.
Barriers and momentum killers was the last topic to be covered. Participants shared personal barriers and momentum killers that made past and current projects bumpy. The majority of the discussion focused on the most common ones: commitment with no timeline, unclear expectations related to the mission of the project and/or the role of collaborators, an initiative that has no champion or the wrong champion, allowing perfection get in the way of something good, fear of moving forward without unanimous agreement, and all talk – no action.
With a little help and energy boost from Kid President, plus shameless plugs for the Community Development Institute and CCED, Amy and Josh’s presentation ended in a standing ovation (okay, maybe not a standing ovation, but there was an abundance of clapping). All in all, for a presentation that our team expected 10 people to attend (there were actually around 25 in attendance; yes, we did run out of hand outs), “Effective, Action Oriented Collaboration Techniques” was a huge success!
If you want to learn more about “Effective, Action Oriented Collaboration Techniques” or if you would like our team to speak at your event, please reach out to us.
Welcome!
Our CCED team is excited to venture into the blogging community!
The CCED blog will be our newest tool to effectively and easily communicate our activities to followers, stakeholders, partners, and UCA students and employees. We want all of our readers to be shotgun during our adventures around the great state of Arkansas (and we’d also like you to come along for the ride when we venture outside the borders of our home territory). This blog will cover topics such as trainings, community projects, student involvement, interesting day-to-day activities of our staff, and relevant community and economic development news.
To shape the future of Arkansas communities we believe that our mission is to equip leaders with economic tools and resources, build consensus to achieve community goals, and to bring UCA resources and communities together. We see this blog as an additional way to attain our mission.
If you have questions or comments about our posts; don’t be shy! Shoot us a message because we would love nothing more than to strike up a conversation with you. We hope to hear from you soon!