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Crowdfunding for the Community

By Shelby Fiegel

Article originally published in the Arkansas Municipal League Association- Autumn 2023 edition.

Identifying funding for community projects tends to hover at the very top of our needs when developing plans to make our communities better places to live, work and play. While there are multiple ways to fund local development efforts (public and private funding, grants, loans, fundraising, etc.), a relatively new concept is crowdfunding.

You may have heard the term before but not known what crowdfunding is. Crowdfunding harnesses the power of social networks and the internet to give people
the means to raise funds, help others overcome hardship and meet aspirational goals. Crowdfunding activates small donations that add up to big impacts. According
to personal finance company Nerdwallet, $17.2 billion is generated yearly through crowdfunding in North America. There were 6,455,080 worldwide crowdfunding campaigns last year, and successful crowdfunding campaigns have raised $28,656 on average.

Crowdfunding can not only be used to support individuals and organizations, but communities as well. Crowdfunding projects can focus on diverse spaces like
infrastructure, recreation, workforce development, education, downtown development, beautification and more. One organization with a unique approach to  community crowdfunding is ioby (ioby.org). The nonprofit’s name stands for “in our backyards,” and the organization strives to give local leaders the ability to crowdfund the resources they need to build real, lasting change from the ground up. The platform helps connect local leaders with support and funding from their communities to make neighborhoods sustainable, healthier, greener, livable and fun.

“With crowdfunding, you don’t need huge donations to get to your goal, you just need a strong community that’s willing to support your idea,” said ioby Match
Programs Director Miriam Parson. “Successful crowdfunding campaigns are funded by neighbors, friends, family, local businesses and others who would love to see your project brought to life.”

If you’re interested in crowdfunding a community project, ioby suggests the following:

Build Your Team, Plan Your Asks—This is no time to go it alone! Be strategic in assembling your fundraising dream team. Consider developing a team of three or
four committed individuals. Be intentional in creating a diverse team. You will need your team to work together to make the right asks of the right people at the right time.

Plan Your Story—What will convince someone to support your campaign? There are five things every good story needs: Keep it personal, keep it focused, show the big picture, be an authority and make it dramatic.

Plan to Get the Word Out—Shout it from the rooftops! A well-planned campaign builds urgency and keeps telling the story over time. When getting the word out, plan to share an initial announcement that sets the stage for the campaign and introduces your ask to potential donors. Celebrate your milestones, such as when you hit 50 percent raised. Thank donors as contributions come in and continue to nudge others gently. Always include your deadline as the campaign winds down to create urgency.

Donors Must Be Asked—Donors must be directly asked to give. You will not get much if any traction by asking “anonymously,” such as through social media posts or other mass communication. Get as one-on-one as possible. Donors are more likely to give if they have a relationship with the person asking, a connection with the place, or if it’s an issue they have experienced.

You can learn more about building a successful campaign at ioby.org/leader-toolkit/Overview or submit your idea today at ioby.org/idea.

The Walton Family Foundation is partnering with ioby on a new funding opportunity in northwest Arkansas. Donations are being matched up to $15,000 for projects that leverage or improve public spaces in Benton and Washington counties that are led by residents or small local nonprofits. Interested citizens and organizations can learn more at ioby.org/NWA.

One of the first organizations to leverage this opportunity was the Music Education Initiative (MEI) in Fayetteville. MEI plans to host an immersive walkthrough replica of a Delta juke joint. The project will increase the community’s exposure and access to the arts in exciting new ways, including live music, a meeting lace, programming developed for the conservation, historical preservation, history, perspective and understanding of the Delta Blues.

“I am excited to be a participant in the northwest Arkansas neighborhood match program,” said MEI Executive Director and Co-founder Orson C. Weems. “The  program has been well received by the donors that I spoke with to support us in this program. ioby has been very attentive in making sure that we used tips and  testimonials, to tell our story to receive support for our campaign. I highly recommend that others utilize this program.”

Though this unique match funding opportunity is only available in northwest Arkansas, any community in our state can utilize the ioby platform (or other  crowdfunding sites) to start their own campaign aimed at creating positive change at the local level.

Posted in: Article, CCED, Uncategorized on November 3, 2023

Destination Downtown 2022- Our Biggest Takeaways

During September 15-16th, CCED Assistant Director Dylan Edgell and Project Coordinator Michael Hudson attended the Destination Downtown in North Little Rock, AR. While there, they attended informative panels, listened to engaging speakers, strengthened existing partnerships, and built new ones with economic developers from Louisiana and Mississippi.

Both Dylan and Michael on their time at the conference and here are their main takeaways:

From Dylan:

My biggest takeaway from Destination Downtown 2022 was from Stephen Luoni’s presentation titled “Main Street: Not Just a Collection of Facades, but an Urban Ecosystem”. Luoni is the Director of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center and his views on urban design, placemaking, and community design were incredibly interesting and had me hopeful for the future of cities in Arkansas by looking at what we had in the past.

The most interesting parts for me were when Luoni showed historic photos and maps from major cities in Arkansas including Little Rock, Fort Smith, and Pine Bluff to show how dense the downtown areas and neighborhoods around the downtown areas were. That density allowed for a thriving downtown economic infrastructure, including a robust network of railcars and trolleys that could serve people living, working, and enjoying the downtown area. There were photos of Downtown Little Rock in 1910 that showed huge multi-use buildings and multiple trolley tracks for a town of only 45,000 at the time.

Currently, most zoning codes do not allow for the type of dense development that could help build back downtown areas but many cities and towns across the United States are responding to this issue by changing or adding flexibility to their zoning codes. It was sad to see the changes in downtown areas in Arkansas and the type of urbanism that we had at the turn of the century, but it makes me hopeful because if we’ve done it before we can do it again. 

 

From Michael:

The session that captured my attention the most at Destination Downtown 2022 was The Grumpy Rabbit: A Homemade Recipe for Hometown Success by a panel of speakers that included Ryan Biles, Gina Wiertelak, Natalie Biles, Stacey Breezeel, Brantley Snipes, and Will Staley. Perhaps it was due to me running late and not eating breakfast that morning that really sparked my interest in listening to how a restaurant was created during COVID; but, what really drew me in was listening to how the brand was created, the amount of work that was required to gather public support, a license to sell alcohol, the renovations, and countless other things that would’ve stopped anyone else from opening the restaurant. 

The Grumpy Rabbit is located in the beautiful historic downtown district of Lonoke, Arkansas. The building itself dates back to 1905 and has been completely renovated to include as much of the original wood inside as possible. That within itself faced issues due to COVID-19 impacting construction, workers, supplies, and more. However, the Grumpy Rabbit team continued hopping forward. By partnering with Thrive, Inc. the Grumpy Rabbit owners, Gina and Jim Wiertelak were able to focus on how they would create an environment that is welcoming to all while Thrive focused on the branding and interior design. 

The Grumpy Rabbit faced another challenge by trying to obtain a license to sell alcoholic drinks in a dry county. While facing the usual critics, The Grumpy Rabbit had to be innovative in how they would market themselves as fine dining instead of as a sports bar, as the rumors stated they would be. By consulting a Little Rock attorney, they were able to determine that by purchasing a non-profit business they then would be able to sell alcoholic beverages in their restaurant. It was incredibly uplifting to hear how a rural town implemented positive change into a community through a restaurant.  

 

Posted in: Uncategorized on September 22, 2022

Guest Blog: Intermodal Freight Transport and Transloading – A Brief Overview

The following blog post is written by guest blogger, Dr. Michael S. Yoder.

Followers of business and economic media, especially that which is oriented toward transportation, are likely to encounter the term “intermodal” on a daily basis.  The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with notable disruptions in production supply chains and in shipments of raw materials and finished goods, shedding light on the role of intermodal freight transport.  Furthermore, the Ever Given, the giant container ship that ran aground in the Suez Canal in late March 2021, blocking all shipment through the canal for several days, has attracted the attention of economic developers interested in the vulnerabilities of global shipments of manufactured goods, components, parts, and even crops and raw materials that involve intermodal or transload activities at some point. In short, the transfer of cargo from one shipping mode to another remains crucial despite the pandemic-related global economic downturn.

As a starting point, I will briefly define and describe intermodal freight transport and a related concept, transload activity.  In its simplest form, intermodal shipping is the movement of freight by two or more transportation modes: truck, ship, rail, or aircraft. All too often, however, the term is loosely used.  The most widely accepted definition refers specifically to the transfer of shipping containers, and yet, the transfer between different transport modes of bulk cargoes not shipped in containers, referred to as transloading, is often included among examples of intermodal shipping. The imprecise mixing of concepts is done mostly for the purposes of promoting a given transfer facility, or a highway that might link up with one or more rail lines.   Bulk cargoes include steel coils, rods and bars, grains, timber and pulp, sand, fertilizers, and “aggregates” which are construction materials like asphalt and gravel.  These loads are often transferred between barge, truck or rail, but such processes technically do not constitute intermodal shipments when no shipping containers are involved.

I first became interested in the topic of intermodal facilities while researching cargo transport infrastructure in the Fort Smith area and in the interior of Mexico.  In both cases I was interested in ways, either currently existing or planned, that these places link up with maritime ports and other larger transshipment centers. In the Mexican case, such facilities in San Luís Potosí, Silao (in the State of Guanajuato), and Monterrey are referred to as “puertos secos” (“dry ports”) and are regarded as important cargo handling sites that expand the reach of maritime container ports such as Altamira and Veracruz on the Gulf Coast, and Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas on the Pacific Coast.  Those three dry ports function in much the same way as interior intermodal facilities in Chicago/Joliet, Dallas/Fort Worth, Memphis, Kansas City, and Charlotte, which transfer containers between rail and trucks, and ultimately link to large maritime ports such as Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Savannah, and Norfolk. Upon researching the proposed “Ports-to-Plains” cargo corridor that is expected to link Mexico to Canada via West Texas and the Great Plains, I found that in the promotion of the corridor, stakeholders boast of “intermodal facilities” along the corridor.  I found, however, that only the border city of Laredo has the crane infrastructure, or “intermodal ramp,” to efficiently handle containers. The rest of the facilities along the corridor where truck and rail interface enable the transfer of bulk cargoes rather than containers. Such transload facilities of West Texas along Ports-to-Plains are located in Lubbock, Big Spring, and San Angelo, all three of which provide public-sector support for the facilities.

Photo by Dr. Yoder – a rail transload facility in Gonzales, TX

In Arkansas, most facilities that transfer cargo between different modes are adjacent or close to navigable rivers.  The Arkansas River ports of Van Buren, Fort Smith, Little Rock and Pine Bluff transfer bulk cargoes between barge and either rail or truck.  The only true functioning intermodal facility in the state is the large (600 acre) inland port at Marion, immediately west of Memphis, where containers are transferred between truck and rail. Port Little Rock has the capability to transfer containers between barge and either rail or truck, but that market does not yet exist. The facility is one of the largest in the state to handle bulk cargoes. Several stakeholders in transportation and economic development in the Fort Smith Metropolitan Area are actively trying to expand the handling capabilities of barges in Van Buren to include containers, and to transfer them between barge and either truck or rail.  I am told that years ago an intermodal ramp where containers were lifted by cranes to streamline cargo handling between rail and trucks, was operated by Kansas City Southern Railroad and located just west of the Oklahoma state line near Sallisaw, but it had been removed for insufficient demand, to the disappointment of economic developers and shippers desiring intermodal capabilities in western Arkansas.  To be successful, an expansion of the local cargo transport system to handle containers will require a high enough volume transported each year.  Time (and economic impact studies) will tell whether the large corporations of Northwest Arkansas can provide enough container traffic to sustain an intermodal facility, as proponents of the expanded Van Buren site expect.

Why would intermodal shipping, transloading, interior (dry) ports and related topics be of interest to economic developers and related stakeholders?  Site selectors continually emphasize that one of the first questions asked about localities under consideration for investment relates to transportation connectivity and infrastructure.  Many companies require that two or more transportation modes intersect close by.  The movements of bulk cargoes are maintaining their pre-pandemic momentum, in large part because of expected increases in construction, including the transport infrastructure touted by the Biden Administration.  The boom in e-commerce and goods shipped by containers will likely remain, which may very well result in new intermodal ramps to enhance linkages of the country’s interior with maritime container ports.  But the threshold number of containers necessary to sustain an intermodal facility is high, so such facilities tend to be spread out.    According to transport media, industrial park development is expected to expand in places close to both types of facilities to a greater extent as the economy recovers.  Communities seeking to propel their economic development ought to take note.

Dr. Michael S. Yoder
Research Fellow, Department of Geography and the Environment,
University of Texas at Austin;
Retired Associate Professor of Geography, UCA

Posted in: CCED, Guest Post, Uncategorized on May 18, 2021

Public-private partnership helps Jefferson County transform community services

The following post originally appeared as an article in the December 2020 issue of Arkansas Municipal League’s publication City and Town.

Jefferson County recently gained statewide attention thanks to a new public-private funding partnership between the county government and The P3 Group, Inc (P3). The largest needs of the community were voiced during a quorum court hearing early last year. The conditions of the Jefferson County Health Department, Coroner and Veterans Services were described as “hazardous, moldy, malfunctioning and unsafe” by Justice of the Peace Brenda Gaddy, Angela Parker from the Health Unit and several employees of Veterans Services.

County employees feared roof collapse and experienced upper respiratory infections. Customers avoided utilizing county services as the buildings were in disrepair. County Judge Gerald Robinson began the process of applying for a grant through the Arkansas Department of Health to update these buildings, which led to a partnership with P3.

What is The P3 Group?
The P3 Group, Inc., founded in 2013, is a minority owned, international real estate development and consulting firm. Their goal is to create public-private partnerships with government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Their process includes structured acquisitions through sales and leasebacks that turn high-interest, short-term real estate loans into long-term, tax-exempt, low-interest financed projects.

According to CEO Dee Brown, the two most important and beneficial parts of the funding plan include transferring the front-end financial risks away from the public and onto the private side through P3 and local partnerships, and eliminating the need for the county to pledge full faith and credit to the transaction, meaning the county isn’t required to vote on a bond issue for the project. This expedites the entire process because the partnership manages all financial burden and can proceed without waiting for a voting cycle.

That is the key for The P3 Group and their funding model—finding the financial support through local partners and contractors, managing the risks and targets of the community, and providing efficient guidance through the construction, architecture and engineering of top-of-the-line project sites.

Jefferson County and P3
The Jefferson County Quorum Court in July met and approved the P3 Group ordinance. The ordinance allows a $14 million lease agreement between P3 and the county, with the goal of completing new facilities for the Health Department, Veterans Services and County
Coroner. Within 84 days of the ordinance’s passage, the P3 Group was able to deliver the site acquisition, engineering, design and financing for the three facilities with a price tag of $14.3 million and a one-year time frame.

Garnering community support for this large project was crucial, Brown said. “There was an overwhelming
show of support from everyone, especially veterans and health care workers.”

This support was also evident in the organizations and key players that joined in the private funding side. Simmons Bank pledged $1 million to support the Health Department and the Veterans Services office. The Quapaw Nation along with the Saracen Casino pledged to pay for all the furniture, fixtures and equipment for the Health Department. Another $40,000 pledge was made by Relyance Bank for the Health Department.

“It’s not just building physical structures,” Brown said, “but rather providing life-changing experiences for the entire community.”

When The P3 Group develops a partnership with a municipality it not only provides jobs through the use of local subcontractors, but also focuses on developing a personal connection with citizens throughout the process, she said.

The partnership
The success of this process largely relies on county officials. As evidenced in the quorum court hearing, the Jefferson County government proved their full faith and confidence in both the P3 Group and its citizens. The most important step is having confidence and cooperation with the county, because there are a lot of processes that must go through those officials first, Brown said.

According to Brown, communities that benefit most from this kind of partnership are those that have not had major projects delivered recently and require a boost to find funding, a key skill of P3. A public-private partnership can be a catalyst for any municipality that seeks to develop their community. It provides not only a helping hand in project building, but a long-lasting positive impact on the entire community.

For additional information on The P3 Group, visit www.thep3groupinc.com

By Andrey Archer

Posted in: Uncategorized on May 4, 2021

CCED Intern Introduction: Marquette Stricklen

I’m Marquette Stricklen a senior here at the University of Central Arkansas. I am a Public Administration major and Sociology minor. I am a native of Forrest City, Arkansas. I am so excited to work with the Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED). I look forward to the professional development and the connections I’ll make. I am grateful for the opportunity to see the everyday operations and interactions between the CCED and community members. I am ready to learn the ropes of community development and how effect the CCED is to the Conway and surrounding areas community.

In the future I plan to work in the non-profit sector and one day create and run my own non-profit focusing on the rehabilitation of under-privileged communities with skills trainings and education and arts programs for children. Coming from a small town, I’ve seen the potential that the community and people have and how much helped is needed in those areas. Building community is important to me and helping others is my passion. I am excited to use the experiences and skills I’ll learn here at the CCED in my own endeavors to improve economic and community development.

Posted in: Uncategorized on April 6, 2021

CCED Intern Introduction: Mya Hall

One of the most powerful authors, Toni Morrison, once penned the lines, “ When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.”. My name is Mya Hall and in my short years of living, I have tried to pattern my life after these wise words. I am from the southeastern Arkansas town, Stuttgart, AR and I am currently pursuing a BA in Philosophy and African and African-American Studies with a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies.

I am more than grateful to be granted the opportunity to intern here at the Center for Community and Economic Development. Through this internship I am hoping to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to do as Morrison states, “free somebody else”. Coming from a community where there is dire need for community development, I am excited to broaden my skill set from working with such a phenomenal staff to take back to my hometown.

My career and education goals are a reflection of my purpose. I am on a quest of knowledge so that I can become more informed through knowledge and learning to truly put service first. My goal is to serve my community in such a way that others will not have to deal with the disparities that I have in the past. I want to ensure that the upcoming youth are able to live without limitations brought on by a lack of development in their community. My plan is to obtain a law degree after my undergraduate years so that I can fight for the betterment of my community.

Posted in: Uncategorized on March 16, 2021

The District: How Mountain Home is leveraging a new law to revitalize their downtown

The following post originally appeared as an article in the October 2020 issue of Arkansas Municipal League’s publication City and Town.

In 2019, Mountain Home Mayor Hillery Adams attended an Arkansas Municipal League meeting where Executive Director Mark Hayes spoke about potential laws coming through the Arkansas Legislature. One bill in particular caught Mayor Adams’ attention that would allow cities and towns in Arkansas to establish entertainment districts in a designated area of their city.

Mayor Adams saw the potential of an ordinance like this to serve as a catalyst for revitalization efforts in downtown Mountain Home. Following the meeting, Adams and his team went to work researching entertainment districts, drafting an ordinance and presented it to the Mountain Home City Council. 

“We wanted to be the first in the state to have an entertainment district,” explained Mayor Adams. 

On July 24, 2019, the Mountain Home entertainment district, dubbed The District, became the first entertainment district in Arkansas.

The District is open daily between 4:30 p.m. and midnight allowing patrons to leave a restaurant or bar with a single commercially branded paper or plastic cup of beer, wine or a mixed drink to be consumed in the boundaries of the district. Since establishing The District, there has been a steady increase in business, activity and community engagement in downtown Mountain Home.

The downtown area is beginning to look more inviting with hanging flower pots paid for by the city, banners created by a local leadership group and murals popping up all over Mountain Home. In recent months, there have been multiple real estate transactions involving buildings in downtown Mountain Home with talks of new restaurants and shops coming into the area. There are even “Wine Walks” that invite patrons to drink a glass of wine and enjoy the downtown area and public art with their family and friends.

There has also been an increase in cultural events in Mountain Home. Hickory Park is right outside of The District and has been revitalized to host concerts and community events. Earlier this year, Farmers and Merchants Bank donated $75,000 to install a permanent stage for concerts in the park that have been utilized all summer in the Baxter Summer Concert Series. During the concert series, the tennis court in Hickory Park transforms into a food truck park and beer garden featuring local restaurants and breweries. COVID-19 has unfortunately disrupted some of the community events that were set to take place this fall, but some events, like the concert series, will continue with social distancing and mask wearing requirements.

When asked about entertainment districts, the Executive Vice President of the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce, Angela Broome, said, “I have only seen positive changes with The District. We are seeing many improvements downtown; noticing more socialization and an increase in patronage.”

From her perspective, visitors are looking for things to do at night after enjoying fishing, hunting and golfing in and around Mountain Home. The District and summer concert series have been a way for residents and visitors to spend more time and money in downtown Mountain Home.

Mayor Adams shared a few key takeaways for communities looking to open an entertainment district in their own town:

Set Your Intention 

Mountain Home had a clear purpose for establishing their entertainment district which was to focus on downtown revitalization and capturing tourist dollars to be spent at restaurants and shops in downtown Mountain Home. If your community is considering an entertainment district, make sure that your community has an agreed upon intention and a plan for establishing an entertainment district that works for your community’s specific needs.

Involve the Downtown Community

Establishing an entertainment district may feel like a big change for your downtown community. In Mountain Home, leaders established an Entertainment District Oversight Committee that involved downtown business leaders and residents to establish rules, regulations and procedures for citizens and businesses to follow during entertainment district hours. Involving the downtown community will create buy-in from local businesses and provides a formal body to review potential events in the entertainment district area.

When asked for a final piece of advice, Mayor Adams said, “Come visit Mountain Home. It’s going to look a lot different since the last time you’ve been here.”

If establishing an entertainment district is right for the needs and interests of your community, it can be a catalyst for activity, engagement and business in your downtown area. Mountain Home is leading the way on entertainment districts in Arkansas and their downtown community is starting to thrive because of it.

You can learn more about Mountain Home and The District by visiting cityofmountainhome.com. 

By Dylan Edgell

Posted in: Uncategorized on March 2, 2021

First Impressions Tour gets to know Arkansas town from a unique perspective

The following post originally appeared as an article in the September 2020 issue of Arkansas Municipal League’s publication City and Town.

The University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Community Development Institute (CDI), a three-year community and economic development training program with one week of training per year, is held the first week of August by the Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED). Like many other large events across the state, due to rising COVID-19 cases, the CCED staff decided to cancel CDI 2020 for the Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 classes. Fortunately, the CDI 2020 Advanced Year class, an optional, additional year of training for a small group of CDI graduates, was able to move forward! 

During the week of August 3 – 6, nine CDI graduates and community and economic development experts from Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma traveled to Beebe to conduct a high-level assessment of the community based on online research, a driving tour, interviews with community leaders, on-the-street interviews and a virtual focus group with citizens. Through their work, they shared a community presentation streamed via Facebook Live on the city’s Facebook page that outlined strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, “Badger Bites” (short term goals) and “Vanguard Vision” (long term goals). 

While the CDI Advanced Year is a unique experience for both CDI participants and the Arkansas community they are working with, other communities across the state can easily replicate the Advanced Year process to assess their own community. 

The class completes what the CCED staff call a “First Impressions Tour” (FIT) of the community. The FIT entails the following:

Online Research

The community’s online presence is assessed through the lens of different personas. These personas include: a single, young professional looking to move to the community, family with children looking to relocate, retiree, current citizen, tourist, small business owner and industrial prospect. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis is completed for city and community websites, social media pages, Arkansas Site Select, online real estate databases and travel websites based on the personas.

Driving Tour  

The driving tour assessment focuses on the community’s physical infrastructure (highways, roads, sidewalks, public utilities, signage and beautification efforts), social infrastructure (schools, healthcare, arts and cultural amenities, parks/recreational amenities and housing) and economic development infrastructure (small businesses, large employers, site and commercial building availability and downtown development). These amenities in the community are rated as very good, average, needs improvement or not available. During the driving tour, notes should be taken about why each amenity was given a particular rating.

Interviews and Focus Groups with Leaders and Citizens

Interviews and focus groups with community leaders and citizens are a very important part of the FIT process. If possible, these conversations should include representatives from: local government, Chamber/economic development, healthcare, education and workforce, nonprofits, faith-based organizations and the business community.

These representatives are divided into groups to have open conversations centered on the following topics: (1) Education and Workforce, (2) Health and Wellness, (3) Recreation and Things to Do, (4) Downtown Development, (5) Business and Industry, (6) Arts and Culture and (7) Physical Environment (built environment, natural environment, infrastructure, utilities, etc.). Participants in the interviews and/or focus groups are asked what is working well, what are the greatest challenges/opportunities and what should be prioritized moving forward for each topic area.

Based on the information gathered, a summary of findings are shared with the community and “next steps” (short or long term goals) are identified for the community to consider moving forward. The First Impressions Tour can be led by leaders within a community, but CCED staff recommends that a community interested in completing a FIT reach out to community and economic developers or leaders from a different community to assist with the assessment.

The CCED staff will continue to follow up with Beebe leaders, and a printed report of the CDI 2020 Advanced Year’s findings will be shared with the community. 

If your community is interested in developing a First Impressions Tour of your community, please reach out to Shelby Fiegel at sfiegel@uca.edu or 501-450-5269. If you are interested in learning more about the Community Development Institute, visit www.uca.edu/cdi. CDI 2021 will be held August 2 – 6, 2021.

By Shelby Fiegel

Posted in: Uncategorized on February 2, 2021

CDI Graduate Highlight: Talicia Richardson

For this highlight, we are featuring Talicia Richardson!

Talicia is a Class of 2018 graduate of the Community Development Institute (CDI).

Tell us about yourself

I am Fort Smith native and came home after living away for 20 years. I have always looked for ways to give back to my community, and I was attracted to serving on various local boards because of my goal of doing my part to  improve communities through smart giving of time and resources aligned with both my personal and professional goals. I reside with my husband State Representative Jay Richardson and two children Yuri and Jag.

What organization do you work for and what is your role within the organization?

As the Executive Director of 64.6 Downtown, I work with my colleagues in practicing creative placemaking by translating community assets into economic development opportunities. How? By bring events to town, creation of a pocket parks, and fostering an appreciation of artists and artworks. We draw attention and awareness to arts and culture, which drives tourism, while drawing the attention of people who want to do business downtown and the greater Fort Smith area.

Why did you decide to attend CDI?

While working at the Fort Smith Housing Authority as the Development Officer my executive director, CDI graduate, highly recommended the 3 year commitment. After a review of the CDI website and information related to the PCED, I was sold.

What was your favorite session at CDI?

I must say Year 1 was the best!  Every session left me looking forward to Year 2.

What was your biggest takeaway from CDI, and how has it allowed you to develop a better community?

It is all about knowing your community. To hear their needs, to assess the assets with awareness of your liabilities, and nurturing relationship with all.

Why do you think community leaders should attend CDI?

It is easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind. To be able to step away and receive information from the various sessions, simulations, and networking that offer valuable data that could used to facilitate sustainable change in one’s community.

Do you have any news or upcoming projects you would like to share with our audience concerning yourself or your organization?

We are excited to be selected a 2020 Levitt AMP [YOUR City] winner.  As the first city selected in Arkansas, this summer we will bring a variety of genres to our FREE series Levitt AMP Fort Smith Music Series.

Posted in: Uncategorized on April 1, 2020

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.

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Posted in: Technical Assistance, Uncategorized on June 2, 2015
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