Tag: economy

Pop-Up Altavista 2.0: Cultivating Local Entrepreneurs with an Educational Business Launch Competition

November 9, 2016

How can Main Street help entrepreneurs achieve a business expansion or start their own business? The National Main Street Center’s Main Street Story of the Week features Pop-Up Altavista 2.0, Altavista On Track’s (AOT) second business launch competition.  Emelyn Gwynn, Main Street Coordinator for Altavista, highlights the program, which kicked off September, 2016.  Building off … More Pop-Up Altavista 2.0: Cultivating Local Entrepreneurs with an Educational Business Launch Competition

Virginia Main Street Regional Rev Up: Advancing Main Street Momentum with Good Data

October 17, 2016

On November 1, 3, and 4 in Wytheville, Culpeper, and Farmville, the fall edition of the Regional Rev Up promises to load your downtown revitalization kit with the tools you need to develop market-based revitalization strategies.   The business of Main Street is constantly evolving.  New challenges and opportunities are always presenting themselves. If we … More Virginia Main Street Regional Rev Up: Advancing Main Street Momentum with Good Data

Preservation Virginia Releases Economic Impact Study of Virginia Main Street Program

October 13, 2015

On Wednesday, Preservation Virginia released a study measuring the economic impact of 30 years of the Virginia Main Street program. The report documents the Virginia Main Street program throughout the last 30 years. The report has documented the direct economic effects across Virginia Main Streets since 1985, when the program was adopted in Virginia to … More Preservation Virginia Releases Economic Impact Study of Virginia Main Street Program

Entrepreneurs. Better with age?

May 3, 2012

Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the economy. They’re innovators, experimenters and risk takers, the driving force behind capitalism’s “perennial gale of creative destruction,” in economist Joseph Schumpeter’s evocative metaphor. So says Chris Farrell in this week’s Bloomberg Businessweek. But Mr. Farrell goes on to remind us that entrepreneurs are not only young, brash, rule breakers.  … More Entrepreneurs. Better with age?

The unexpected entrepreneur

May 21, 2010

If you were asked to describe an entrepreneur, what words would you use?  Maybe terms like “bright, energetic, or magnetic.”  This 2004 article in the aptly named magazine Entrepreneur, gives a whole host of other terms, not all of them complimentary.  Two descriptions of an entrepreneur that most people would not use are “ex-felon,” and … More The unexpected entrepreneur

The new normal

December 7, 2009

Before you get too excited about the coming recovery, have you heard about the “new normal?”  The “new normal” is the term that many have been using for economic growth that is slower than what we became accustomed to over the past decade or so.  Doug Dachille, of First Principles Capital Management, says in this clip … More The new normal

The end is near!!

December 4, 2009

Hiring will rebound sooner rather than later and now is a great time to start your own business. At least that is what Daniel Gross of Slate and Newsweek says in his Moneybox column, “Coming Soon: Jobs!” According to Gross, we should be seeing the end of the “Great Recession” in the near future.  “Before … More The end is near!!

Community-building “Stars” named by Virginians for the Arts

November 24, 2009

Two Main Street communities pulled top honors in the Virginians for the Arts’ Arts Build Communities Awards. The awards recognize arts organizations that best demonstrate the ability to enhance the community, lift spirits, and build a better quality of life.  The Barter Theatre in Abingdon was named Shining Star:  With 150,000 annual patrons, The Barter Theatre … More Community-building “Stars” named by Virginians for the Arts

Arts and the economy converge at South Boston conference

October 29, 2009

Economic development and arts professionals convened in South Boston last week to explore strategies for harnessing the “creative class” in their communities. The conference, “Art and the Creative Economy,” featured notable speakers presenting examples of how small towns and cities have enhanced their economies by embracing the arts. The term “creative class,” as coined by Richard … More Arts and the economy converge at South Boston conference