Category Archives: Uncategorized

This just seems to be shaping up to be a nice holiday season. There were some things that were taking a lot of my time that fell through when the commission decided to send us on a different path. Other … Continue reading →

A short Sunday drive can take you to the Beacon Light Tea Room with its ham and biscuits, fried chicken and other great meals. For those with the Christmas spirit or are looking to find it, the East Hickman Christmas … Continue reading →

“Green Acres Is the Place to Be: The Recession Is Inspiring More Young Families and Singles to Head Back to the Country” from The Wall Street Journal tells of a developing trend in rural development. Enabled by expanded broadband access … Continue reading →

“Pfizer and 1,400 Jobs to Leave City that Won Land-Use Case” in The New York Times adds an interesting chapter to the case of using eminent domain in economic development projects. The land-use case was Kelo v. New London and … Continue reading →

Ruraltourismmarketing.com has a series of posts that I think are really relevant to rural communities like Hickman County. Check them out:“What is Regional Flavor and How Your Small Town Can Grow Your Own Regional Flavor Destination““Five Principles to Lay the … Continue reading →

Enjoy the day of turkey and the fixings, but don’t forget to consider all the good things in life and be thankful for them.

As the travel stress level rises with the influx of holiday travelers, it is great that the construction on the roads and parking areas at the Nashville International Airport has finished and is funneling frazzled travelers more fluidly to our … Continue reading →

Today, I think back on my days in manufacturing and quality control. We had the mindset that any defect was bad. At first thought, 99% perfect sounds great. However, if something has 100 parts, that means that if each part … Continue reading →

In the category of spousal support, I will be attended this event on Friday night: Vanderbilt Opera presents The Marriage of Figaro – Blair School of Music – Vanderbilt University – Blair School of Music – NowPlayingNashville.com. My wife, Dr. … Continue reading →

Join us for Hickman County’s celebration of Veteran’s Day today at 11:00am on the Centerville Public Square. Colonel Michael P. Peterman, United State Army, will be the featured speaker as the town pauses to celebrate and honor our country’s veterans.

“Smaller communities search for ways to stand out in economic development” from Prairie Business Magazine includes a great analysis of rural economic development opportunities, but the local community must be supportive in this comparative environment. As you can read from … Continue reading →

At this point in the healthcare debate, I wonder if there is any ‘win’ to come out of it. One thing that strikes me as odd when I think about it too much is how we have gravitated to the … Continue reading →

Some communities have been proactive in developing plans that will make accessing the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, Recovery Zone Bonds, establishing Recovery Zones and other American Recovery & Reinvestment Act programs easier for the betterment of their constituencies. … Continue reading →

Ruraltourismmarketing.com had a good, easy-to-follow how-to on getting your business listed on Google, which is a free service. “Another FREE, Powerful Tool to Market Your Business or Visitors’ Bureau Online” gives directions on registering with Google, claiming your business, and … Continue reading →

A story in today’s The Tennessean newspaper reports that small contractors previously exempt from the workers’ compensation insurance requirement will be required to acquire the insurance coverage, even sole proprietors staffed only by the owner, when legislation passed by the … Continue reading →

Having looked closely at several towns lately, I thought the blog post, “Rural, Not Homogeneous” from the Center for Rural Affairs, was particularly insightful for those of us considering moving to or recruiting people to a community.

100 Green Small Business Tips

Hickman County’s Veteran’s Day Observance on November 11th at 11:00 am on the Centerville Public Square will feature an address by Colonel Michael Peterman. This Veteran’s Day in Hickman County will have special significance with the return a few weeks … Continue reading →

Hickman County Archivist Austin Bullock was one of nine archivists from around Tennessee who were presented with certificates from Secretary of State Tre Hargett in recognition of their achievements in becoming Certified Archive Managers.The individuals were presented the certificates during … Continue reading →

I began reading a book titled Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What it Means for America this weekend. The research for the book was centered on Northeast Iowa, but there are a lot of similarities between … Continue reading →

An article today in the New York Times began, “Amazon.com shares surged Thursday after the company said its third-quarter profit soared 62 percent, showing that consumers are comfortable opening their wallets to the online retailer despite the still-shaky economy.” Next … Continue reading →

Funded through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Tennessee Department of Human Services is administering the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which helps low-income households reduce energy costs by providing assistance to weatherize their homes.WAP services are available in all … Continue reading →

I will be attending the 2009 Governor’s Housing Summit today and tomorrow. Organized by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, the Housing Summit focuses on adequate, affordable housing in our dynamic economy. Plenary sessions and workshops will concentrate on success stories, … Continue reading →

Sometimes I forget that not everyone has my focus (or for that matter any focus at all.) Take my advocacy for more broadband access and technology utilization. At a meeting a while back, I was talking about ideas to increase … Continue reading →

I thought this was noteworthy — I stopped at the Yesterdaze Pinball Museum & Snack Shack in Bucksnort I-40 Exit 152 yesterday afternoon for a milkshake and had a sandwich from Subway in Centerville today. I knew there were many … Continue reading →

The Dow goes over 10,000… (cue cautious optimism music)

I just made it home after a windy, but scenic drive from Kingsport, Tennessee where I attended the Tennessee Economic Development Council (TEDC) Fall Conference. One of the features of this conference was a brief speech and question & answer … Continue reading →

Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development launched an entrepreneur video competition, “What Makes You an Entrepreneur?” A statewide competition, entries will be taken until November 8th. This could provide some great exposure for your business. For more information, go … Continue reading →

The reviews are in for the Tennessee Repertory Theatre’s Steel Magnolias mentioned in one of my previous posts. No, not my review – I and my entourage will be there next week. The Tennessean newspaper’s entertainment critic had this review, … Continue reading →

I bought a copy yesterday, but Entrepreneur magazine has a lot of great business start-up information, from ideas, to business plans, to franchises on its website. To check it out, go to their start-up basics page.