Category Archives: Uncategorized

I read this morning an article about a rural school system dropping vocational agricultural classes due to budget cuts. Agriculture continues to be a major industry for rural areas. However, the first thing that I thought about was how much … Continue reading →

Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare!! “There is a tide in the affairs of men.Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;Omitted, all the voyage of their lifeIs bound in shallows and in miseries.On such a full sea are we now … Continue reading →

Internal Revenue Service Webinar for Small BusinessesSmall Business Advantage: Put Our Knowledge to Work for YouPresented by the Internal Revenue ServiceDate: May 18, 2011 1:00p.m. This FREE webinar is for:• Small business owners• Self-employed persons• Independent contractors• Tax practitioners – … Continue reading →

Joanne Steele with Rural Tourism Marketing Group will be facilitating “Making the Internet Work for You, Your Business and Your Town”, a workshop about rural tourism and how the internet creates the opportunity to attract visitors who will appreciate your … Continue reading →

Here are more introductions from the new cabinet:

Governor Haslam’s latest update introduces some of the Haslam administration cabinet members.

Registration Underway for State Economic Development Course The University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service (IPS) is once again sponsoring the Tennessee Basic Economic Development Course (TBEDC) for regional, state and federal community leaders and stakeholders. The 5th annual course … Continue reading →

The answer to most of those “can’t we just get a grant to fund that?” questions in the future: Rural Development Funding Cuts Are Coming to the Chopping Block Near You And Why You Should Care” from RuralTourismMarketing.com.

Centerville, TN Municipal Airport will be hosting a Fly-In on April 9th. Flyincalendar.com has more details on its calendar. Or, you can check out Centerville Municipal Airport (GHM) on its Facebook page. A piece of air mail from Centerville, Tennessee … Continue reading →

Grants for Rural Development in Decline Daily Yonder Keep It Rural

Governor Haslam’s latest YouTube update:

Survey tells of most common errors by Entrepreneurs: “Start-up Survey: Mistakes were made” – Wall Street Journal .

Governor Haslam speaks about Tennessee education and job growth:

“TN general fund revenues could be $162 million more than expected, board says” — From Tennessean.com: The State Funding Board projected today that Tennessee’s general fund revenues could end up to $162 million more than originally expected in the current … Continue reading →

I was doing a little preparation today for a presentation about economic and community development to the Leadership Hickman class next week. I would bet that there are at least ten people in the county who haven’t read what industrial … Continue reading →

We are seeking high and low for people in Hickman County who want to learn about improving their potential as entreprenuers. Columbia State Community College has developed the content and they would run 9 sessions beginning on February 8th and … Continue reading →

RE: “Amazon trying to dodge TN sales taxes” on Nashville Business JournalOkay, not sure how this is going to play out, but it brings up a lot of issues. It took a while to get mind around this as some … Continue reading →

In rural economic development, one must have a long, wide streak of optimism. Giving merit to rural optimism is a changing of the guard on the state level with the new administration. Governor Bill Haslam promises to bring a renewed … Continue reading →

“The Future of Small Towns” addresses a lot of contemporary issues with small towns.

Grinders Switch Winery gets a nice mention in this Nashville Scene article: “The Long and Wining Natchez Trace“. I think I might have to go visit them tomorrow.

Start planning a trip to the 2010 Hickman County First Farmers Bank Above the Rim Christmas Invitational Basketball Tournament held on December 27th, 28th and 29th at Hickman County High School. The Girl’s Tournament Brackets are posted on the HCHS … Continue reading →

As ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ looms forbodingly over our Thanksgiving holiday, Hickman County, Centerville and Bon Aqua offers another Christmas shopping experience, not incredibly dissimilar from the one described in 1885. An article from the December 18, 1885 edition … Continue reading →

I just read an article in The New York Times titled “Pushing 40, Southwest Is Still Playing the Rebel” about Southwest Airlines. It reminded me of graduate school where most every class had a case study of the success of … Continue reading →

“The ‘Ultimate’ Small Business Guide to Social Media Marketing” offers a great start for entering the mysterious world of SoMe marketing.

QR codes let people go to your website (homepage or special offer) using their smartphone – with no typing. I think this has a lot of possibilities. On a marketing piece (mailer, advertisement, slick, poster, etc.), one of these could … Continue reading →

Today is Veteran’s Day. A ceremony to honor our veterans will be held on the Centerville Public Square today at 11:00.

Legislation enacted earlier in the year, the HIRE Act (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act), can provide tax incentives to employers who hire people who are unemployed. The first, referred to as the payroll tax exemption, provides employers with an … Continue reading →

Hickman County’s Grinders Switch Radio Hour is featured on WNPT’s Tennessee Crossroads:

The Sesquicentennial of the Civil War officially begins next year as it will have been 150 years since the first shots fired in 1861. Hickman County had its share of involvement and the first kiosk on the Tennessee Civil War … Continue reading →

Another good post from Joanne Steele that I found of interest: Why Change Comes Slow to Small Towns and What To Do About That.