Stockton Missouri

Elmwood Response?

Utica Illinois

Tech on the Prairie

A Business Development Strategy

to Revitalize the Downtown Business District

1) Increasing profitability of Elmwood businesses

2) Elmwood 21st Century business recruitment

3) Tri-generational sustainable development

4) Synergy multiple economic enterprises

5) Raising Elmwood's standard of living

6) Silicon Prairie or They Will Come

7) Connecting our global network

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Elmwood's Global Network

We are not On an Empty Prairie in a Log Lean-to

I am going to Memphis tomorrow, actually today. I am just going to support my wife, and will be left alone most of the time as Nancy wades into her new assignment. I thought I should let people know I would be out of touch. It occurred to me, it won't be that different from when I'm home. I will have to miss our contemporary band practice, but I will have a cell phone and the ability to check email and update the web site on my laptop. I do not like distractions while I drive so I will not be able to fully connect until I get to the hotel. I am coming back on Thursday so I'm not moving, but if I was moving from Elmwood like many people have, I would still have my connections. Think of all those people from our area who now live somewhere else, think of all the people these former residents have connections with in their lives, now that is far more people than live in Elmwood. If any of those people choose to connect to each other with a little referral they can communicate instantly with a few clicks, taps, or just speaking out loud, slowly.

China, communist red China was about the most isolated place in the world. Hidden behind the Bamboo Curtain, a nation completely lost in cultural revolution. If there was a place I was less likely to go; I don't know where it would have been. As Spock said "only Nixon could go to China." Many of you know Todd Hastings, he is in China, currently, I am a Facebook friend so occasionally I see photos or hear what he did today. Actually yesterday accounting for the time difference. I am friends with a Hong Kong businessman, and many of you know someone who has gone to China because of business or tourism. Our Elmwood network has connections, even in China. If we have connections in China, then we have connections in most of the nations of the world. We have a global network we just need to create the connections.

One of the best ways to connect is making this web site a hub and all our social networking tools Ethernet cables. Maybe we could move the direct link to the Internet here in this process, as well.

Send Your Elmwood Recovery Ideas

Study Other Recovered Communities

Greensburg KS

Parkersburg IA

Utica Illinois

ZDNET goes to the Prairie

Our church did a very careful and detailed study of whether we should initiate a building project. We determined the demographics of our region; one of the facts that was revealed was the population of our region. We found the area where we were getting members from was larger than Elmwood. In the radius of our region the population was 16,000. If you are a retailer or other service business that is an important number. It means your customer base is potentially eight times greater than just Elmwood. Even our local network is larger than some envision.

We are about to start a great endeavor, I think it can be the best thing you have ever been a part of, but we must start with a good foundation. We will have many opportunities to review, revise, and redirect our efforts, but it will take many hands. At some point we will have the opportunity to decide to throw in the towel; sometimes you have to acknowledge failure. We will walk away knowing, we tried, and be no worse for the experience. I am convinced that if we proceed using our best efforts from all our us; we will renew Elmwood's Economy. This outline is still the basis I want to use for the meeting on August 6th at 7:30 PM Outline for Organizing our Economic Renewal I want the public organization to work cooperatively with our units of government and the Elmwood Community Foundation in developing strategies and implementation plans. We need actionable tasks or in the words of Don Henley what need to Do Something

We need to develop research committees on a variety of topics, sustainable development, non profit and for profit cooperative ventures, and business recruitment to name just a few. I hope you will look through the outline read these priorities I have developed and look through the Recovery Plan now adopted by the City of Elmwood and the County of Peoria. I have placed a pdf of recovery plan on server you can download it by Clicking Here. It was in landscape mode Adobe Acrobat should allow you to rotate image or you can print it off. It is a large file it will take a long time to download.

I need to get going "I'm going to Graceland" Paul Simon. I will rewrite, edit, and add ideas later. If you have looked at the outline, the priorites, and the plan, and have thoughts or your own writing you want me to publish as always. just email: The Steve

A repeat from priority five Standard of Living , sometimes repetition helps in driving home a point.

It is the hook, we have to sell, to attract people: to move here, bring their businesses here, and seek to raise their children here. We must look at a new development that can enrich our lives. A growing economy that makes it possible to work in Elmwood and rarely have to leave. I only want to leave when I want to. Not when I have to because of Elmwood's inability to provide for life's needs. So, I encourage you to participate in this second stage project. Elmwood needs your ideas, knowledge, and efforts. We need to put enough energy into this second stage project to give it the thrust necessary to put Elmwood in a stable orbit for the 21st century. Please join in this movement. Email me or discuss it on Face book.

A Better Elmwood Facebook Group