"Create a culture of entrepreneurship – an ecosystem in which startup and job growth can thrive. America is loaded with talent. It has always been our greatest strength. And that talent is spread across the county – in rural areas as well as urban." Macke (2018) Everyone has read about...

"My dream is to compete in the Olympics!" Tiffany Macke, Community and Economic Development Educator for University of Illinois Extension, led her Collaborative Leadership class through the 100 Dreams Inventory. This exercise, from her iDREAM Project, helps students use dreaming and goal-...

Throughout the Midwest, there are examples of thriving central business districts. University of Illinois Extension in partnership with the University of Illinois Department of Urban and Regional Planning conducted a literature review to identify common strategies and attributes of successful...

Exporting of Illinois goods and services garners more attention than importing products, components and services. Both are important to small companies and both are to be reckoned with, regardless of general opinion. World trade and commerce impact our economies, businesses and lives; and this...

Business succession planning is a community issue. Businesses anchoring our communities and economies for the past 25 to 40 years have owners wanting to retire, in record numbers....

Rural America is home to 50 million people, occupies 75% of our space and is breadbasket to the world. And like urban communities, rural areas compete on a worldwide stage for jobs, economic growth and something above survival- aptly described as "quality of life". The 21st century and emerging...

Global business traditionally evolved from successful domestic ventures. Today, global strategies just might be the start of a business. Either way, risk management is a core issue. Since traders encountered one another on border paths, establishing trust and minimizing risk have...

STARTUP Jefferson County provides entrepreneurs and small business owners the tools to succeed November 13, 2017 By Elaine Craver JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ill. - We're all familiar with the phrase, "Necessity is the...

In my June 7, 2017 blog ILLINOIS - A LION In The INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE, I addressed the basics of how to get started in world markets. I now begin taking a deeper look at deta

This is another article from Susan Odum's BUY LOCAL series.  Susan is a Community & Economic Development Educator with U of I Extension "There are a lot of words one might use to describe Julie Kuppart, including energetic, adaptable, and passionate, but after spending an...