Deb Brown, co-founder of SaveYourTown will be in Paulding County for an Embedded Community Experience (ECE). The focus of this project, made possible by the Great Lakes Rural Community Assistance Program (GLRCAP), is to provide our community with an Idea Friendly way to move forward and continue to create a thriving town. The Idea Friendly platform is simple: Gather Your Crowd, Build Connections and Take Small Steps.
“It’s not about me; it’s about your town! I don’t propose to know what you might need or want. I know every town is different and we do share some similarities. We will get to the bottom of what you want and how to go about it,” says Brown.
Brown will meet with groups and organizations throughout the five days, tour the community, and visit with business owners and townspeople. The ECE is a customized approach and not some speaker coming in with a template telling the community what to do. Community Revitalizing Paulding (CoRP) and (GLRCAP) want to have more conversations in the community about what they can do in OUR town.
“We are excited and looking forward to Deb Brown’s visit to the Paulding area. We have been using a number of her ideas in attracting new business startups and promoting community events and activities,” said Jerry Zielke Paulding County Economic Development Director. “CoRP and Deb will be hosting an Open Public Meeting on Monday April 15th at the Branch Christian Church (the former ONG building) at 109 N Main St in Paulding at 6:30 pm for anyone interested in improving our community”.
There is a final report prepared after the ECE. This is often used in reports by the community, in grant funding requests, and by showing the town what could be possible, what could expanded, and what is working now. You’ll hear success stories from other communities, and ideas that have worked. The people who participate are recharged, learn new tools to use going forward and are able to share what they have learned with other town members. You can find more information about Deb at www.buildingpossibility.com or www.saveyour.town
For more information and to find out how you can participate, contact Jerry Zielke at the PCED office at 419-399-8282
Deb Brown Bio:
Deb grew up on a farm outside of Geneva, Iowa, population 141. Her first entrepreneurial venture was raising a hog. You’d find her either with her nose in a history book or out exploring abandoned houses and buildings. Funny, things haven’t changed much; she’s still working on filling empty buildings in small towns.
She has the ability to listen, find the truths in what is working and what isn’t, and share your ideas for the future along with other town’s examples. Deb is a relentless optimist and knows how to build possibility in your small town. Better yet, she inspires you to take small steps towards a brighter future for your community.
Her programs on small business, what to do with empty buildings, customer service, marketing and economic development have been received by chambers, economic developers, tourism specialists, museum experts, business groups, and small town conferences. Deb has keynoted at Colorado Hospital Association Rural Health and Hospitals Conference, Women’s Business Conference in Kearney, NE, Building Communities Tourism Conference in Clear Lake, Iowa, Reviving Rural Downtowns in Adams County, Washington, Rural X Summit in Aberdeen, SD, R2R in Portland, OR, Michigan Rural Economic Development Conference, and Roscommon County Michigan. She did a TEDx presentation about empty buildings in Brookings, SD and has traveled the United States embedding herself in small towns for a week on Embedded Community Experiences.
You can find more information about Deb at www.buildingpossibility.com or www.saveyour.town
