kern river valley business & organization who’s who ...their happiness in their cur-rent job...

2017 Business & Organization Almanac is a publication of the Kern Valley Sun ©2017 • ww.kvsun.com

Kern River ValleyBusiness & Organization

Who’s WhoALMANAC

2 Almanac 2017 © Kern Valley Sun

Index of Businesses & OrganizationsAble Property Management

AmerigasAppliance Center

Bethany & Co Hair & Nail SalonCerro Coso Community College

Cynthia Cowden Investment ServicesDarlene’s Pet Salon

Disability Advocates - Diana WadeDenny Rushton DDS

Drug StoreHarry Thal Insurance

Jamie Gelber - Attorney At Law

Jost PaintingKellee Scott Farmer’s Insurance

Kern River Feed & HayKRV Family Resource CenterKern Valley Healthcare District

Kern Valley SunNuui Cunni Native American Cultural Center

Optimal HospiceRita D’Angelo Realty

RJ Smith ConstructionTLC - The Lighthart Corp.

Editorial Staffnewsusa.com

As the calendar flips to another year, many employ-ees will consider starting the new year on the hunt for a new job. In today’s changing workforce, it is more import-ant than ever for companies to realize that a salary alone is no longer enough to recruit or retain strong employees. According to a recent survey by Aflac, small businesses deserve a round of applause for their ability to keep employees happy. The report found that 85 percent of small-business employees are happy in their current job and more than half (51 percent) agree that most of or all of their happiness in their cur-rent job is a result of working for a small business.

The keys to happinessNearly a quarter of par-

ticipants (23 percent) stated that the feeling of importance was the best part of working for a small business. Small businesses have the unique ability to make employees feel appreciated, respected and valued on a personal and professional level. In a small business environment, there are typically fewer layers be-tween newcomers and leader-ship. This tight-knit structure of small businesses can create a family-like atmosphere that allows employees to feel that their opinions matter and that they play a significant role in the business’s mission.

FlexibilityFlexibility is also vital in

creating employee happiness. According to the report, 30 percent of respondents noted that flexible scheduling was

the best part of working for a small business. This can include working from home, leaving work early to play in a sum-mer sports league or giving new parents an extra week of paid time off to help care for their newborn. A workplace that promotes healthy work-life balance can create happier, less stressed employees and can also increase employee productivity on the job.

Unlocking improvementsAlthough small businesses

excel at keeping employ-ees happy, there is always room for improvement. In a

small-business community, money does not seem to be the only motivator. In fact, 65 percent of small-business employees indicate that an improvement in their benefits offerings would make them happier employees. By offer-ing a robust benefits plan that includes voluntary benefits, small businesses can ensure that their employees are able to find the right benefits to meet their individual needs.

Photo Courtesy media.licdn.com

Small Businesses Hold the Key to Employee Happiness

© Kern Valley Sun Almanac 2017 3

Kyle Ceasefacebook.com/KyleCeasePage/

Go inwardPretty much everything in

your external world is doing everything it can to keep you from knowing who you really are. Whether it’s people who want to sell you things you don’t need, codependent friends, or just stuff like Facebook, Netflix, politics, religion, or everything else outside of you taking your attention away from you, the world is a big false distrac-tion. If you choose to dedi-cate some big time to sitting with your eyes closed each morning for an hour or two, you would discover that you have just been attached to your passing thoughts. By becoming aware of this, you would end up letting go of the thoughts and you would suddenly be connected to something that will answer everything, and take care of everything for you.

It doesn’t need to be labeled. Labels are just a mental attachment that actu-ally block you from connect-ing to it. But if you sit long enough, you will completely prove to yourself that your fears, limitations, stress, anxiety and addictions are all just the result of you hold-ing on tightly to a passing thought and it’s blocking you from moving forward. This effortless blissful place is you in your natural state. It has been pulled from us but it’s absolutely available 24 hours a day just by choosing to go inward and knowing that your fear based thoughts are an illusion. You are limitless. Go inward and watch some amazing things happen.

Fixating on problemsTrying to fix a problem is

one of the best ways to keep a problem growing. Pretty much everything knows how to heal itself. Just get out of the way.

Staying when you should leave

If you need to justify why you should keep something in your life, you might want to consider letting it go.

Everything that actually aligns with you doesn’t need an explanation. You will nev-er find yourself explaining to people why you do things that are your true callings and are with people who you truly love. If you find your-self saying stuff like, “Yes, this job sucks but at least I get overtime.” Or “Yeah that person and I don’t align but they were nice to me that one time.” You are not following your heart and now you need to come up with a mental rea-son why you are settling. In fact, if you justify anything, this means that the thing you are holding on to can only stimulate you at the level of your mind and not your heart. So if you keep holding on to it, you will be in your head. You will then be sacrificing your true self in order to hold on to the thing that doesn’t fulfill you. The ironic thing is, when you live in your true highest self, everything you could ever need will take care of itself and come right to you. Don’t sacrifice your soul in order to hold on to things you don’t truly want. Sacrifice the things you don’t truly want so you can access your soul.

When happiness escapes you

4. The only true reason that you are not happy is the fact that you are in resistance to where you are.

You might think it’s that you have been stressing more lately, but it’s actually the fact that you think you shouldn’t be stressing more lately. You might think it’s the fact that you are broke, but the real problem is the fact that you think you shouldn’t be broken.

You might think it’s the

fact that something is happening in the world, but it’s actually the fact that you think that thing shouldn’t be happen-ing. What we don’t understand is that when we argue with what is happening, we stop solutions from coming in.

We first have to completely accept that it is happening to move to a higher level of conscious-ness and allow true solutions to surface, both inside you and outside you. The ego in us that feels that our spe-cific certain circumstances shouldn’t be happening is ac-tually delaying the solution. It is happening. It’s happen-ing for a reason you don’t understand. It will continue to happen until you get your ego out of the way and let solutions naturally come in. Your ego, fear and denial of what is happening is batting 1000 percent at not fixing the situation. Maybe we should surrender exactly where we are and allow new solutions, inspired ideas and love to take over in ways we don’t understand. It will all work it-self out in magical ways that we can’t see. We just have to get out of the way.

Feel and let thoughts beWe aren’t letting our minds

think and feel what they need to think and feel in order to release what they are feeling. Thoughts come up. Those thoughts are thoughts that tried to come up when you were a child and you didn’t feel safe to release. Instead we taught ourselves to resist those thoughts which kept them inside. We then trained ourselves to resist our-selves in order to keep those thoughts in, to stay “safe”.

If you sit still and listen to your thoughts, you can

be a safe space for them to express themselves safely to you, no matter what they are. If you sit long enough you will actually see a thought coming up, and a part of you trying to resist or change that thought. It’s crazy. All you have to do is be a space for yourself and hear the inner child in you and accept those thoughts. You will actually discover a part of you that’s been pushing down on and resisting yourself.

Once you become aware of that and accept that, it will leave. When you stop being at war with yourself you will end all judgement and wars of everything outside of you, which will make those situa-tions better.

This doesn’t mean act out on what those thoughts say. It means just let your mind think and feel whatever and listen to it and love it, no matter what. When you do that, they will leave. But they still need to first fully feel expressed inside of you so that they can go. Don’t ever tell yourself the phrase “stop thinking that”. That will for sure keep it coming. Love everything coming up and it will leave very fast. You will then move from being the thoughts to being the space that loves the thoughts.

Photo Courtesy bibliotecapleyades.net

Learning to Set it Free

Appliance Center760-379-8000 • 2202 Crestview • Lake Isabella

Judy Hinkle has been serving the Kern River Valley for over 20 years, offering valley residents great service and great appliances. The appliance center not only sells major appliances at great prices, but repairs appliances and sell parts too! They are an authorized dealer for GE, Speed Queen, Whirlpool and Oreck, but can get you any brand available. Special financing and layaway are available, so there is no reason not to stop in and see what they can do for you. The Appliance Center... Where Affordability and Dependability Come Together!

AmeriGas760-379-4664 • 12233 Hwy 178 • Mt. Mesa

America’s Propane Company is the nation’s largest propane company, and we pride ourselves on providing friendly and local home town service.

AmeriGas has been serving all of the Kern River Valley for over 50 years. The all local dedicated team includes District Manager Tony Hernandez and employees Crystal, Danny, Kaley, Jose, Ron, Dennis, Brett, and Rick, who’s mission it is to provide world class customer service and a core value focus on safety. AmeriGas offers flexible payment plans, automatic deliveries, senior citizen, military&veteran, and Farm Bureau discounts, 24-7 emergency service, leak checks, certified tech-nicians for piping, appliances, and much, much more. We are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. We accept all major credit cards.

Able Property Management6435 Lake Isabella Blvd. • Lake Isabella760-379-5479

We are #1 in the valley!Able Property Management was established in the Kern

River Valley area in 2004. They are experienced in managing single family dwellings, multiple units, and commercial.

They are large enough to provide quality, up to date services, but still small enough to give you personalized attention that will meet your property management needs. Their goal at Able Property Management is to provide all of our owners with the best in property management services. Please visit the website: ablepm.com to view properties currently available and for more information.



Committed to student success and educational excellence, the faculty and staff of the Kern River Valley Outreach (KRV) of Cerro Coso Community College are devoted to helping students fulfill their dreams of a higher education. As an accredited California community college, Cerro Coso provides academic instruction for four-year college trans-fer, degree and certificate acquisition, basic skills education, continuing education, and workforce skills training. Established in 1973 as a separate college within the Kern Community College District, Cerro Coso offered its first comprehensive schedule of classes in the Kern River Valley in the fall of 1986. The KRV Campus, located in Lake Isabella, is undergoing facility improvements over the next few years. Special care is being taken to design an adequate and aesthetically pleasing instructional space that supports the educational programs of the college. In 2014, in response to local needs, Cerro Coso expanded its Vocational Nursing Program into the Kern River Valley, and the first KRV class graduated that December. Cerro Coso Community College is the smart choice - the same high quality instruction of a university, closer to home, without the high price tag.

Cerro Coso Community College760-384-6100 • 3000 College Hts. Blvd. • Ridgecrest760-379-5501 • 5520 Lake Isabella Blvd # 5 • Lake Isabella

Bethany & Company Hair and Nail Salon5540 Lake Isabella Blvd (Kern Valley Plaza) 760-379-4224

Bethany Howard is the owner at Bethany & Company, a full service salon that she has been running for over 2 years. She grew up in the Kern River Valley and has been working as a stylist in Lake Isabella for the past 13 years.

Bethany & Company offers a wide variety of hair products and services Monday through Saturday. They offer haircut-ting, coloring and styling along with an amazing massage therapist, an esthetician that offers waxing and relaxing fa-cials, and three manicurists to pamper your fingers and toes.

They have also added a Barber, Stan Crawford, who grew up in Lake Isabella and has always had a passion for cutting hair. He can provide you with straight razor shaves, tradi-tional short hair cuts and trendy styles. With every haircut you receive a relaxing shoulder massage.

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Cynthia Cowden is a full service broker and licensed Investment Adviser with a Bachelor’s Degree in finance. She has been in the business for over 28 years, and has done business in Lake Isabella for the last 26. She is a member of the Million-Dollar Round Table and the Generations of Experience Club. Cynthia was honored in the National Directory of Who’s Who for executives. She was listed in the Top Notable American Woman. She received the Millionaire Award and the Executive Gold Club Award from Advantage Capital Corporation. Allmerica Select awarded her the Outstanding Client Service for the last 5 years. Cynthia was awarded the Outstanding Financial Representative Award from John Hancock. She received the top Division Award for and Top Elite Professional from NEXT Financial Group, Inc. She is a CSFP - Chartered Senior Financial Planner.

SOME OF THE SERVICES WE OFFER ARE:Annuities/Fixed & Variable • Mutual Funds • Stocks & Bonds • IRA’s

401K’s Retirement Planning • Estate Planning • Tax Free FundsLiving Trusts • Notaries.

Securities offered through NPB Financial Group, LLC Member FINRA, MSRB and SIPC

So please call us for an appointment or stop by our office to meet with us.

Cynthia Cowden Investment Services760-379-2338 • 6504 Lake Isabella Blvd • Lake Isabella

Darlene’s Pet Salon760-417-1706 • 760-379-11445129 Lk Isabella BlvdPO Box 2771 • Lake Isabella

Our Salon has been operating since 2001. We groom cats and dogs of all sizes, shapes & breeds. Pets are bathed in shampoo that meets their needs, thoroughly rinsed & hands on blow dry, conditioning rinse. Teeth brushing is also available. We take appointments and if time permits, we allow walk-ins. No appointment is necessary for nail trims.

We are still growing our retail. We have groom aids, eye & ear care, teeth supplies and designer clothes and toys.

Come in and meet us! We will be glad to show you around.

We are open Tuesday thru Saturday 9 a.m. till 2 p.m. or longer if necessary.

Diana P. Wade - Disability Rep.Kern County • 760-417-2390

I often get calls asking about whether someone should use an attorney or an advocate. My short answer is “there is no difference.” Attorneys and Advocates both represent claimants the same way and have the same authority. One major difference is that most Advocates have not gone to law school. Many, like me, have been Paralegals for many years. I have been a Paralegal for 37 years and 22 years as an Advocate.

If someone were to ask me what the advantage is of working with an accredited non-attorney versus a lawyer, I would say that disability advocacy is a specialty. I am totally focused on what I do and I am in tune with my claimants. Unless an attorney or lawyer is in practice exclusively for disability, I think that’s the big difference. I do this all day, every day, whereas, disability could be just one area of a lawyer’s practice.

I admit that my work can be frustrating for me. A case will hang in a holding pattern for another year or so before getting scheduled for a hearing. But we try to stay patient together until the hearing.

Clients are usually nervous at the hearing, but I try to put them at ease as much as possible. The hear-ing is very informal, for one thing. And it’s usually held in a small room with only the Administrative Law Judge, an assistant, me, the claimant, and an expert.

Very rarely do we know the outcome. It usually takes another two months before we know the outcome. But, it’s so worth it when we win. It’s personally rewarding for me. I can only imagine how it must feel for my client.

According to SSA statistics, claimants get better results if they are represented. If you are considering one over the other, get a referral, ask questions…be proactive!


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The Drugstore760-376-2216 • www.TheDrugstoreRX.com111 Piute Dr • Circle Park • KernvilleHours: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm, Sun Closed

The Drugstore in Kernville was established in 1979, and is proud to still be providing fast, friendly service to residents of the Kern River Valley 38 years later. We are the only family owned, independent pharmacy in the Valley and strive to provide the highest level of service at the best price.

If you are in need of having a prescription filled or transferred quickly, require home delivery, or if you want advice on medications or conditions, you can count on The Drugstore in Kernville.

We deliver. We also have a Kodak Photo Kiosk. Print your digital photos, even from your cell.

Denny Rushton, D.D.S.760-379-3671 • 2616 Erskine Creek Rd. • Lake Isabella

We Cater To Cowards

In Lake Isabella since January 2, 1984. Dr. Rushton, with his staff Marie and Kathryn, have 76 years experience in dentistry and still love it. Dr. Rushton is a member of the Kern County Dental Society and the American Dental Society. Together they do most procedures, Surgery, Crown & Bridge, Restorative, Endodontics, Dentures, Partials, X-Rays, Clean-ing, Cosmetic, and Whitening. Dr. Rushton offers Care Credit and accepts Master Card and Visa.


Harry P. Thal Insurance Agency11006 Kernville Rd • P.O. Box 2137 • KernvilleCA Lic# 0621106 • [email protected] •HarryThal.com760-376-2100 • 800-496-6213

Harry P. Thal is a health insurance professional who limits his practice to the sales and service of individual, family, and Medicare. He is a nationally recognized expert in Medicare insurance, having been an invited guest speaker throughout California as well as nationally. He is a sought after Medicare continuing education instructor. Harry is a Certified and Licensed expert on the PPACA (ObamaCare) and services health insurance clients throughout California and Medicare clients nationally.

Jamie P. Gelber - Attorney At Law5104 Lake isabella blvd. Ste. C. • Lake Isabella760-379-2604

Jamie P. Gelber, Attorney at Law has been a resident and business owner in the Kern River Valley since 1992. Her practice emphasis is on Family Law, including custody, property division and dissolution, guardianships, conserva-torships, probate, estate planning and trust administration. She has experience in other areas of the law, but if you need a specialist, Jamie can refer you.

Jamie P. Gelber graduated from Whittier College of Law in May, 1988. She was admitted to practice law in California on December 7, 1988. Before coming to the Kern River Valley, she worked primarily in the area of physical injury and property damage in Palm Springs, Ca. While in Law School, Jamie served as an editor and contributor of the Whittier College Law Review. Her Law Review article, published in the 1987 edition of the Whittier College Law review, was carried on one of the major law research publisher’s list of “Note-worthy reading.”

The law office is fully staffed with local residents who will make you feelwelcome. The office hours are Monday thru Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Jost PaintingOffice: 760-378-3000 • Cell: 760-223-2912

Jeff Jost was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. With over two decades of painting experience, Jeff Jost is a skilled and versatile painter who believes in quality craftsmanship. Jeff started his career as a painter in 1994 and was taught by a master paint-er—learning the ins and outs of the trade.

From the beginning, Jeff has strived to be better than the rest, developing the skills needed to produce high-quality work. After spending time honing his craft, he made the decision to start his own company, giving people in the Kern County area the service and quality they deserve.

Always using top-of-the-line materials and products, Jost Paint-ing specializes in residential painting projects. As a small, own-er-run painting company, Jeff understands that his reputation is his livelihood. As such, Jeff makes a personal promise to always deliver his best work.


Remember...Only YOU can prevent wildfires

Kellee Scott - Farmers Insurance13425 Sierra Way • Kernville • 760-376-8703

Established in 1996. We are your neighborhood Insurance Agency, conveniently located in Kernville. We are fast, fair, friendly, and will provide you with excellent service. Very com-petitive pricing. Come by and see Kellee, Marsha and/or Missy. Marsha is our personal line specialist. Missy is our new life agent, who can help you with all of your life needs. We are here from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday. Weekends by appoint-ment only.

Kellee enjoys volunteering in the community, and enjoys spending time with her family. Kellee also enjoys showing her mules.

Kern River Feed and Hay is the best little feed store in town! Owners Todd and Lauren Noble have now owned this little but big store for over 5 years and have really made it a point to work hard and provide the needs for this amazing community! The store manager, Alex Brundage, has gone above and beyond making this store go round and keeping the customers happy. Alex has been working like crazy to expand the product in the store and fulfill the needs of our customers. Come check it out! We believe in family values, fairness and hard work! So come in and see what we can do for you. We look forward to it!

Kern River Feed & Hay6400 Lake Isabella Blvd., Lake Isabella760-379-2041Mon.-Fri. 8am-6pm, Sat. 9am-5pm Sun. 12pm-4pm


Kern Valley Sun760-379-3667 • Fax 760-379-43436416 Lake Isabella Blvd. Ste A ww.kvsun.comPO Box 3074, Lake Isabella, CA 93240

Founded in 1959, the Kern Valley Sun is the Kern River Valley’s hometown newspaper, providing local news, sports, and features to our readers every Wednes-day morning.

The Kern Valley Sun is locally owned by Ron and Marsha Smith. The Kern Valley Sun is a member of the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce (Marsha is the current president), Kern River Valley Revitaliza-tion, Kernville Chamber, Heritage Foundation (Marsha is current board member). Kern Valley Exchange Club (current board member), and sponsors many youth activities and other local events and activities.

Kern Valley Healthcare District760-379-2681 • 6412 Laurel Ave • Mt Mesa

Bringing the following services to the Kern River Valley: Inpatient Services: Surgical, Cardio/Pulmonary, 24-Hour Emergency Service, Acute Care Outpatient Services: Radiology, Lab, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Infusion ServicesAlong with services from Rural Health Clinic, Mesa

Clinical Pharmacy, and the Skilled Nursing Center. Visit us online at www.KVHD.org and follow Kern Valley Healthcare District on Facebook.

KRV Family Resource Center760-379-2556 • www.krvfrc.org5109 Lake Isabella Blvd • Lake Isabella

The Kernville Union School District’s KRV Family Resource Center offers a variety of support services to families in the Kern River Valley.

The Family Resource Center’s Family Advocates and Early Education Advocates provide local families support with concerns ranging from medical, dental, parenting, and nutritional issues to assistance with school readiness and referrals for utility costs. Since our opening in 1999, the Family Resource Center has served 1,800 families; equaling over 4,500 individuals!

To learn more about the unique programs that are offered please either call us (760) 379-2556 or visit us at www.krvfrc.org


Nuui Cunni Native American Cultural Center760-549-0800 • 2600 Hwy 155 • Lake Isabella

Established in 1998, our local Native American Cultural Center offers a Museum, Gift Shop and Kitchen. It is located at the French Gulch Recreational Area on Isabella Lake, open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center has native plant sales throughout the year, Sweat once a month (call for date and times). They also have craft classes Wednesday to Saturday, call for more information. They have fundraisers throughout the year such as the Spring Gathering, 4th of July Celebration, Labor Day and Fall Gathering. Fundraiser events feature entertainment, food, auctions, activities, demos and more. The kitchen has been open for almost 2 years now from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays serving Indian Tacos. Call to see if the Friday Special, Fish Tacos and Clam Chowder, are being served. For more information and questions call 760-549-0800 or stop by for a visit.

Sponsored by the Kern River Paiute Council under a Special Use Permit offered by the USDA, United States Forest Service, and the Sequoia National Forest on a non-discriminatory basis.

Optimal Hospice6504 Lake Isabella Blvd., Lake Isabella760-379-5038 • www.optimalcares.com

Hospice care is a crucial part of modern healthcare specifically designed for people with any kind of life-limiting illness. The team approach of hospice provides expert medical care, pain and symptom management, and offers emotional and spiritual support tailored to the patient’s needs and wishes.

Patients and families often mistakenly believe that hospice is only appropriate during the last few days of a person’s life. Actually, receiving hospice early, rather than in the last few days or weeks of an illness, means a patient enjoys a longer period of stable, controlled symptoms and allows families to focus on spending quality time to-gether, while families receive support and guidance.

Hospice care is provided wherever the patient calls home; a private residence, an assisted living facility, or even in a nursing home. “Hos-pice... It’s About Living.”

Optimal Hospice has cared for Kern Valley residents for the past seventeen years and is the only hospice provider with local staff and an office in Lake Isabella.H O S P I C E C A R E

Rita D’Angelo Real Estate760-549-9579 • 11113 Kernville Rd, Kernville, CA 93238

With a combined 66 years experience, we are celebrating our amazing one year anniversary and we want to thank all our past, present, and future clients for working with us, the top realty com-pany in the Valley. We are a TEAM: Rita, Beth, Tina, Becky, Sherrill & Kelly.

We may deal in Real Estate, but our real business is People.

TOP SELLING REAL ESTATE COMPANY


R.J. Smith Construction760-379-6440P.O. Box 484, Wofford Heights, CA 93285 [email protected] • Lic # 333664

R.J. Smith Construction has been serving the construction needs of the Kern River Valley since 1979. Owned and operated by Ron Smith. Ron can help with all your construction needs, new homes, additions, remodeling, decks, and garages. Give Ron a call.

R.J. Smith Construction, valley people taking care of valley needs.

TLC - The Lighthart CorporationLake Isabella, CA 93240760-417-1574 • [email protected]

The Lighthart Corporation is a general engineering and mechanical contractor that has been in business for over 40 years. We are a fully licensed, bonded, an insured contractor specializing in heating and air conditioning, plumbing and electrical. We are licensed to install fire sprinkler systems. We have three service trucks to serve our clients throughout the Kern River Valley and Walker Basin areas. So if you need plumbing repairs or your air conditioning/heating system checked or your electrical wiring project completed by a professional, ONE CALL DOES IT ALL.

California Contractors License #593113. C-36 plumbing, C-10 electrical, C-20 heating and air conditioning, B-1 general contracting, A-1 general engineering, C-16 fire protection contractor.


Becky McCray smallbiztrends.com

Every year, I read the latest batch of trends articles: tech trends, small business trends, marketing trends. I find myself wondering, where the heck do these people live? Because it’s obviously not in a small town. That’s why I’m back with new trends that apply in rural places, small towns and any community under about 20,000 in popu-lation.

Rural and Small Town Trends for 2017

Rural OmniLocalInstead of waiting for

customers to walk in the front door, smart rural business-es are using the same omni channel tactics as big businesses. In order to reach more than just the local customers in their small towns, rural businesses are selling via their own websites, platforms like Amazon or Etsy, custom apps, automated deliveries and monthly subscription boxes.

Independent WorkforceContingent workers,

independent professionals, freelancers, and the gig economy are all converging as more people make their own way while staying rural, rather than moving to the big city for jobs. Because rural independent workers have a lower cost of living than ur-ban ones, they are better able to compete in digital talent marketplaces.

Innovative Rural Business Models

Small town businesses are not just the mom-and-pop retail store downtown. We just talked about how those mom-and-pop retailers are going rural omni-local and

how the independent workers are creating their own gigs. Other innovations are also taking hold. Smaller business experiments are replacing all-in bets on a full-size busi-

ness, maybe filling only a couple of hundred

square feet instead of 5,000 square feet. Temporary businesses pop-up for a day, a week or a season to test

the waters. Mobile businesses gather up

market share by moving from small town to small town. Shared spaces bring together co-working, artist’s studies and galleries, maker spaces and stores inside of other stores.

Local Stores Beat Big BoxesBig box stores are tipping

into a scale implosion of their own making, as they close stores, shed square foot-age and generally try to adjust to a retail future that is splitting around them. Their spe-cial skill used to be the huge selection and low price. All of that business will go to online retail giants. The other side is the return to customer service, curated selections and the enjoyment of shopping. That is where local retail eats their lunch. Sales at small retailers have increased faster than sales at

big retail stores since 2012. They haven’t caught up, but they’re increasing faster.

Local Stores Beat Online — For Some Things

While local stores excel at customer service, curated selections and the enjoy-ment of shopping, they’ll need to adopt new technol-ogy to merge the immediate gratification of being close to customers with better information like customer reviews, personalized rec-ommendations and in-depth product information. As online retailers make more forays into the physical retail world, they’re experimenting with technology to combine the physical with the virtu-al. Watch for local stores to copy their experiments from below.

Travel Motivations Favor Rural

Small towns excel at offering authentic ex-

periences. Visitors can easily connect with culture, his-tory and a sense of place all in a walkable-sized

package in a small town. Inter-

national travelers are starting to make

rural regions like the Deep South their first destination in the US, skipping tradition-al big city visits. Instead of checking famous sights off a list in a guidebook, they’re seeking out for the local

artists, authentic foods and hidden gems recommended by friends and fellow travel-ers.

“Urban” Development Trends Sound More Like “Small Town”

Placemaking, walkability, Strong Towns and public spaces are all “urban” plan-ning and development trends, and they all focus on making urban places more like small towns. Small towns already have compact, walkable cores in their downtowns. They have walkable distances in their historic development, and they already have built public spaces waiting for revitalizing activity. In small towns, it’s easier to get in-volved and make a difference, and a smaller project can make a bigger splash.

Small Towns Crowdsource Their Future

It used to be just a few people were town leaders, and they could gather in a room to decide the town’s future. Today, everyone in town has the communication tools to organize themselves and create their own future. Smaller creative projects are emerging from the ground up, as people simply decide to start something and end up shaping a better future for their town.

The Next 30 Years …These trends are either just

now emerging or are already in full swing. What will the next 30 years bring?

Photo Courtesy Bill Dawson

8 Rural and Small Town Trends for 2017

“International travelers are

starting to make rural regions their

first destination in the US”

“Small town businesses are not just the mom-and-pop

retail store downtown”


Jim Blasingame www.forbes.com

Smart business owners know that there’s a direct link between motivating employ-ees to be successful in their assignments and the success of that business. Want a good example of why you should be one of these smart man-agers?

Let’s imagine that your best employee has just resigned. How much will it cost – directly and indirectly – to find, hire, train and get that replacement up to the productivity level of your former employee? The answer is: maybe years. Scary, huh? Now ask yourself if you could be in jeopardy of losing good employees merely because you aren’t motivating them.

There are many ways to successfully motivate employees and all of them require managers to focus on the human beings with whom they work, and who desire to find their own success. Con-sider these six motivational elements.

1. Communication.There’s nothing more

fundamental to having loyal, productive and engaged employees than good com-munication. If you’re hav-

ing problems keeping good employees, the low-hanging fruit for you may be to just start talking with – not to – your people.

2. Professionalism. This is the aggregation of

proper business, ethical and interpersonal behavior, and it’s critical to successful em-ployee motivation. Profes-

sionalism fosters pride and employee loyalty.

Demonstrate your professionalism first and then help employees achieve and value their own

professionalism. And don’t forget to

recognize their progress. 3. Management style.Check yours. Are you a

leader or a driver? Managers who are drivers disregard others, consume people as a means to their end, and are identified by high employee turnover. Leaders value their people and encourage them to be successful. They can be identified by the double-digit numbers repre-senting how many years their em-ployees have been with them, and the multiple black digits to the left of the decimal on their bottom line.

4. Training. Employee training pays

operational and motivational dividends. It fosters knowl-edge, which fosters self-con-fidence, which fosters leader-ship, which fosters employee loyalty, which fosters cus-tomer loyalty, which fosters your bank account. How’s that for a training straight line

to return-on-investment? 5. Recognition.

A robin noticed a turtle sitting on top of a fence post. When the robin stopped to ask how

he got there, the tur-tle replied, “Obvious-

ly, not by myself.” When talking about what

your company has done, be sure to manage your pro-nouns properly. Whenever

“I” can be replaced with “we,” do it. This tiny 2-letter pronoun is a powerful verbal high-five that resonates mo-tivational energy throughout your organization.

6. Fun. Fun is very motivational.

Make sure your organization finds ways to have fun at work. The people I know who are the most successful and the happiest are those who take their work seriously, but they don’t take themselves very seriously.

Write this on a rock....Motivating employees to

be successful in their as-signments is not only good business, it’s also the right thing to do.

Photo Courtesy tsminteractive.com

Motivating Employees Is Good Business

“find ways to have fun at

work”

“Whenever ‘I’ can be

replaced with ‘we,’ do it.”

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