Put the World in Your Palm May 13th

If Facebook were a country, it would be the the eighth largest in the world. Large-scale adoption of social media and the use of other new technology is impacting your small business, whether you choose to participate or not. With the current economic downturn, can you afford not to keep an open mind about the chance to receive more visibility, more referrals, and a new avenue for sales?

Gain a business perspective on new technologies and learn how to leverage one of the most powerful marketing opportunities ever invented—all for free. Technology 101: New Strategies to Market Your Business will be held May 13th from 5:30 to 8:30 pm at the Monroe County YMCA - HTC Center. The Monroe County Economic Development Council, in partnership with HTC - Harrisonville Telephone Company, will be hosting this workshop as part of the Think Monroe County First! campaign.

Whether you are proficient in current technologies or just want an entry level introduction to technology, this workshop is for you! Any business with a physical location in Monroe County is invited to attend with participation limited to two (2) individuals. There is no cost to attend and light refreshments will be served. In order to attend, you must RSVP by May 8th to Nora Feuquay, U of I Extension - Monroe County Community and Economic Development Educator, at 618-939-3434.

Mid-Sized, Mid-West Cities Weathering Downturn Best

As banks pull back on risk-taking across the nation, consumer lending is rising in places like Columbia. Many midsize cities are outperforming their larger counterparts, owing to more disciplined economic development strategies in those cities, more diverse employment and lower costs.

States in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain West are experiencing either mild recessions or none at all. Lingering effects of high commodities prices have helped, but the lack of a real estate boom may be the more important factor.

Columbia may be able to learn from Germany, where the Mittelstand (small- and mid-sized enterprises) are acting as a shock absorber against the economic smash-up. Firms with up to nine employees are the backbone of the German economy, making up 93 percent of the country's 1.6 million enterprises. While small and middle-sized firms hire two-thirds of new employees--an even greater percentage than in the US and Britain--the Mittelstand has avoided large-scale layoffs so far.

Playing Through the Downturn

Quality of life is becoming increasingly recognized as integral to local economic development, so it should be no surprise that communities are seeking to boost their appeal to potential new businesses by improving local assets like parks and playgrounds. Columbia is one community that hopes to leverage its better-than-average quality of life as an economic incentive.

That's why Columbia may seek designation as a Playful City USA community, signifying commitment to a national recognition program honoring cities and towns across the nation taking action for play. By ensuring the prominence of play in the community's agenda, members of the City Council hope local citizens will reap the benefits that result from happier, smarter and healthier children as well as stronger communities--one of them being more active consideration as a business location.

In addition, designated Playful City USA communities will:

• Receive highway signs, awards and special incentive opportunities in honor of the Playful City USA status;
• Be included in a national media campaign and be provided local media support receive priority status in accessing resources including playground builds, trainings, and grants opportunities;
• Be given access to online resources and communication vehicles to keep them connected to Playful City USA communities nationwide;
• Receive recognition at national municipal leadership and recreation conferences.

Communities become Playful City USA communities by meeting five commitments:

1. Creating a local play commission;
2. Designing an annual action plan for play;
3. Conducting a playspace audit of all publicly accessible play areas;
4. Identifying current spending on capital projects and maintenance of playspaces;
5. Proclaiming and celebrating an annual KaBOOM! Play Day in September.

After the Bust, Retail Leasing Shrinks, Shifts

Within the next several years, the amount of U.S. retail space devoted to specialty stores will contract by about 10 percent, according to a study just released by UBS Securities LLC. This trend will be driven by reductions in store size, closures of malls and the retrenchment of chains that had launched concepts for new demographic groups during the retail building boom.

According to Costar Tenant, a national commercial property service, landlords "have no choice but to be creative and think of alternative uses" as they seek to lease space in this new environment. Analysts expect that retail centers--especially those in less than prime locations--will increasingly seek to fill vacancies with alternative, non-traditional uses such as state and local government offices, satellite colleges and universities, medical offices, family fun centers and churches. Second-hand or overstock dealers and seasonal outlets--which have been considered less desirable uses--will also find more space available in this new environment.

Locally, Crestwood Court mall is experiencing success by turning vacant space into an artisan community. At ArtSpace, local artisans rent space for studios where they can create, display and sell their works; space for art classes as well as live theatre is also on the premises. While ArtSpace was originally planned as a temporary use, it's caught on in the community.

Not Just Another Brick in the Wall

A federal judge last week ruled that mandating brick use in home construction in a Texas city doesn’t discriminate against minorities. This ruling supports Columbia's adoption in 2006 of an ordinance requiring significant amounts of brick to be used on new homes.

Columbia has been followed by Ellisville, Town & Country, and several Metro East communities that have subsequently adopted ordinances requiring new home construction to have certain percentages of brick or stone masonry facades. The Brick Industry Association, a national trade organization, lists numerous such ordinances across the country on its website.

Researchers from the University of Michigan studied four Chicago suburban communities to identify the impacts that the adoption of a masonry ordinance had on housing price and the fiscal health of each community. Their comparison of two communities with masonry ordinances (Orland Park and Tinley Park) with two otherwise similar communities without such ordinances, found that adoption of a masonry ordinance not only enhanced the durability and aesthetic value of local properties but it also increased property values, tax base, and overall fiscal health of each community. In addition, the research indicates that the adoption of a masonry ordinance supports population growth and does not significantly impact affordability of housing or rental costs.

The National Association of Home Builders, the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin sued the City of Kyle, an Austin suburb, over a municipal brick ordinance that they say prices minorities out of the single-family housing market. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel issued the ruling on Monday, saying he could find no discriminatory effect against minorities.

The Song That Started It All (Maybe)

The first settlers of Monroe County, Illinois were pioneers from the territories of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware who arrived about 1783, but their settlements were scattered following bloody skirmishes with the natives. The settlers who came into this area between 1793 and1795 probably reasoned that this area was a favorable place to settle as the nearly 700-feet high rise between the Bottoms and the bluffs made the plateau safe from floods, protected from storms by a rise of hills on the north and east, and abundant with clear spring water.

The origin of the name "Columbia" for this place has been the subject of much discussion and conjecture among local residents. The name Columbia came into popularity at the close of the American Revolution with the sentiment that Columbus, the discoverer of America, should be memorialized. The first time the name Columbia appeared in legislation was the legislature act of the State of New York, giving the name to the Columbia University on May 1st, 1784.

During the American Revolution, a military chaplain named Timothy Dwight composed a song entitled "Columbia, Columbia to Glory Arise" which idealized the new republic as the symbol of liberty and patriotism:

Columbia! Columbia! to glory arise,

The queen of the world, and the child of the skies,

Thy genius commands thee, with raptures behold,

While ages on ages thy splendors unfold:

Thy reign is the last and the noblest of time, Most fruitful thy soil, most inviting thy clime;

Let crimes of the east ne'er encrimson thy name,

Be freedom, and science, and virtue thy fame.

Columbia subsequently became a popular name. Since the early settlers of this area had fought in the Revolution, it is possible they heard the song and decided it was a patriotic and appropriate name for the town they founded: Columbia, Illinois.